Look for a feature including full-array local dimming, mini-LED and 120Hz refresh rate, which (unlike some other extras) do help improve the picture in our experience.
Bigger is better in our book. We recommend a size of at least 43 inches for a bedroom TV and at least 55 inches for a living room or main TV — and 65 inches or larger is best.
Decide how much you're willing to spend -- even on a budget TV. Smaller screens are cheaper, well-known brands are more expensive and spending more money can also get you better image quality.
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While the high-end forges forward with the latest tech -- quantum dots, micro-LED and OLED -- you might think that budget TVs would be left behind. Based on my in-depth testing of four new TVs, I can say this is definitely not the case. In 2025, the "trickle-down" effect of advanced tech means the standard for budget models is set higher than ever. And with Black Friday upon us, the prices are even better.
For this roundup, I tested four 50- to 55-inch TVs side by side in CNET's TV lab. I compared picture quality, light output, gaming performance and sound quality. These TVs typically have the basics: LCD panels with a 60Hz native refresh rate, 4K resolution and HDR playback, plus smart TV streaming built in. While most of the TVs I tested showed compromises in some way or other, something that's inevitable with a budget model, there was one real standout in the bunch.
What is the best cheap TV overall?
Call it a win for the underdog, call it a win for consumers. Whatever way you want to spin it, this year Hisense has pulled off a coup of sorts against Samsung, which won last year's best budget TV honors with the DU7200. In 2025, the Hisense QD7 is my favorite budget TV because it offers very good picture quality for the price. Whether you need a cheap TV for a bedroom, game room, dorm room or your seventh bathroom, the QD7 has the best price-to-performance ratio of any model I have ever reviewed. It is heartily recommended.
Of the three remaining models, the field was much more even, and each of the Samsung, Fire TV and Roku models had its own respective strengths. Of this group, though, I would say that the Fire TV 4-Series was the standout as it had the next-best picture quality of the bunch, but it's about to be replaced by a newer version (which should be very similar). Want to know more about how these TVs fared? Read on.
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