Time is running out to buy one of my favorite LG OLED TVs for just $649
In the TV business, July is a turning point. Memorial Day sales event are way back in the rearview mirror and Independence Day sales have dried up. By this time of the year, Prime Day has usually come and gone, too.
Mid-July is when I start sounding the alarm bells about last-year's TVs disappearing from shelves. There's no way around it: Newer models are replacing the old ones, and their prices are probably much higher.
This week, I'm ringing the bell about LG's entry-level OLED TV from last year, the LG B5. Specifically, I'm expecting a Best Buy-exclusive version of the B5 to be cleared out of stock soon. Right now, the 48-inch LG B5 is $649 at Best Buy, and when it's finally gone, one of my favorite OLED deals will be gone, too.
OLED TVs like the B5 don't rely on a backlight. Instead, all of their pixels are self-illuminating, and this built-in advantage is why people rave about OLED TVs.
Self-lit pixels allow for perfect black levels. An OLED-driven picture is free from that hazy, bluish-colored light bloom you'll often see on even the best Mini-LED TVs money can buy.
And, while the entry-level B5 isn't nearly as bright and colorful as some of the best OLED TVs on the market, the perfect black levels and surgical contrast control make a huge difference, particularly during cinematic, HDR content.
In addition, the B5 is a terrific choice for A/V enthusiasts yearning for an accurate presentation. According to our tests, the B5 is almost entirely free of perceptible color error in its out-of-the-box state. It's one of the reasons I find it to be such an attractive option for bargain-shoppers who care about picture quality.
Another reason I recommend the B5 so often is because, despite its low price and entry-level approach, it's nevertheless stuffed with a ton of useful features for streaming and gaming.
Gamers are getting basically everything they need for current-gen consoles, including support for 4K gaming at 120Hz. The B5 also comes with Variable Refresh Rate (VRR), AMD FreeSync and G-Sync compatibility.
The B5 is built around last-year's version of webOS. It's not at the top of my list of preferred streaming platforms, but if you're hesitant to buy a dedicated streaming device, webOS has enough app support to serve as your daily driver.
If you need a bigger screen than 48 inches, the 55-inch LG B5 is just $899 at Best Buy right now, too. It's not quite as good of deal as a $649, 48-inch OLED TV, but it's more affordable than most OLEDs.
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