The top televisions you can buy for less than $500, or $400.
For TV consumers, the best TVs under $500 represent a sort of promised land.
We all want to get the most for our money, but $500 is sometimes insufficient to get a cutting-edge OLED TV or a premium QLED from Samsung.
But it may definitely occur on Black Friday and Cyber Monday.
The top TVs under $500 that strike a compromise between price and functionality are listed below.
They provide you with better-than-basic features and above-average performance.
In order to provide you with alternatives that help you stretch your money a little further, we’ve even highlighted the best TVs under $400, in addition to the greatest offers currently available.
The best TVs that can be purchased for under $500
1. TCL 5-Series Roku TV (S535)
Inexpensive $500 4K TV.
Specifications
- Available Screen Sizes: 50, 55, 65, 75 inches
- Screen Type: LCD with Quantum dot
- Refresh Rate: 60 Hz
- HDMI ports: 4 HDMI 2.1
- Size: 48.4 x 28.1 x 3.0 inches
- Weight: 32.6 pounds
Advantages
- True colors.
- Inbuilt Roku intelligence.
- Favorable price.
Disadvantages
- Average sound.
- Medium luminance.
The TCL 5-Series Roku TV accomplishes what TCL does best, it combines excellent performance and features at an undeniably incredible price.
You can get the 55-inch model for right about $500 and it comes with the category-leading color and brightness of QLED and Roku’s user-friendly smart TV interface, which puts hundreds of apps at your fingertips.
The QLED display offers the finest HDR compatibility available, featuring Dolby Vision in addition to the more basic HDR10 and HLG codecs, in addition to a full-color gamut and exceptional color accuracy.
With an input lag of 13.1 milliseconds, it is also one of the best gaming TVs under $500.
The best inexpensive TV currently on the market is this one.
2. TCL 4-Series Roku TV (43S435)
The best TV under $300.
Specifications
- Available Screen Sizes: 43, 50, 55, 65, 75, 85 inches
- Screen Type: LED
- Refresh Rate: 60 Hz
- HDMI ports: 3 HDMI 2.1 (1 ARC)
- Size: 38.2 x 22.3 x 3.3 inches
- Weight: 15.4 pounds
Advantages
- Fantastic 4K video for the money.
- Highly accurate color.
- Superb Roku skills.
Disadvantages
- No Dolby Vision support.
- Minor sound alterations.
The TCL 4 Series Roku TV is one of the best TV bargains you’ll discover, regardless of size.
This 4K TV’s 43-inch model sells for less than $300, which is usually less expensive than the cost of budget 1080p TVs.
It has excellent color accuracy and supports HDR10 but not Dolby Vision for increased contrast.
It makes use of the Roku system software, which has a large number of apps and provides one of the best smart TV experiences currently available.
This set can also handle intense gameplay with a 14-millisecond latency time.
In exchange for its low price, the TCL 4 Series is deficient in a few features that more expensive TVs have.
Since local dimming is absent, the HDR performance isn’t as good as it might be.
The speakers are also subpar, with little bass and little power.
If your TV will be your primary viewing device, think about adding a soundbar to it to solve the sound issues.
3. Toshiba C350 Fire TV (2021 model)
An effective Amazon Fire TV.
Specifications
- Available Screen Sizes: 43, 50, 55 inches
- Screen Type: LCD
- Refresh Rate: 60 Hz
- HDR support: Dolby Vision, HDR10
- HDMI ports: 4 HDMI (1 ARC)
- Size: 37.9 x 22.0 x 2.9 inches
- Weight: 15.0 pounds
Advantages
- Fire TV that is responsive.
- In default mode, a positive color.
- Minimum latencies.
Disadvantages
- HDR flat.
- Inconsistent backlighting.
As the newest member of the small family of Amazon-powered smart TVs for 2021, the Toshiba C350 Fire TV offers reliable features and decent performance at an extraordinarily low price.
It’s an admirable example of the Fire TV template, combining passable 4K picture quality, impressively quick response times, and Amazon’s great Fire TV smart features, including built-in Alexa voice control, a sizable app store, and an interface that puts Amazon’s Prime Video service front and center.
Even the largest 55-inch model, which costs less than $500, is among the most sophisticated low-cost TVs available.
Dolby Vision and HDR10 are supported by the C350, albeit not very well.
It is not compatible with the newest features, like HDMI 2.1 or Dolby Atmos.
However, it’s still a fantastic TV for the money and better than many Fire TV models we’ve previously seen because of great color accuracy, little latency, and a chic design.
4. Hisense H8G Quantum Series (50H8G)
Best television under $400.
Specifications
- Available Screen Sizes: 50, 55, 65, 75 inches
- Screen Type: LCD with quantum dots
- Refresh Rate: 60Hz
- HDMI Ports: 4 (1 ARC)
- Size: 43.8 x 25.4 x 3.1 inches
- Weight: 28.2 pounds
Advantages
- Overall good value.
