The 6 Best Budget TVs - Fall 2019
Reviews

The Hisense 50H8F is the best budget TV we've tested so far. It delivers a great overall picture quality, with deep blacks in a dark room thanks also to the full array local dimming support. When in HDR, it displays vivid colors and bright highlights due to the wide color gamut and decent peak brightness. This TV has decent motion handling and supports motion interpolation up to 60Hz. It delivers an excellent gaming experience for most casual gamers thanks to the low input lag that makes it very responsive to your actions.

On the downside, the response time isn't as fast higher-end TVs and most serious gamers and sports fans might find the motion blur trail behind fast-moving content excessive. Also, just like all VA panel TVs, this TV doesn't have good viewing angles. The image degrades quickly when you watch from the side, meaning you'll enjoy it more if you sit straight in front.

Overall, this TV is a great choice for most uses and outperforms many more expensive TVs.

The best cheap TV we've tested so far is the TCL 3 Series/32S325 2019. If you're looking for a secondary TV that won't break the bank, this is a great choice. This TV is available in various sizes ranging from 32'' to 49'', one of which will match your needs as a kitchen TV or a garage TV. It has a mediocre picture quality with a high native contrast ratio and can display deep blacks in a dark room. Unfortunately, it's not suitable for a very bright room, as it can't get very bright to overcome glare.

The 32" model is limited to a 720p resolution (except for the 32S327 variant), and the larger ones have a 1080p native resolution. All models are equipped with the same Roku smart interface that is present in higher-end TCL models. The Roku interface gives you access to a large number of streaming channels, which cover almost any need.

Even though this isn't a 4k TV, it's a great option for those who are just looking for a secondary TV, and it will do the job.

The best value TV for the size in the budget category is the TCL 4 Series/65S425 2019. Despite being in the budget category, it's a 65 inch TV. It has decent picture quality, with deep blacks in a dark room but no local dimming support. It can't reach the brightness of the Hisense H8F, so it's more suitable for dimmer environments. It has good reflection handling, so a few more lights in the room won't be an issue. Its very low input lag makes it a great choice for gamers who aren't looking for advanced gaming features like FreeSync support. Sports fans will appreciate the fast response time that only leaves a small blur trail behind fast-moving content. The Roku Smart TV interface offers you access to many apps (streaming channels), which are sure to cover your needs.

Unfortunately, it doesn't have a wide color gamut and can't display HDR content as well as it should. Also, due to the poor viewing angles, the image deteriorates when viewed from the side.

Overall, however, this is a decent 65" TV that won't break the bank.