The 5 Best TVs Under $300 - Summer 2021 Reviews

The best TV under $300 is the Vizio V405-H19. It's a basic entry-level 4k TV that offers okay value for a low cost and performs best in dark rooms. Although we tested the 65 inch version, we expect the 40 inch to perform the same. It's fairly well-built for a budget model, and even though it's made with basic metal and plastic, there aren't any issues with construction.

It has a VA panel with an excellent native contrast ratio that makes blacks look deep and inky; black uniformity on our unit is great, but this can vary between units. Even though it doesn't get very bright and it's not enough to fight a ton of glare, it has good reflection handling if you want to use it in a well-lit room. If you're a casual gamer, it has very low input lag, but motion looks a bit blurry due to its slow response time. The built-in SmartCast OS is easy-to-use, and you can cast anything you want from your phone, but there's no app store to download extra apps.

Unfortunately, it doesn't deliver a good HDR experience because it lacks a local dimming feature, can't display a wide color gamut, and doesn't get bright enough to make highlights stand out. This means that HDR content doesn't look all that different from SDR content. Also, it has narrow viewing angles, so the image looks washed out from the sides. Besides these issues, this is one of the best TVs under $300.

The best 4k TV under $300 for gaming is the Samsung UN43TU7000FXZA. It's an entry-level TV that performs reasonably well for most content. Like most Samsung TVs, it has a VA panel with a high contrast ratio, allowing it to produce deep blacks. It has okay reflection handling, but it doesn't get very bright, so it's better suited for a dark to moderately-lit room. We tested the 55 inch model, but the 43 inch should perform the same.

It upscales lower-resolution content well without causing any artifacts. If you get your content mostly from streaming services, Samsung's Tizen OS is a good platform with plenty of available apps. The interface is user-friendly, and it runs smoothly for the most part. You have to put up with some ads and suggested content on the home screen, though, and there's no mic built into the remote for voice control. The response time is okay, but it has a 120Hz backlight flicker that causes image duplication. On the upside, its somewhat slower response time results in fewer stutters in low frame rate content like movies.

Sadly, it has sub-par viewing angles that cause the image to look washed out from the sides, which isn't ideal for large rooms with wide seating areas. It has an exceptionally low input lag to provide a responsive gaming experience; however, the refresh rate is limited to 60Hz. Overall, while it lacks advanced gaming features, it should satisfy most casual gamers on a tight budget.

The Hisense 50R6090G is the best smart TV under $300 that provides a good value for the size. The 50 inch can frequently be found for under $300, giving you solid performance for a decent-sized TV. We tested the 55 inch and expect the 50 inch to perform the same. It comes with Roku TV, which is very smooth and user-friendly with a ton of apps to choose from. While it doesn't have as many features as higher-end TVs, it's a decent overall TV that's hard to beat for value at this price and size.

Its VA panel has an amazing contrast ratio, producing deep blacks that look great in the dark, which is ideal for watching movies. Its peak brightness isn't bad, and it has good reflection handling, so it's best suited to dark to moderately-lit rooms. Our unit also has good out-of-the-box color accuracy, so you don't necessarily need to get it calibrated. It has a decent response time resulting in fairly smooth motion, and its input lag is low. It doesn't have any extra gaming features, but most people should be satisfied with it.

Unfortunately, it has poor viewing angles, making the image look washed out from the side, but that's to be expected from a VA panel. Also, while it supports HDR, it doesn't get nearly bright enough to make HDR content pop, and it doesn't have a wide color gamut. That said, it upscales lower-resolution content without issue. All in all, most people should be pleased with it, especially if you need a slightly larger TV for under $300.