RTINGS

The best smart TV under $300 is the Amazon 4K50M600A, otherwise known as the Fire TV Omni Series. It's an okay overall TV that provides good value for its price, and even if the 50 inch model is slightly over $50 and is too expensive for you, the 43 inch variant is under this price threshold. Both models perform like the 65 inch model we tested.

This TV comes with the Amazon Fire TV smart platform built-in, which is user-friendly and has a ton of apps available to download. It also has a few extra features like the built-in mic on the remote that you can use to ask it to open apps, change inputs, and search for content. There's also a mic built into the TV, meaning you can use it for hands-free voice control, but you can disable it if you're concerned about privacy. In terms of picture quality, it has excellent contrast and good black uniformity, but it doesn't have a local dimming feature to improve the black level.

Sadly, it's not a good choice for watching HDR content because the smaller sizes only support HDR10 and not Dolby Vision or HDR10+, and it doesn't display a wide range of colors in HDR. Also, it has low HDR peak brightness, so highlights don't pop. If that isn't a problem for you, it's the best TV in this price range.

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If you want a 55-inch display around the $300 mark, your selection is much more limited than with smaller sizes, and you might have to pay a tiny bit more. That said, if you don't mind sacrificing a little bit of quality, the Hisense 55A6H is an okay overall smart TV. It's different from the TCL 4 Series/S455 2022 or the TCL 4 Series/S446 2021 because it has a different panel type that results in a lower contrast ratio. It means that blacks look gray in the dark, but instead, it has a wider viewing angle that makes the image look consistent from the sides, which is ideal for wide seating areas.

It comes with the latest Google TV interface, with new accessibility features compared to other versions. It comes with the same app store, and the remote has a built-in mic for voice control. In terms of picture quality, it isn't the best as it has low peak brightness, so it isn't that good in well-lit rooms, but it's better for moderately-lit rooms. Luckily, it doesn't have any trouble upscaling lower-resolution content, and the out-of-the-box accuracy is excellent.

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For those on a budget, the Amazon 4K43M600A is a good choice as the best 43-inch TV at a low cost. It's a rather basic TV that doesn't have the bells and whistles of some higher-end models like the Samsung Q60/Q60B QLED, but it's good for what it is as an entry-level 4k TV. It comes with the Fire TV smart platform, which is easy to use and makes navigating through the menus feel smooth. There are tons of apps to download, and the built-in mic on the remote gives you access to Alexa voice assistant, making it easy to open apps and search for content.

Although its overall picture quality isn't the best, it still performs well in dark rooms as it displays deep blacks, and it has decent reflection handling and peak brightness if you want to use it in a bright room. There are a few drawbacks you have to expect from a budget-friendly model, as it doesn't upscale 480p and 720p content as well as other TVs, which isn't ideal if you watch DVDs or cable TV. If that's important to you, the Samsung AU8000 is a good alternative, but it doesn't get as bright.

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Wirecutter

The Hisense U7G offers great image quality, superb gaming features, and the Android TV interface, but it has a narrower viewing angle and comes in fewer screen sizes than some other TVs.

The Hisense U7G offers great image quality, superb gaming features, and the Android TV interface but has a narrower viewing angle and fewer screen sizes than some other TVs.

The U7G is a good all-around performer and has the most important gaming features, but it lacks some advanced gaming functions and comes in fewer screen sizes.

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The TCL 75R646 is the best 75 inch TV under $2,000 that you can buy. It's a great TV with features that should please most people, and even though we tested the 55 inch model, the results are also valid for the 75 inch version. It comes with Google TV built-in as its smart interface, which is fairly easy-to-use and has a bunch of apps available to download, and you also have access to Google Assistant.

It features Mini LED as its backlighting, which results in a decent local dimming feature. It has a VA panel with a high native contrast ratio for deep blacks, and while the local dimming feature helps improve the contrast in some scenes, it doesn't do much to improve the overall picture quality in dark scenes. Still, the Mini LED backlighting allows the TV to get extremely bright, so highlights pop in HDR, and it displays a wide color gamut to make highlights and colors look vivid.

Unfortunately, while it has a quick overall response time, there's black smearing with fast-moving objects in dark scenes. It's caused by the slow response time in dark transitions, which is typical of VA panels. Also, it doesn't upscale lower-resolution content like DVDs well, but it doesn't have any issues with 1080p and 4k content. All in all, it's still one of the best TVs to buy under $2,000.

If you want something bigger than the Hisense 65U8H, the best 75-inch TV under $1,500 is the TCL 75R646. It's a great all-around TV with a few features to improve your overall experience, doesn't cost too much, and you can find it in a large size for under $1,500. Although we tested the 55-inch version, the 75-inch model delivers a very similar experience overall. It comes with Google TV as its built-in smart interface, which is easy to use and has a ton of apps you can download.

It has worse picture quality overall than the Hisense U8H, but the larger size delivers a more immersive gaming or movie-watching experience, especially if you have a large living room. It uses Mini LED backlighting that produces deep blacks thanks to the decent full-array local dimming feature, and there isn't too much blooming around bright objects. Sadly, it doesn't upscale lower-resolution content like from DVDs well, but it doesn't have any issues if you want to watch HD cable channels, Blu-rays, or native 4k content from streaming apps.

