Amazon Prime Day is upon us, and that means it's time to shop for a TV and save some money! When it comes down to cost, TVs can be one of your biggest tech investments for your home. Since most people only upgrade their TVs every four years or longer, it's important to purchase a TV that has the size, features, and image quality to keep you satisfied for many years to come. Fortunately, if you can look past the initial sticker shock of some TV models, you'll notice that there are a fair number of great deals on even the biggest and best TVs out there. Although TV deals are somewhat seasonal, there's always a good deal to be found if you know where to look. If price isn't a factor and you're more concerned about getting the "best" TV for your particular needs, check out our picks for the best 4K TV or the best gaming TV.
Prime Day Deals on TVs
Outside of Black Friday, Prime Day is the best day to score a great deal on a gaming TV. There's a great selection of both budget TVs and premium TVs from TCL, Hisense, LG, Samsung, Amazon, and more.
TL;DR - The Hottest TV Deals (May Sell Out Quickly)
All of the Worthy Prime Day TV Deals We've Found So Far
A Breakdown of Our Favorite TV Vendors
Samsung
Samsung is the largest TV manufacturer in the world. Samsung TVs are generally higher priced than any of the other brands out there, but in return you also get some of the best technology. In 2022 Samsung launched the quantum dot OLED panel (QD OLED) panel which is technically superior to standard OLED. QD OLED is only available on Samsung TVs as well as the highest end Sony A95 OLED TV. Samsung also makes the most affordable 8K TV. There's hardly any 8K content available, but these TVs do make exceptional PC monitors because of their razer sharp clarity.
TCL
TCL is another high volume TV maker and generally offer the lowest pricing among any of the big TV brands. Note that starting in 2023, TCL is revamping its TV lineup. The 4-series is now the Q6, the 5 series is now the Q7, and the 6 series is now the QM8. The Q6 are basic 4K smart TVs stripped of any unnecessary features (for most people) at incredibly low prices. The Q7 TVs noticeably improve HDR image quality with the addition of a quantum dot (QLED) panel with local dimming and wide color gamut. They also making great current-gen gaming TVs since it sports a native 120Hz panel and HDMI 2.1 ports. The QM7 goes one step further by adding in Mini-LED technology for better HDR picture quality.
Sony
Sony, another member of the "big three", carries a healthy lineup of TVs that are catered towards the current-gen gamer. That's not a surprise, since Sony also makes the PlayStation 5 console. Sony's OLED TV prices are dropping steadily and it's not uncommon to see them challenging LG OLED TVs these days in pricing. The A80, A85, A90 and A95 are Sony's OLED models and these are all great TVs for current-gen gamers. For the LED LCD TVs, gamers should stick with the X85, X90, or X95 because these are the only TVs that support 4K @ 120Hz gaming over HDMI 2.1.
Hisense
Hisense leads the pack in TV sales in the Chinese market and fortunately their high volume translates to low prices here in the States. The models to look at are the U6, U7, and U8 TVs. The U6 is the least expensive of the lineup but it still has good image quality thanks to the quantum dot (QLED) panel with wide color gamut (ULED). The new U6K TV for 2023 even has Mini-LED technology, making it the least expensive Mini-LED TV we've seen thus far. The U7 is the cheapest TV we'd recommend for current gen console gamers because it has HDMI 2.1 ports that support 4K @ 120Hz gaming. The U8 is Hisense's flagship model. The 2023 U8K promises double the dimming zones over the 2022 U8H.
What TV Features to Look Out For
There are a lot of terms with fancy names that might confuse the first time TV buyer. What's worse, just because a particular feature costs more money doesn't mean that you'll benefit from it at all. Depending on your needs, you can ignore some of the features offered in the more premium sets and save your money.
What makes a good gaming TV?
If you own a current-gen PS5 or Xbox Series X console, then you'll want a TV that has HDMI 2.1 ports and a native 120Hz refresh rate. That's because these consoles can play supported games at 4K resolution at up to 120fps. However, that's only possible if the TV can handle that resolution and refresh rate. Not all TVs support this feature and the ones that do usually command a premium price. If you don't plan to game on a current-gen console, then this feature will probably wasted on you. There's very little 4K @ 120Hz media content available outside of video games. Some other features that a gamer appreciate are variable refresh rate (VRR), which is the TV's version of adaptive sync technology, and auto low latency mode (ALLM), where the TV switches to a lower latency when it detects gameplay.
What makes a good HDR TV?
HDR, or high dynamic range, is the range your TV can display from the whitest white to the absolute blackest black within a single frame. In order to have a very good HDR, you need two basic qualities: the ability to show as true of a black as possible, and a high enough brightness to produce a punchy white. Several TV features help in this regard. The panel itself, for example, is important. An OLED panel has pixels that can individually switch on or off, thus offering a true black image. A full-array LED-backlit panel simulates this by having "zones" of LEDs that can be independently dimmed, thus allowing the TV to deftly handle scenes where bright sunlight and dark shadows coexist. Mini LED panels allow for even more precising local dimming because the controller zones are smaller and more numerous. QLED displays have an additional quantum dot layer that enhances color accuracy and increases brightness, thus also improving HDR quality. A TV with "wide color gamut" can display a wider range of colors, again improving HDR quality.
For another IGN perspective, check out our take on which type of TV wins: OLED vs QLED.
Want more Prime Day deals? Check out our Amazon Prime Day megapost here.
