My best value TVs, 2020-2021 Edition

[Sloppy Bob]

Regardless of having Dolby Vision, no 65" TV @ £600 is going to be capable of showing any form of HDR properly.

Even for a discounted TV, at the best time of year (which is now and the last couple of months) you'd be looking at double your budget.

What I'm effectively saying is that if your budget is only £600, don't get tied to Dobly Vision as making it an important factor for purchasing, the TV will be incapable of displaying it so take other factors into account more than HDR.

 

[maxfury]

Regardless of having Dolby Vision, no 65" TV @ £600 is going to be capable of showing any form of HDR properly.

Even for a discounted TV, at the best time of year (which is now and the last couple of months) you'd be looking at double your budget.

What I'm effectively saying is that if your budget is only £600, don't get tied to Dobly Vision as making it an important factor for purchasing, the TV will be incapable of displaying it so take other factors into account more than HDR.

Thanks for the reply, what do you mean by properly? I'm not expecting something equivalent to the CX for £600.

Have you any experience with the U7QF?

This review seems very favourable when it comes to Dolby Vision - Hisense U7QF (55U7QFTUK) 4K ULED TV Review

 

[vickster]

Issue with it is it doesn’t get bright enough to show HDR material effectively. The 8Q model is better but still flawed. Did you look at the feedback on the various models at the start of this thread?
The Hisense is low tier, only the high tier models render HDR properly watchable

My best value TVs, 2020-2021 Edition

My best value TVs, 2020-2021 Edition Please read this post before posting and asking for advice. Include all the information we need to recommend you the right TV! Before choosing an LCD TV you must understand which panel type you want from a TV, all have their pros and cons here. If you...

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Hisense 65U7Q - An extra HDMI port, local dimming, 700 nits peak brightness, offering specs found on mid range TVs for low prices. The best low tier model to be used in a bright room. Dolby Vision and HDR10+ support. Wide colour gamut. In some HDR titles you may just get away with this TV.

 

[Blackstar2081]

Just to add my own two cents in (keep in mind, I am not even close to being an expert, so value other opinions on here much more than mine).

I have the 50 inch model of this Hisense, and I think it produces an excellent image for the price. Compared to my other low end tv, it's very bright, darks look good and the FALD really does help out in certain situations.

This is a very good tv for the price. You just won't achieve excellence with it. I have forgotten that I made compromises with this tv more often than not though.

In my not particularly educated opinion, if your budget has you shopping around this sort of option, there's not a whole lot better out there.

Again, listen to the likes of Vikster and Dodgexander more than me, but from an average users POV, I think it's great, and avoids many pitfalls that cheap models fall victim to.

 

[maxfury]

Thanks @vickster and @Blackstar2081 - appreciate the replies.

I admittedly didn't look at the low tier TV's on the guide. I'm not quite sure what makes a TV low tier vs. mid tier? The U7QF sounds a bit too good for low tier? Doesn't the CX have a very similar 600-700 peak brightness? But anyway..

I noticed the 65NANO866NA is mid tier and has been on sale for £650 and is currently available for £717 at Hughes. Any thoughts on how that might compare?

 

[vickster]

Thanks @vickster and @Blackstar2081 - appreciate the replies.

I admittedly didn't look at the low tier TV's on the guide. I'm not quite sure what makes a TV low tier vs. mid tier? The U7QF sounds a bit too good for low tier? Doesn't the CX have a very similar 600-700 peak brightness? But anyway..

I noticed the 65NANO866NA is mid tier and has been on sale for £650 and is currently available for £717 at Hughes. Any thoughts on how that might compare?

LG 65Nano86 / 65Nano85 - Cheapest avenue to 2x true HDMI 2.1 ports and 120hz panels. Dolby Vision support. Wide colour gamuts. LG differences here: LG_TV_LineUp_chart_2020_v1.0.pdf

Wide viewing angles so it’ll have poorer blacks/contrast

 

[Sloppy Bob]

Doesn't the CX have a very similar 600-700 peak brightness? But anyway..

It also has far superior blacks than any LCD TV and contrast is what shows HDR, not just brightness.

For good HDR with an LCD you need ~1000 Nits ideally as well as FALD.

The LG Nano is an IPS rather than a VA panel. It's not a great TV if you're looking for good blacks/contrast/HDR performance/colour accuracy.
Where it excels is wide viewing angles, if that's not important to you, I'd avoid the entirety of LG's LCD lineup.

 

[davisybw]

Thanks @vickster and @Blackstar2081 - appreciate the replies.

I admittedly didn't look at the low tier TV's on the guide. I'm not quite sure what makes a TV low tier vs. mid tier? The U7QF sounds a bit too good for low tier? Doesn't the CX have a very similar 600-700 peak brightness? But anyway..