The TCL 75R646 is the best 75-inch TV under $2,000 that you can buy. It's a great TV overall with a good selection of features. It features a Mini LED backlight, resulting in high peak brightness and a decent local dimming feature, with less blooming around bright areas of the screen. It has a high native contrast ratio, resulting in deep, uniform blacks. It gets extremely bright, so highlights pop in HDR, and it displays a wide color gamut to make highlights and colors look vivid. It supports all three major HDR formats; HDR10, Dolby Vision, and HDR10+, so you don't have to worry about which formats your favorite streaming service supports.

It comes with the Google TV smart interface built-in, which is fairly easy to use and has a bunch of apps available to download. It also supports Google Assistant voice controls through both the remote and through the hands-free mic on the TV, so you can quickly find your favorite content or even control other smart devices in your home. It has worse picture quality overall than the Hisense U8H, but the larger size delivers a more immersive gaming or movie-watching experience, especially if you have a large living room.

For something even cheaper in the lower mid-range price category, the TCL 75R646 is a great TV that offers good value for its cost, and you get a few premium features. It delivers slightly worse picture quality than the Hisense U8H, with a slightly worse local dimming feature and worse uniformity. However, it still has a high contrast ratio, and its local dimming feature is decent enough to display deep blacks in dark rooms. Even if you want to use it in a well-lit room, it has excellent reflection handling and incredible SDR peak brightness, so glare isn't an issue.

It performs best when watching HD cable channels, Blu-rays, or native 4k content because it has some problems upscaling 480p content, but this is only an issue if you watch DVDs. Although it uses Mini LED backlighting like the Samsung QN90B QLED, it doesn't get as bright, so while it doesn't deliver the same HDR experience, it's still great and is better than other TVs in the same price range. Note that we tested the 55-inch model of this TV, but the results are also valid for the 75-inch version.

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The 32S334 is a great all-in-one small TV, offering good performance, a robust smart-TV platform, and helpful features like voice search and Bluetooth audio output.

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The Best 32-Inch TV

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If you want the biggest size you can get for under $1,000, look into the Samsung UN75AU8000FXZA. As you move up in size and maintain the same price, you lose out on a lot of features and performances, and that's the case here as it's an entry-level TV available in a large size. You don't get any of the high-end features of the TCL 6 Series/R646 2021 QLED or the Hisense U8H, like the full-array local dimming feature and high peak brightness, but it's still a decent TV that looks good in dark rooms as it displays deep blacks with excellent black uniformity.

It comes with Samsung's proprietary Tizen smart platform, which is also user-friendly, and navigating through the menus feels smooth. The voice assistant feature gives you access to Bixby, Alexa, and Google Assistant, so you can choose your preferred system to complement other devices you have at home. If you watch content from cable boxes, it doesn't have any issues upscaling lower resolution, including with 480p content, which is ideal for watching DVDs.

The best Roku gaming TV we've tested is the TCL 6 Series/R635 2020 QLED. It's a 2020 model that's still available because TCL hasn't released a new Roku lineup since, and it offers good overall performance. It's great for gaming as it has a few extra features, and the picture quality is good in both dark and bright environments.

It has a 120Hz panel for a smooth and responsive gaming experience, and it also has impressive motion handling. The backlight uses pulse width modulation to dim itself, but since it flickers at such a high frequency, it won't be distracting and doesn't cause image duplication. It also has a backlight strobing feature to reduce screen tearing, but the crosstalk is off, resulting in image duplication when it's enabled. Lastly, it has variable refresh rate (VRR) support in the form of native FreeSync and G-SYNC compatibility to reduce screen tearing.

Unfortunately, it's not the best choice for gaming on the latest consoles because it doesn't have HDMI 2.1 bandwidth for high-frame-rate games; instead, it has HDMI 2.0 bandwidth, so you can only play 4k games up to 60 fps. Still, you can play lower-resolution games at 120Hz from the PS5 and Xbox Series X, and it has low input lag. Overall, it's the best gaming Roku TV that we've tested.

The best Roku TV we've tested is the TCL 6 Series/R635 2020 QLED. It's a high-end 4k LED TV from TCL's 2020 lineup that you can still find available, and it offers good overall performance. It's available in 55, 65, and 75 inches, so you can get the one that suits your room the most, and they all perform like the 55-inch model we tested. The implementation of Roku on it is great as it feels smooth and, as expected, it's easy to navigate through the interface. Unlike some lower-end Roku TVs, the remote it comes with has a mic for voice control, but its functionality is limited as you can ask it to search for content in apps, but at times it doesn't do as you ask.

In terms of picture quality, it performs well in dark and bright rooms. It has a high native contrast ratio in dark rooms for deep blacks and a local dimming feature, but it doesn't perform the best as there's some blooming around bright objects and crushed blacks in dark scenes. Luckily, it gets bright enough to deliver a satisfying HDR experience or to combat glare in bright rooms, so visibility isn't a problem if you have a few lights around.

