Amazon Prime Day 2024 is in full swing and set to run until the clock strikes midnight on the 17th of July.
With myself and the wider What Hi-Fi? team in full on deal hunting mode, I can confirm it has already brought with it a wave of great looking OLED TV deals.
But before you go rushing to buy the latest and greatest models, or jump on the first deal you see, be warned not every discount running at the moment is worth your money.
This is main because Prime Day falls right when that year’s new models are just going on sale, and the first batch of reviews for them have started going live. That’s certainly been the case this year with our reviewers having just delivered their definitive verdicts on key sets including the LG C4, LG G4 and Samsung S95D, which all earned perfect scores.
This makes it all too easy to fall into the trap of turning into a new TV magpie and only looking at the latest models such as the recent savings we've seen appear on the LG C4 – which based on my experience covering every Prime Day since the event started, is actually the worst thing you can do if you want the best deal possible.
To help you get the best set for your needs and budget, I’ve penned this feature detailing the top TVs that I and the wider What Hi-Fi? team will be keeping an eye on over Prime Day 2024.
The LG C3 and G3
We've already seen a wave of deals appear on LG's latest OLED TVs, the best of which focusses on the step down LG C4.
And to be clear this isn't an attack on the C4, which scored five-stars when we reviewed it offering excellent picture quality and significantly improved audio on its predecessor. We've also seen more limited savings targeting the LG G4, though these are so small we don't recommend them at all at the moment.
But if you want the best OLED TV deal possible, we'd still recommend going for the LG C3 or G3. Why?
The simple answer is, we always factor value for money into our advice. TVs, unlike some hi-fi, where there’s a huge retro market, typically drop in price fairly fast. So when a new TV comes out, unless it’s a huge step forward on last year’s model, initially it isn't as good value as its predecessor – which at this point has usually radically dropped in price.
This was the case with last year’s Prime Day, where the majority of the best discounts were on the older LG C2 and LG G2. I even penned an opinion piece at the time explaining why you should focus your attention on the older models if you wanted the best bang for your buck.
Even though Prime Day's still young, all evidence suggests history is already repeating itself, with Amazon pushing significantly better LG C3 and LG G3 deals, with much heftier savings than what we've seen on the later models. When they cost this much less than the C4, we'd say the C3 is the better deal.
This is especially true for as, based on our long term testing and experience with the C3 and G3, both remain fantastic OLED TVs in their own right. The C3 has all the key gaming specifications required to let next-generation consoles run at full capacity and delivers very good picture quality.
Though stocks are drying up fast, the G3 also comes with the added allure of Micro Lens Array (MLA tech). MLA won a What Hi-Fi? Innovation Award last year, thanks to its ability to radically raise OLED TVs' max brightness levels. It worked a treat on the G3 when we tested it, letting the set deliver a punchy, enjoyable viewing experience regardless of which test discs we threw at it.
The Samsung S95C
Though we haven't seen a "shut up and take my money" deal appear on it yet, the Samsung S95C is another key TV our testers are keeping an eye on this Prime Day and an excellent example of another key, but often ignored, bit of advice we give when recommending OLEDs. Specifically, don’t automatically rule out products we gave four stars to in our review.
If you jump over to our 'how we test' page, you’ll see four stars is still a positive review. Often the only reason a four-star product didn’t get a perfect five comes down to its bang for your buck value. This was the case for the S95C when we reviewed it, with its high price compared to rivals and slightly overbaked colours leading to one star being shed from its rating.
However, at current prices, where we’ve seen the 55-inch model’s price float at the £1200 / $1300 mark, which is a huge thousand-buck saving on its original RRP, it is a very good option. For the money you’ll get a well-connected QD-OLED TV that offers a wonderfully punchy and dynamic home cinema experience.
On top of that, like the C3 and G3, with the newer Samsung S95D now out, pricing for the S95C will likely fall even further during Prime Day, making it well worth keeping an eye on.
The Amazon Fire TV Omni QLED
OLEDs get a lot of the headlines during Prime Day, but in my experience covering the event for more years than I care to admit here, it also brings pretty big discounts on cheap sets.
While the volume of discounts looks great, it’s also a bit of a trap as many of the TVs that get discounts aren’t worth your money, even with the lower price. Regular readers will know I’ve long bemoaned the lack of “good” cheap TVs doing the rounds. This is because most companies are focused on the high-end market at the moment, so there’s been an ongoing stagnation in the lower end.
Which is why, if you don’t want to spend thousands on your next TV, but need a new one pronto, I’d recommend keeping an eye on the Amazon Fire TV Omni QLED for two key reasons.
First, because Amazon's already offering massive savings on its Omni QLED sets, with, like the one attached below.
The second and more important reason is that they’re good TVs, particularly if you invest in a 50- or 55-inch model. During testing, we found that, despite some black level issues, the TVs offer the best holistic picture quality you’ll find at their price. The use of Fire OS also gives them a reliable selection of apps, though the UX is a little ad-heavy.
TCL Mini LED TVs
If you don’t fancy a Fire TV Omni QLED, and want a cracking deal, we’d also recommend keeping an eye on TCL’s Mini LED TVs. The brand’s been carving a quiet niche, delivering some of the best value TVs we reviewed last year. This was highlighted by the TCL C845K, which not only earned a perfect five stars when we reviewed it but also won the best budget 55-inch trophy at the 2023 What Hi-Fi? Awards.
Though the set is Mini LED, rather than OLED and we haven't seen any truly great deals yet, it remains a fantastic option for buyers on a budget. The TV has all the gaming features PS5 and Xbox Series owners need but, more importantly, it’s also the best TV we’ve tested for picture quality at its price. The Mini LED panel can’t match the perfect blacks offered by the more expensive OLEDs on this list, but during our checks it still delivered a wonderful picture that was stunningly bright and full of contrast.
As an added bonus, it’s also been radically dropping in price, with TCL set to launch its new 2024 range in the not-too-distant future. Last year we saw massive discounts across a range of TCL sets during Prime Day 2023, and if history repeats we’d 100 per cent recommend keeping an eye on the C845K.
MORE:
These are the best cheap TVs we’ve reviewed
Our curated picks of the best OLED TVs
We rate the best 65-inch TVs
