The best TVs under $500 are a lot better than you'd expect them to be. Years ago, spending $500 on a new TV might only get you 1080p resolution and a 40-inch screen. These days, it's definitely possible to score a 55-inch 4K smart TV for less than five Benjamins.
One of the best TVs under $500 is the Roku Plus Series TV, a QLED display that runs the gamut on features and even comes equipped with some gaming specs, to boot. It's only a 60Hz panel and uses HDMI 2.0 ports instead of the newer 2.1 standard, but its brightness and color saturation are unbeatable at this price point.
If you're looking to spend less than $500 then check out the Hisense U6K Mini-LED TV, another spectacular option that sits under $300. It uses a Mini-LED lighting system for better brightness uniformity and offers Dolby Vision support. Again, there are minor tradeoffs here, but you'll have a hard time finding a better TV for under $400.
Why trust us? We test dozens of TVs every year, many of which fall under this category. We use specialized testing equipment to take measurements of the peak luminance, color saturation levels, color accuracy, contrast and input latency. We combine those test results with real-world experience (like watching the latest shows and movies) to formulate an easy-to-digest score from 0 to 5. What you see below are the best-scoring TVs at this price bracket.
The best TVs you can buy under $500
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The quick list
You can't beat the Roku Plus for under $500. The Roku interface is very user-friendly and the surprisingly good HDR color and sound performance punch well above their weight.
Although the TCL 5-Series Google TV is still a better value, its more modern equivalent, the Q6, offers many of the same features alongside a premium smart TV platform.
When you're looking for a TV for around $300, the Hisense U6K from 2023 is the pinnacle of price vs performance. In all my years testing TVs, I haven't found a better value than this.
The full list: Best TVs under $500
The Roku Plus sports a surprising value as a QLED TV from the makers of one of the best streaming devices. It supports all the latest HDR standards including HDR10, HDR10+ and Dolby Vision, plus it comes with four HDMI 2.0 ports. It looks great for just $499 for the 55-inch model, which usually drops down to $450 on sale.
The Roku Plus Series has a slim bezel around the exterior of the screen and uses one of the most beloved smart platforms. However, it's limited to a 60Hz native refresh rate, which makes it less-than-ideal for watching sports and it probably won't find itself among the best gaming TVs. Its brightness is also lower than other QLED TVs from Samsung.
These aren't deal-breakers by any means. This is still as good of a display as you can get for around $500 — it is, after all one of the best Roku TVs. If this is how far your budget stretches, then you won't be disappointed with Roku's first-ever 4K HDR TV, and it could find a new victor in the Roku Pro Series, which launched recently.
Read our full Roku Plus Series 4K QLED TV review.
Best TV under $400
For a while, the best TV under $400 was the TCL 5-Series Google TV. However, in 2023, TCL changed its lineup with new Q-Series models that replace the older 5- and 6-Series models. The Q6, found here, isn't an exact one-to-one replacement, but it still offers a great combination of smart TV features, solid performance and excellent value.
In our hands-on testing with the Q6, we measured its peak HDR brightness at 498 nits and its SDR brightness at 431 nits. The latter metric is a bit higher than some of its rivals, but HDR isn't as bright as you'd find on the Roku Plus. In terms of color saturation and accuracy, the Q6 covers only 97.41% of the Rec709 color space (most TVs cover 99% or more) but had some of the most accurate colors of any TV at this price point with a Delta E value of around 2.1.
The takeaway? This isn't the brightest TV, nor the most colorful, but when it comes to color accuracy and SDR brightness, it's a top contender.
For under $400, and compared to models from Insignia and Toshiba, the TCL Q6 is the better option and the one we'd recommend to friends and family.
Read our full TCL Q6 QLED TV review.
Best TV around $300
Both the Roku and TCL are great for their sticker prices, but if you want the absolute cheapest TV that doesn't deserve a spot in an e-cycling bin, I whole-heartedly recommend the Hisense U6K. It's the only model among the best TVs under $500 that I return to watch day after day and it's been well-worth every penny.
The reason it's so great is that it uses a Mini-LED panel that gives it great contrast and strong black levels. It doesn't get incredibly bright, but because I use it in my bedroom at night, I don't have any reason for it to get as bright as my downstairs living room TV that's constantly fighting against ambient lighting.
