The 5 Best 4k TVs Under $500 - Summer 2020
Reviews

The best 4k TV under $500 we've tested so far is the Hisense 55H8F. This is a great Android TV that delivers an impressive picture quality that's suitable for nearly any type of room setting. Its VA panel has an outstanding native contrast ratio that's further enhanced by its full-array local dimming, and its black uniformity is also exceptional, making this TV an amazing choice for dark rooms. It gets bright enough to fight glare and reflection handling is decent, but you may want to avoid having direct sunlight shining on the screen. Unfortunately, it has poor viewing angles just like most VA panel TVs, so it's not the most ideal for large rooms.

This TV has a pretty decent color accuracy out-of-the-box. Lower resolution content is upscaled well without any obvious issues, and gray uniformity is okay, although there's some dirty screen effect that can be distracting when watching sports or any content where there are large sections of uniform colors. Response time is acceptable but there are noticeable blur trails in fast-moving scenes, and input lag is outstanding, which is great news for gamers. The downside is that there's no support for any variable refresh rate technology and it doesn't have an 'Auto Low Latency Mode' either.

As mentioned, this TV runs on Android. The user interface is fairly easy to understand and navigate, and the Google Play Store is packed with apps, so you shouldn't have any issues finding what you need. The remote has a dedicated button to summon the Google Assistant, allowing you to use voice control to search for content, which is quite convenient. Overall, if you're looking for a great TV below $500, this one is worth a look.

The best value for size TV under $500 is the TCL 5 Series/65S525 2019. This TV is along the same lines as other TCL TVs, as it has a VA panel that can produce deep blacks, great for dark room viewing. It has an impressive color accuracy right out of the box, so you likely won't need to calibrate it to get accurate color reproduction. Unfortunately, while it has a good peak brightness, it may not be enough to fight glare in very bright rooms, and it's certainly not enough to deliver a convincing HDR experience.

Like most VA panels, the viewing angles on this TV are sub-par, so images look washed out when viewed from the side. There are also some gray uniformity issues, as there's vignetting at the corners of the screen as well as some dirty screen effect. On the upside, this TV upscales lower resolution content well, its 10-bit panel has great gradient performance, and its response time is excellent, resulting in very short blur trails behind fast-moving objects. Gamers should be happy with its low input lag, but there's no FreeSync support and the refresh rate is limited to 60Hz.

If you often use streaming services, then you're in luck. This TV runs on Roku OS, which is a very user-friendly platform that has a large selection of apps available. It runs very smoothly and takes very little time to launch apps, however, there are ads and suggested content on the home screen, and they can't be disabled. Overall, though, this TV is a great bargain and is definitely worth considering.