Black Friday and Cyber Monday are still a few weeks away, but those of us who have covered these sales events for as long as I have know that some of the steepest discounts arrive ahead of schedule.
This is why I usually tell folks who are in the market for extra-large TVs to pay close attention starting at the beginning of November. If you've been waiting all year to time your purchase right on a huge, 85-inch TV, now's the time to start keeping tabs on sale pricing.
Quick List
- TCL 85” QM5K 4K Mini-LED TV: was $1,399 now $899 @ Best Buy
- TCL 85” QM6K 4K Mini-LED TV: was $1,999 now $1,099 @ Best Buy
- Hisense 85” U75QG 4K Mini-LED TV: was $1,797 now $1,398 @ Amazon
- LG 83” B5 4K OLED TV: was $4,499 now $1,999 @ Best Buy
- LG 83” C5 4K OLED TV: was $5,396 now $3,196 @ Best Buy
About the author
My name is Michael, and I've been reviewing TVs and covering major sales events like Black Friday for over a decade. My home may not be spacious enough to accommodate 83- and 85-inch TVs, but that doesn't mean I don't know a good one from a not-so-good one. Black Friday presents a great opportunity to shop for an extra-large TV at this size point, but many of the biggest discounts of the year are already in play.
Top early Black Friday 85-inch TV deals
TCL QM5K
The TCL QM5K — a Best Buy-exclusive model — is one of the most affordable Mini-LED TVs of the year. The 85-inch model recently dipped below $1,000. If you’re shopping for an extra-large screen and want to save as much money as possible before scraping the bottom of the barrel for dirt-cheap sets, the QM5K ought to be on your radar.
The QM5K arrives with Google TV, one of my favorite streaming platforms on account of its easy-to-use layout and its vast library of downloadable apps. Its lack of gaming features makes it a less-than-ideal choice for serious gamers, but it features better picture quality than most edge-lit, barebones LED TVs at the 85-inch size point. I recommend it if you're an easy-going, casual TV-viewer who doesn't necessarily need bells, whistles and head-turning picture quality.
TCL QM6K
If saving money on an 85-inch TV is still your top priority but you’re looking for something with a little more oomph than the QM5K, consider its sibling, the TCL QM6K. It’s also an entry-level Mini-LED TV, but this 85-inch model nets you better backlight control, higher brightness and a better set of features than the lower-end QM5K.
At the 85-inch size point, the improved backlight control is nice to have, as it's better-equipped to hide issues like light bloom that are easier to spot on a large screen.
And, not for nothing, but the QM6K is a better gaming TV than the QM5K. You're only getting two HDMI 2.1-compatible inputs, but that's two more than you'll find on the lower-end QM5K.
Hisense U75QG
In many ways, the mid-range Hisense U75QG is in the Goldilocks Zone of 85-inch TVs. It offers better brightness and better overall picture quality than the 85-inch versions of the QM5K and the QM6K, but it’s not saddled with the sort of eye-popping price tag you’ll come to find from the remaining TVs on this list.
The U75QG is an especially good choice for dedicated gamers looking to spend sensibly on a giant, 85-inch screen thanks to a handy selection of highly sought-after gaming features. As the brightest TV on this list, it's naturally a good fit for sports fans (or viewers who do most of their TV-watching in a sunny room).
LG B5
If you’re in the market for a room-dominating OLED TV, there are two things you ought to know before shopping your options. The first is that all OLED TVs arrive in 83-inch variants rather than 85-inch variants.
The second is that the LG B5 is one of the better value-forward OLED TVs of the year. In other words, it’s not as bright and colorful as higher-end OLED sets from LG, Samsung and Sony, but it performs at a respectable level and comes with a surprisingly thorough selection of features. Plus, as an OLED TV, you're getting a ton of benefits right out of the box, like perfect black levels and extra-wide viewing angles.
If you're planning on doing some gaming on your next TV, the B5 has you covered, too, as it offers a full slate of four HDMI 2.1 ports that all support 4K gaming at 120Hz.
LG C5
The 83-inch B5 is my go-to recommendation for big-screen OLED shoppers on a budget, but the 83-inch LG C5 might end up being the best OLED TV deal at the 83-inch size point this holiday shopping season. Yes, its sky-high price tag is a tough pill to swallow, but compared to top-shelf, flagship OLED TVs, its current price of around $3,200 is a relative bargain.
The C5 is the ultimate Swiss Army Knife when it comes to performance. Everything from games to HDR Blu-rays look phenomenal on this TV, and it's stuffed with just as many features as you'll find on much pricier, flagship models.
From a performance standpoint, it's a significant step up from the aforementioned, 83-inch LG B5. It's worth the added cost if you're after a truly stunning picture.
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