Not only is its contrast surprisingly impressive for the price, its color saturation is great, too. Gamers will appreciate the VRR support, but keep in mind that it's still a 60Hz panel, so there's no way to play games at 4K/120fps. This makes the U6K not ideal for the best PS5 games.
That said, the Hisense U6K is one of the best budget TVs I've ever tested, especially when you factor in its remarkable $350 price point for a 55-inch screen size. You can't do any better than that.
Read our full Hisense U6K review.
How to choose the best cheap TV
How to choose the best TV under $500
Scoring a TV for less than $500 means giving up some of the nicer features and design touches for a more affordable price. But you can still get some excellent features without blowing the budget. Here are a few things you can still easily find in your price range.
4K resolution: 4K resolution is so affordable, and the quality so much better than 1080p or 720p, that we always recommend going for 4K. Unless you're on a shoestring budget, getting a proper 4K TV won't even save you much money, but you will notice the difference.
Screen size: You may not always be able to score a premium 65-inch TV for under $500, but you can still get a decent 55-inch model, so don't settle for some dinky 43-inch set unless it's the right size for the space.
HDR support: If there's one feature we recommend, it's high dynamic range (HDR). Even basic HDR support provides better color, brighter highlights and richer shadows, giving you a better picture in every respect. If you can find a set with Dolby Vision, that's even better, but you may pay more for that feature.
Connectivity: More HDMI ports are always better, so you don't find yourself having to awkwardly swap plugs on the TV every time you want to fire up a Blu-ray or jump into a game.
Gaming: For affordable gaming TVs, we recommend looking for sets with higher refresh rates of 60Hz, but the latest Xbox Series X and PS5 consoles can actually go higher. Lag time is another concern, so check out individual reviews to find sets that have a lag time of shorter than 20 milliseconds for the best performance.
What features are worth paying more for?
While budget-friendly TVs are pretty good, there's no denying that spending more will get you some features that you just won't be able to find for less than 500 bucks. If any of the below sound like a must-have for your new TV, consider spending a little bit more.
Screen size: If you're lucky, you will find one or two 65-inch TVs selling below the $500 mark during sales events. And going larger than that will always cost more. If you want something like a 75-inch TV, the only option is to pony up more money.
Picture quality: 4K resolution is great, but today's premium TVs have taken picture quality to new levels of excellence with better color, brightness and contrast, not to mention super-smooth motion handling. If you want the best picture quality, you'll want to consider paying more for technologies like quantum dots, mini-LED and OLED.
Sound quality: Today's budget TVs do a lot of things well, but sound quality usually isn't one of them. We recommend pairing your new TV with one of the best soundbars to get better audio than the tiny speakers crammed into a thin TV chassis could ever produce.
How we test the best cheap TVs
How we test TVs
Evaluating TVs is about more than just kicking back to watch a movie. We lab test every TV, measuring color gamut, color accuracy and brightness to objectively see which sets are the best for these key indicators. We also test for lag time – a key detail for gaming – measuring to the millisecond how long it takes for content to travel from the original source to the screen. We use these results to make numbers-based comparisons about color and display quality.
We also spend time with each set for real-world evaluation and see how our lab results translate into more subjective performance. We also compare sets side by side and view samples from the latest movies, specialized test patterns that highlight strengths and weaknesses of each display, and a range of content across several sources. With that information, we can tell you which TVs look best, sound best and offer the best viewing experience.
Finally, we evaluate the smart TV functions and apps for each TV, looking at everything from the remote control design to the voice interaction.
We put all of that data together with our real-world testing and stack it against the price of the TV. The result is a score that we feel best represents the totality of that model, and how well it stands up against its contemporary rivals. A TV that scored highly five years ago may not score as highly against a newer model, but we do our best to update reviews when newer models become available.
Interested in a specific TV brand, price range or screen size? Check out our picks for the best TVs in each.
Best TVs | Best 4K TVs | Best smart TVs for streaming | Best TVs for gaming
The best TVs under $1000 | The best TVs under $500
Best TV brands | Best Samsung TVs | Best TCL TVs | Best LG TVs | Best Roku TVs | Best OLED TVs | Best QLED TVs | Best 8K TVs | Best HDMI 2.1 TV | Best TVs with ATSC 3.0 | Best TVs with Chromecast
The smallest smart TVs | Best 43-inch TVs | Best 50-inch TVs | Best 55-inch TVs | Best 65-inch TVs | Best 70-inch TVs | Best 75-inch TVs | Best 85-inch TVs
