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Now is what I'd call the perfect time to hunt for the best cheap 4K TV deals. Yes, I know your old display from a decade ago is still working, but all those big PS5, Xbox Series X, and Switch 2 adventures deserve better visuals. Plus, mini LED and OLED panels are now cheaper than ever, meaning you can grab one of the best gaming TV options without spending over the odds.
Your mileage with cheap 4K TV deals will vary based on your own budget, but there are typically always panels going for under $500. You won't necessarily always get something super high spec since these displays will often use traditional LED panels and lower-spec smart innards. But, the result will still be a serviceable screen for playing games and watching movies, and that's all you might need, depending on the console or PC you're currently using.
Cheap 4K TV deals - best 4K TVs under $500
Given that 4K TVs are now the dead normal default screen of choice in 2024, we've seen prices sliding down across every brand's range in the past few years. They often cross over into the best budget gaming TV market too.
This means that not only can you get a good deal on a TV for under $500, but actually there are some that claim to be the best 4K TV under $500 given what the tech can offer for the price. Yes, you'll still be sacrificing a little bit, but here are three stand-out choices of ours for the best 4K TV you can buy for less than $500.
The Hisense A6G is a one of the best cheap 4K TV deal under $500 right now - and is even perfect as a PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X companion. If you're looking to get a great TV on a shoestring, the features and quality packed into the 65-inch (!) Hisense A6G makes this screen incredible value for money.
The design is nothing to write home about, but you get the usual slim bezels and spaced-out feet and in terms of connectivity you're handsomely equipped with three HDMIs - yup, these won't have that premium 120Hz capability but we're at less than $500 aren't we, so cut the A6G some slack. The HDMI ports do, however, support ALLM (Auto Low Latency Mode) and VRR (Variable Refresh Rate), plus eARC. There's even decent (but not spectacular latency here - Hisense claims an input lag of better than 20ms, but we measured it at a slower 48.2ms (1080/60) with Game Mode selected during our testing.
The overall picture performance is good, with excellent fine detail and reasonable dynamics - and at the price point, this really makes the A6G punch above its weight. Dolby Vision helps a lot, effortlessly making the set shine with Dolby Vision shows. We found the motion handling is accomplished too: 60Hz MEMC (Motion Estimation Motion Compensation) interpolation, presented in a variety of strengths, works well for general TV and sport.
At less than $500 you will most likely be looking at slightly older models, but don't let that put you off - TVs from the past couple of years are still excellent and this Samsung TU7000 is a fine example of one of the best budget gaming TVs right now.
Putting it really simply, its 4K 60Hz screen is beautiful for movies and games in particular. If you're looking for a Samsung panel that's not too flashy and will provide a really enjoyable and vivid gaming experience then this is it.
The Samsung TU7000's panel gives out great color quality (including really deep blacks thanks to a high contrast ratio), decent sound from its speakers, and a fantastic little feature called automatic console detection which will see the TV switch automatically over to Game Mode from a previous mode. Neat.
Our testing revealed a picture quality that is very pleasing and crisp, with a great contrast ratio and impressive black uniformity - though you may need to spend some time adjusting the screen - when playing Call of Duty: Warzone we found it quite bright so had to tinker after changing to this game.
Caveats are quite slight, particularly so given the price point now, but you should know that there are only two HDMIs and then apps and OS can be a little slow at times. The user interface is easy to navigate, even if the remote is clunky, which makes switching between gaming consoles and Samsung TV apps a breeze - although the apps themselves can be a little buggy at times.
However, given the 55-inch television's MSRP now sitting comfortably below the $500 mark, this is a stupendous cheap 4K TV. You might even find the 58-inch panel for less than $500 but we'd only recommend that one if the extra money was worth the extra three inches of screen.
Read more: Samsung TU7000 review
While sales and discounts can regularly bring a host of LG 4K TVs under $500, the UP7000 has long been a favorite of ours, and you can get it for unbelievably low prices nowadays - its MSRP seems to be less than $400 now!
Now it is still an entry-level 4K TV but it's from one of the best in the business and that quality shows from the feet up. The design and build quality are very solid and impressive for the price point. Above this, the picture is solid and is particularly nice when viewing TV shows, entertainment, and sports.
