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You'd think that as the head of Tom's Guide's TV channel, the only TVs I'd watch are multi-thousand dollar OLEDs. Surprisingly, however, most of the time I'm parked in front of TVs that cost under $1,000.
Among these budget champions, you'll find the Hisense U8QG, and the incredibly affordable LG B5 OLED that I can't say enough good things about. If you even those two feel a little too pricey, I find that the TCL QM6K delivers both tons of screen real estate and a great picture for the price.
Best TVs under $1,000 available right now
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Best 65-inch TV under $1,000
Clearly Hisense is doing something right to earn the top spot on best TVs under $1,000 list two years running. Its flagship Mini-LED TV has, year-after-year, blown us away with its class-leading brightness and contrast, while keeping color saturation in check.
The fact that you can get a TV of this quality for around $1,000 (soon to be under $1,000, trust me) is almost unbelievable.
Beyond its raw performance numbers, the U8QG delivers all the quality of life features I'd expect in a TV right now: there's Google TV built in for casting content, plus Dolby Vision support for high-end HDR movies and three HDMI 2.1 ports that enable 4K/144Hz gameplay when paired with a gaming PC.
I still love my Hisense U8N from 2024, but if I needed to go out and buy a new TV for around $1,000 tomorrow, the Hisense U8QG would be my first stop.
- Read our full Hisense U8QG review
Best 55-inch TV under $1,000
For close to a decade, there was no way of buying an OLED TV for under $1,000. But then LG made the move to release smaller sizes, like 42-inch and 48-inch models, that drove down the price of the entire category. These days, it's possible to find a 55-inch OLED for under a grand and still have money left in your pocket for a soundbar.
If that sounds like something you'd be interested in, check out the LG B5 OLED. It's a more budget-friendly alternative to the award-winning LG C5 OLED that shaves off a few extra features to save a few bucks.
When we evaluated the 65-inch B5, we loved its good color reproduction, strong gaming performance, and the slick webOS software. It's not as bright as the two Mini-LED TVs on this list, but its ultra-high contrast makes it a visual powerhouse.
You could spend more on a brighter OLED (the C5 or the Samsung S95F are both excellent options) but the LG B5 delivers everything I love about the technology at an affordable starting price.
- Read our full LG B5 OLED review
Best 75-inch TV under $1,000
The TCL QM6K was the first TV we reviewed in 2025. It was announced at CES 2025 in January of last year, and we had it in our labs for testing by the end of the month.
While it's not going to rival the B4 OLED for best black levels or outshine the Hisense U8N in brightness, the QM6K delivers a bigger screen size for the same price. To wit, you can grab a 75-inch model for $899 on Amazon or upgrade to an 85-inch for $1,198. OK, so the latter technically isn't under a grand, but I have to mention it because no one believes me when I tell them that there's such an affordable 85-inch out there.
What I like about it is that, despite not being the brightest TV out there, it uses a Mini-LED backlight that gives it really good contrast. It's not OLED, but it's much better than any TV that's still using basic LEDs and local dimming. It's also great for gaming thanks to its fast refresh rate and support for Dolby Vision.
If you want a big-screen TV without a big price tag attached, this TCL is the one to go for.
- Read our full TCL QM6K review
How we test TVs
You can read a full explanation of our TV-testing process, but in a nutshell every single TV review with a score has undergone in-depth, scientific testing and real-world use. We believe that gathering data about a TV's performance is just as important as spending time with it in our own living rooms.
We keep track of how well TVs perform in areas like color saturation, peak brightness in a 10% window, input latency, and more, and then we can compare TVs against one another in an apples-to-apples way.
By using a hybrid approach that blends real-world use with lab tests, we're able to better understand what TVs look like in your home, both the good and the bad, while using empirical data to back up our observations.
How to choose the best TV under $1,000
At the end of the day, the most important aspects of any TV are pretty simple. Find a set that fits your budget, has the main features you want, and then check reviews to make sure it doesn't have any performance issues.
For less than a grand, you can still check off most of the must-have features you've envied on more expensive sets, like QLED for better color and brightness, a full-featured smart TV experience, complete with voice control and smart home integration, and features like Dolby Vision HDR and Dolby Atmos sound. You might have to look at last year's sets, but they're still great and offer fantastic value.
Size: You won't have to compromise on screen size, either. Our recommendations above include great options at 55, 65 and even 75-inch sizes, so your budget doesn't have to prevent you from getting a TV that's just as big as you want. Find the screen size that works best for you in our article What size TV should you buy?
HDR: For the best picture, we recommend getting a set that offers high dynamic range (HDR) support. HDR10 is the base standard, while HDR10+ and Dolby Vision are higher-caliber formats; we recommend opting for for one of the latter when you have the choice, or better still both.
Pay attention to ports: We recommend getting a TV with 4 HDMI ports whenever possible. And even though they do cost more, we prefer TVs that have HDMI 2.1 connections. They offer better gaming features and will keep your TV up to date for much longer.
Smart TV features: Pretty much every TV on the market is smart these days, so don't hesitate to get a smart TV. However, make sure that the operating system of the TV in question has the apps you want because not all of them do. And some platforms offer advanced features like smart home controls and voice assistant capability.
From smart functions to port selection, we offer plenty of advice in our TV buying guide, which explains the ins and outs of features like HDR, different types of display, and even extended warranties. And if you still have questions about smart TV features and capabilities, check out Smart TVs: Everything you need to know.
FAQs
What features are worth paying more for?
While you can get most of what you want in a smart TV for $1,000 or less, there are a few exceptions.
Bigger screens: If you want to get a really big screen, today's largest TVs go bigger than 75 inches, and as a general rule, anything over the 75-inch mark will be more expensive, and almost always costs more than $1,000. Sometimes a lot more.
OLED: As the uncontested premium display technology, OLED screens don't come cheap, and even the most affordable OLED TVs often sport price tags that exceeds the $1,000 budget. Still, if you know where to look, you can find good deals on entry-level OLED sets, like the aforementioned LG B4.
8K resolution: Even as 8K TVs become more common and start to climb down from the astronomical prices they debuted at, there's still nothing on the market that can be considered affordable. With the cheapest 8K sets still selling for thousands, there's just no way to get that sort of resolution for under $1,000. (The good news? Even if you wanted to spend more, we still wouldn't recommend an 8K TV, so don't sweat it.)
Whether any of these features are important to you comes down to your own expectations and needs, but if you've got your heart set on these premium features, get ready to go beyond the $1,000 mark, because they don't come cheap.
