7 Great Big-Screen 4K TVs Under $1,000
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With more of us at home, and watching more TV shows and movies than ever, you might be thinking of stepping up your TV game. If you love jumbo TVs but not their outsize prices, here’s some good news: You don’t have to pay a fortune to get a great 4K model.
A quick look at Consumer Reports’ ratings of more than 200 TVs shows that many of the top-performing 65-inch sets typically cost $2,000 or more. But you can find a really satisfying big TV for just half as much. The 65-inch televisions listed below all cost less than $1,000.
Prices are volatile this time of year, so you may find these sets for even less money. If you can, try to get a price-match guarantee in the event that prices suddenly fall after you’ve made your purchase. You can often save a bit more by getting a smaller version of the same TV—the model names will be almost identical.
Sony XBR-65X900F
Thanks to recent price drops, you can now score this highly rated Sony set for about $1,000. A 4K step-up model from 2018 that’s still available at some stores, the Sony XBR-X900F delivers great overall picture quality and effective HDR performance. (It supports the HDR10, Dolby Vision, and HLG HDR formats.) Like other Sony 4K TVs, this set uses the Google Android TV smart TV platform, which has Google Assistant built in. It will also work with Amazon’s Alexa digital voice assistant.
LG 65SM8600AUA
The LG 65SM8600AUA is a warehouse club model that cost more than $1,000 several months ago. It does a great job with high-definition and 4K content, but don’t expect top-notch HDR (high dynamic range) performance. It does have better-than-average sound, plus a wider-than-average viewing angle. And if you don’t shop at a warehouse club, the LG 65SM8600PUA model, available at electronics stores and mass merchants, performs similarly for about the same price. Both models—in the company’s step-up line of NanoCell sets—are smart TVs that include the brand’s ThinQ voice-enabled artificial intelligence platform, as well as compatibility with Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant.
Samsung QN65Q6DR
This 65-inch 4K UHD TV from Samsung, basically the warehouse equivalent of the company’s Q60 entry-level series of QLED TVs for 2019, offers satisfying overall picture quality and better-than-average sound quality. Its HDR performance is just okay—it supports the HDR10, HDR10+, and HLG HDR formats—but it did a bit better than the Samsung QN65Q60R, a similar model that’s available at other types of retailers. Like other QLED TVs, it has Samsung’s smart TV platform, which includes the company’s Bixby digital voice assistant, along with support for Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa.
Sony XBR-65X850G
This 65-inch 4K UHD smart TV from Sony, a midtier model in its 2019 LCD-based lineup, is a fine overall performer, with a wider-than-average viewing angle for an LCD-based set. But like the Samsung sets above, its HDR performance is just so-so. The main difference between this model and the X800-series sets below it is that it supports Dolby Vision HDR format, as well as HDR10 and HLG HDR. Like other Sony 4K TVs from 2019, this model uses the Google Android TV smart TV platform, which has Google Assistant built in, but it’s also compatible with devices that use Amazon’s Alexa digital voice assistant.
TCL 65R625
This 6-Series 4K Roku TV model from TCL, in a series just below the company’s top Q8 series for 2019, delivers a lot for the money. In fact, when you consider the set’s high marks for HD and 4K picture quality, it’s arguably one of the best 4K TV deals of the year. It also delivers a very compelling HDR experience, unusual in this price range. (The TV supports both the HDR10 and Dolby Vision HDR formats.) Thanks to the Roku smart TV platform, it has access to lots of streaming services, and it comes with a voice-enabled Roku remote.
Hisense 65H9F
This 65-inch 4K UHD TV from Hisense, in the company’s flagship ULED series, offers fine performance and a lot of features for the money, but it is getting harder to find. And like the TCL, it also can deliver a compelling HDR experience, unusual at this price. Like the Samsung QLED model above, the TV uses quantum dots for a wider range of colors. This set uses the Google Android smart TV system; it has Google Assistant built in, and it supports Amazon Alexa when used with an Alexa-enabled device.
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