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The 7 Best Outdoor TVs - Winter 2024 Reviews

Updated
Best Outdoor TVs
Outdoor TVs are becoming more popular and can provide the ultimate outdoor relaxation experience. We cover one true outdoor TV, Samsung's The Terrace. Otherwise, this article focuses on an alternative to buying a very expensive outdoor model: buying an indoor TV and installing it in an enclosure designed to protect it from the elements so it doesn't get ruined. Most TVs in this article aren't designed for outdoor use, so ensure they're protected. If you're buying a TV for serious outdoor use, like for a business, you might prefer to look for other true outdoor televisions, like models from SunBrite. However, we don't cover these as they're significantly more expensive than better-performing indoor models.

When evaluating how good a TV is for outside use, there are four main criteria to consider:

SDR and HDR Peak Brightness

An outdoor TV needs to be as bright as possible to counteract any glare from the sun. SDR peak brightness is important if you're mainly watching sports or TV shows, so a good LED TV is optimal in that context. HDR peak brightness is more important if you're mainly looking to watch HDR movies or do modern gaming. The top OLEDs can now get pretty bright in HDR, although high-end LEDs are still far superior. Even for night viewing, peak brightness is important, as you're likely to have a few lights on your patio, or light might come in from your neighbors.

If you'd like to know more, we have in-depth articles about SDR peak brightness and HDR peak brightness.

Reflection Handling

Even if your TV can get very bright, it must handle reflections well for a good viewing experience. Great reflection handling minimizes the size of reflections, making them less intrusive when watching the TV. Inversely, poor reflection handling makes for bigger, more diffuse reflections.

You can also read our in-depth article on reflection handling.

Viewing Angle

When viewing a TV outside, you're not likely to always sit right in front of it. You might have a wide patio, and you might be receiving friends for a BBQ, with them being seated around the TV. Having a great viewing angle is important for an outdoor TV, as you want to make sure that everyone has a satisfactory viewing experience. Furthermore, you want to be able to move around the TV without the image constantly shifting colors or becoming dimmer.

Look up our article on viewing angles for more information on this topic.

Frequency Response and Distortion

You might want to avoid installing a bulky soundbar below or above your TV for a clean, minimalist look. Installation options for soundbars are fewer outdoors than they are indoors, so it's a nice bonus if the TV comes with decent speakers. Of course, no TV can truly compete with a dedicated soundbar or speaker system, but some TVs get plenty loud without excessive distortion or compression artifacts. For an outdoor TV, we primarily look for how loud the speakers get and how good the TV sounds at, or near, max volume.

You can also check out our articles on frequency response and distortion if you want to know more.

We've bought and tested more than 425 TVs, and below are our recommendations for the best TVs for outdoor use that you can buy. Also, see our picks for the best smart TVs, the best 4k TVs, and the best budget TVs. You can also vote on which ones you want us to buy and test. To learn more about the 2024 models, check out our 2024 TV lineup page.


  1. Best Outdoor TV

    The Samsung The Terrace is the best outdoor TV we've tested. Unlike most TVs on this list, it's designed for outdoor use with protection from the elements. It's very well-built, with a unique design and IP55 dust and water resistance to protect it from rain or other outdoor elements. It's exceptionally bright, so it has no issues overcoming direct sunlight, and, combined with its outstanding reflection handling, it can easily combat glare outdoors, even in the middle of the day.

    This TV has the same Tizen OS smart interface found on most other Samsung TVs. It's easy to use and has a huge selection of streaming apps available, so you're sure to find your favorite content, and you won't need to connect any extra streaming boxes. You can also cast content from your phone or another mobile device, which is great for sharing pictures with family and friends. It's one of the loudest TVs we've tested, so you won't have any trouble hearing it if you don't want to connect a sound system and there's a lot of outdoor noise while watching TV.

    See our review

  2. Best Upper Mid-Range Outdoor TV

    The Samsung The Terrace is an excellent dedicated outdoor TV but is costly, so it's only worth it if you don't have a proper enclosed space to protect your TV. If you can protect your display from the elements and want to spend less, one of the best TVs for outdoor use we've tested in the upper mid-range category is the Samsung QN90C/QN90CD QLED. It's nearly as bright, and thanks to its remarkable reflection handling, you won't have many problems using it outside. However, you must have it in a proper enclosure because it's technically an indoor TV.

