The 6 Best TVs for $500 or Less: Budget-Friendly Options for Binge-Watchers

The 6 Best TVs Under $500 in 2024: Budget-Friendly Options for Binge-Watchers — Samsung

If you’re on a budget and don’t need a TV larger than 65 inches, there are plenty of compelling smart TVs for $500 or less. Each of these TVs offers fantastic sound and picture for your favorite shows, sports, blockbuster movies, or games.

Pro tip: While you may not be getting the latest TV technology in a TV that costs $500 or less, you should still pay attention to the size, display type, resolution, refresh rate, operating system, and the range of features each TV offers to choose the best model for you.

The best 4K smart TVs for $500 or less

Our internal team of Technology experts has put together this selection of 4K resolution smart TVs you can buy right now for $500 or less. They include TVs from brands like Samsung, Roku, Hisense, and TCL. And since for an average-sized room, a 65-inch TV is more than enough, we found plenty of options.

Best TV for $500 or less: Samsung 55″ Crystal 4K DU8000 Series Smart TV

Here’s a 55-inch TV from Samsung that offers all the core features you’d expect from a 4K resolution smart TV, including AI upscaling for lower resolution content and a Motion Xcelerator feature that kicks in during action-oriented programs.

This TV also gives you access to free on-demand programming from Samsung TV Plus, as well as a built-in gaming hub that gives you (with a subscription) access to hundreds of popular online games that don’t require a games console to play.

The DU8000 offers a sleek design that looks great on the wall. The display shows more than 1 billion colors and offers HDR support, so you’ll see plenty of detail, contrast, and color accuracy no matter what you’re watching. It runs Samsung’s own Tizen OS operating system, so you can easily access all the popular streaming services you subscribe to.

Best 43-inch TV under $500: Roku 43″ Select Series 4K HDR Smart TV

Roku Smart TV 43-inch Select Series 4K Smart TV — Roku

Roku has three TV product lines – Select, Plus and Pro – with the Select series offering entry-level 4K smart TVs at very affordable prices.

This TV is available in 43-inch ($218), 50-inch ($280), 55-inch ($300), 65-inch ($400), and 75-inch ($578) sizes. And as you can see, most sizes are well under $500.

The 43-inch version of this Roku TV is ideal for smaller bedrooms, a home office, or a kitchen. It supports HDR10+ and HLG for improved picture quality and color accuracy. Connectivity options built into the TV include four HDMI inputs. You also get support for Siri, AirPlay 2, Amazon Alexa, and Google Assistant.

This is a no-frills budget TV that offers a standard LED display with a 60Hz refresh rate. It comes with a voice remote control. There are also a pair of stereo speakers built into the TV that support Dolby Audio.

Best 55-inch TV under $500: Insignia 55″ Class F30 LED 4K Smart TV

INSIGNIA 55-inch F30 Series LED 4K Smart TV — Amazon

Here’s another budget 55-inch LED Smart TV with 4K resolution. This one runs on the popular Amazon FireTV operating system, so it works seamlessly with Amazon Prime Video and any other video streaming services you subscribe to. Also built into the TV is the Amazon Alexa digital assistant.

This is another no-frills entry-level smart TV that comes with a voice remote. It uses a standard LED display with a 60Hz refresh rate that supports HDR10.

On the back of the TV are three HDMI ports, Ethernet, composite video, and a USB Type-A port. There are two downward-firing stereo speakers inside the TV that produce up to 10 watts of audio power.

Best 65-inch TV under $500: TCL 65″ Q65 QLED 4K Smart TV

TCL 65-inch Q65 QLED 4K UHD Smart TV — Amazon

Like all the cheaper 4K smart TVs in this overview, this one offers a 60 Hz refresh rate. However, it supports Dolby Vision, HDR Pro+ and Dolby Atmos. It also has a built-in game acceleration mode for gaming.

For an average-sized room – be it a living room, guest room or bedroom – we recommend a 65-inch TV. We like this model because of its frameless design, so it looks great on the wall. Using Quantum Dot technology, the TV can display rich, vibrant and accurate colors that cover almost the entire DCI-P3 color space.

Thanks to the TV’s AI-powered processor, when you watch any type of show, the TV automatically adjusts contrast, color, and clarity to deliver a detailed picture that supports HDR10+, HDR10, and HLG. When you watch an action movie or sports, the TV’s Motion Rate 240 feature is activated to deliver a smooth picture. Based on the technology and features offered, this TCL Smart TV offers really good value for its sub-$500 price tag.

Best TV under $500 for gaming: Hisense 58″ Class U6HF 4K Smart TV

Hisense 58-inch Class U6HF Series ULED 4K UHD Smart Fire TV — Amazon

This 58-inch model from Hisense falls between a 55-inch and a 60-inch smart TV. It is based on a ULED display with a refresh rate of 60 Hz and a maximum brightness of 600 nits. The TV comes with a voice remote and runs on the Amazon FireTV OS. This operating system works seamlessly with Amazon Prime Video and all your favorite video streaming services. It also has Amazon Alexa as a built-in digital assistant.

Like many of Hisense’s smart TVs, this one uses Quantum Dot technology to produce a pure, rich and brilliant picture with more than a billion precise colors. The TV also offers up to 32 local dimming zones. Its above-average peak brightness and local dimming function are crucial for the correct playback of HDR content.

The TV supports Dolby Vision HDR, HDR10 and HDR10+. One of the best aspects of the U6HF is its frameless design. This gives the TV a sleek aesthetic that doesn’t overwhelm a room with an unnecessarily large frame.

Best TV under $500 for movies and sports: Roku 55″ Plus Series QLED 4K Smart TV

This 55-inch Plus Series QLED Smart TV is in the mid-range of Roku’s TV offerings. It’s an improvement over the Roku Select series, but not as advanced as the higher-end RokuPro Smart TVs we recently reviewed.

This TV is available in 55-inch ($500), 65-inch ($650), and 75-inch ($900) screen sizes, with only the 55-inch version falling within the $500 target price in this review. Many people love the RokuTV operating system because it’s very intuitive to use. It offers easy access to all of your favorite streaming services, as well as the Roku Channel, which offers a selection of free on-demand and live programming.

You can expect stunning detail with spectacular colors, contrast, and brightness, thanks in part to support for Dolby Vision and HDR10+. You also get sharp contrast with local dimming for vivid highlights and deep darks. A voice remote is included, but you can also control the TV with the Roku smartphone app. If you’re only looking to spend $500 on a new TV, this one has a lot to offer.

If you are looking for a TV, read our coverage of best TVs for 2024The best 55 inch TVs of 2024The best 65 inch TVs of 2024The Best 75-inch TVs (and larger) of 2024The best TVs for video gamers and the best TVs for watching sports. We also have a curated collection of best home projectors for 2024 and the best TV soundbars for 2024. All of our current technology coverage, which is constantly updated, is at your fingertips.

Jason R. Rich

Jason R. Rich (www.JasonRich.com) is an internationally recognized consumer technology expert with more than 30 years of writing experience. He is also a prolific author and photographer. One of his most recently published books, The Remote Worker’s Handbook: How to Effectively Work From Anywhere ($24.99, Entrepreneur Books), is now available on Amazon and wherever books are sold.