Best TVs under $1000: get an awesome QLED TV for less

We might all wish we could drop thousands of dollars on a new TV, but for most of us, that's simply not an option. The good news is that while it won't quite stretch to one of the latest flagship sets, a much more reasonable budget of $1000 will still get you a very good TV indeed.

You will need to compromise a little at this sort of price, of course, likely either by getting a smaller TV than you wanted or one that's lacking a feature or two, but you will find surprisingly well-specced sets below. Our current top pick, for example, is a 55-inch QLED model with support for next-gen gaming specs including 4K/120Hz and VRR.

Each of the TVs you see below has been independently tested in our dedicated facilities. Our team of expert reviewers has decades of combined experience in TV testing, and every model is compared directly with the best TVs available in its size and price category. You can read more about our testing process below, or simply scroll down to find the best TV under $1000 for you.

The Quick List

Here you'll see all of our recommendations for the best TVs under $1000, with a brief summary of why you should consider each model. If you want more detail on a model, simply click on it. Alternatively, simply scroll down to get all of the information on all of the TVs in our list – plus some extra models that you might want to consider.

Written by

Written by

Tom Parsons

I’m What Hi-Fi?’s TV & AV Editor, and I’ve been testing TVs (and many other AV and audio products) for over 17 years. I’m obsessed with TV picture quality, but I’m also obsessed with value for money. I believe a great movie experience should be available to all, so while I love flagship TVs, I love TVs that offer awesome bang for your buck even more. That’s exactly what you’ll find on this page – genuinely great TVs that cost less than $1000, all hand-picked by me and the rest of the What Hi-Fi? Reviews team.

The best TVs under $1000 in 2024

Why you can trust What Hi-Fi? Our expert team reviews products in dedicated test rooms, to help you make the best choice for your budget. Find out more about how we test.

Below you will find full write-ups for all the best TVs under $1000. We've tested each model extensively (plus a huge number of alternatives that didn't make the grade), so you can be sure that our recommendations are properly researched and can be trusted.

Best TV under $1000 overall

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The 55-inch QN55Q80D (known as the QE55Q80D elsewhere) sits squarely in the middle of Samsung’s 2024 TV range but that puts it in something of a sweet spot, benefiting from tech that has trickled down from the top, including Quantum Dots, Full Array Local Dimming (FALD) and AI-powered processing, with a price that puts it within reach of mere mortals.

Of course, that also means some compromises, and while it’s certainly not as impossibly svelte as the models at the top of Samsung’s TV tree, the Q80D’s metallic design is still striking but classy, with a pedestal base that can be used to conceal your cables. Neat and tidy.

Turn it on and the picture quality makes a mockery of the Q80D’s price tag. Contract is carefully controlled, with exceptional black level performance, and it’s noticeably bright by mid-range standards. Colours are also rich and intense but also capable of subtlety, and native 4K content is crisp and detailed without a hint of artificiality.

It’s not perfect, with abrupt cuts between extreme light and dark causing a slightly jarring jump in brightness, but selecting Filmmaker or Movie Mode solves the issue. Fundamentally, the positives far outweigh the negatives.

The speakers also punch above their weight, producing a surprisingly deep and powerful performance, with a basic version of Samsung’s Object Tracking Sound system creating a reasonably large soundstage, even if it doesn’t go particularly loud.

Throw in a decent range of gaming features, including 4K at 120Hz, VRR, ALLM, and HGiG, and this is comfortably the best TV you can buy for under $1000 right now.

Read the full Samsung QN55Q80D review

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Best 50-inch TV under $1000

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Amazon might be more famous for its smart speakers and ebook readers than its TVs, but that could change if it continues to produce sets as capable as the 50-inch Omni QLED QL50F601.

Aside from the small Fire TV logo on the front, what really gives this away as an Amazon TV is the interface, which will be familiar to anyone who’s used a Fire Stick recently. While Amazon’s own services are inevitably promoted more than others, it’s a price worth paying for a smart TV platform that’s superior to many others in terms of useability and app support, particularly at the more affordable end of the market. You also get support for all four current HDR standards – HLG, HDR10, HDR10+ and Dolby Vision – which can’t even be said about some flagship TVs costing significantly more.

As you might’ve guessed from the name this TV uses a QLED panel and the benefits over a standard LCD are obvious. It doesn’t have the brightness of a higher-end TV but the picture is well-balanced and consistent, with colours that manage to tread the fine line between vibrancy and subtlety. For a backlit TV it’s also capable of producing decently deep blacks, and while detail levels don’t match more expensive sets it’s still impressive for the price.

The only real flaw worth mentioning is most apparent when people on screen move their heads, which causes some visible motion smearing, although it’s not severe enough to spoil your viewing.

When it comes to audio the QL50F601’s delivery is clear and direct, and while it lacks bass weight that means you don’t have to worry about distortion. Swings and roundabouts. Besides, with the amount you can save by buying this TV when it’s available with a discount (we’ve seen it for as little as $350, but anything under $500 is still a bargain) means you should be able to budget for a suitable soundbar to negate these issues.

As long as you don’t mind the slightly plasticky build and can accommodate its unhelpfully wide footprint, the QL50F601 offers an authentically cinematic experience at an irresistible price.

Read the full Amazon Fire TV Omni QLED QL50F601 review

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Best 65-inch TV under $1000

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If you like the sound of Amazon’s Omni QLED above but have more space to fill, there’s also this 65-inch version, which adds some silver accents that you don’t get on the 50-inch model (but unfortunately keeps the extremely widely positioned black plastic feet).

