Best TVs Under $1,000 2023

Jul 19, 2023

A TV that costs under $1,000 doesn’t land far off the performance of the best TVs overall—they just offer similar specs at a more affordable price point. The best TVs under $1,000 still give you bright, vibrant colors, fast refresh rates and excellent gaming features for your favorite films and games.

Many of the best TVs under $1,000 don't sacrifice picture quality; they give you a beautiful picture ... [+] with top features like Dolby Vision and HDR.

The Hisense U8H rivals some of the most expensive TVs available today, while the others on this list like the 42-inch LG C2 offers a great picture for a smaller space like a bedroom. We picked the best TVs under $1,000 from a wide selection of models, focusing on those that offer excellent picture quality and high-end features, without any major sacrifices.

Best Buy

Size: 65-inch | Type: Mini LED | Resolution: 4K | Refresh rate: 120Hz | Operating system: GoogleTV | HDR: HDR10, HDR10+, Dolby Vision, HLG

Best for: Super bright images and robust smart TV features.

The Hisense U8H rivals models that cost thousands in its ability to shine clearly on a bright, sunny day and to make HDR highlights really jump off the screen. Its excellent 1,500 nits is augmented by impressive contrast for an LED TV, great color accuracy and a range of top-tier gaming features. It has two HDMI 2.1 ports for connecting the latest games consoles and gaming PCs, and full support for Freesync variable refresh rates. Its 120Hz refresh rate maximum keeps games looking smooth and fluid when your system can output that kind of frame rate.

The Google TV operating system saves you from buying an additional streaming stick has an extremely low input lag, making it a responsive TV to use for gaming and anything else besides. Its viewing angles aren't as broad as top-tier TVs, so sit more central to get the best picture with this TV.

What the editors say: Tech editor Rebecca Isaacs says, “For gamers and movie lovers with a smaller living spaces, this is by far my favorite TV, and not because of that three-figure price tag. The panel offers 4K upscaling and great detailing which brought vivid detailing to costumes seen on House of the Dragon and to games like Horizon: Forbidden West. If you’re looking for a great picture sans a high price point, this is the model for your home.”

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Amazon

Size: 42-inch | Type: OLED | Resolution: 4K | Refresh rate: 120Hz | Operating System: LG WebOS | HDR: Dolby Vision, HDR10, HDR10+, HLG

Best for: Playing the latest games and watching the latest movies in a smaller room.

The LG C2 offers incredible contrast as all OLED TVs do, and though its panel isn't quite as bright as the flagship models, it gets pretty close, so you'll still be able to enjoy this TV in a brighter room—even if it will always look its best with the lights off.

This TV packs HDMI 2.1 ports for gaming and UHD Blu-rays, has VRR support and a 120Hz refresh rate. The OLED technology makes input lag almost nonexistent, making this TV amazing for HDR movies, TV shows and anything else. If you have a smaller space to fit a sub-$1,000 TV, this is the one to pick.

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Samsung

Size: 75-inch | Type: VA (LED) | Resolution: 4K | Refresh rate: 60Hz | Operating System: Tizen | HDR: HDR10, HDR10+

Best for: Enjoying big-screen movies on your own big screen.

The Samsung CU8000 measures in at 75-inches from corner to corner and yet still it has a price tag under $1,000. It might not have flagship features, but it's still a big 4K screen, which makes just about every movie or TV show you watch on it look great. It has wide color gamut support, making colorful TV and movies look great, and its upscaling algorithm does a solid job of making 1080p and old home movies look much better than they do at native resolution.

This TV comes with Samsung's nifty solar-powered remote control, so you needn't worry about changing the batteries again. It also has a built-in microphone for easy voice-assisted search. It doesn't have the highest brightness, so you'll get the best picture out of this in a darker room. It is limited to a 60Hz refresh rate, but its input lag is low, so you can enjoy competitive gaming on this display.

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Best Buy

Size: 65-inch | Type: Mini-LED | Resolution: 4K | Refresh rate: 120Hz | Operating System: LG WebOS | HDR: HDR10, HDR10+, Dolby Vision

Best for: Playing your favorite games on a big TV.

The LG Class 83 QNED isn't quite as big as our favorite big-screen TV under $1,000, but at 65-inches from corner to corner, you get a fairly large display that packs a lot of exciting features. Its 120Hz refresh rate makes games look buttery smooth, and when combined with a low input lag and fast response time, your games will look and feel great on this TV. It uses Mini-LEDs, so its brightness is much higher than many of the other models on this list, and it has full support for all HDR modes—unlike even the best Samsung models which lack Dolby Vision.

This LG TV also features 2.1 ports for the latest games consoles, and when you aren't gaming, you can make full use of the a7 Gen4 AI processor for dynamic image adjustments like resolution upscaling and color enhancement—perfect for enjoying older or home movies.

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Best Buy

Size: 55-inch | Type: VA (LED) | Resolution: 4K | Refresh rate: 120Hz | Operating System: Google TV | HDR: HDR10, Dolby Vision, HLG

Best for: Enjoying great image quality and upscaling for your movies and TV shows.

Sony TVs are often very expensive, but the Sony X90K bucks the trend with an impressive array of specifications and features. It tops out at that $1,000 price tag, but you get a lot of TV for that with the X90K. Its 4K resolution VA panel with LED backlighting delivers great contrast, impressive motion resolution for sports and gaming and support for full upscaling and dynamic image enhancement.

It also has HDMI 2.1 ports, so you can connect your PS4 or PS5 can get a great gaming experience right away. It offers excellent brightness without Mini LEDs, and its HDR support includes everything but HDR10+, so you'll get a vibrant and high-contrast image in supporting movies, TV shows and games. As with many VA panels, though, the viewing angles on this TV are a little narrow, so try to sit in the center to get the best picture.

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The Forbes Vetted tech team consists of accomplished tech experts who’ve (literally) written books on the subject. In particular, this story was written by Jason Rich, an accomplished writer, journalist, photographer and experienced product tester.

In addition to covering dozens of tech topics, Jason has written several of our TV best lists (listed below). Over his career, he has accumulated hours of in-depth product research and has conducted firsthand testing, including for the writing of this story. The tech section is overseen by Consumer Tech & Electronics Editor Rebecca Isaacs, an industry veteran who has been covering consumer technology for over four years.

We know tech tends to become quickly outdated. To keep this piece fresh and accurate, it’s regularly updated; its current iteration was published in August 2023.

Here at Forbes Vetted, whether we’re gaming, streaming, or just enjoying its ambient mode while we work, we live for top-notch TVs. We’re experts in the home entertainment area, offering hands-on insights when we can to provide you a better picture as to what TVs under $1,000 are the best for your home.

In addition to our hands-on testing, we extensively researched each model and spoke with product experts and industry leaders to help us determine the TVs that made the cut. Only the absolute best TVs under that $1,000 threshold were considered, even if there were some great models which just fell outside our strict budget. We carefully evaluated each TV’s screen size, screen type, refresh rate, operating systems and more. We also paid attention to what sets each TV apart from its competition.

Forbes Vetted regularly covers all types of consumer electronics and then reviews and recommends the best products in specific categories. If you’re looking for a specific kind of TV, you might appreciate some of our other articles: