Your membership has expired

The payment for your account couldn't be processed or you've canceled your account with us.

Re-activate

    Cheap TVs That Aren't Worth the Money

    An inexpensive TV is no bargain if the picture quality disappoints you. CR tells you which sets to avoidā€”and what to buy instead.

    When you shop through retailer links on our site, we may earn affiliate commissions. 100% of the fees we collect are used to support our nonprofit mission. Learn more.

    TV Illustration: iStock

    It can be hard to resist an ultralow price on a new 4K TV set, but as Consumer Reportsā€™ TV ratings show, not all cheap TVs are great deals. You can often get a better set by spending just a little more moneyā€”or sometimes even less.

    The low-rated TVs listed below donā€™t cost a lot, but they lag behind most of the 300 or so other models in our ratings in terms of picture quality.

    None of these cheap TVs are from major brands, such as LG, Samsung, and Sony. But donā€™t write off a lesser-known brand just because one of its models landed on this list. Some of these brands also offer better-performing models that might be worth consideringā€”and we even recommend a few.

    We buy every TV we test at retail. We donā€™t accept freebies or hand-picked models from manufacturers, so every tested model is just like one you might take home.

    More on TVs

    In our ratings, youā€™ll see separate scores for high-definition and ultra-high-definition (UHD, or 4K) picture quality, as well as high dynamic range (HDR) performance. We also judge a TVā€™s viewing angle, motion blur reduction, and sound quality, and consider ease of use and versatility.

    Weā€™ve also recently added scores for other important attributes, including reliability and satisfaction, as well as privacy and security, which is becoming increasingly important to consumers.

    Hereā€™s our list of TVs you can skipā€”starting with the largest screen sizesā€”as well as some alternatives for you to consider instead.

    Become a member to read the full article and get access to digital ratings.

    We investigate, research, and test so you can choose with confidence.