TCL 49-inch 4K Roku Smart HDTV
The 49-inch TCL 4K Roku Smart HDTV (49S405) has the Roku platform
built into its OS. Part of TCL's 2017 lineup, it has a 120Hz
refresh rate, HDR support, and 3 HDMI ports.
We have evaluated and scored TVs after testing a variety of formats, including DVDs, HD, 4K and HDR. Whether it's for game day, movie night or hard-core gaming, we've pushed every button, clicked through thousands of menus and run hundreds of smart TV apps to find the best model to suit your needs.
Are you looking for a big screen but you're on a budget? Based on our extensive testing, your best bet is the Insignia Roku TV, which costs less than $500 and offers a great 4K picture as well as tons of streaming content from Roku. If you're more concerned with saving a buck than with 4K resolution, you can save even more with the Samsung J5205, our favorite inexpensive HDTV.
If you're looking for a stunning cinema experience — and can splurge for it — you should consider investing in the Sony Bravia OLED XBR-65A1E. This OLED TV offers the most gorgeous picture we've ever seen, and it comes in 55-, 65-, and 77-inch sizes.
If you want something in between, the LG E7 OLED (OLED65E7P) 65-inch TV is your best bet. In addition to providing a great 4K picture, this TV supports High Dynamic Range (HDR) and Dolby Vision, which offer a wider range of colors and better contrast than sets that don't support these technologies.
Read on for all of our recommendations. (For details on our evaluation methodology, see How We Test TVs.)
Latest TV News
Amazon has entered the TV market with the Fire TV Edition, an Alexa-enabled set starting at $449. While not the tops in terms of picture quality, this will enable customers to perform all the same functions as if they were using an Echo or Echo Dot. So users will be able to not only look up program information by voice, but can also get weather forecasts, restaurant information, change smart home devices, or anything else offered by Alexa's myriad third-party skills
Vizio's SmartCast TVs have also gotten an upgrade in their streaming capabilities, with the addition of Amazon Video for streaming Amazon's extensive catalogue of movies and shows. Amazon Prime members can enjoy all-you-can-eat streaming, or you can rent or buy individual titles a la carte. Vizio has also added Google Play Movies & TV to the list of apps supported natively on its TVs, instead of through the built in Google Chromecast.
The Best Time to Buy A TV
If you're thinking about picking up a new television, according to our sister site ShopSavvy, the best times to buy are in November, December, and January, though deals on smaller models can be found in the back-to-school timeframe of June-August. For more deals and advice on purchase timing, check out ShopSavvy's TV section.
MORE: Best Indoor HDTV Antennas for Cord Cutters
Insignia NS-55DR620NA18
Best Budget 4K Ultra HD TV
This TV delivers quite the bargain. For less than $500, you get a surprisingly good 4K (3840 x 2160-pixel) display, a healthy selection of ports, as well as the intuitive and feature-packed Roku interface. Plus, with the Roku app, you can use your smartphone as a remote control. While its design and audio are nothing to write home about, overall the Insignia Roku (a Best Buy exclusive) is great for those on a budget.
MORE: Insignia Roku TV Full Review
Editor's choice
LG E7 OLED (OLED65E7P)
Best 4K TV Overall
The 65-inch LG E7 OLED delivers stunning picture quality in an equally impressive design, using LG’s distinctive "picture-on-glass" construction. The impressive display has deep blacks, crisp images, and impressive brightness and color fidelity. It supports all major high dynamic range (HDR) formats, (Dolby Vision, Ultra HD Premium, and HDR10) and has sound so good you may not need a soundbar for excellent audio. LG's OLED sets have set a rather high watermark for crisp 4K picture quality, and the 65-inch version of the E7 is no exception.
MORE: LG E7 OLED (OLED65E7P) Full Review
Editor's choice
Sony Bravia OLED XBR-65A1E
Best Picture Quality
The Sony Bravia XBR-65A1E is a truly superior OLED TV with impressive sound and robust Android TV features. The 65-inch OLED panel delivers deep blacks, strikingly sharp pictures and excellent viewing angles. The 4K set also includes support for Dolby Vision and other HDR formats to deliver better brightness and more colors. Sony’s Acoustic Surface technology is a unique approach to audio turns the glass of the display into a speaker, and is a significant improvement in television sound.
MORE: Sony Bravia OLED XBR-65A1E Full Review
Samsung J5205
Best Value HDTV
The 32-inch Samsung J5205 is one of the best TVs you can get for under $300, thanks to a combination of Samsung’s Smart Hub for Smart TV functions and a fairly good display that offers deep blacks and good color. Compared to other budget HDTVs, it has some of the best color accuracy we saw, and sounded better than most of the sets we tested, with two 10 Watt speakers.
New & Notable
Amazon Fire TV Edition
Amazon's Alexa-enabled TV will come in four sizes: 43 inches ($449); 50 inches ($549) ; 55 inches ($649); and 65 inches ($899). While its specs are modest—there's no HDR, for example—these sets will let you use Amazon's voice assistant. It can also pull in content information not just from connected services (such as Hulu and Netflix), but also from over-the-air sources, and let you search for them by voice. You'll have to press the button on the remote first, though, which is a good thing, as you don't want Alexa inadvertently changing the channel in the middle of a movie.
New & Notable
LG signature OLED W7
LG nicknamed this TV "wallpaper" for a reason. At just a tenth of an inch thick—thinner than an iPhone—the W7 lies virtually flush with your wall, but delivers incredible colors via its OLED display. All the guts, are contained in the included soundbar, which connects to the TV via a thin ribbon cable. The soundbar itself is impressive, as two upfiring speakers emerge from either end when it's turned on.
See Also : 6 Cheap TVs Ranked From Best to Worst
- Best Devices to Sling Your Phone or Tablet to a TV Screen
- The Best Streaming Video Services for Cord Cutters
- Our Favorite Soundbars for Small and Big TVs
- Our Favorite Streaming Media Players and Sticks
- The Best TV Refresh Rate Is 120Hz (and Anything Higher Is a Lie)
TV DEALS
TCL 49-inch 4K Roku Smart HDTV
The 49-inch TCL 4K Roku Smart HDTV (49S405) has the Roku platform
built into its OS. Part of TCL's 2017 lineup, it has a 120Hz
refresh rate, HDR support, and 3 HDMI ports.
Was: $479.99 Is Now: $359.99
About the author
