Finding the best cheap OLED TV is a daunting task for most people. Once you decide on a model, you’ll likely have that TV for a while. It’s essential to make sure the TV you choose has the features you want, will suit the room you’re placing it in and will work reliably for years to come. OLED TVs (Organic Light Emitting Diode) are the technology of choice these days. They don’t require a backlight of any kind, and the pixels themselves give off light, which means the TV can have an incredibly thin profile. But we’re all on a budget, so how do you pick the best cheap OLED TV is?
When we talk about “cheap” OLED TVs, it’s important to clarify what that means. OLED TVs cost more than standard LED TVs, and top-end OLED TVs can cost thousands of dollars, particularly if you’re buying a large model. For our purposes, we’ll consider a “cheap” OLED TV to be in the one to two thousand dollar range, but you can also take a look at our extensive list of best OLED TVs too.
How To Choose an OLED TV
A 4K OLED TV will all have the same number of pixels (3840 x 2160) as other 4K TVs, and being OLED, they’ll all have self-lit pixels. What does this mean for you in your living room? This generally allows the picture to be more vibrant, colorful and true to life, with a deeper contrast range, since the lack of backlighting means no extra light is spilling over when the screen (or a portion of it) is intended to be entirely black.
Many of the major brands produce OLED TVs, and you can generally expect the video quality to be quite good. Naturally, you’ll look at reviews for each to help make your decision, but other factors worth considering include compatibility with home theatre technology like Dolby Atmos or DTS:X. It’s also worth checking which material the bezel (the edge of the TV) and if the base is plastic or metal (this won’t be a deal-breaker, but it could put one TV above the other should all else be equal), and how the internal speakers sound.
Brightness can sometimes be a factor for OLEDs. If your room is relatively bright, you’ll want to pay special attention to the brightness of the OLED you buy.
In terms of size, OLEDs max out at 88-inches diagonally, and the smallest we’ve seen to date is 42 inches, so you’ll want to be sure that your wall or furniture space is suited to your dream OLED. Keep reading below for our selection of the best cheap OLED TVs available right now.
Best Cheap OLED TVs
Courtesy of LG
1. SONY 55″ Class BRAVIA XR A90J Series OLED TV
BEST OVERALL
The Sony Bravia XR A90J OLED is a stunning television, though you’ll pay for what you get. The A90J has two HDMI 2.1 inputs and features Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos. It’s solid when upscaling video from low-resolution sources and features the XR Triluminos Pro technology, creating super-accurate colors and blacks. It has custom modes for watching Netflix content and an enhanced IMAX mode. You won’t find a better OLED for watching movies in its price range. It also comes Google TV-ready, instantly connecting you to the Google content library. It gets universally outstanding reviews from buyers, so it seems this is a TV that might be worth the splurge.
2. LG 48” Class C1 Series OLED 4K UHD Smart webOS TV
RUNNER UP
LG is a leader in OLED technology (you’ll see their name in this article a lot.) The LG C1 is one of the top models from the brand, and we reviewed it very favorably. Plus, it wins awards and appears on “best of” lists across the web.
This LG Class C1 model OLED48C1PUB features some of the brightest colors available by using LG’s a9 Gen 4 AI Processor to adjust the picture based on the room and brightness. With Dolby Vision and HDR 10, you’ll be able to take advantage of all the incredible home theater sound too. LG’s webOS also gives you a dashboard to choose video programming and apps. It has LG’s Home Dashboard that lets you monitor and control your connected devices, plus content recommendations and even location-based weather. Plus, you can use your digital assistant, whether Google or Alexa.
3. LG 48” Class A1 Series OLED 4K UHD Smart webOS TV
BEST SMALL SIZE
The LG A1 series model OLED48A1PUA is more affordable than the C1 series and has many of the same features, including Dolby Vision and HDR 10. Chances are, unless you’re pushing your TV to the limit of what it can do, you might not even notice the difference between this and the LG C1. The A1 has a gaming optimizer and uses LG’s a7 Gen 4 AI Processor to make screen adjustments while viewing. It has built-in Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa for easy voice control. It features LG’s “magic remote,” which works like a laser pointer, allowing you to use it like a wand to choose programming easily. LG also integrates its Home Dashboard.
Vizio’s 55-inch SmartCast TV model OLED55-H1 is an excellent value for money, and it features a broad color spectrum a bezel-less frame that looks great in any room and minimizes the space needed. It has Apple Play and Chromecast built-in, plus it pairs seamlessly with Siri, Google Assistant and Alexa-enabled devices, so you can easily control the TV using just your voice. This Vizio OLED features Dolby Vision and HDR 10+ and 4 UHD/HDR-ready HDMI ports. Vizio also uses certified low blue light technology to reduce eye strain and promote better eye health and sleep health. You might also get a kick out of the QuickStart mode that brings the screen to life with a voice command or tapping the remote.
5. LG 55″ Class CX Series OLED 4K UHD Smart webOS TV
BEST FOR GAMERS
The final entry on our list from LG is the CX series model OLED48CXPUB. The CX is a top-rated TV, especially loved by gamers for its crisp picture and quick response. It has a thin profile and minimal bezel, which compliments your room while not drawing focus to itself. The CX uses LG’s a9 Gen 3 AI Processor to make decisions about brightness levels and adjust your picture for maximum quality. It also uses LG ThinQ AI to work with Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant and Apple’s Homekit. With Dolby Atmos compatibility, we think it will be future-proof for years to come.
OLED TVs are an excellent choice for those who take their television viewing seriously, and for sports lovers, they’re the way to go. No matter which of the models we’ve discussed you end up choosing, you’ll be secure in the knowledge that you’ve made a great choice. You may start to notice that the viewing parties and the big game plans begin to revolve around your place.
