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If you told me a few years ago I’d be telling people to buy a 720p TV on Prime Day, I’d probably have cackled. However, that was before I started getting into budget gaming setups as a hobby, as while screens for well under $100 aren’t going to satiate your PS5, they’re actually extremely useful if you’ve got a Steam Deck or something that prefers to run games at lower resolutions.
The specific Prime Day TV deal I’m talking about applies to the 32-inch Insignia F20 Series, as Amazon has slashed the screen down to just $79 (was $129.99). At its current price, it’s undoubtedly one of the cheapest displays you’ll find during the July summer sale, and as someone who worked selling screens in a store for years, even I’m taken back by the idea of a sub-$80 panel in 2024.
This isn’t the first time Insignia’s budget screen has dipped to its lowest price, but I normally only see it nosedive like this during either Prime Day or Black Friday. So, the fact it’s already down in price a week before Amazon’s big event is an excellent opportunity, particularly if you need a cheap TV right now. There’s no guarantee stock will still be plentiful come July 17, and while I could be proven wrong, I feel like 720p displays could vanish in the not-too-distant future.
Should you buy the Insignia F20 Series?
Sure, the Insigna F20 pales in comparison to the best gaming TVs, and its traditional LED backlighting and 60Hz refresh rate aren’t going to blow you away. So, why exactly would I tell anyone to pick up this 720p rectangle in 2024? Well, I’m a big believer in matching screen specs to specific setups, especially if you’re one of the best gaming handhelds that prefer running at lower resolutions.
If you’ve ever plugged a Steam Deck dock and tried to run new games at your 4K TV’s native resolution, chances are you’ve ended up with something resembling a slideshow. That’s largely because Valve’s device is primarily designed to feed its built-in 800p screen with visuals, so you’re more than overworking your portable pal by forcing it to do UHD. The remedy often comes down to setting your resolution to at least 1080p, but scaling things to a larger screen usually leads to soft pixels and textures you probably would rather not see up close.
I’m a retro console nerd, so it’s probably unsurprising to hear that I still have a 720p display as part of my setup. The reason? It makes for a much more pleasant viewing experience when using my Steam Deck OLED or even older systems like the Xbox 360, PS4, and Nintendo Switch. Keep in mind that I’m also currently testing the beautiful LG OLED G4 right now, and yet, I still find myself climbing up to my loft gaming space to play those systems on a screen that isn’t full HD. Simply put, lower-spec devices will scale more efficiently to smaller, lower-resolution screens, whereas the latest panels are designed to deliver extraordinary results with Ultra High Definition visuals.
My advice basically boils down to this – if you merely need a screen for your handheld or an older console, the $79 Insignia F20 will deliver. It’s easy to get caught up looking at massive high-spec panels on Prime Day, but sometimes it’s nice to duck your head into the bargain bin for a browse at more appropriate screens. At its current price, I’ll also be telling my friends and family to consider this screen for their bedrooms or makeshift cupboard-under-the-stairs gaming setup (yes, I know someone with one those), as it’s even got Fire TV smart features built-in.
Just don’t tell my grandma about this offer, as she wanted a 720p TV to replace her old bedroom screen and I got her to buy a 4K one instead. Whoops.
Looking for more summer savings? Dive into Prime Day monitor deals and Prime Day Steam Deck deals for some excellent upcoming discounts. Alternatively, swing by Prime Day tablet deals if you need a new multimedia rectangle.
