The only cheap 75-inch Mini-LED TV I would buy just crashed to an all-time low price of $499

The Hisense U65QF, wall-mounted in a modern living space next to a blue-colored, superimposed tag that reads: "Tom's Guide Lowest Price" — (Image credit: Hisense)

When friends, family and readers ask me about buying a big-screen TV on a budget, I typically tell them to be careful. If you settle for the cheapest 75-inch screen you can find, there’s a good chance you’ll be setting yourself up for a dim, disappointing picture.

But today, Amazon is running a deal on an affordable big-screen TV that I actually recommend. The 75-inch Hisense U65QF is just $499 at Amazon right now, and this TV features that rare combination of being cheap, big and bright. (Note: Best Buy offers the same price).

You can learn all about this model in our full Hisense U65QF review, but in a nutshell, here's what you need to know: The U65QF offers better brightness and backlight control than most 75-inch TVs in this price bracket. A major reason why has to do with the U65QF's hardware.

Unlike most ultra-affordable, big-screen TVs, the U65QF is built around Mini-LED backlighting. These teeny-tiny LEDs typically allow for better overall contrast than what you'll see on TVs that use basic, edge-lit screens. Even modest Mini-LED backlighting is immensely helpful at the 75-inch size point, given how much screen real estate is in play.

The U65QF is also sensationally bright, especially for a $500 TV. Of all the affordable Mini-LED TVs we've tested in this price range, the U65QF is the brightest of the bunch. This makes it a reliable pick for people who watch a ton of TV during the day, or for anyone in the market for a punchy picture.

Of all the affordable Mini-LED TVs we've tested in this price range, the U65QF is the brightest of the bunch.

The U65QF isn't just packed with performance-related value — it's also equipped with more features than most TVs that occupy its price range. Gamers get a TV that supports 4K gaming at 120Hz (and up to 144Hz) across two out of four HDMI inputs, which meets the 4K benchmark set by current-gen consoles.

As far as streaming-related features go, it's a bit different than most TVs in Hisense's catalogue. The U65QF is built around Amazon's Fire TV smart platform, and in the past, Fire TV hasn't been my favorite software suite due to its sluggish interface. That said, there are major updates to the Fire TV software rolling out this year that aim to improve the user experience.

Previously, I sounded the alarm when the 75-inch U65QF dropped down to $549. Now that its price has crashed even further, it's hard to imagine this TV getting any cheaper before stock runs out.

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Michael Desjardin is a Senior Editor for TVs at Tom's Guide. He's been testing and tinkering with TVs professionally for over a decade, previously for Reviewed and USA Today. Michael graduated from Emerson College where he studied media production and screenwriting. He loves cooking, zoning out to ambient music, and getting way too invested in the Red Sox. He considers himself living proof that TV doesn't necessarily rot your brain.

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