 
			 
		
		
			Pros
			Cons
		
		
			 
			 
		
		
			
			
				Excellent contrast.
				Outstanding black uniformity.
				Decent reflection handling.
				Android TV offers a huge selection of streaming apps.
			
			
			
			
				Image degrades when viewed at an angle.
				Ads throughout the smart interface.
			
			
		
	


The Hisense 55U6G is the best 55 inch TV you can buy if you're on a budget. It's great and has features if you're looking for a TV to use with different content, from gaming to watching TV shows, and it performs well both in dark and bright environments. Its VA panel has a high native contrast ratio for deep blacks, and it also has a decent local dimming feature to improve the contrast. Although we tested the 65 inch version, the results are also valid for the 55 inch model.

It gets bright enough to fight glare even in well-lit rooms, and its reflection handling is decent. Although it's limited to a 60Hz panel with HDMI 2.0 bandwidth and lacks VRR support, you'll still appreciate its low input lag and quick response time for a smooth and responsive gaming experience. If you're the type of person to watch your favorite TV shows on cable boxes, it doesn't have issues upscaling lower-resolution content. If you stream your content, the Android TV offers a ton of streaming apps you can download, though unfortunately there are ads throughout the smart interface that can't be disabled. 

Unfortunately, it's not the best choice for wide seating arrangements because it has a narrow viewing angle and the image appears washed out from the sides. Also, its HDR performance is limited since its HDR peak brightness is just okay, and some highlights don't stand out. That being said, if this doesn't bother you, it's one of the best 55 inch TVs we've tested.

The best TV you can get for under $500 is the Hisense 55U6G. It's a great overall TV that's versatile for a variety of uses and environments. It displays deep blacks and has a decent local dimming feature that further deepens any blacks in the dark, making it an impressive choice for watching movies in dark rooms. If you prefer watching content in a bright room, visibility won't be an issue as it has great peak brightness to combat glare and decent reflection handling.

The built-in Android TV platform makes it easy to stream your favorite content. Sadly, it has a narrow viewing angle, and it isn't ideal for wide seating areas because the image looks inaccurate from the sides. You can get it in a variety of sizes, including a 50 inch model, if you want the best 50 inch TV under $500.

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The best sounding TV we've tested in the upper mid-range category is the Sony X95K. It's a great TV overall that sounds good. It has a well-balanced sound profile, so dialogue is clear and easy to understand. It doesn't get as loud as the LG G1 OLED and has less bass, but it has less compression and very little distortion at high listening levels. Like the G1, it supports eARC and supports a wider range of audio formats than the G1, including DTS:X via DTS-HD MA, which is great as that's the most commonly supported format on UHD Blu-ray movies.

It delivers fantastic picture quality, but it relies on its Mini LED full array local dimming feature to achieve deep blacks, so there's more blooming around bright objects than the LG's OLED panel. It still looks great, though, and with its excellent peak brightness in HDR, bright highlights stand out. It also has a wide color gamut, so HDR content looks vivid and lifelike.

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If you want something bigger than the TCL 4 Series/S455 2022, you can still get the 2021 version, known as the TCL 4 Series/S446 2021, in a 50-inch size for less than $300. It's not quite as good as its successor, as it has much worse contrast that results in raised blacks in a dark room. It looks good in a moderately-lit room, though, as it has good reflection handling and can overcome a bit of glare. It also has a wide viewing angle, making it a good choice for a wide seating arrangement, as the image remains consistent when viewed from the side.

It's an okay TV for gaming, with a decent response time and low input lag, resulting in a smooth gaming experience with very little delay between your actions and what you see on-screen. By going with a cheaper TV, you're a bit limited in terms of extra gaming features, and it can't take full advantage of the Xbox Series S|X or the PS5. It's also locked at a fixed 60Hz refresh rate with no variable refresh rate support, so you'll see a bit more tearing in some games.

The Samsung QN50QN90AAFXZA is the best 50 inch TV with an LED panel. If you're worried about the permanent burn-in risk associated with OLED displays, LED TVs appear to be immune to it, so you can leave it on your channel all day and not have to worry about damaging the screen. We tested the 55 inch variant of this TV, and the results are also valid for the 50 inch version, but the 50 inch model doesn't have wide-angle viewing technology like the larger sizes.

Although LED TVs don't have the same near-infinite contrast as OLEDs, it still performs well in bright and dark environments. Its VA panel has a high contrast ratio, and combined with its Mini LED local dimming feature, it displays deep blacks with minimal blooming around bright objects. Even in a well-lit room, glare won't be an issue because it has fantastic reflection handling and exceptional peak brightness. If you tend to watch HDR movies, you'll appreciate the wide color gamut and the high peak brightness in HDR, enough to make highlights pop, but it doesn't support Dolby Vision.

Sadly, our unit has some uniformity issues that could get distracting during sports, like the dirty screen effect. It also has many gaming features like VRR support and HDMI 2.1 bandwidth, but its local dimming performs worse in Game Mode. If that isn't an issue for you, it's one of the best TVs available in this size.

LED TV Comparison