Black Friday TV deals typically begin in early November, then crescendo on Thanksgiving and Black Friday itself. And don’t think of waiting until the last minute, either—you can always buy the TV you’d like now, and then return it if you find a better TV deal afterwards.
We’re curating the best TV deals leading up to Black Friday with several things in mind. First, retailers can offer discounts, then raise prices, and then lower them again to accurately (though disingenuously) say they’re offering a Black Friday discount. So, we’re keeping an eye out for legitimate price drops, not pricing tomfoolery.
Second, we’re aiming to highlight great deals on truly good TVs, even if the model may be a year or two old. Bottom line: Our goal is to help you score the best value for your dollar.
The best early Black Friday TV deals
We’ve compared TVs across major retailers, looking to find both solid discounts as well as good prices on quality tech. We don’t list all of the specifications here, but we’ll explain some of our reasoning below.
There’s something for everyone here. Regarding the LG OLED deal atop our list, we consider an OLED TV a premium purchase, and a 48-inch OLED will work well for a bedroom or den. Sony’s deal on its 4K 65-inch model offers a nice size, a Google TV interface, and full-array LED display for improved contrast (though image quality won’t be as good as the LG OLED).
The 75-inch Samsung model is a massive, quality TV at at a good price. The Vizio TV we’ve highlighted isn’t particularly bright, but with minimal input lag it’s good for gaming—as is the Sony, for that matter, with some PlayStation-specific features like minimal lag, too.
We’re pretty sure that the TCL deal at Walmart is sold out near you, but you might give it a click to check. That’s a very cheap price for a very large 55-inch 4K TV.
FAQ
When is Black Friday?
Officially, Black Friday begins Friday, Nov. 25 2022. But like we share above: The deals have already begun.
What should I look for in a Black Friday TV?
Size matters. Most people probably want to buy a 50-inch TV or larger for their living room or family room. We encourage you to review TechHive’s straightforward explanation of what TV sizes matter, TV display types and display technologies, and LCD backlighting tech.
The short answer, though, is to buy the biggest TV that you feel comfortable with. Second, focus on backlighting. Most TVs use LEDs, but more advanced TVs use QLED or miniLED, and the very best models use OLED display tech. Most eyes can notice the improvements offered by OLED TVs, notably inky blacks and more vibrant, richer colors. Also look for HDR (High Dynamic Range), a technology that further improves color richness and brightness, giving you more of a movie-like experience.
Finally, you’ll want to pay attention to smart features that connect your TV to a streaming video interface, either via a Roku interface or Google/Android TV. Each platform allows you quick access to streaming services like Netflix, Hulu, HBO Max, etc. It really depends on your preference, and whether you want to avoid using, say, the additional remote of an Apple TV box.
You do not need the latest technology, and our picks represent what we consider to be the best value, without asking you to pay several hundred dollars for incremental improvements.
Where can I find Black Friday TV reviews?
PCWorld doesn’t review TVs directly. Instead we take recommendation from our sister site, TechHive, which focuses on home entertainment and smart home tech. We highly recommend reading TechHive’s rankings for the best TVs of 2022 to choose great TVs, pricing notwithstanding. You’ll learn a lot about TVs in the process!
