Terrific TVs can cost upward of $1,000 or more, but these seven sets deliver exceptional picture quality and other awesome features for less than a grand!
Next to laptops and phones, one of the most expensive consumer tech purchases most of us will face at some point is a new TV. And whether you’re deciding between an OLED or QLED, looking for a new living room set, secondary bedroom display, or a 65-inch screen for your basement gym, there’s no getting around the fact that TVs can be pretty expensive. That’s not an overarching rule though — there are also a lot of TVs on the market that cost less than $1,000.
There really isn’t a cap on size either. For example, our following roundup includes a couple of 65-inch models that come in under (or right at) $1,000. What you’ll end up spending your money on is the type of display technology the TV uses, combined with the manufacturer’s own picture-processing systems, smart TV features, and other unique capabilities.
Let’s not beat around the bush: It can still be difficult to choose a TV for less than a $1,000, because there are a lot of sets that fit the literal bill. Luckily, that’s where we come in! We test all the latest and greatest TVs every year, putting them through our rigorous TV review process to check all the important elements such as brightness, color accuracy, contrast, sound, and much more. Here, then, is our list of all the best TVs under $1,000.
Hisense 65-inch U8N ULEDOur favorite TV for under $1,000
It brings us great joy to be able to call Hisense’s 2024 flagship our best overall pick for a TV that costs less than a grand. We had the opportunity to take the U8N Series for a spin not too long ago, and we were totally blown away by the new heights Hisense has summited. Our editor-at-large, Caleb Denison, was taken aback by the exceptional brightness levels the U8N was able to achieve in our hands-on review, to the point that he felt it wise to proclaim that the illumination is actually a little too intense when viewing HDR content.
Thanks to its improved chipset, the U8N Series is able to deliver better overall brightness on top of vibrant colors and impressive contrast levels that rival the performance of some the best OLED TVs. And thanks to its top-notch reflection handling, the U8N can hang out in just about any brightly lit room. There’s a bit of trouble with the TV’s off-angle viewing, which is an unfortunate malady of some LED LCDs. That being said, it’s best to watch this set as centered with the screen as possible.
The U8N supports leading HDR formats like Dolby Vision, and thanks to HDMI 2.1 connectivity, game consoles and PCs run at lightning-fast speed when hooked up to Hisense’s flagship. Expect minimal input lag, quick response times, and 4K/144Hz for max resolution/refresh rate performance. The U8N also uses the Google TV OS for smart TV content and other UI elements and has a 50W 2.1.2 speaker configuration that sounds a lot better than most TV speakers.
Hisense 65-inch U8K ULEDThe runner-up
The Hisense U8K Series was our favorite TV for less than $1,000 in 2023, and this fantastic model still deserves a high rung on this ladder. You may be wondering what the differences are between Hisense’s 2024 and 2023 flagships. To be honest, the U8N Series is a little better than the U8K in just about every way, including overall brightness levels, color accuracy, contrast, motion performance, and input lag. That being said, the 65-inch version of the U8K is currently the same price as the 65-inch U8N, but the latter is on sale, and the former is not. And we know for a fact that the 65-inch U8K has been priced as low as $900, so once a new sale comes around, this model should be even cheaper.
We were completely blown away by a number of the U8K’s impressive features, but a true standout was its peak brightness capabilities. For those nit nerds who have a vested interest in those kinds of specs, we captured max brightness output at 2,000 nits (although it promises only 1,500), which is pretty darn good in our book! The U8K also scores big in the color accuracy and motion clarity departments (with the former being slightly better than the latter).
HDR connoisseurs will also be pleased to know that the U8K supports HDR10, HDR10+, and Dolby Vision. And as far as streaming content goes, we can never stop singing the praises of Google TV, which just so happens to be Hisense’s operating system of choice. Stream movies and TV shows from services like Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video, Disney+, and Max, while Google builds personalized recommendations for you based on your viewing history.
In terms of sound quality, the U8K isn’t too shabby either.
