The best cheap TV deals in 2021

If you’re reading this, you’re here because you just want to save the absolute most you can on your new TV. And who can blame you? TVs are expensive, and the price can grow exponentially the more you want out of it. Well, you’ve come to the right place. Find the best possible TV to fit your budget, but more than that this roundup will feature TVs that still manage to pack in loads of features. A cheap TV doesn’t have to mean bad TV either. You’d be surprised what all you can get even when you don’t want to splurge on the more advanced sets. Did you know there are even a bunch of great Android TVs to check out?

In general, the larger the TV the more expensive it gets so we’ve separated this roundup into different sizes to help you navigate the best cheap options around.

Best Budget TV Deals Available Now

• Best Cheap TV Deals under 50″: Prices as low as $150
• Best Cheap TV Deals over 50″: Prices down to $488
• More Info: What to look for

TCL 43S435 43-inch 4K Roku TV

Great price that gives you both 4K resolutions and a Roku smart platform to work from. Access all your favorite streaming apps. It’s easy to connect with Wi-Fi, and there’s room for other accessories with three HDMI inputs. Works with Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant.

$288 at Amazon $288 at Walmart

What can you expect from a cheap TV? What should you look for? Well, first off there are a lot of ways you don’t have to compromise. For example, you shouldn’t settle for less than 4K resolution. At this point in the TV world, 4K is the default. You can find cheap 4K TVs for less than $260 in some cases. In the same vein, try and find HDR capable sets. Now, real HDR won’t truly impact your image quality unless your TV can reach a peak brightness of 400 nits or more. However, just having the technology means you have a set that values image quality and color.

You also should look for smart functions. A smart platform like a Roku TV, webOS on LG, or Amazon’s Fire TV opens up a lot of ways to use your TV. A built-in Chromecast means you can use your mobile device to stream your favorite shows. The ease of use cannot be understatated, and like 4K this is the sort of feature that has become standard for many TVs even if some are better at it than others.

Best Cheap TV Deals under 50″

The cheaper you go, the less likely you are to find some of those essential features like 4K. That’s okay though because even the non-4K TVs still manage to cram as much as they can in there. For example, Amazon’s Fire TVs can get as low as $80 but still come with smart features, including a remote that lets you control the TV with your voice.

Best Cheap TV Deals over 50″

TVs in this range are really pretty good. This is right around the price the average person wants to spend on a TV, and manufacturers tend to put a lot of great less expensive features in these sets. You can expect to find upgrades to image quality with things like HDR support. You’ll also get features like Dolby Atmos, more robust smart platforms, Chromecast, and maybe even Apple HomeKit support.

What are you looking for in a cheap TV?

Obviously, you’re looking at the price. That’s the first thing you need to decide. How much money do you want to spend? But after that, think about what else you want from your TV, too. Where is it going to go? Is this a set for a kids room or a bedroom? How many features do you want? Does it need 4K? Should it focus on refresh rate because you want to use it for gaming? And what about a smart platform? If you’re using your own media streaming device like a Roku streaming stick, you might not care too much about the TV’s built-in platform. But even an inexpensive streaming device can support 4K content, so that might make resolution a higher priority for you.

When it comes to looking for good cheap TVs, you’ll want to stick to the major retailers. Amazon, Best Buy, Walmart, and the other big names are really where you want to look because these are the places that just happen to have the lowest possible prices on big ticket items like TVs. Plus, keep an eye out for big sales. We’ve already seen some huge deals during the holiday shopping season, and there may still be a chance for a few more.

When else should you be looking for low TV prices? Most TV manufacturers announce new lineups around the beginning of the year, using tech shows like CES in January to show off the new lineups. The new models then get released a couple months later around March or so. Things have been a little messy in 2020, but next year this will most likely be back on schedule. So that’s the time you want to look for TV deals outside of the big shopping events mentioned above because new models mean the old models get heavily discounted.