Image: sony
It’s never a question in anyone’s mind: 4K TVs are going to be a big item on Prime Day and Black Friday. It’s simply a matter of when they go on sale and which retailers will drop similar deals in order to keep Amazon, the Prime Day headliner, on its toes. Expect affordable 40- or 50-inch TVs to get even cheaper with Walmart’s Deal for Days event and expect savings on 60-, 70-, and 80-inch OLEDs at Best Buy’s The Bigger Deal savings event.
In 2021, there are a lot of options for early shoppers — specifically on smaller Fire TV Edition TVs (usually for Prime members only), large high-end models from 2020, and even a few 2021 models. Deals on models just dropped in the spring are particularly juicy this year, considering that Prime Day (June 21 and 22) has been bumped up nearly a month compared to Amazon’s traditional calendar.
If the model you’re eyeing isn’t on sale anywhere, get 10% back on select LG or Sony TV purchases when you use an Amazon Prime credit card.
4K TV models listed below are organized by retailer, then by size and price. Check back as more deals go live closer to the official start of Prime Day. TVs with a strikethrough have sold out already but could make a second appearance.
Amazon
OUR TOP PICK: Samsung 65-inch Q900TS 8K QLED Smart TV (QN75Q900TSFXZA) — $2,697.99 (save $2,802)
Upgrading to 4K isn’t as exciting when you’ve been watching a dated 4K TV for the past few years. Double your resolution for less than $3,000 with Samsung’s 2020 8K entry: The Q900TS. The combo of accurate black uniformity, precise local dimming, crisp upscaling monitored by artificial intelligence, and robust brightness scale make this a one-of-a-kind watch experience that you won’t get with 4K.
Best Buy
OUR TOP PICK: LG 82-inch UN8500 Series 4K HDR Smart TV (2UN8570PUC) — $1,449.99 (save $150)
The highest end of LG’s budget UHD TVs from last year are now even more affordable at Best Buy. If you’ve got the entertainment stand or wall space for it, you can upgrade to a nice 82-inch LG TV for less than $1,500. The UN8500 Series adds Dolby Vision IQ, a 120Hz motion rate, and local dimming to its list of specs (compared to other budget-friendly LG TVs released at the same time).
Walmart
OUR TOP PICK: Samsung 75-inch Q70T 4K QLED UHD Smart TV (QN75Q70T) — $1,799.99 (save $400)
Samsung gave us its best in the Q70T line and isn’t asking for much (money) in return. The expected advantages of Samsung’s QLED tech — a lush array of colors, dual backlighting for sharp contrast, and low input lag that’s ready for gaming — are present, plus Ambient Mode made famous by The Frame. If you want a solid purchase that you can trust to keep it crisp over the years, this is an investment to feel good about.
