The Best 4K TVs Under $1,000

The first 4K TVs from LG and Sony went on sale in the U.S in late 2012. Both were 84 inches and exceeded $20,000. So while desirable — 4K TVs have four times as many pixels as standard HD TVs and can produce a much clearer and beautiful picture — people basically had to choose between buying a top-notch TV and sending their child to college. Thankfully, that’s changed. Every major TV manufacturer makes at least one 4K TV, and they all come in myriad display sizes and price points. And if you don’t want to break four digits on a 4K TV, you no longer have to.

All the best 4K TVs — we’re talking the crème de la crème — have OLED displays (although Samsung’s QLED displays come a close second). That’s because OLED technology allows the displays to produce darker blacks and more vivid colors than any LED TV display. The problem is, even though prices of OLED TVs are coming down, they’re still expensive; you’re still not likely to find a 4K OLED TV that’s under $1,000.

Still, there are excellent 4K TVs within your price range. We’re talking under $1,000 for a 4K TV that’s at least 55-inches. TCL and Vizio are the two main brands to look for in. They make a variety of 4K TVs, pretty much all of them support the newest HDR technologies and have smart streaming features. And as far as picture quality, they’ll deliver a night-and-day difference to any HD display.

What to Look For

Size: With TVs, size matters. The bigger the TV, the more expensive it’s going to be. As of 2023, the most popular size of a 4K TV is 65-inches — which is why we use the 65-inch model as our benchmark. If the 65-inch model of a certain 4K TV is more than $1,000, it isn’t on this guide. Of course, you might want a TV that is bigger or smaller than 65-inches, which is why we’ve included the size of each 4K TV that is included in this guide.

Resolution: The best way to think of your TV is as a big grid, made up of columns and rows of pixels. The more pixels in that grid, the better the overall resolution of the TV. 4K TVs have a grid of 3840 x 2160 pixels, while an HD TV has a grid of 1920 x 1080 pixels. That means 4K TVs have four times as many pixels, and thus four times the detail as HD TVs.

Dimming Zones: The most affordable 4K TVs all have LED backlighting. Whereas OLED TVs can individually light up and dim each pixel, LED TVs can only light up and dim clusters of pixels. This is OLED TVs are able to achieve better contrast and more vivid colors. However, different LED 4K TVs have different amounts of “dimming zones.” The more dimming zones, the more clusters of pixels the TV is able to control. Thus, the more dimming zones, the better the 4K TV’s image quality.

Refresh Rate: This is the number of times per second, or frequency (measured in Hertz), that the screen refreshes itself. TVs with higher refresh rates are better at reducing motion blur and have a better overall image quality. If you’re looking for a 4K TV with all have refresh rates of 120Hz.

HDR: You want a 4K TV with HDR, or high dynamic range, and most of the best ones on this list fit that bill. HDR is a technology that gets more out of the TV’s pixels. It helps create deeper blacks and more vivid colors, giving the TV better a contrast ratio and producing a more realistic picture. Ultimately HDR relies on HDR-compatible content, but more and more shows, movies and video games are taking advantage of it. The two most popular HDR formats are: Dolby Vision and HDR10.

Smart TV: Pretty much all new 4K TVs have some kind of smart TV platform built in. Whether that’s Roku, Smartcast or WebOS, it doesn’t matter so much because they all work with most of the popular smart apps, like Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime and HBO Go. There’s also the option to get a dongle — Apple TV, Chromecast, Amazon Fire Stick — and use whichever platform you like.

What year was the TV made? TV technology moves fast. Like, really fast. So much so that we really don’t recommend buying a TV that’s more than two years old. The flip side of this argument is that you can often get a really good deal on a year-old TV. Typically, manufacturers announce new models at the start of the year and by the end of the year all those TVs are pretty much always on sale. So to get the best deal on a 4K TV, we recommend buying at the end of the year (October to December) or at the beginning (January to March).

The Picks

As of February 2028, a lot of manufacturers have announced their 2023 4K TVs but very few (if any) of them are actually available yet — this is why all of the below 4K TVs are 2022 models. The good news is you can get a wicked deal on these already affordable TVs. We’ll update this guide as those TVs are made available.

Best Buy

Best 4K TV Under $1,000 for Most People

TCL 6-Series (2022)

• $800.00 at Best Buy

• Size: 55″ — 85″
• Price: $699 — $1,999 ($999 for 65″ model)
• Panel: mini-LED QLED
• HDR: Dolby Vision, HDR 10, HDR 10+
• Refresh rate: 120Hz
• Smart TV: Roku or Google TV

TCL has been one of the biggest names in affordable 4K TVs for years and the 6-Series has been its top-of-the-line offering. The 2022 edition is a big step up, however, as it adds a mini-LED panel (for improved brightness and contrast) and is integrated with quantum dot technology (for improved brightness and color). It supports most HDR technologies, including Dolby Vision and HDR10/10+. It’s also a great TV for gaming thanks to dual HDMI 2.1 inputs, a 120Hz refresh rate and support for VRR.

Amazon

Runner Up: Best 4K TV Under $1,000

Sony X90K (2022)

• $1,088.00 at Amazon

• Size: 55″ — 85″
• Price: $899 — $1,199 ($999 for 65″ model)
• Panel: LED
• HDR: Dolby Vision, HDR 10, HLG
• Refresh rate: 120Hz
• Smart TV: Google TV

The Sony X90 range is probably the company’s most popular line of 4K TVs and the best option for most people. The “K” model is new for 2022 — and the successor of 2021’s “J” model — and it’s a great TV for both movies and gaming. It packs the company’s Cognitive XR processor to help upscale content so that at teams it looks even bette. It packs a two HDMI 2.1 ports, a 120Hz panel, supports VRR and supports Dolby Atmos (but no HDR 10+) and Dolby Vision.