I noticed the 65NANO866NA is mid tier and has been on sale for £650 and is currently available for £717 at Hughes. Any thoughts on how that might compare?

NanoNA was a 2020 model, while 2021 one is NanoPA. Their major difference is 120hz. But I am satisfied on its HDMI 2.1 and 4 HDMI ports

 

[Dodgexander]

I admittedly didn't look at the low tier TV's on the guide. I'm not quite sure what makes a TV low tier vs. mid tier? The U7QF sounds a bit too good for low tier? Doesn't the CX have a very similar 600-700 peak brightness? But anyway..

I had difficulty sorting the U7Q because its FALD and peak brightness capabilities put it ahead of the mid tier TVs in the guide.

Because the guide tries to everything into to account (not explicitly HDR performance) I placed it top of low tier due to its 60hz panel.

In other words, it outperforms mid tier TVs in many ways, and if you want a VA panel it may be your only choice at smaller sizes whilst sticking to your budget.

It blasts offerings from other manufacturers out of the water when it comes to value...but it still has some shortcomings with motion and HDR.

If this is going to be a main living room TV and you've been used to the CX I wouldn't personally recommend going lower than high tier in this guide.

 

[Blackstar2081]

Hey, sorry for posting here again, but I thought it would be better than creating an entirely new thread.

Any thoughts on this tv? The TCL C720K? I know TCL can be very hit or miss (mostly miss if we're honest), but the specs available on the 43 inch look very interesting. It's £450.

I've only found one review (on YouTube), but it's in Spanish and I can't translate. It's a bit difficult getting much information on it.

 

[Dodgexander]

Hey, sorry for posting here again, but I thought it would be better than creating an entirely new thread.

Any thoughts on this tv? The TCL C720K? I know TCL can be very hit or miss (mostly miss if we're honest), but the specs available on the 43 inch look very interesting. It's £450.

I've only found one review (on YouTube), but it's in Spanish and I can't translate. It's a bit difficult getting much information on it.

Unfortunately specs can be misleading. Its just another low tier model.

 

[flibb]

Hi,
looking for a 55" OLED and have been reading this guide. 7oaks have a LG OLED55CX5 ex display for £900 with full UK warranty. If it was old stock I would probably have jumped on it, but the ex display has me concerned. Do you think its a good deal? Usage would be Sky and will get a 4K BR player. Been 10 years since I purchased my last TV.

 

[vickster]

Full UK warranty? Just one year or five? How long has it been on display, how many hours? Guessing the warranty doesn’t cover screen burn/degradation?

 

[maxfury]

Thought I’d update my earlier post and let you guys know I went with the Hisense U8QF and honestly I think it’s really impressive in terms of picture quality.

Downsides.. the OS/UI/apps and no HDMI 2.1 but for 1/3rd of the price of my CX I’d say this TV was a bargain.

Cheers!

 

[maxfury]

Hi,
looking for a 55" OLED and have been reading this guide. 7oaks have a LG OLED55CX5 ex display for £900 with full UK warranty. If it was old stock I would probably have jumped on it, but the ex display has me concerned. Do you think its a good deal? Usage would be Sky and will get a 4K BR player. Been 10 years since I purchased my last TV.

I don't think it's worth £900 for an ex display, I wouldn't be surprised if you could get a brand new one for that price or very similar if you were patient.

Edit: had a quick look online and there were a few places selling them between £900-1k a few months ago but the problem you'll have now is that TV has been replaced by the newer model and most places will have sold out.

 

[The Knight Who says Ni]

Hello everyone, I hope you're all well.

I'm buying a TV for the first time in 11 years and after reading reviews, guides and recommendations I just ended up getting confused but I have managed to round it down to a couple of TVs which I'm hoping to get your opinion on.

Currently, I'm using a 32'' LG 32LD450 I think it's 1080p but not 100% sure about that. The TV is mostly used to watch shows on Netflix, Amazon prime and youtube using a firestick, I don't watch sports or play video games. It's located in a south-facing room that gets lots of light but I have the curtains drawn 9/10 when I'm watching it due to the time of day. I'm happy with the current picture quality but understand the world has moved onto 4k so I'm just trying to get good value for money.

so here are the TVs and current prices.

• Hisense 55'' 55U7QFTUK for £349.97
• TCL 55'' 55C715k for £419.97
• TCL 55'' 55C815k for £519.97
• Hisense 55'' 55U8QFTUK for £699 (I would only consider spending this much if it was truly exceptional)

Any help or advice is massively appreciated and thank you in advance!

 

[flibb]

I don't think it's worth £900 for an ex display, I wouldn't be surprised if you could get a brand new one for that price or very similar if you were patient.

Edit: had a quick look online and there were a few places selling them between £900-1k a few months ago but the problem you'll have now is that TV has been replaced by the newer model and most places will have sold out.

