Best cheap TVs: Seven great value TVs

The TCL 55RC630K Roku TV is only available in the UK, but it’s one of the best cheap TVs we’ve reviewed.

It’s easy to assemble with its attachable feet, and the smart interface puts the emphasis on simplicitty. The Roku mobile app is even better, featuring more advanced picture settings. Plus the TV supports AirPlay 2 casting and Apple HomeKit, for placing the TV into a smart home set-up. All the big SVOD apps are available with the likes Disney+, Apple TV+, and Netflix, and the UK catch-up apps are covered through Freeview Play.

For gamers the TCL 55RC630K only has support for ALLM for putting the TV into its game mode. We measured latency at 11.5ms, not as fast as the more expensive Samsung Q80D but still a quick performance for any telly.

Boasting a QLED screen, the TCL puts in a decent HDR performance for a TV less than £500 with a peak brightness that we measured at 386 nits on a 10% window. That’s far from the best HDR performance you’ll find, but with support for HDR10+ and Dolby Vision we found the QLED screen presented good-looking colours and accomplished skin-tones with HDR content. If you spend more on a model such as the Samsung Q80D, you’ll get a better contrast and of course a brighter HDR performance.

Upscaling is an improvement over the older 55RP620K with more colour and vibrancy to images, as well as a higher levels of sharpness and clarity.

The audio system features surprisingly punchy bass, there’s fine levels of detail and clarity, and vocal clarity is good. There’s also a Dialogue Enhancer to help boost what people are saying, and we found it worked effectively.

Reviewer: Kob Monney
Full Review: TCL 55RC630K Roku TV

The Samsung Q80D has fallen fallen in price, so much so that you can get the 55-inch model for less than £1000.

This is a QLED and not the Neo QLED sets such as the QN90D, so this model doesn’t boast as many dimming zones but for the money, we think it’s very good value.

It offers excellent black levels and contrast thanks to an effective local dimming system, along with vibrant colours, and impressive levels of detail. It’s bright enough to hit 1000 nits, which easily makes it one of the brighter TVs on this list. HDR support includes HDR10, HLG, and HDR10+, with Dolby Vision featuring once again not making the cut.

We also found the built-in sound system to be decent for a TV, producing a large sound stage and bass that was free of distortion. There is Dolby Atmos support, along with the Q Symphony feature that combines the TV’s speakers with a compatible Samsung soundbar for a bigger sound.

For gamers, there is VRR support to improve visuals and latency, with the Q80D’s input lag is among the best TVs with a speedy 9.8ms. And whether you game on a physical console or through cloud gaming, Samsung’s Game Hub also drags in all gaming sources into one place to keep track of your gaming habits.

Build quality is good, with its compact central plinth alowing it to be perched on stands big and large. There’s also an area in the back of stand to filter cables through to keep the rear area tidy.

The Q80D is a very good and affordable QLED TV. If you’re searching for a bargain, you may have found it with this TV.

Reviewer: John Archer
Full Review: Samsung QE55Q80D

The Sony X85L first launched in 2023, been available for just over a year and you can now get it for a pound under the £1000 mark.

It features a Full Array Local Dimming backlight that offers more precise black levels and brightness, although it’s not the brightest out of the box. Our measurements showed that if produced 738 nits in its Standard HDR mode, but in terms of the TVs on this list, that still makes it one the brightest HDR TVs.

But what really appeals with this Sony TV is its colour performance. It describes colours with plenty of variety, producing a vibrant but natural-looking image. Upscaling with HD and SD content is solid and although there is some noise, the X85L manages it well. Its motion processing is very good to the point where we didn’t even notice that it was on.

Sound quality is merely ok. While it produces a crisp tone with voices, it lacks in overall bass, and we’d suggest getting a soundbar to go with the X85L.

Gamers looking for a premium experience will find support for ALLM, VRR, and HFR, while input lag is 14.5ms. This is a set that plays nicely with the PS5 with its custom features. For smarts, Google TV delivers all the streaming apps you’ll, and we found the interface to be quick and responsive to use. The design is customisable, with the stand able to be put together in two ways to allow for a soundbar or if you want to place it on a small surface.

Given this model launched in 2023 we don’t expect it to be around for long, so if you’re a Sony you’ll want to grab this while it’s still available.

Reviewer: Kob Monney
Full Review: Sony KD-55X85L

The R50A7200GTUK model repeats the same trick as its R50B7120UK predecessor in packing in even more value at a similar price.

The number of smarts in the Hisense R50A7200GTUK Roku TV is excellent. There is Freeview Play that brings the catch-up apps into play like iPlayer and ITVX. There’s also a wide range of streaming apps like Netflix, Disney+, Apple TV+ among others, while the Roku OS has been updated to support AirPlay 2 streaming and Apple HomeKit. Alexa and Google assistant voice control is also available through connected smart speakers.

