The 5 Best Budget TVs - Fall 2021 Reviews

The Hisense U6G is the best budget TV that we've tested. Although it's an entry-level 2021 ULED model, it offers great overall performance and is the best value TV for its price. It performs well in both dark and bright environments, and it's fairly well-built and should look nice in any living room setup.

It's great for gaming because the response time is great, so motion looks smooth, and even though it has a black frame insertion feature to reduce any motion blur, it results in some image duplication. It's limited to a 60Hz panel, doesn't support VRR, and has HDMI 2.0 inputs, so you can't use the PS5 and Xbox Series X to their full capabilities. On the plus side, input lag is low for a responsive gaming experience. It has a VA panel with a high contrast ratio, incredible black uniformity, and the full-array local dimming feature performs fairly well in both Game Mode and outside of it.

Sadly, it has narrow viewing angles, which is expected from a VA panel, so it's not a good choice for wide seating areas. The backlight flickers, but it's at such a high frequency that you shouldn't notice it. It displays a wide color gamut, and although its HDR brightness is okay and makes some highlights stand out, it may not be enough for a true HDR experience. If that doesn't bother you, it's the best budget TV we've tested.

The best budget TV for gaming that we've tested is the Vizio M7 Series Quantum 2021. It's a mid-range TV in Vizio's 2021 lineup with a budget-friendly cost and a few extra gaming features compared to other recommendations on this list. It's available in a wide range of sizes to suit your needs, and we expect the other variants to perform like the 55 inch model we tested.

Even though it has a 60Hz panel, it still has FreeSync support to reduce screen tearing. It has low input lag for a responsive gaming experience, and motion looks good thanks to the quick response time, but you may notice some black smearing, typical of VA panels. It has a high native contrast ratio and a full-array local dimming feature, but it doesn't do much to improve the picture quality in dark scenes.

Sadly, you can't take full advantage of the PS5 and Xbox Series X because it has HDMI 2.0 inputs, so you're limited to 4k gaming at 60Hz. It displays a wide color gamut and has excellent gradient handling for HDR, but it doesn't get bright enough to make highlights stand out. It has decent peak brightness and decent reflection handling, so it's fine for rooms with a few lights, but it's not suggested for really well-lit environments. If these things don't bother you, it's the best budget TV for gaming.

If you prefer a Roku TV, check out the TCL 5 Series/S535 2020 QLED, the best cheap 4k TV that we've tested with a Roku interface. The 5 Series is a mid-range option from TCL's 2020 lineup, and it delivers a good viewing experience for a budget-friendly price tag. It's available in various sizes, from 50 to 75 inches. The Roku interface is easy to navigate, runs smoothly, and has tons of apps available.

It uses a VA panel and has one of the highest native contrast ratios on any LED TV we've tested, so it produces deep blacks that look fantastic in the dark. It's less suited to very well-lit rooms because it doesn't get very bright, and its reflection handling is only decent. It upscales lower-resolution content well and has good out-of-the-box color accuracy. It also has a fast response time for smooth motion and includes a black frame insertion feature to further reduce persistence blur.

While it has a wide color gamut for HDR, it doesn't get bright enough to make highlights pop, resulting in a rather underwhelming HDR experience. It also has poor viewing angles that make the image look washed out from the side, meaning it's not the best for wide seating arrangements. Although it lacks VRR support, gamers should be pleased with its low input lag. All in all, this is the best value TV with Roku that we've tested.

If you want the best cheap smart TV, then check out the Hisense A6G. It's the entry-level option from Hisense's 2021 lineup, sitting below the Hisense U6G, and even though it doesn't offer nearly the same great performance, it's still versatile and okay overall. We tested the 65 inch model with an IPS panel, but other sizes have VA panels instead, so they perform differently.

An advantage of getting one of the variants with an IPS panel is that they have wide viewing angles, so the image remains accurate no matter where you sit, but the VA panel TVs should have narrow viewing angles. Like other Hisense options, it comes with Android TV built-in, which offers many apps available to download through the Google Play Store, and the remote has a built-in mic for voice control. It doesn't have any trouble upscaling lower-resolution content, which is great for watching cable TV, and it has decent reflection handling, but it doesn't get bright enough to fight glare.

Sadly, IPS panels have low contrast, so blacks look gray when viewed in the dark, and if that matters to you, the VA panels should have higher contrast. HDR content doesn't look anything special because it can't display a wide color gamut, and it doesn't get bright enough to make highlights pop, but that's expected from a budget option. If you need something simple, this is the best cheap TV we've tested.