Thanks for the response. Found out it was a customer return, so not ex demo and full 5 years warranty. Wangled a bit extra off as well so very happy. Installed and running now

 

[jouster]

I think it’s fair to say there are very few TVs of exceptional quality in the £600-700 bracket unless they have been heavily discounted (like my 65XH9505 for £643.

with the TVs you have listed, which are good sets for the cost, you are getting a decent tv with decent HDR (but not great) but maybe not the best motion.

That said coming from your existing set it will seem like night and day.

I’d say go for the C815K. not the best you can get but for the money it will be good value

 

[maxfury]

Thanks for the response. Found out it was a customer return, so not ex demo and full 5 years warranty. Wangled a bit extra off as well so very happy. Installed and running now

Brilliant, hope you enjoy. I’ve got a CX too it’s a great TV.

 

[maxfury]

Hello everyone, I hope you're all well.

I'm buying a TV for the first time in 11 years and after reading reviews, guides and recommendations I just ended up getting confused but I have managed to round it down to a couple of TVs which I'm hoping to get your opinion on.

Currently, I'm using a 32'' LG 32LD450 I think it's 1080p but not 100% sure about that. The TV is mostly used to watch shows on Netflix, Amazon prime and youtube using a firestick, I don't watch sports or play video games. It's located in a south-facing room that gets lots of light but I have the curtains drawn 9/10 when I'm watching it due to the time of day. I'm happy with the current picture quality but understand the world has moved onto 4k so I'm just trying to get good value for money.

so here are the TVs and current prices.

• Hisense 55'' 55U7QFTUK for £349.97
• TCL 55'' 55C715k for £419.97
• TCL 55'' 55C815k for £519.97
• Hisense 55'' 55U8QFTUK for £699 (I would only consider spending this much if it was truly exceptional)

Any help or advice is massively appreciated and thank you in advance!

I have the 65U8QF but I only paid £650 for it from Costco. The picture quality is exceptional for the price, potentially controversial and by no means expert opinion but after adjusting I think its pretty close to my CX, definitely close enough for 1/3rd of the cost. The OS and apps are crap though you’d need a firestick or chromecast to replace them.

I’m not familiar with the other models but if there’s a chance of getting the 55U8QF on sale I would go for that personally. Perhaps others can advise if there’s a possibility of this model dropping lower in price if you wait.

 

[Petey20]

Hisense 55'' 55U7QFTUK for £349.97

Where is it available for this price? Cheapest I've seen it.

 

[Dodgexander]

Hello everyone, I hope you're all well.

I'm buying a TV for the first time in 11 years and after reading reviews, guides and recommendations I just ended up getting confused but I have managed to round it down to a couple of TVs which I'm hoping to get your opinion on.

Currently, I'm using a 32'' LG 32LD450 I think it's 1080p but not 100% sure about that. The TV is mostly used to watch shows on Netflix, Amazon prime and youtube using a firestick, I don't watch sports or play video games. It's located in a south-facing room that gets lots of light but I have the curtains drawn 9/10 when I'm watching it due to the time of day. I'm happy with the current picture quality but understand the world has moved onto 4k so I'm just trying to get good value for money.

so here are the TVs and current prices.

• Hisense 55'' 55U7QFTUK for £349.97
• TCL 55'' 55C715k for £419.97
• TCL 55'' 55C815k for £519.97
• Hisense 55'' 55U8QFTUK for £699 (I would only consider spending this much if it was truly exceptional)

Any help or advice is massively appreciated and thank you in advance!

Already mentioned above but you're gonna have to be realistic with your expectations. Even £1500+ TVs have their set of problems, no TV is perfect and spending even £700 is not going to mean you don't have something with some drawbacks.

However the U8Q is in my guide in the high tier section for a reason, it has exceptional HDR picture quality for the price, and that's usually something that's reserved for much more expensive models. The TCL TVs are by comparison both low tier models running 60hz panels with next to no HDR capabilties.

There's been plenty of talk about the U7Q also, its a half-way here TV, better HDR than the TCLs, but really not up to the task when you compare it to the U8Q. Also uses a 60hz panel.

Compared to what you're currently using anything will be an upgrade, I'd definitely go for the U8Q if you can, just because so much modern material is now in HDR and it just doesn't make sense nowadays to buy a TV that can't handle HDR properly.

This is so much of an issue, I'm actually debating whether to even include low tier TVs in my next guide.

 

[Mallett94]

Already mentioned above but you're gonna have to be realistic with your expectations. Even £1500+ TVs have their set of problems, no TV is perfect and spending even £700 is not going to mean you don't have something with some drawbacks.

However the U8Q is in my guide in the high tier section for a reason, it has exceptional HDR picture quality for the price, and that's usually something that's reserved for much more expensive models. The TCL TVs are by comparison both low tier models running 60hz panels with next to no HDR capabilties.

