When is the best time to buy a new TV?
Buying a new TV used to be an overwhelming and costly experience. These days it can be as inexpensive as buying a tablet. As a general rule of thumb, Black Friday season - which extends from Thanksgiving to Christmas - is without a doubt the best time of year to buy a new TV. Although the season used to be affiliated with deals on cheap, off-brand TVs, the past few years we've noticed that retailers have slashed prices on all brands and types of TVs, from high-end OLED TVs to budget 4K sets.
Can you find HDTV deals anytime of the year?
Although you'll find the best TV deals on Black Friday, it's relatively easy to find excellent TV deals anytime of the year. January and February tend to see an abundance of good HDTV deals because new models are traditionally announced during the Consumer Electronics Show, which occurs every January in Las Vegas. As a result, retailers begin to clear inventory for the new TVs, which tend to arrive later in the early spring.
Back to school season, which runs from June through September, is another good time to find deals on TVs, albeit on smaller, dorm room-friendly models.
If your TV breaks in between seasons, look for deals from vendors such as Amazon and Dell. Both retailers tend to bundle gift cards with their TV deals, so even if you don't find the price you wanted, you'll be able to score a free gift card which may help offset any price difference.
Jump to:
Best Smart TVs
1Samsung H Series H7150
The H7150 is one of the best smart TVs because of its superior display quality and clever interface. It also has a quad-core processor that smoothly runs the TV's menus and web apps. You can also use voice commands to search for content or perform simple functions like adjusting the TV's volume.
2Vizio M M552i-B2
Once a budget brand, Vizio has raised the quality of its products throughout the years. Vizio's M series is one of the best values, performing on par with the best smart LED TVs in terms of picture quality. It also has an impressive smart hub and plenty of downloadable apps.
ShopSavvy saves you money.
With all the sales from every
store.
Download
on the App Store
Get it on Google Play
Best Budget TVs
1LG 55LH5750
You don't have to compromise image quality when you're looking for a budget TV and the LG 55LH5750 is proof of that. This 1080p TV is the best budget TV we've tested outshining the rest of our cheap TV lineup. Although we wish it had more HDMI inputs and a web browser, its color accuracy can't be matched by other budget sets. It's our Top Ten Reviews Gold Award winner.
2TCL 50FS3800
There's a lot to like about the TCL 50FS3800. For starters, it has Roku's simple-to-use interface baked into the TV, which will have even the least tech saavy user breezing through the TV's menu. While there are sets that provide better image quality, not many have an interface that's this easy to navigate. It also has a 120Hz refresh rate, whereas many budget TVs stick to 60Hz.
Best OLED and 4K
1LG OLED55E6P
This OLED TV has outstanding picture quality and surprisingly good sound quality, and the Web OS smart interface is easy to navigate and use. If you want a TV to be the centerpiece of your home entertainment center for the next several years, this Top Ten Review Gold Winner is the set that you want.
2Samsung KS9000
The quantum dot technology that Samsung uses on the Samsung KS9000 4K LED TV makes its picture vibrant, its colors highly saturated, and the contrast excellent. Samsung's Tizen OS is also simple, clean, and easy to navigate. This TV impresses us enough to earn our Top Ten Reviews Bronze Award.