Now, it will lack a few features that could make a TV even better; there's no local dimming, no variable refresh rate, no immensely bright and vivid HDR capability, but there are all sacrifices to be expected at such a low-priced TV.
Yup, it won't blow your socks off with any fancy image accentuations, or gaming-focused features, but it does the job and does it well. If you're after a workhorse in your next cheap 4K TV for under $500 then this LG panel could be it.
Is a 4K TV the best value for money?
The answer to this is a resounding 'yes'. 4K, or UHD, is no longer just the next level of TV tech and screen fidelity on home televisions; it's now the standard, default level. It wasn't that long ago when 4K TV deals were very hard to come by, but now they are readily available and increasingly affordable too. Even 8K TVs are slipping down the price spectrum...
As a result, it's absolutely worth going for 4K - the prices are incredibly aggressive and affordable, and although the majority of content is still produced in HD, the scales are tipping toward 4K increasingly, offering incredible value for money.
What is a good price for a 4K TV?
Anyone looking to get a decent 4K TV will likely need to spend around $400 to $500 to get the value that's worth it. Of course, you can spend less with many of the best budget gaming TVs with 4K being offered for less than $300, and occasionally under $200 depending on screen size.
What is the downside of a 4K TV?
The downside to a 4K TV is the fact that new brands can still be considered quite pricey, due to the hardware power needed for the technology. In return though you do get better colours and clarity to really take advantage of the best shows and movies around from the comfort of your own living room.
When do you commit to a cheap 4K TV?
Given you've done some research on the best budget gaming TVs and know the model or models that you're interested in and that will suit your needs, this question really can be answered just by doing some good old-fashioned shopping around. Make sure that retailers are price matching for starters, and definitely - definitely - use price trackers where you can.
Tools and sites like CamelCamelCamel can tell you exactly what the price history of something is and so can confirm when you're getting the lowest ever, or great value price. This can be the deciding factor in when to pull the trigger.
What to look for in a cheap 4K TV?
Beyond a low price tag, there are a couple of things you want to be sure of when you're looking at 4K TV deals, to ensure you get a quality and reliable product.
You really want to aim for a minimum of 60Hz, this is standard pretty much across the board, though some manufacturers will spec their TVs at 50Hz to try and cut the corners a bit. This is probably OK to the human eye, but 60Hz really should be the going rate.
In bite-size pieces: be sure that the size is correct, and the price doesn't relate to a smaller model; ensure that the TV doesn't skimp on ports, and you have enough for your devices; check that the smart TV functionality and catch up services are fulsome and provide a great service too.
Will I get OLED or QLED in a cheap 4K TV deal?
Getting that premium OLED or QLED tech into your cheap 4K TV deal is, in truth, an unlikely occurrence. Those higher-end screen technologies are still exactly that - high-end. In the next couple of years we might see these creep into cheap territory, perhaps sub-$500 but we aren't there yet. What may help is he advent of QD-OLED which essentially stacks another premium layer on top of the OLEDs we're already used to - this might drive the price down of OLEDs, in a similar way that NeoQLEDs have done with Samsung's regular QLED panels.
What brand makes the best cheap 4K TVs?
Now, in the year 2024, it's genuinely quite possible to find a range of cheap 4K TVs from all the major brands - even the ones which were traditionally seen as expensive or premium. It's now easier than ever to find quality cheap 4K TV deals from the likes of Samsung, LG, sometimes Sony, and region-specific makers too like Panasonic, Phillips, TCL, Hisense, and so on.
As well as making specific budget lines now, the gaps between the latest 4K TVs of the past few years mean you can get a quality 4K TV on the cheap just by looking at recent ranges that aren't shouting about being the latest and greatest too.
Want to see some more cheap 4K TV deals? Well, head on over to the TV sales pages over at these retailers for a wider selection of discounts:
Amazon | Best Buy | Samsung | Dell | Walmart | B&H Photo
For more advice, don't forget to check out our guide to the best HDMI cable for gaming and the best soundbar for TV.