Build quality is fine. The slimness of the rear panel means the Hisense Roku doesn’t jut out much when wall-mounted, and with most of the connections side-facing it’s easy to plug sources in. Assembling the TV is simply a case of slotting in the feet, tightening the screws and turning the TV on.

Picture quality is similar to the B7120UK. We observed it lacked the contrast and brightness to produce a dynamic HDR performance like the Sony X85L and Samsung Q80D. Its peak brightness is only around 300 nits but its native 4K performance offered solid detail and colours are naturally portrayed – we don’t think many will be disappointed by what it serves up.

The sound quality is disappointing. It struggles to convey the action scenes with dynamism or excitement, and proves messy when playing music. As is the case with many of the best cheap TVs on this list, a soundbar would help.

Reviewer: Kob Monney
Full Review: Hisense R50A7200GTUK Roku TV

If you’re looking for a bigger screen for less than £1000, the Sharp 65EQ3EA is one to consider. It’s an Android TV, ensuring you’re not left wanting for apps and though we found Android interface easy enough to navigate, in terms of recommended content, we felt the results could be more personal.

You get Chromecast and Google Assistant to stream content to the TV and for voice control operation. If you’re a gamer, we wouldn’t recommend getting this screen as we measured lag at a slow 50ms.

The Sharp 65EQ3EA is kitted out with Dolby Vision, and it results in a colourful image with shows such as Stranger Things and Wednesday on Netflix. We did note that there was a orange push to complexions in Dolby Vision, but found it a minor issue. With HDR content, black levels aren’t as firm as we’d like, which affects contrast. A TV like the Samsung Q80D would offer a stronger HDR performance, although the 65-inch model is price above £1000.

The audio from its Harman Kardon sound system is better than we anticipated, producing a big spacious soundstage with dialogue that’s clear and mostly free from sibilance. Bass won’t rival a soundbar but it’s a punchy performance that provides excitement. It’s also compatible with Dolby Atmos and DTS:X, though you have to switch between the two in the settings.

All-in-all, this is a solid 65-inch 4K TV for the outlay, and well worth considering if you’re after good smarts, picture and sound in one affordable package.

Reviewer: Kob Monney
Full Review: Sharp 65EQ3EA

TCL has been delivering relatively inexpensive TVs with an enviable high spec, and we find the TCL C805K offers a ridiculous amount of value for the asking price,

The design is smart and can easily be accomodated on various AV furniture. You get four HDMI inputs, one of which supports refresh rates up to 144Hz, another up to 120Hz, and in a sensible move, the eARC input for sound systems is available on another port, especially useful if you’ve got plenty of gaming consoles at hand.

Google TV has the big guns in the form of Disney+, Apple TV+, and Netflix, but the UK catch-up apps are mostly missing, with only My5 available at the time of review. You’ll want to consider purchasing a streaming stick if you do want those apps. TCL will send one if you request it.

For gamers we measured latency at 13.3ms, which is quick but not the quickest you’ll find. The Samsung Q80D hits a speedy 9.8ms out of the box with its input lag. Nevertheless, there’s ALLM, VRR, high refresh support as well as AMD FreeSync Premium Pro onboard for PC gamers.

Brightness is greater than the TCL 55RC630K, hitting 966 nits on a 5% window. Our reviewer found black levels to be reassuringly dark, with HDR content looking very good. Upscaling is solid, and motion processing is decent for sports viewers. You’ll want to mind where you sit with this TV as at angles the colour performance can fall off.

In terms of sound, this TV is fine, but we’d recommend adding a sound system to beef it up.

Reviewer: Steve May
Full Review: TCL 55C805K

The Amazon Fire TV Omni QLED is part of Amazon’s own brand of TVs, and while it’s not perfect, it puts in a generally enjoyable performance across the board.

We’re not fans of the feet placement for the 65-inch version. They’re set at the edges which means you’ll need a wide surface to position the TV on.

The Fire TV platform presents plenty of apps is excellent, but the content is weighted too much towards Amazon’s own Prime Video. If you subscribe to other streaming services, it’s not as easy to find what else is available in our experience.

Alexa voice control is reliable, and you can choose to call up Alexa with the Voice Remote or hands-free (which you can switch off if you don’t want Alexa always listening). The Fire TV Ambient Experience turns the TV into an Alexa-powered smart display where you can keep track of the weather, play audio, and change the background so you’re not confronted by a big black screen when the TV is ‘off’. We liked it as it makes the TV more living room friendly.

The Fire TV Omni QLED features supports Dolby Vision IQ and HDR10+ Adaptive. The image quality could be more consistent as HDR10/HDR10+ performance is not the most colourful; while its Dolby Vision IQ performance suffers from raised blacks. It’s also not the brightest for HDR content as we measured it a peak of 529 nits.

The built-in sound system provides a good sense of space to films and TV shows, though it is crisp in tone to a fault. Some sound modes fair better than others, but a soundbar will remedy that.

Reviewer: Kob Monney
Full Review: Amazon Fire TV Omni QLED