If you’ve been keeping your eye out this year for a budget-friendly TV with built-in smart features, you’re in luck: One of the best-kept secrets in affordable TVs just got even better.
The 55-inch TCL QM5K just crashed to $379 at Best Buy. It’s one of the cheapest Mini-LED TVs on shelves this year, and it’s a great fit for folks whose number-one priority is saving money, but who’d rather not scrape the bottom of the barrel for a cheap TV.
Given its entry-level status, the QM5K sits lower on the performance chart than the step-up TCL QM6K, but it’s very handy to have Mini-LED local dimming at this price point — especially if you’re trying to avoid buying an edge-lit TV (which I recommend you do).
It’s very handy to have Mini-LED local dimming at this price point.
The QM5K features three HDMI inputs rather than the usual four, but thankfully, its built-in smart platform ought to be robust enough to forgo the use of a dedicated streaming device. It arrives with Google TV baked right into the software, which is one of my preferred smart platforms due to its easy-to-navigate interface and sensational app support.
The QM5K isn’t a fully-fledged gaming machine, but it’ll support 4K gaming up to 60Hz. If you’re a casual console gamer, this is pretty much the best you can hope for within the QM5K’s price range.
As someone who helps people shop for TVs, the QM5K has been a mainstay on my list of ultra-affordable recommendations since its debut last month. It’s not a TV whose picture will turn heads, but if you’re looking for a reliable 4K TV for everyday use, the QM5K is a better choice than most options in this price range (sorry, Insignia TVs).
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