Best Buy

Best Budget-Friendly 4K TV Under $1,000

TCL 5-Series (2022)

• $550.00 at Best Buy

• Size: 50″ — 75″
• Price: $429 — $899 ($599 for 65″ model)
• Panel: QLED
• HDR: Dolby Vision, HDR 10, HDR 10+, HLG
• Refresh rate: 600Hz
• Smart TV: Roku or Google TV

The TCL 5-Series is essentially a more budget-friendly version of the company’s 6-Series (above), but it’s a great option for those looking for big 4K TV that’s well under $1,000 (a huge 75-inch model costs under $900) or even a smaller one (TCL also has a 50-inch model, which is smaller than the 6-Series offers). That said, there are a few big tradeoffs with the 5-Series that make it a more affordable alternative. It supports quantum dot technology but the panel lacks mini-LEDs, thus it’s not able to get as bright or as dark. Maybe more significantly, the 5-Series isn’t as good of a gaming TV. It maxes out at a 60Hz refresh rate (instead of 120Hz) and doesn’t support HDMI 2.1 or VRR.

Best Buy

Runner Up: Best Budget-Friendly 4K TV

Vizio M-Series Quantum X (2022)

• $680.00 at Best Buy

• Size: 50″ — 75″
• Price: $549 — $899 ($849 for 65″ model)
• Panel: QLED
• HDR: Dolby Vision, HDR 10, HDR 10+, HLG
• Refresh rate: 120Hz
• Smart TV: SmartCast

The Vizio M-Series Quantum X (MQX) is the company’s newest mid-range line of 4K TVs and they’re a good budget option as you can get a bigger model for less than Sony and TCL alternatives. These TVs have been upgraded with a QLED panel (similar to the latest Samsung, Sony and TCL TVs), although it lacks the same peak brightness and contrast of some TVs with mini-LED panels (like the TCL 6-Series). It supports multiple HDR technologies (including Dolby Vision and HDR10+) and is a good gaming TV thanks to its single HDMI 2.1 port and support for VRR.

Note: Vizio also offers the M-Series Quantum 6 (MQ6), which is an even more affordable model, but maxes out at a 60Hz refresh rate. .

Vizio

Vizio P-Series Quantum (2021)

• $1,019.00 at Amazon

Size: 65″ — 85″
Price: $899 — $4,799

The P-Series Quantum is Vizio’s top-of-the-line non-OLED 4K TV and, quite frankly, it’s one of the best and most premium options on this list. It’s an LED TV that’s built with quantum dot display technology (same as most of Samsung’s higher-end QLED TVs), helping it with contrast and achieve more vibrant colors than other standard LED displays. It also has a number of gaming features — HDMI 2.1 ports, 120Hz display and support for variable refresh rate (VRR) — making it an excellent choice for those with the newest Xbox or Playstation consoles.

(Note: This is not the Vizio P-Series Quantum “X,” which is a higher-end and more expensive version of the P-Series Quantum; it’s brighter and available in even larger sizes.)

Vizio

Vizio M7 Series Quantum (2021)

• $550.00 at Best Buy

Size: 50″ — 75″
Price: $570 — $1,200

The M-Series Quantum is Vizio’s mid-range line of 4K TVs. The 2021 models have been upgraded with faster processors and some new features (like they come with a new voice remote.) The displays are integrated with quantum dot technology, so they’re able to deliver a brighter and more vivid picture. They also support all the same HDR technologies, including HDR10 and Dolby Vision, as Vizio’s higher-end P-Series Quantum, but the M-Series is significantly more affordable. (The main difference compared to Vizio’s P-Series is that the M-Series Quantum has significantly less dimming zones and overall brightness, so it’s not able to produce quite the same level of picture quality.) Maybe the biggest difference from other TVs on this list is that the M-Series Quantum works with Alexa and Google Assistant, and supports AirPlay 2 and HomeKit as well.

TCL

TCL 6-Series Mini-LED QLED (2021)

• $600.00 at Best Buy

Size: 55″ — 75″
Price: $750 — $1,300

The TCL 6-Series continues to be one of the best budget 4K TVs. It’s integrated with Mini LED backlight technology — it adds thousands of miniature LED lights, giving the TV better control of its dimming zones and delivering a brighter, more colorful and more high-contrast picture — which is pretty unheard of in a sub-$1,000 TV. Compared to its predecessor, the new 6-Series has two HDMI 2.1 ports (for gamers) and is available with a Google TV smart operating system (instead of Roku).

TCL

TCL 5-Series QLED (2021)

• $1,000.00 at Amazon

Size: 50″ — 75″
Price: $500 — $999

The TCL 5-Series is essentially a more budget friendly version of the company’s 6-Series. The two lines of TVs have a similar design and smart features, but the big difference is in picture quality. The 5-Series doesn’t pack the same Mini LED technology and thus can’t achieve quite the contrast and vivid colors as the 6-Series, nor is it as good for gaming as it supports 60Hz refresh rate rather than 120Hz. Of course, if your not gaming on a new-age console or just want a dependable and really affordable 4K TV, then the 5-Series is a great pick.

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