5 Of The Most Reliable TVs Under $500

We may receive a commission on purchases made from links.

Shopping for a new TV can be a lot of fun, but less so if you're going into a screen-buying adventure with zero product knowledge. We understand the value of a sales associate breaking down the specs and features of different models, but understanding all those numbers and complex acronyms, such as the difference between an OLED and QLED display, can start to run together. If you're shopping on a strict budget and trying to buy a good TV for less than $500, you'll want to shop carefully.

Noteworthy brands like Hisense, TCL, and even Samsung are behind some of the most reliable smart TV brands on the market, but a low price often translates to a sacrifice in picture quality or other advanced tech. For example, you'll notice that none of the TVs we selected for this roundup have a native 120-hertz refresh rate, which would make images smoother.

That said, the five TVs we chose to spotlight make up for a loss of motion clarity with other great picture tech. Each set costs less than $500, with the 32-inch Samsung 4K QLED priced at exactly $500.

The TCL 55-inch Class S5 Series is a traditional 4K LED-LCD television that sells for $330 at full price but is often on sale. On Amazon, the TV scored a 4.0 out of 5 stars based on over 3,300 reviews, with most users praising the S5's solid picture quality, simple setup, and overall value.

Brands like TCL and Hisense have made a name for themselves when it comes to budget-friendly TVs, and the Class S5 is a great example of an entry-level 4K set punching above its weight class. Not only does the TV support all major HDR formats, including Dolby Vision and HDR10+, but TCL also included an Auto Game Mode to offer console and PC gamers reduced lag and image tearing.

Sure, it only has a native 60 Hz refresh rate, but TCL also built in its motion estimation and motion compensation frame insertion technology to smooth visuals. Unfortunately, that smoothness doesn't exactly translate to the S5's Fire TV performance. Several Amazon reviewers have complained about a laggy interface and streaming, while others took issue with the remote's cheap feel. All things considered, the TCL 55-inch Class S5 Series brings rich colors and bright LED lighting to the table. The model is also available in four other sizes: 43, 50, 65, and 75 inches.

It's hard to ignore the vibrant picture and eye-catching colors of a QLED TV, which brings us to the Hisense 55-inch QD6 Series. This TV's quantum dot layer, a technology that's different from the TCL Class 5 Series, does an excellent job of making SDR and HDR visuals pop off the screen — especially when watching HDR content. The TV supports all major HDR formats and even features surround-sound passthrough for Dolby Atmos and DTS Virtual:X.

Over at Best Buy, the QD6 Series sells for $380, has a rating of 4.5 out of 5 stars based on over 300 reviews, and is available in several other sizes, from a smaller 43-inch screen to a gigantic 100-inch display. Keep in mind the TV only has a native 60Hz refresh rate, though, so fast-moving content may appear a bit blurry on larger screens.

Some other potential downsides to consider: Several Best Buy users have reported slow Fire TV performance and laggy apps, echoing what folks said about the TCL S5 Series, which uses the same OS. And while the QD6 includes a Game Mode Plus for optimized console and PC visuals, its three HDMI ports are only 2.0-certified, which means they're capped at the TV's 60 Hz refresh rate.

Sitting one rung above the Hisense QD6 is the Hisense QD7 Series. We'll be focusing on the 65-inch version of the set, but you can get it as small as 50 inches or as large as 100 inches. Perhaps the most significant difference between the QD6 and QD7 is the latter's Mini-LED lighting, as opposed to the traditional LED backlighting of the former. Mini LED delivers improved peak and color brightness, and Hisense claims the set pushes up to 600 nits of brightness. While that's not exceptionally bright, especially for outdoor use, the TV's quantum dot layer works in unison with the backlight to achieve rich and realistic colors. That's on top of the TV's great HDR support and AI-assisted picture upscaling.

Once again, we're capped at 60Hz for refresh rate, but Hisense's AI Smooth Motion with MEMC works in the background to keep your movies, shows, and games looking sharp. On Amazon, the 65-inch QD7 has a rating of 4.1 stars out of 5 based on over 680 reviews. Most customers praise the QD7 for its bright and colorful picture, with most negative feedback aimed at the Fire TV interface – we're sensing a pattern here.

If you've been thinking about investing in a Roku Streaming Stick or other Roku-powered streaming device for an older TV, upgrading to the Roku 55-inch Class Plus Series would be a one-product solution. You'll get a fast and modern streaming platform in Roku TV OS, along with arresting brightness and colors from the TV's Mini-LED lighting and quantum dot layer. At Best Buy, the 55-inch Class Plus scored a 4.8 out of 5 stars, based on over 130 reviews. Customers praise the TV's overall brightness and easy setup.

This Roku set supports all HDR formats. Yes, it's capped at 60 Hz, which might be a dealbreaker for gamers and sports fans, but not having a 120Hz panel is part of what keeps the cost down. Plus, this Roku set includes a game mode and variable refresh rate support. At full price, this Roku 55-inch sells for $500 but was marked down to $400 when we wrote about it. The TV is also available in 65- and 75-inch sizes.

If you're looking for one of the best small TVs on the market and money is no object, we recommend going with the Samsung 32-inch Class Q8F Series. This is a 4K QLED TV that puts quantum dots in the driver's seat, delivering bright visuals and rich colors for both SDR and HDR content.

Samsung's Q4 AI Processor does a great job at enhancing lower-resolution content, so even your older DVDs will look sharper and more detailed. Even though the panel is capped at 60Hz, Samsung's Motion Xcelerator Turbo+ technology promises to give the TV a smoothness boost. We think this could even make the 32-inch Samsung QLED serve as a dedicated gaming monitor.

At Best Buy, the TV is rated at 4.7 stars out of 5 based on over 100 reviews. It's right at the $500 cutoff, and most customers praise the Q8F for its picture quality and easy installation. You'll also be treated to Samsung's Tizen OS for all things streaming and smart, a system that's been tweaked and enhanced over several TV generations.

At BGR, we have been covering TVs and home theater tech for several years. When building out these product roundups, one of our main goals is recommending brands that are well-vetted by TV reviewers and customers alike. We also lean on our own hands-on TV experiences whenever possible. In this article, we only picked TVs under $500 that had a customer review score of 4 or higher, giving special attention to models featured by online retailers.