- Reliable photo.
- Deep integration of Google Home and Assistant.
Disadvantages
- The Remote is not backlit.
- The feet look flimsy.
- Has difficulty with fast-paced sequences.
A fantastic 50-inch TV at a reasonable price, the Hisense H8G Quantum Series (50H8G), has a lot to offer.
Thanks to its QLED screen, local dimming, and Android TV smarts, the H8G is one of the best TVs you can get for under $500.
While the quantum-dot screen and local dimming enhance contrast and color performance, some cost-effectiveness-related compromises must still be made.
One of the greatest 50-inch 4K smart TVs you can purchase for the money, it’s not as excellent as a more costly TV due to the 60Hz.
Android TV offers a fantastic smart TV experience with built-in Chromecast and Google Assistant, as well as access to Google’s enormous app store.
With a 14 millisecond latency, the Hisense H8G is one of the best gaming TVs you can buy for less than $500.
5. Vizio V-Series (2021 model)
A well-priced TV with some compromises.
Specifications
- Available Screen Sizes: 43, 50 55, 58, 65, 70, 75 inches
- Screen Type: LED
- Refresh Rate: 60 Hz
- HDMI Ports: 4 HDMI 2.1 (1 eARC)
- Size: 49.06 x 28.47 x 3.40 inches
- Weight: 30.14 pounds
Advantages
- Extremely affordable price.
- Trustworthy connections.
- Favorable response from gamers.
Disadvantages
- Dim illumination.
- HDR performance issues.
The Vizio V-Series (2021) must be valued highly.
The TV supports the most latest gaming technologies, such as variable refresh rate (VRR) and auto low-latency mode, and it boasts 4K resolution, Dolby Vision, and HDR10+ (ALLM).
This year, Vizio included a voice remote so you could control the TV with just your voice.
For less than $500, you can get a 55-inch TV with all of that.
Gaming-friendly features including an automated low latency mode and lag times as low as 13.1 milliseconds are available on three HDMI 2.1 connectors.
If you want outstanding gaming performance, this is without a doubt the budget gaming TV to buy. However, keep in mind that variable and high refresh rates are not an option because this monitor runs at 60Hz.
Although the overall performance is adequate, the audio could use a speaker, and the brightness may be improved.
Unfortunately, in order to attain that pricing with those attributes, something has to be given up.
In this case, brightness, color, and interface performance.
Depending on your values, you might be turned off by such negative aspects.
If features and value are important to you, the V-Series is a great option.
How to pick the best TV under $500
Settling for a less expensive TV that costs less than $500 while sacrificing some of the better functions and visual components.
Nevertheless, you may still get some excellent features without spending excessively.
Here are a few things that are still affordable and easily accessible.
4K Resolution
Since it is more affordable and offers better quality than 1080p or 720p, we often suggest going with 4K.
Unless you’re on a limited budget, buying a true 4K TV won’t even save you much money, but you’ll see the difference.
If a 43-inch set isn’t the right size for the space, don’t settle for it.
Even if you can’t always find a decent 65-inch TV for around $500, you can still buy a nice 55-inch TV.
Screen Size
We highly advise supporting a broad dynamic range as one feature (HDR).
Even the most basic HDR support has features that improve color, brighten highlights, and deepen shadows, giving you an overall better image.
Better even, if you can get a set with Dolby Vision, however that feature will cost more.
Connectivity
More HDMI ports are often preferred so you won’t have to uncomfortably swap plugs on the TV every time you want to start a Blu-ray or play a game.
Gaming
For affordable gaming TVs, we advise choosing sets with higher refresh rates of 60Hz, even if the most modern Xbox Series X and PS5 consoles may technically support higher refresh rates.
Lag time is another problem, therefore look through each assessment to find sets that work well with lag periods under 20 milliseconds.
What attributes are worth spending more cash
Even though cheap TVs are frequently fairly good, there’s no denying that spending more money will provide you access to some capabilities that you just can’t have for less than $500.
If any of the following sounds like vital features for your new TV, think about spending a little additional money.
Screen Size
Depending on your luck, you might be able to find one or two 65-inch TVs for less than $500.
And it will always cost more to grow beyond that.
Spending more money is the only way to acquire something like a 75-inch TV.
Picture Quality
While 4K resolution is amazing, today’s high-end TVs also provide better color, brightness, and contrast, as well as incredibly smooth motion handling.
If you want the best picture quality, you should consider investing more money in technologies like OLED, mini-LEDs, and quantum dots.
Sound Quality
Today’s budget TVs excel at a variety of jobs, but the sound quality is sometimes not one of them.
We recommend pairing your new TV with one of the finest soundbars to get audio that is better than what the tiny speakers integrated into a thin TV chassis could possibly produce.