Massive Flagship TVs Might Never Be This Cheap Again, at Least in America

Spring is usually the best time to score a great deal on a new TV, but next year’s peak discount season could look very different due to lingering global economic uncertainties around tariffs.

A grid of TVs shown diagonally in a pattern of rows against a speckled yellow background.

By Ben Bowers

Published April 10, 2025

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Updated April 10, 2025

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February and April are traditionally the best months to save the most money on a new TV, at least in America, with Black Friday deals being the only exception in some cases.

At about this time every year, most flagship TVs released in the previous year will hit an all-time low price point until significant supplies are gone.

That’s because retailers are aggressively trying to clear their inventories of last year’s flagship models. They need to make way for the new editions set to start arriving in their warehouses by early summer.

This year is no exception to that trend. Right now, two of the top-rated OLED TVs on the market and a few well-regarded budget options are available for the lowest prices we’ve seen at retailers like Amazon, particularly in larger sizes like 77, 85, and even 98 inches.

Usually, it’d be reasonable to expect history to repeat itself, but with the prospect of sizeable import tariffs still looming over the US economy, that’s starting to feel less likely.

Why Steep Discounts on Big TV May Evaporate in 2025 and Beyond

a tv on a stand — As is typical with TVs, some of the best and most cutting-edge models launched in 2024 are now on sale for up to 50% off their MSRP.

I’m not an economist. So, I’ll be the first to admit that this is pure speculation on my part grounded in some rudimentary logic. It also presumes that significant tariffs, at least on Chinese manufactured goods imported to the US, aren’t going away in full anytime soon.

Obviously, any price hike resulting from tariffs would make TVs more expensive in the future than they are now.

Today, TVs sold in the U.S. are made and/or assembled in many countries, including China, South Korea, India, and Mexico. So, it’s difficult to predict which models or brands are most susceptible to this potential immediate price pressure.

If you’ve been itching for a TV upgrade, especially to a much larger size, now might be the time to strike if getting a great price is your top priority.

But even if brands aren’t directly impacted by tariffs, I’ll be surprised if the new models they release in 2025 are discounted quite as quickly or steeply in the spring of 2026 or 2027, at a minimum.

As the economic cliche goes, it all comes down to basic supply and demand.

Any TV manufacturer spared from tariffs will already have a comparative price advantage compared to the tariffed competition, so the usual market pressure to discount prices will be reduced.

Panasonic Z95B OLED TVs — We recently recapped the most exciting new TVs revealed at CES 2025, including Panasonic’s return to the U.S. market. But unlike previous years, there’s reason to doubt whether they’ll be discounted significantly around this time next year.

Uncertainties about global trade relations and consumer sentiment may also cause TV manufacturers to scale back their 2025 TV production plans. This would reduce excess inventory cluttering warehouse shelves next spring, further relieving pressure to massively discount units as usual.

Lastly, bigger TV screen sizes, especially those 80 inches and above, are more difficult to manufacture reliably and efficiently. They’re also significantly heavier, making them more expensive to package, ship, and store. This is why you typically see a sizable step up in price for them relative to smaller sizes.

As such, it seems reasonable that manufacturers would cut production on larger TV sets first as a proportion of their output. And that’s before factoring in any potential decreases in consumer demand for expensive household luxuries like bigger-screen TVs.

These same forces would only exacerbate the situation in the spring of 2027, too, since lower inventory and sales in 2025 would likely lower the volume of new TVs made in 2026, further reducing the glut of TVs in the spring of 2027.

Big TVs to Consider Now

LG 2025 OLED TVs — Now that LG has announced its new flagship C5 and G5 TVs for 2025, buyers can snag last year’s excellent G4 and C4 for rock-bottom prices.

As a home theater fan who cycles through TVs more than I should, I hope none of this happens.

Still, if you’ve been itching for a TV upgrade, especially to a much larger size, now might be the time to strike if getting a great price is your top priority.

Here are some top-ranked TVs currently selling for the lowest prices we’ve seen (or at least very close to it). Note that the size of the discount varies a bit by screen size, and some of the largest models usually offer the largest percentage off.

Premium OLED TVs

LG evo G4 OLED TV

This is one of the absolute best OLED TVs on the market. Compared to LG’s mainline C4 model, the G4 line is much thinner and designed to mount flush against the wall. It’s also brighter and equipped with better image processing, giving it a superior picture quality. However, its picture quality advantage over the C3 is slightly diminished in the biggest 83-inch version. That said, this is the lowest price we’ve seen the massive 83-inch version hit since Black Friday.

$4,797 at Amazon (83-inch)

$6,499 (26% off)
$2,997 at Amazon (77-inch)

$4,600 (35% off)
$1,797 at Amazon (55-inch)

$2,600 (31% off)

Samsung S90D QD-OLED (2024)

Samsung’s flagship QD-OLED TV from 2024 features the company’s Quantum Dot technology, which makes their colors “pop” a little more than traditional OLED TVs while adding more brightness. Many experts have called this the best OLED TV for the money, given its excellent picture quality and optimized support for the most demanding gaming consoles across all four HDMI ports. Note, though, that the biggest 83-inch version of this TV is just an OLED display vs. QD-OLED. Like all Samsung TVs, it also lacks support for Dolby Vision,

$3,498 at Amazon (83-inch)

$3,798 (8% off)
$2,198 at Amazon (77-inch)

$2,498 (12% off)
$1,398 at Amazon (65-inch)

$1,698 (18% off)
$1,198 at Amazon (55-inch)

$1,798 (33% off)

The Least Obtrusive Big TV

Samsung Frame TV on wall full of framed items

Samsung The Frame TV 2024 Model

Samsung’s Frame line of TVs is an enormous hit thanks to its unique design, which makes the TV look like a piece of customizable wall art when not actively in use. Admittedly, the disguise doesn’t work quite as well with the biggest 85-inch version, but it will still look more attractive in a room than a typical TV. Like all Samsung TVs, it lacks support for Dolby Vision, though. This is the lowest price we’ve ever seen this unit hit.

$2,498 at Amazon (85-inch)

$4,298 (42% off)
$1,998 at Amazon (75-inch)

$2,998 (33% off)
$1,498 at Amazon (65-inch)

$1,998 (25% off)
$998 at Amazon (55-inch)

$1,298 (23% off)

Solid Budget-Friendly Options

Hisense U7 Mini-LED

TV experts highly recommend the Hisense U7 line as an excellent bang-for-the-buck option for brightrooms. As a Mini LED TV, it’s very bright and works well with modern HDR content, including HDR10+ and Dolby Vision formats. It also has two HDMI 2.1 ports for modern consoles, which can handle 4k @ 144Hz with VRR. This is the lowest price we’ve seen the 85-inch version hit.

$1,300 at Amazon (85-inch)

$2,200 (41% off)
$899 at Amazon (75-inch)

$1,199 (25% off)
$698 at Amazon (65-inch)

$998 (30% off)

TCL q65 TV shown against a grey background.

TCL Q65 QLED 4K

This is very much a budget TV, especially at this all-time low sale price, but it’s also a surprisingly strong pick for HDR gaming thanks to its low input lag (though it doesn’t support bleeding-edge features like 4k @ 120Hz or VRR). It won’t win picture quality awards, but for most people, a movie-watching experience on a bigger TV will still feel incredibly cinematic.