GoKawiilFrom the dawn of the era of smart TVs -- internet-connected TVs with built-in streaming apps and other web services -- there have been many people who wanted nothing to do with them. Some might think it would save them money, assuming the smart circuitry adds cost. Others might just hate the idea of everything requiring an internet connection. Still, others know that if it's connected to the internet, it's probably selling some of your personal data. Whatever the reason, there's long been a desire for dumb TVs.
It's 2026, though, and smart TVs dominate the market in all categories, big and small. Does any company even make dumb TVs these days? Technically, and surprisingly, yes, you can buy a TV that's not built around streaming apps and a web connection. However, you might not want to.
Smart TV features save you money
It's a misconception that removing smart TV features will make a TV cheaper. The opposite is true. Companies like Google and Amazon actually pay TV manufacturers to put their streaming software into TVs. This is a win-win for manufacturers. They don't need to spend money developing streaming (or in some cases, operating system) software, and they can sell their TVs for less. It's hard to get specific numbers, but it's likely that for many inexpensive TVs, the manufacturer is only making money because of that streaming software "subsidy."
Dumb TV options
Sceptre
If you're looking for a reasonably sized (in other words, not tiny), name-brand TV without smart features, you're out of luck. Dumb TVs in 2026 come in two varieties: small and no-name. If you don't mind something 40 inches or smaller, you have options. All are inexpensive. None is going to have particularly good image quality. They're all inexpensive LCDs with minimal, if any, local dimming. They're often called "nonsmart" TVs to be polite.
In larger sizes, one of the only options is Sceptre, most commonly found at Walmart and a few other retailers. They have two lines of nonsmart TVs in a variety of sizes. They're inexpensive, sure, but not noticeably so compared to better-performing options like what you can find from TCL or Hisense. Take, for instance, Sceptre's U515CV-U. It's a 50-inch LCD that's $230 and has a built-in tuner, three HDMI inputs, analog and digital audio outputs -- plus, it even has an analog component input for older video gear. After reading user reviews online, the most common accolades I found are "it's fine" and "I bought it for my kids, so I didn't care." Compare that to the Hisense QD7, one of our picks for best budget TV, which is only slightly more money, and it has full-array local dimming.
Monitors
Lori Grunin/CNET
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