    The TV has a decent viewing angle, good enough that the image remains consistent from the sides. This makes it a good choice for wide seating areas as everyone sees the same image, although the TV's 43- and 50-inch sizes have a worse viewing angle than the bigger models. It also uses the user-friendly Tizen OS smart interface, and its speakers are decent enough to use on their own in an outdoor setup. The higher-tier Samsung QN95C QLED is a bit brighter than the QN90C but is also significantly more expensive. The cheaper model is a more interesting option for most users, but the QN95C looks better in very bright outdoor environments.

    See our review

  3. Best Mid-Range Outdoor TV

    If you want to save money, a mid-range TV like the Hisense U8/U8K is a great alternative. It's better than the Samsung QN90C/QN90CD QLED in many ways, as it gets brighter, is a bit more colorful, and has better contrast. Its reflection handling is fantastic, so it has no issues with glare, even on a bright sunny day. Like most TVs on this list, you'll need to put it in a proper enclosure to protect it, as it doesn't have any weather protection features. Unfortunately, the Hisense has a much worse viewing angle than the Samsung, so the image looks washed out from the sides, meaning it isn't a good choice for wide seating areas. That's the trade-off for getting a cheaper model.

    While it supports eARC to connect a soundbar, its built-in speakers have a decent frequency response with minimal distortion, so you'll hear things well if you stick with the TV's internal speakers. It uses the Google TV interface, which has a ton of apps you can download, and the built-in Chromecast lets you cast content from your phone.

    See our review

  4. Best Lower Mid-Range Outdoor TV

    If you want high-end outdoor performance but don't want to spend high-end prices, check out the Hisense U7K. It's cheaper than anything recommended up to this point, but it looks great as it's basically a slightly dimmer Hisense U8K. It has a great Mini LED backlight, letting it simultaneously provide incredibly bright highlights and deep blacks, with barely any blooming around bright objects in dark scenes. HDR content looks great, and it supports both Dolby Vision HDR and HDR10+ for the best HDR experience possible, as well as advanced audio formats, like DTS:X over eARC, for the best sound when watching content on physical media. Even better, the U7K has very good image processing overall, so it's great for watching streaming or DVD movies on your patio.

    Unfortunately, like the U8K, its viewing angle is sub-par, making it a bad choice for a wide seating arrangement. It runs the Google TV interface, which is fast and easy to use, and it has a great selection of streaming features, so you're sure to find your favorite shows. It's available in four sizes: 55, 65, 75, and 85 inches.

    See our review

  5. Best Budget Outdoor TV

    Although budget TVs typically aren't bright enough to use outdoors in bright sunlight, they're good enough for a well-covered patio or use at night. The best budget outdoor TV we've tested is the TCL Q6/Q650G QLED. It's a good TV for the price, and it looks great outdoors thanks to its high peak brightness and decent reflection handling. It has a great selection of extra features, and the built-in Google TV smart interface is easy to use. It also has a great selection of streaming channels.

    It's an adequately well-built TV, but like most on this list, it's not weatherproof, so you'll need a proper enclosure to protect it from the elements. Sadly, it has a narrow viewing angle, so there are better choices for a wide patio, as the image degrades when viewed at an angle. It gets loud, but its frequency response is middling, so getting a soundbar or outdoor speaker system is a good idea if you want your music to sound its best during loud BBQs or pool parties. You could also opt for the slightly dimmer Best Buy exclusive TCL Q5/Q550G QLED. Both TVs are nearly identical, and the Q5 is the better value overall, but the Q6's slight brightness advantage gives it the edge for outdoor use.

    See our review

  6. Best Cheap Outdoor TV

    The Roku Select Series is the best cheap outdoor TV we've tested. It's a decent TV with satisfactory reflection handling to help reduce glare on a bright sunny day. While its HDR brightness is inadequate, it has very good SDR brightness, so it looks very solid outdoors when watching SDR content, which is rare for a TV this cheap. It's also good for a dark evening or night with its okay contrast ratio, even though it doesn't have local dimming to improve it further. It has sub-par image processing, which is normal for a TV at this price point, so it's at its best when watching high-quality 4k content. Still, it's extremely accurate with only a few minor adjustments, so this is truly a TV that you can just buy, install, and enjoy.

    It comes with built-in Roku TV, which is very fast and easy to use, and it has a good selection of streaming services available, so you can quickly find your favorite content. Unlike the more expensive TVs on this list, it has limited extra features, so it's not the best choice for someone looking for advanced gaming features like HDMI 2.1 bandwidth or variable refresh rate support. Thankfully, it has extremely low input lag and a great response time, making it a good choice for someone looking to game outside with friends.