There's been plenty of talk about the U7Q also, its a half-way here TV, better HDR than the TCLs, but really not up to the task when you compare it to the U7Q. Also uses a 60hz panel.

Compared to what you're currently using anything will be an upgrade, I'd definitely go for the U8Q if you can, just because so much modern material is now in HDR and it just doesn't make sense nowadays to buy a TV that can't handle HDR properly.

This is so much of an issue, I'm actually debating whether to even include low tier TVs in my next guide.

I think for the upcoming guide for 2021-22, rather than Low, Medium and High tiers, it might be better to split it into TVs that should be used ONLY FOR SDR content and then TVs which are appropriate for HDR content. Maybe keep the IPS panel, VA panel and OLED panel separation sections. Maybe in the intro explain why some TVs should only be used for SDR and why only TVs which hit certain specs should be used for HDR. Would probably also be worth having a short section dedicated to suggesting possible external streaming devices which allow you to force SDR only.

E.g. recently one of my best friends bought his first house. He wanted a 55 inch 4K TV but wasn't prepared to pay out the increased amount needed for good HDR. Therefore he got the cheapest 55 inch 4K TV he could get, a Hisense 55 A7100UK or something. I sold him my 2017 Apple TV 4K and told him to set it up as 4K SDR only with match frame rate enabled bug dynamic range disabled.

I think now is the time to start really going people understand the difference between a TV doing true HDR and TV simply supporting being able to receive a HDR signal.

What do you think?

 

[Dodgexander]

I think for the upcoming guide for 2021-22, rather than Low, Medium and High tiers, it might be better to split it into TVs that should be used ONLY FOR SDR content and then TVs which are appropriate for HDR content. Maybe keep the IPS panel, VA panel and OLED panel separation sections. Maybe in the intro explain why some TVs should only be used for SDR and why only TVs which hit certain specs should be used for HDR. Would probably also be worth having a short section dedicated to suggesting possible external streaming devices which allow you to force SDR only.

E.g. recently one of my best friends bought his first house. He wanted a 55 inch 4K TV but wasn't prepared to pay out the increased amount needed for good HDR. Therefore he got the cheapest 55 inch 4K TV he could get, a Hisense 55 A7100UK or something. I sold him my 2017 Apple TV 4K and told him to set it up as 4K SDR only with match frame rate enabled bug dynamic range disabled.

I think now is the time to start really going people understand the difference between a TV doing true HDR and TV simply supporting being able to receive a HDR signal.

What do you think?

Its a good suggestion, thank you. I'm always looking for feedback on how I can improve my guides.
You're right its about time people knew about true HDR but I've been preaching about it for a long time now and sadly its really, really hard to get the message across because of all the stupid marketing that goes on in the TV world.

To use a recent example above; this post: New My best value TVs, 2020-2021 Edition

To someone shopping for a TV this TV looks excellent on paper, all the HDR formats are accepted but of course HDR is very different to HD and just because a TV can support various formats, does not mean it can display them properly.

This literally causes havoc to people, who to begin with are simply shopping for a TV that 'does HDR'.

In my opinion manufacturers need to stop making cheaper TVs with HDR, and if they do they need to stop advertising it as being a feature.

The Apple TV is a good device to have since you can disable HDR on its output. Not sure how easy that is to do with other ext smart devices. You can always downgrade the HDMI ports to v1.4 on a TV to disable HDR10 but at the same time, this has some caveats. Dolby Vision may still be passed and 4k is then limited to 30fps so it can be a problem when using the ext smart device for sport.

I actually started with my 2017 guide with models categorized based on HDR capabilities here:
2017 HDR TV overview but it turned out to be pretty complicated, and I find if I make the guide too complicated people get confused and don't read it.

 

[Blackstar2081]

I'm always looking for feedback on how I can improve my guides.

Hi, one suggestion I have (and maybe it becomes it's own separate thing), people who are restricted to 43 inch tvs are told to just go for something like the Hisense AE7400F, because it's the best value. People who say they can spend more (like myself), are generally told it's not worth it. Would it be worth doing a "43 inch state of play"?. I know I looked at slightly higher end tvs that have higher peak brightness (~450 nits), and wonder why they're not recommended for people who absolutely can't go bigger. At least then when loads of people ask the same question they can be directed to the answer without having to individually ask each time.

Another question I've personally had along the way is; is Dolby Vision important in your choice of tv, particularly for gaming? (seeing as if it is, Samsung might not be a great shout). I feel that coming up to black Friday these might be handy to have clear answers that can just be referred to in one easy guide.

Just throwing out suggestions, not pretending I could do any better than the stellar advice that's given around here. Thanks to all you smart people out here helping out people like me!