The 6 Best Outdoor TVs - Fall 2024

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.

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 QN90D/QN90DD 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 a similar image. 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.

If you want to save money, a mid-range TV like the Hisense U8/U8N is a great alternative. It's almost as bright as the Samsung QN90D/QN90DD QLED, and it's 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.

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.

If you want high-end outdoor performance but don't want to spend high-end prices, check out the Hisense U7N. It's cheaper than anything recommended up to this point, but it looks great as it's basically a slightly dimmer Hisense U8/U8N. It has a great Mini LED backlight, letting it simultaneously provide incredibly bright highlights and deep blacks, although there's some noticeable blooming around bright objects in dark scenes. HDR content looks great, and the TV supports both Dolby Vision HDR and HDR10+ for the best HDR experience possible.

The TV sounds good enough that you can use it without a soundbar, and it also supports advanced audio formats, like DTS:X over eARC, for the best sound when watching content on physical media. Even better, the U7N has very good image processing overall, so it's great for watching streaming or DVD movies on your deck. Unfortunately, like the U8N, 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.

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 Hisense U6/U6N. It's a good TV for the price, and it looks great outdoors thanks to its very good peak brightness and decent reflection handling. It also looks great at night, with unrivaled black levels for a TV in this price range. The TV 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 doesn't get very loud, so getting a soundbar or outdoor speaker system is a good idea for your music to sound its best during loud BBQs or pool parties.

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 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.

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. Although it doesn't have a lot of distortion, its sound profile isn't well-balanced, and it isn't very loud, so you might want to pair it with a soundbar if you want good audio quality.