The 5 Best TVs Under $300 - Fall 2019
Reviews

The TCL 49S517 is the best TV under $300 we've tested so far. It has a decent picture quality and delivers deep blacks in a dark room due to the high native contrast ratio, but lacks a local dimming feature to further improve dark room performance. This TV has a wide color gamut and supports HDR10 and Dolby Vision. When in HDR, the image is vivid with rich colors, but the TV can't get very bright and fails to deliver HDR content as its creator intended. Gamers will appreciate the low input lag, which also is great when you use it as a PC monitor.

The TV runs the Roku TV smart platform that is also found on the more expensive TCL 6 Series/R617 2018. It's an intuitive, easy to use interface that has an abundance of streaming channels and apps. Unfortunately, this TV has poor viewing angles and the image loses accuracy when viewed from the side.

Overall, this is a good TV that will serve you well in most uses.

The TCL 55S425 offers the best value for size under $300. This 55 inch 4k TV has decent picture quality and is currently just below $300. It delivers deep blacks in a dark room thanks to the high native contrast ratio, but can't get very bright and doesn't have a wide color gamut to deliver a good HDR performance. The response time is fast, and motion looks crisp. This is a great TV for gaming or use as a PC monitor, mainly thanks to the very low input lag that makes it feel very responsive. Just like the TCL 5 Series/S517 2018, this TV runs the Roku Smart TV interface that's easy to use and has a large number of streaming channels.

Unfortunately, it's not a good choice for a room with side seating arrangements, as the image degrades quickly at an angle. It's more suitable for a dim room due to the poor brightness levels.

Overall, this 55 inch TV is great value for the money.

The TCL 3 Series/40S325 is the best budget TV under $300 that we've tested so far. It's a passable entry-level TV with a great contrast ratio, decent response time, and excellent low input lag, all of which make it great for gaming. The 32" model is limited to a 720p resolution (except for the 32S327 variant), but the larger models have a 1080p native resolution.

This TV has a good selection of inputs, with 3 HDMI ports and a dedicated composite input (with the use of the included adapter). It has great smart features with hundreds of available streaming channels. This makes it an excellent choice for a secondary viewing location, since you don't have to worry about having a separate streaming box.

Unfortunately, this TV can't get very bright, and the image degrades when viewed at an angle, which limits its versatility a bit. Overall, though, it's a great budget TV.