These budget televisions have plenty to offer
Quality TVs aren’t as expensive as they used to be. Nowadays, there are plenty of perfectly good options that might not offer all the latest bells and whistles, but are actually more than enough for most people.
CNET’s list of best TVs is full of models with QLED, mini-LED or OLED screen technology – advancements that enhance picture quality but also significantly increase the price.
But what if you don’t need all that and just want an inexpensive upgrade? That’s where this list comes in.
We’ve set out to find great entry-level TVs that
don’t break the bank, but still have plenty to offer. These units won’t win any awards for brightness or picture enhancements, and that’s OK. Entry-level
TVs aren’t super fancy, but they can bring a surprisingly clear and balanced picture at a more palatable price.
Best overall budget
TV: Vizio V-Series
CNET take: For picture quality alone, the Vizio V-Series clearly emerged as the leader of the pack. The Vizio offered the most balanced and accurate picture during our side-by-side comparisons, and it comes with some useful extras such as Dolby Vision support, Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth compatibility and variable refresh rate for potentially smoother gaming. The biggest downside of the Vizio is its smart TV platform, Vizio SmartCast. It’s crowded, slow and littered with ads for platforms such as Tubi and Kidoodle TV.
Ultimately, the Vizio V-Series offers the best picture, along with some high-quality extras at an extremely affordable price, even when you factor in the cost of adding a new streaming device. This is more than enough to make it the best overall entry-level TV that we tested.
Best budget TV runner-up: TCL 4-Series Roku TV
CNET take: The picture quality of the TCL 4Series Roku TV was only a slight step behind the Vizio in our testing. The black levels and picture accuracy of the TCL might not be quite as deep and rich as the Vizio, but are still quite good. The differences between the two are slight enough that you’d really have to have them set up side by side to notice anything at all. The 4-Series lacks the Dolby Vision, Bluetooth connectivity and AMD FreeSync with a variable refresh rate, all of which the Vizio offers. However, it does come with the excellent Roku Smart TV system built in.
The TCL 4-Series is a great entry-level option for most people and could be a great purchase for those who prefer the Roku system and are looking for a one-stop smart TV solution.
Best design in a budget TV: Hisense A6H Google TV
CNET take: The Hisense A6H Google TV, like the Vizio, offers some higher-end features at the entry-level price. This TV features a premium build quality and comes with Dolby Vision support, Bluetooth connectivity and DTS Virtual:X for simulated surround sound. The Hisense A6H comes preloaded with Google TV – which is our second-favorite smart platform after Roku – but we found it ran slower than Google TV on higher-end TVs like the Sony X80K.