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The Best TVs in Every Price Range (from $200 to Baller Status)

Whether you're on a ramen-every-night budget or are a high roller, you've got *options* from Insignia, TCL, and Samsung.
The Best TVs for Every Price Range (Under $300, Under $500, and Under $1,000)
Composite by VICE Staff

Lying limp on the couch after a hard day is the divine comfort we crave. Do we care if that unproductive state means we’re sacrificing time spent working on housework (or, even scarier, self-improvement)? Of course not—what’s even the point of indulging, then? We deserve a three-hour marathon of watching Boy Meets World reruns, but not on our five-year-old iPhone with a cracked screen. We need to make sure we’ve got the best of the best when it comes to our “good screen”, so that only leaves us with one real choice: a smart TV.   

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We realize not everyone’s daddy is the CEO of CitiBank, so having *options* is a must. A model with a good picture, impeccable sound, and zero lag doesn’t have to cost as much as a Rick Owens gold fog machine, and we found the best TVs for every budget to prove it. Whether you want a big screen to go full-on vegetable on your loveseat, a flatscreen beauty to elevate your bachelor pad, or just a little upgrade to convince people you’ve moved on from your parent’s tube TV, we found the best TVs at three different price points: the best TVs under $300, the best TVs under $500, and the best TVs under $1,000. 

The best TVs under $300

Amazon 50” 4-Series 4K Fire TV

It may be a budget TV, but Amazon’s 4-Series Fire TV has a jaw-dropping 4.6 star rating from over 26,100 customer reviews—if you want great bang for your buck, this TV’s your boy. In addition to currently being 38% off, it utilizes the popular Fire TV Alexa voice remote to seamlessly navigate streaming and guide you through all your guilty (or not) viewing pleasures. 


$469.99$289.99 at Amazon

$469.99$289.99 at Amazon

Insignia 43” Class F30 Fire TV

Besides upscale, high-definition picture quality, this Insignia’s studio-inspired sound is powered by an incorporated premium audio enhancement suite from Beats by Dre. Its two-speaker playback delivers realistic and immersive audio without spending an arm and a leg on an additional speaker system. “The picture is beautiful and the sound is great, even without using a sound bar,” a reviewer wrote on Amazon. We love to hear it straight from the happy couch-dweller’s mouth. 

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$299.99$229.99 at Amazon

$299.99$229.99 at Amazon

The best TVs under $500

TCL 50” Class 5-Series 4K Roku TV

This relatively affordable TCL beauty radiates Bill Gates-vibes with its techy profile. Its internal programming is built with an AiPQ Engine, which uses machine learning to deliver algorithms that offer adaptive, sharp clarity, contrast, and color. It’s super vivid, has a variable refresh rate, and even has a night light feature.


$429.99 at Amazon

$429.99 at Amazon

Samsung 55” Class Crystal 4K TV

Samsung’s TVs always get top marks for their gorgeous picture, thoughtful user interface, and versatility, and this one features dynamic crystal color with millions of different shades, which sounds too inviting to not want holding court in our living room. Besides maximizing all the hues, this Samsung model features Motion Xcelerator, which decreases blur and enhances motion clarity, all while capturing fast-moving actions on the screen. If you’re the type that watches football every Sunday, this could be the perfect monitor to catch every player’s moves. 


$497.99 at Amazon

$497.99 at Amazon

The best TVs under $1,000

TCL 65” 6 Series 4K TV

If you want your money’s worth, this 4K TCL model delivers high dynamic range for ultimate picture clarity, QLED for brightness better than a diamond, and wider color volume. It’s not the cheapest TV, but with that crazy-good picture, it’s well worth a few extra bones (and it has impeccable reviews). 

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$1499.99$999 at Amazon

$1499.99$999 at Amazon

Hisense 55” QLED Series Quantum 4K Google TV

In addition to its ultra-bright picture thanks to its mini-LED backlight panels, this Hisense TV lets you expect zero lag while grinding the latest battle pass with its Game Mode Pro. Its inputs recognize gaming sequences, which automatically adjusts the settings for uninterrupted game play. (It would also make a great gift for the gamer in your life???)


$699.99 at Amazon

$699.99 at Amazon

Is Family Matters on???


The Rec Room staff independently selected all of the stuff featured in this story. Want more reviews, recommendations, and red-hot deals? Sign up for our newsletter