The first 4K TVs from LG and Sony went on sale in the U.S in late 2012. Both were 84 inches and exceeded $20,000. So while desirable — 4K TVs have four times as many pixels as standard HD TVs and can produce a much clearer and beautiful picture — people basically had to choose between buying a top-notch TV and sending their child to college. Thankfully, that’s changed. Every major TV manufacturer makes at least one 4K TV, and they all come in myriad display sizes and price points. And if you don’t want to break four digits on a 4K TV, you no longer have to.
All the best 4K TVs — we’re talking the crème de la crème — have OLED displays (although Samsung’s QLED displays come a close second). That’s because OLED technology allows the displays to produce darker blacks and more vivid colors than any LED TV display. The problem is, even though prices of OLED TVs are coming down, they’re still expensive; you’re still not going to find a 4K OLED TV under $1,000.
Still, there are excellent 4K TVs within your price range. We’re talking under $1,000 for a 4K TV that’s at least 55-inches. TCL and Vizio are the two main brands to look for in. They make a variety of 4K TVs, pretty much all of them support the newest HDR technologies and have smart streaming features. And as far as picture quality, they’ll deliver a night-and-day difference to any HD display.
Key Specs to Know
Resolution: The best way to think of your TV is as a big grid, made up of columns and rows of pixels. The more pixels in that grid, the better the overall resolution of the TV. 4K TVs have a grid of 3840 x 2160 pixels, while an HD TV has a grid of 1920 x 1080 pixels. That means 4K TVs have four times as many pixels, and thus four times the detail as HD TVs.
Dimming Zones: The most affordable 4K TVs all have LED backlighting. Whereas OLED TVs can individually light up and dim each pixel, LED TVs can only light up and dim clusters of pixels. This is OLED TVs are able to achieve better contrast and more vivid colors. However, different LED 4K TVs have different amounts of “dimming zones.” The more dimming zones, the more clusters of pixels the TV is able to control. Thus, the more dimming zones, the better the 4K TV’s image quality.
Refresh Rate: This is the number of times per second, or frequency (measured in Hertz), that the screen refreshes itself. TVs with higher refresh rates are better at reducing motion blur and have a better overall image quality. If you’re looking for a 4K TV with all have refresh rates of 120Hz.
HDR: You want a 4K TV with HDR, or high dynamic range, and most the best ones on this list fit that bill. HDR is a technology that gets more out of the TV’s pixels. It helps create deeper blacks and more vivid colors, giving the TV better a contrast ratio and producing a more realistic picture. Ultimately HDR relies on HDR-compatible content, but more and more shows, movies and video games are taking advantage of it. The two most popular HDR formats are: Dolby Vision and HDR10.
Smart TV: Pretty much all new 4K TVs have some kind of smart TV platform built in. Whether that’s Roku, Smartcast or WebOS, it doesn’t matter so much because they all work with most of the popular smart apps, like Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime and HBO Go. There’s also the option to get a dongle — Apple TV, Chromecast, Amazon Fire Stick — and use whichever platform you like.
The Picks
TCL 6-Series (2019)
Key Specs
Resolution: 3840 x 2160
Backlight Type: LED with Quantum dot technology
Refresh Rate: 120 Hz
HDR: Dolby Vision, HDR10
Interphase: Roku
The Good: The 6-Series is one of the best budget 4K TVs you can buy. It has an LED display with Quantum Dot technology, the same as the top-end as Samsung and Vizio TVs, and is able to deliver a bright colorful picture with good contrast. It supports both popular HDR formats, HDR10 and Dolby Vision, and has a easy-to-use Roku operating system that most people are familiar with. It also has a more refined look with a metal frame compared to TCL’s lower-end models. (FYI: Prior to 2018, the 6-Series was known as TCL’s P-Series.)
Watch Out For: There aren’t too many downsides to the 2019 6-Series. It only comes in two sizes — 55-inches and 65-inches — so you’re out of luck if you want a smaller or larger option. Also, it doesn’t support AirPlay 2, while most new 4K TVs by Vizio and Samsung already do.
Buy Now: $549 (55-inch, B&H) Buy Now: $749 (65-inch, B&H)
TCL 5-Series (2019)
Key Specs
Resolution: 3840 x 2160
Backlight Type: LED
Refresh Rate: 120 Hz
HDR: Dolby Vision, HDR10
Interphase: Roku
The Good: The 2019 5-Series is a slightly more affordable option than TCL’s 2019 6-Series. It’s a 4K Roku TV that supports both HDR10 and Dolby Vision. The big thing (other than price) is the 5-Series is available in more and smaller sizes, including 43-inch and 49-inch models.
Watch Out For: The 5-Series has a plastic frame and stand, instead of the 6-Series’s metal, and doesn’t look as premium. It has an LED display but no Quantum Dot technology, so the picture is going to be slightly less vibrant and less accurate; it still looks good, but not 6-Series good. TCL isn’t expected to support AirPlay 2 in the near future, while most new 4K TVs by Vizio and Samsung already have it.
Buy Now: $450 (55-inch, B&H) Buy Now: $599 (65-inch, B&H)
Vizio M-Series Quantum (2019)
Key Specs
Resolution: 3840 x 2160
Display: LED with Quantum dot technology
Refresh Rate: 60Hz
HDR: HDR10, Dolby Vision and HLG
Interphase: Smartcast
The Good: The M-Series is Vizio’s mid-range line of 4K TVs and the 2019 models are the first to mid-range has been integrated with Quantum dot technology, so they’re able to deliver brighter more vivid picture than its predecessors. They support all the same HDR technologies, including HDR10 and Dolby Vision, just like Vizio’s higher-end P-Series Quantum, but the M-Series is significantly more affordable. It also works with Alexa and Google Assistant, and supports AirPlay 2 and HomeKit.
Watch Out For: The main difference compared to Vizio’s higher-end P-Series is that the M-Series Quantum has significantly less dimming zones and overall brightness, so it’s not able to produce quite the same level of picture quality.
Buy Now: $528 (55-inch, Amazon) Buy Now: $600 (65-inch, B&H)
Samsung Q60T QLED (2020)
Key Specs
Resolution: 3840 x 2160
Display: LED with Quantum dot technology
Refresh Rate: 60Hz
HDR: HDR10 and HLG
Interphase: Tizen
The Good: The Samsung Q60T is the company’s more affordable series of QLED 4K TVs and the direct successor to the Q60R. It’s able to deliver an excellent picture and has a slim minimal design. Something new is that the Q60T features Samsung’s new Dual LED technology, which automatically adjusts the backlight’s color depending on what you’re watching, so it has a better picture contrast than most 4K TVs in its price range.
Watch Out For: The Samsung Q60T doesn’t support Dolby Vision. It’s not the ideal TV for big rooms due to some poor viewing angles; when looking at the TV from the side, the picture can look a little washed out.
Buy Now: $700 (55-inch, Samsung) Buy Now: $950 (65-inch, Samsung)