    See our review

  7. Best Outdoor TV For Night Use

    If you like watching hockey games in the evenings or catching up on your favorite shows after dark, one of the best TVs for outdoor nighttime use is the LG G3 OLED. While it's best suited for nighttime use with its extremely deep, uniform blacks, with no distracting haloing around bright objects in dark scenes, it's also no slouch for daytime use, except perhaps when watching very bright content during very sunny days, as the TV's Automatic Brightness Limiter (ABL) significantly dims the TV when bright content takes up most of the screen.

    The TV gets very loud with its 4.2 integrated speaker system, which is good as you can avoid the hassle of figuring out where to put a soundbar outside. It has an incredibly wide viewing angle, so it's a great choice for a large patio, as everyone will see the same thing no matter where they're sitting. It has fantastic reflection handling, so glare isn't an issue if you have a few lights on outdoors at night. The built-in webOS interface has a great selection of streaming apps, so you can easily find your favorite shows. The cherry on top is the support for advanced home theater features like Dolby Vision HDR and DTS:X, so your UHD Blu-rays will look their best and sound their best. Movie night on the patio, anyone?

    See our review

Notable Mentions

  • Samsung S95C OLED: The Samsung S95C OLED is a good alternative to the LG G3 OLED. It almost matches the LG TV's peak brightness but has a wider color gamut and can display brighter, more vibrant colors. However, it doesn't support the same advanced home theater features, and its speaker system is a bit quieter and doesn't sound nearly as good. See our review
  • TCL QM8/QM850G QLED: The TCL QM8/QM850G QLED is an incredibly bright TV, even brighter than the Samsung The Terrace in many scenes. It's a great choice if you want a very bright TV to put outside, but it has an inadequate viewing angle, and the Samsung QN90C/QN90CD QLED and Hisense U8/U8K are better overall. See our review
  • Sony X95L: The Sony X95L is one of the best LED TVs ever made. In North America, it's only being sold in an 85-inch size, making it a very enticing alternative for people wanting a huge outdoor TV. Still, the Samsung QN90C/QN90CD QLED is available in more sizes and has a slightly better viewing angle than the Sony, making it easier to place in various outdoor contexts. See our review
  • Sony X93L/X93CL: The Sony X93L/X93CL is an amazing TV and competes directly with the Samsung QN90C/QN90CD QLED. The Sony is the better TV of the two. Still, the Samsung can hit higher brightness numbers (although the Sony maintains its brightness better). It has a slightly wider viewing angle and better reflection handling, so it's a bit better for outdoor use. See our review
  • Hisense UX: The Hisense UX is a tremendous TV. Not only does it get extremely bright, but it has a very decent viewing angle for an LED TV, with fantastic reflection handling. The TV also gets pretty loud. Overall, it's a fantastic outdoor TV, but in North America, it's only available in an 85-inch format, and it is extremely expensive, making it hard to recommend for most people. See our review
  • Sony A95L OLED: The Sony A95L OLED is a tremendous TV. Still, as good as it is, it's just a tad dimmer than the LG G3 OLED, and it's significantly more expensive than the already costly G3, so the LG TV is a better value pick for outdoor use. See our review
  • Roku Plus Series QLED: The Roku Plus Series QLED is a decent TV from Roku, but it's quite good for the price. It's close, but the TCL Q6/Q650G QLED is still better for outdoor use due to its slightly higher HDR peak brightness and better feature set. See our review

Recent Updates

  1. Mar 12, 2024: Clarified that the TCL Q5/Q550G QLED is a Best Buy exclusive and confirmed that our picks are accurate and available.

  2. Jan 18, 2024: We now mention the TCL Q5/Q550G QLED as a cheaper alternative to the TCL Q6/Q650G QLED, and we added a link to our 2024 TV lineup page in the introduction.

  3. Dec 19, 2023: The Hisense U7K is now our pick in the newly created 'Best Lower Mid-Range Outdoor TV' category, and the Roku Select Series is the pick in the new 'Best Cheap Outdoor TV' category. We also added a few Notable Mentions.

  4. Nov 16, 2023: We expanded the introduction to detail what to look for when shopping for a good outdoor TV. We also now mention the Samsung QN95C QLED under the 'Best Upper Mid-Range Outdoor TV' pick, and we added the Hisense UX to the Notable Mentions.

  5. Oct 20, 2023: Clarified our stance on this article's use of indoor TVs for outdoor use and refreshed the text for accuracy.

All Reviews

Our recommendations above are what we think are currently the best TVs for outdoor use 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 would like to do the work of choosing yourself, here is the list of all our reviews of TVs. 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.