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These are the best TVs under $500 I recommend right now to upgrade your setup without breaking the bank
It wasn't so long ago that the best TVs under $500 wouldn't be worth writing home about. But premium features and technologies that used to be the reserve of the most expensive TVs have come down in cost and made their way to cheaper sets.
Nowhere is that more clear than on the Hisense QD7, the model I recommend right now if you're looking for the best TV under $500. The colors look great, the sound is a lot better than it has any right to be and the TV's local dimming means that it handles darker scenes and contrast well.
If you need a brighter TV with more gaming features, then the other TV I think is worth your money is the Hisense U65QF. It's a 55-inch model, but it has a 144Hz refresh rate, and two HDMI 2.1 ports, making it a great choice for gamers or if you want to watch this summer's sporting events.
Of course, you can also bring the cost down by dropping the size. I've used 65-inch models to base my recommendations on, but if you go for the best 55-inch TVs or best 43-inch TVs, then you'll easily find more great options at this price. Though at these sizes, the smaller display often means its not as bright as its larger counterparts.
The best TVs under $500 you can buy right now
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Best TV under $500 overall
It's not often that you can say that the best TV under $500 is also one of the best TVs period, but that's where we're at with the Hisense QD7. This affordable set has a few compromises (namely, the Amazon Fire TV interface) but it is otherwise exceptional value, so you can upgrade your space without breaking the bank.
One of the things we liked the most about the QD7 is that the colors come out surprisingly well. The TV uses quantum dot crystals which absorb some of the backlight and re-emit it as red and green light to make the picture more vibrant. Plus, the LEDs are individually controllable which means the TV can dim specific areas.
Local dimming like this is really helpful when you have light and dark patches in a single image or lots of deeper shades of black. We watched "Stranger Things" and "Dune" on the QD7, which have lots of dark and shadowy moments and these were impressively detailed thanks to the vibrant color performance and local dimming.
If you're looking for a TV under $500 to watch sports, the Hisense QD7 is a good option. Out of the box, it did struggle a bit with fast-moving scenes (as it only has a 60Hz refresh rate), but we tried turning on motion smoothing, which helped. It gives decent performance for the price, and is a good compromise between performance and cost.
The main downside to this otherwise fantastic affordable TV is that Hisense loaded Amazon's Fire TV software; it's slow, hard to navigate and constantly pushes Amazon's products, services and ads. It's a shame, because Hisense opted for the much-superior Google TV platform for the QD7 internationally.
It's a frustration, but it shouldn't put you off the TV. Once you've installed all your streaming apps, you'll barely need to interact with the Fire TV interface anyway (unless, of course, you use Amazon Prime Video or the company's video rental or store). In all other ways, this is easily the best TV under $500 you'll find right now.
- Read our full Hisense QD7 review
Best TV under $500 for gaming
I generally recommend 65-inch TVs, as that's what we test and it's the most popular size. But I'm changing lanes with the 55-inch Hisense U65QF because it's a fantastic TV under $500 (and the 65-inch version is slightly more at $550).
If you've already looked at how to pick the right TV size for your space and land on a 55-inch set, or you want to stick to the price limit, then this a excellent model that is impressively bright and colorful without breaking the bank.
But the two HDMI 2.1 ports are the most exciting feature here, as they enable 4K resolution at 144Hz, making the TV an excellent budget option for gamers, who need a higher refresh rate for fast paced games.
We put it to the test playing Indiana Jones and the Great Circle and the TV held up well against pricier models. In part, this is also because it comes with Auto Low-Latency Mode (ALLM), which turns off resource-heavy features to reduce lag.
And if you're not into games, the 144Hz refresh rate means that the U65QF outperforms the Hisense QD7 on sport, making it an ideal pick if you want to watch this summer's sporting events, like the Fifa World Cup, without any choppiness.
Plus, our lab tests showed that it is generally brighter than the QD7 on HDR content, so it's a better pick if you're going to put your new TV in a sunny room. Though, do temper your expectations, as it won't match the brightness of a set like the LG C6.
The C6 is about 50% brighter, but then it is almost four times the price of the U65QF. So what you get with this affordable Hisense TV really punches above its price point. Like the QD7, the only really downside is the Amazon Fire TV software.
- Read our full Hisense U65QF review
Also tested
How we test the best TVs under $500
For every TV that we review, we split our testing into two parts; the lab and our homes. Each model initially gets delivered to our lab, where we perform technical tests using industry-standard equipment to see whether aspects like brightness and lag match the manufacturer's claims.
One of the reasons we test TVs like this is because it means we can more readily compare different sets to see which of this year's TVs perform best and also whether the latest model actually outperforms the older (and often cheaper) set. Plus, it gives us (and you) some objective data in a product category that can be quite subjective.
Once the results are in, we ship the TV to our homes and set it up in our living space. This is where we see how it performs in the real world, with sunlight, glare and different types of movies, TVs show and games.
When it comes to TVs under $500, what we're also looking for is whether it's a good, acceptable or bad experience actually using the TV. I never want to recommend something only because it's cheap, even if the experience using it sucks.
Though we have lab data for peak brightness, the most critical technical check we do at home is how the TV handles bright spaces and sunny rooms. At this price, the TV is unlikely to outperform premium models and look fantastic at all brightnesses, but we want to make sure that you can actually see what you're watching.
How to choose the best TVs under $500
Although you can pick up a fantastic TV for under $500 now without too much compromise, you should check out our guide to choosing the perfect TV size for your room before you start looking at specific models.
Generally, you're not likely to find anything above 65 inches for this price, so if it's a larger TV you need, you might need to adjust your budget or wait until a sale period like Amazon Prime Day or Black Friday to find one at this kind of price.
But if you need to stick to the $500 cap or are comfortable with a 43, 55 or 65-inch TV, then you can start to think about what you want to actually do with the TV and where you want to put it in your home, as different models have different strengths.
For bright spaces, it's worth keeping an eye on the brightness levels or anti-glare coatings on the display, as this can help counter sunlight or background brightness, especially when watching scenes with lots of dark blacks (like most modern films).
If you're a sports fan on a budget, then look for a set with a higher refresh rate (often 120Hz or higher). Those kind of refresh rates are also great for gamers, especially 144Hz, which often comes linked to the presence of HDMI 2.1 ports for consoles and PCs.
