The 5 Best TVs Under $1,500 of 2026  

Updated May 28, 2026 at 08:01 pm
Best TVs Under $1,500
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These days, you can find very good TVs for under $1,500. New technologies are finding their way into the more mainstream models, making them available to a wider range of people. By putting dozens of TVs a year through our standardized testing process, we've confirmed that you can easily find some high-end TVs with outstanding picture quality and a ton of features for under $1,500 if you're willing to cut on size a bit, as you may be limited to a 55- or 65-inch screen. If you'd rather have an even larger size, there are still affordable models with good picture quality available in 75-inch and bigger models.

Although many 2026 models are now available to purchase, you may not see them in this article until the latter half of the year, since many are over $1,500 and most of them don't offer a big improvement over their 2025 predecessors. Right now is a great time to buy a 2025 model, since they're on sale for much cheaper than the newer versions.

Below are our recommendations for the best TVs under $1,500. For other options, check out our recommendations for the best TVs under $1,000, the best TVs under $2,000, and the best budget TVs, or vote on which ones you want us to buy and test. To learn more about the newest models on the market, check out our 2026 TV lineup page.

How We Test TVs
How We Test TVs

We buy and test dozens of TVs yearly, taking an objective, data-driven approach to deliver results you can trust. Our testing process is complex, with hundreds of individual tests that take over a week to complete. Most of our tests use specially designed test patterns that mimic real content, but we also use the same sources you have at home to ensure our results match the real-world experience. We use two main tools for our testing: a Colorimetry Research CR-100 colorimeter and a CR-250 spectroradiometer.

  1. Best TV Under $1,500

    The best TV under $1,500 we've tested is the LG C5 OLED. It's a fantastic option for pretty much any use case. Thanks to its perfect black levels, it looks amazing in a dark room, delivering inky blacks with no distracting haloing around bright highlights or subtitles. Its fairly high peak brightness also makes it a good choice for moderately lit rooms. However, reflections are a bit of an issue in very bright spaces, like a room with a lot of natural sunlight. Still, all content looks amazing thanks to its top-tier color performance, delivering bright, vibrant colors that look very realistic. You can find its 55-inch model for under $1,500, and its 65-inch model sits just around that during sales.

    It's a versatile TV with a great selection of additional features. It has four HDMI 2.1 ports capable of 4k @ 144Hz with VRR, so you can take full advantage of the latest consoles or high-end gaming PCs. The TV has nearly instantaneous pixel transitions, so motion is crisp and clear. Finding content to watch is easy thanks to the huge selection of streaming apps, and its wide viewing angle means you can watch content with friends seated to the sides of the screen without them having to look at degraded image quality. 

  2. Best Mid-Range TV Under $1,500

    The TCL QM8K is one of the best all-around Mini LED models on the market. It doesn't display the same perfect blacks as OLEDs like the LG C5 OLED, but it's surprisingly close thanks to its local dimming, which makes blacks incredibly deep and bold, with just a bit of haloing around subtitles and highlights. This is one of the brightest options on the market, and it has solid reflection handling, so it reduces glare in most bright rooms, as long as no light sources are directly shining onto the screen. It also displays a wide range of bright and punchy colors, making it a versatile TV that looks great with all types of content. 

    Unlike the LG C5 OLED, it only has two HDMI 2.1 ports, which might be limiting for those with several gaming consoles. However, those two ports support 4k @ 144Hz and 1080p @ 288Hz with VRR, so it takes full advantage of modern consoles and is a versatile choice for PC gamers. Pixel transitions are pretty fast for a Mini LED model, so motion blur is kept to a minimum in most games. Its viewing angle is good enough if you're watching from a slight angle, but image quality degrades at more aggressive angles. You can typically only find the 65-inch model for under $1,500, but you might be able to find the 75-inch for around that cost during sales. If you're looking for the best 75-inch TV under $1,500 and can't find the QM8K on sale, consider our next pick, the TCL QM7K.

  3. Best Lower Mid-Range TV Under $1,500

    The lower mid-range TCL QM7K is the best 75-inch TV under $1,500 we've tested. Although it's less advanced than the more expensive options on this list, it still delivers great overall picture quality. Blacks aren't as deep as on the TCL QM8K, but they're still bold thanks to the TV's great local dimming. The TCL also has excellent peak brightness and decent enough reflection handling to overcome glare, so it's no slouch in a bright room, as long as you avoid placing any light sources directly opposite the screen. Colors are vibrant enough to please most people, and even though it's not as bright as the QM8K in HDR, the TV still displays HDR content with impact.

    Like the QM8K, it has a narrow viewing angle, so it's best viewed from directly in front. Fortunately, the TV has the same selection of gaming features as the QM8K, including two HDMI 2.1 ports, 4k @ 144Hz, 1080p @ 288Hz, and VRR support to reduce screen tearing. It even has similarly quick pixel transitions, so motion has minimal blur. This is a very solid option if you want a large TV with good image quality, versatility, and a ton of features.

