Best Gifts Under $500 for the Holidays 2024

As far as budget TVs go, we’ve always liked TCL’s 4-Series TVs partially because they came with Roku built-in. But TCL appears to be gradually phasing out Roku in favor of Google TV (as its smart TV interface). The TCL 4-Series and 5-Series remain very good budget TV values (the 6-Series is a little more premium), but Vizio’s V-Series has slightly better picture quality and is the best overall entry-level TV that we tested.

As CNET’s video guru David Katzmaier says, “The Vizio offered the most balanced and accurate picture during our comparisons, and it comes with some useful extras such as Dolby Vision support, Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth compatibility and variable refresh rate for potentially smoother gaming.” He adds that the biggest downside of the Vizio is its smart TV platform, Vizio SmartCast, which is a bit sluggish and cluttered with ads for platforms such as Tubi and Kidoodle TV. But you can always buy a Roku 4K Express Plus streaming device for around $40 if you don’t like it.

The price shown is for the 50-inch model, but the TV also comes in a variety of other sizes up to 75 inches.