It runs Amazon’s intuitive and comprehensive Fire TV OS, which offers all the streaming apps you might need, plus a Freeview tuner for those who still like to watch telly the old-fashioned way. Support for all the major HDR standards is very welcome, as is the presence of a Dolby Vision game mode, VRR, and ALLM, although 120Hz gaming is off the menu due to the panel’s 60Hz maximum refresh rate.

On the whole, performance is comparable to the 50-inch version: solid, balanced and insightful, with colours that are vibrant and punchy when necessary but also capable of real subtlety.

There are a couple of issues that afflict this TV more noticeably than the 50-inch version, namely a slight lack of shadow detail and some patchiness to colours in low-light scenes, while the motion smearing is also more pronounced, hence the lower star rating. All things considered, though, this is still a TV that belies its price tag.

It’s a similar story when it comes to the sound, with Amazon aiming for balance rather than trying to deliver something that the budget wouldn’t allow. Nothing about its audio performance will blow you away, but it also won’t do anything to draw attention to its shortcomings. As always, a soundbar is more or less an essential addition if you’re considering one of these as your main TV.

The QL65F601 is a great example of not all TVs from the same range performing identically, so unless you absolutely must have those extra inches you’re probably better off with the 50-inch version. If size really matters, though, this is still a very decent wallet-friendly TV.

Read the full Amazon Fire TV Omni QLED QL65F601 review

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How to choose

Getting a great TV for under $1000 has a lot to do with timing. To get the very best at this level, you need to wait for a more expensive TV to drop in price. The perfect time is usually almost a year into the TV's life when stock is being run down to make way for the replacement.

Follow that advice and you will find OLED and Mini LED models within your grasp. But which to go for? The OLED TVs on our list are better overall than the Mini LED options, but they're smaller, too, so it really depends on how big you want to go with your next TV. If you want to save even more money, go for a standard LCD model, though be aware that picture performance won't be as good.

Our strategy of waiting for discounts also means that you can get a sub-$1000 TV with the very latest gaming specs. 4K/120Hz, VRR and ALLM are all on the menu, and you can expect very low input lag.

4K is, of course, a given at this level, and you can expect thorough HDR support, too. Any TV under $1000 should support HLG and HDR10 and the very least, and most will also handle Dolby Vision and/or HDR10+. If you are forced to choose, having Dolby Vision is far more valuable than having HDR10+

Any model at this price should have an excellent smart platform. Samsung and LG TVs have bespoke operating systems, while Hisense, Sony and many others use Google TV. While useability varies a little between them, they all give access to all of the streaming apps you are ever likely to need.

Another essential consideration to make when looking for a TV on a budget is sound. In truth, even premium TVs struggle to produce impressive audio, and inevitably the quality at the lower end of the market tends to be weaker still. Thankfully, budget soundbars are much better than they used to be, and it's well worth saving some money for one of those. If you're dead-set on using your new TV's integrated speakers, look for models that sound particularly clear – you're not going to get a home theater audio experience from a cheap TV, so prioritize clarity.

How we test

What Hi-Fi? has state-of-the-art testing facilities in London and Reading in the UK, where our team of reviewers test TVs, AV and hi-fi equipment against competitors and best-in-class products. We've been proudly doing since 1976.

Naturally, testing TVs doesn't always require these facilities in the same way testing speakers does, but what's important and unique about our testing process is how we review products as a team. No one member handles an entire review, so we can limit individual bias as much as possible and thoroughly double-check our work.

TVs are among the most complicated products to test, since modern TVs offer an extraordinary amount of features, including supporting a variety of resolutions in both standard and high dynamic ranges, a sound system, smart functionality, and gaming features, too. A TV is an all-in-one device, which makes it a challenging proposition for review, but we at What Hi-Fi? are more than up to this complicated task.

For our TV testing, we test for picture quality using a huge variety of content from old DVDs to the latest 4K Blu-rays to a plethora of streamed content. We also don't accept out-of-the-box picture settings that a TV comes with, either. We don't opt for professional calibration, as a customer should never have to do that, but we do spend hours tweaking our settings to get the best out of a set.

In the context of gaming, we'll connect both a PS5 and Xbox Series X to establish what gaming features are supported and what performance is like. We evaluate specific features such as 4K/120Hz, VRR, HGiG and Dolby Vision gaming, Game Mode latency, and more, and we measure input lag using a Leo Bodnar device.

Naturally, we'll also test every major app offered on a TV as well as what kind of AV quality each service delivers through it, making sure you can get the best experience wherever you go. We do thoroughly test a TV's speakers, since many will rely on them, but we almost always advise any TV worth more than a few hundred dollars is paired with a dedicated sound system.

We're all about comparative testing at What Hi-Fi?, so we make sure not only to review how good a particular TV is at a certain price, but also how a TV performs in the context of other TVs at its size. Just because something's great value doesn't mean it's a great product.

All our guides and reviews have no input from PR companies, sales teams, or even manufacturers or engineers, and we strive to deliver the most honest, unbiased coverage our team of experienced professionals in the AV and consumer tech worlds can muster. For more information about What Hi-Fi? check out our About Us page.

FAQ

Recent updates

• 29th January 2025: Removed the LG OLED48C3, Samsung UN55CU8000, and Hisense 65U8K. Added the Samsung QN55Q80D, Amazon Fire TV Omni QLED QL50F601, and Amazon Fire TV Omni QLED QL65F601.
• 10th May 2024: This page has had a complete redesign. We have added the Quick List, author info and new FAQs, and all of our recommendations have been replaced. We have also added 'Also' Consider' options for each entry.

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