  4. Best Budget TV Under $1,500

    If you're willing to give up some image quality for a huge screen, the best 85-inch TV under $1,500 is the TCL QM6K. It's not as bright as the TCL QM7K, but it's still bright enough to overcome glare from most indirect light sources. However, HDR content looks noticeably dimmer than the higher-end options on our list. Fortunately, it delivers deep blacks thanks to its great local dimming feature, though there's some noticeable haloing around highlights. Still, it's an impressive TV for the cost, displaying a wide range of vibrant colors that prevent the image from looking muted and lifeless.

    It includes the same core gaming features as its more expensive sibling, including two HDMI 2.1 ports, support for 4K @ 144Hz, 1080p @ 288Hz, and VRR, so even though you don't get the same level of image quality, you get the same features. It has the same narrow viewing angle as the other TCL models, so it looks best when viewed from the front. Similar models from brands like Sony, LG, and Samsung are typically more expensive, offer worse image quality, and have fewer features, so this TV truly stands out in the budget category.

  5. Best Bright Room TV Under $1,500

    If you're looking for the very best TV under $1,500 for a very bright room, the Samsung QN90F is an excellent choice. Unlike most TVs on the market, it has a matte screen coating that almost eliminates reflections entirely. Combined with its fantastic SDR brightness, visibility isn't an issue in even the brightest environments. The TV's contrast is similar to that of the TCL QM6K, but there's less distracting haloing around highlights and subtitles. Colors are vibrant and bright on this model, and highlights stand out well in HDR, resulting in an impactful HDR viewing experience, especially in darker rooms. Its viewing angle is decently wide for an LED model, so it's fine if you're sitting at a slight angle from the screen, but image quality degrades rapidly from more aggressive angles.

    If you're a gamer, the TV has a ton of modern gaming features, like four HDMI 2.1 ports, 4k @ 165Hz, and VRR, so it's great for console and PC gamers. However, pixel transitions are a bit slow on this model, so there's some noticeable motion blur in faster games. Unfortunately, you're limited to the 55-inch model within your $1,500 budget, but you might find the 65-inch model on sale for around that price. If you're solely looking for a TV for a bright room, this model is a great option.

Notable Mentions

  • Samsung S90F OLED: 

    The Samsung S90F OLED is a good alternative to the LG C5 OLED. The 55, 65, and 77-inch models use a QD-OLED panel, which gives the TV top-tier color vibrancy. However, the LG is better for bright rooms, supports the popular Dolby Vision format, and has superior image processing, making it the more well-rounded option. 

     See our review
  • LG B5 OLED: 

    If you prefer the exceptional motion clarity and wide viewing angle of an OLED over a Mini LED model like the TCL QM8K, the LG B5 OLED offers those benefits at a similar price. However, the TCL outshines it overall with its significantly brighter panel, comparable black levels, and more well-rounded feature set.

     See our review
  • Hisense U75QG: 

    The Hisense U75QG is a brighter alternative to the TCL QM7K. However, it makes HDR content appear brighter than intended and shows more noticeable motion blur. With clearer motion and better black levels, the TCL stands out as the better overall TV.

     See our review
  • Hisense U65QF: 

    The Hisense U65QF is a brighter alternative to the TCL QM6K. Unfortunately, the Hisense really overbrightens HDR content, so it doesn't stay true to the content creator's intent. The TCL offers the more complete package, with better black levels, superior accuracy, 1080p @ 288Hz, and lower input lag.

     See our review

Recent Updates

  1.  May 28, 2026: 

    We replaced the Samsung S90F OLED with the LG C5 OLED as our top pick since it's a bit more versatile. We also moved the S90F to the Notable Mentions and revised text throughout the article.

  2.  Feb 13, 2026: 

    We revised text throughout the article for clarity.

  3.  Nov 13, 2025: 

    We reviewed the article and confirmed the accuracy of our picks.

  4.  Aug 15, 2025: 

    Replaced the Samsung S90D with the Samsung S90F as our new top pick, the Samsung QN90D with the Samsung QN90F in our 'Best Bright Room' category, the LG B4 OLED with the TCL QM8K in our 'Best Mid-Range' category, the TCL QM751G with the TCL QM7K in the 'Lower Mid-Range' category, and the Hisense U6N with the TCL QM6K in the 'Budget' category. We also refreshed the Notable Mentions section to bring it up to date, and dropped the 'Best Upper Mid-Range' category since it's redundant.

  5.  Apr 23, 2025: 

    Confirmed the validity of our picks and updated some text throughout the article for accuracy.

All Reviews

Our recommendations above are what we think are currently the best TVs under $1,500 to buy for most people. We factor in the price (a cheaper TV wins over a pricier one if the difference isn't worth it), feedback from our visitors, and availability (no TVs that are difficult to find or almost out of stock everywhere).

If you'd like to do the work of choosing yourself, here's a list of all our recent reviews of TVs under $1,500. Be careful not to get too caught up in the details. While no TV is perfect, most TVs are great enough to please almost everyone, and the differences are often not noticeable unless you really look for them.