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What to look for when buying a cheap TV
A big lure of Black Friday for many is scoring a deeper discount on an already cheap TV, preferably one with a very large screen. But there are compromises – many of them, in fact – TV brands often make in their lower-cost models, and that’s something that’s not always clear when reading a set’s online specs. Those compromises can result in you buying a less-than-good-performing TV on Black Friday, and that’s not something anyone wants.
What specs should you be looking for that will make the difference between a good and a not-so-good cheap TV? Here are three key ones:
1. QLED
TVs with a quantum dot layer (QLED) are capable of showing images with better brightness and richer, more well-defined colors than regular non-QLED sets. And while QLED used to be found only in expensive TVs, it now also appears in cheap models – Amazon Fire TV Omni QLED and Roku Plus TVs, for instance. A QLED TV will have a more vibrant-looking picture than a non-QLED one, so it’s a worthwhile upgrade.
2. Full array / local dimming
Non-OLED TVs use an LED backlight affixed to their LCD display panel to beam images. The better ones will have a full array LED backlight as opposed to the edge-lit one used by many cheap TVs, and they will use local dimming to modulate the LEDs to improve contrast and black uniformity. Like quantum dots, a full-array LED backlight with local dimming used to be a feature reserved for the most expensive TVs, but it can now be found in budget TVs and it has a tremendous impact on picture quality.
3. Dolby Vision HDR
Cheap 4K TVs are likely to have high dynamic range (HDR) support, but some may only offer the basic HDR10 variant. It’s worth looking for a model that also supports Dolby Vision, since budget 4K TVs in particular can benefit from this HDR format. Here’s why: cheap TVs are generally less bright than higher-end, pricey ones and that puts limitations on the set’s ability to display HDR. Dolby Vision fixes this by scaling the contrast range of movies and shows with HDR to match the TV’s brightness capability, resulting in more dynamic-looking pictures overall.
Christmas and LEGO sets – a winning combination
Seriously – who doesn’t love a LEGO set at this time of the year? Sets are often one of the most clicked-on products featured on our coverage here at TechRadar – despite us mostly featuring tech. It’s easy to see why, though, since Walmart and many other leading retailers are offering a surprisingly decent number of discounts on popular Star Wars and Harry Potter-themed sets.
If you’re looking to get into the festive mood, consider this Lego Harry Potter advent calendar for $20 at Walmart or this LEGO Marvel Avengers advent calendar for 20 at Walmart – both at their lowest ever prices. If you’re looking for more substantial sets, consider this Lego Star Wars Imperial TIE Fighter for $29.19 at Amazon or this Lego Super Mario Donkey Kong’s Tree House for $47.99 at Amazon – both excellent mid-sized sets that are great for Christmas gifts.
And speaking of those headphones deals…
The Sony WH-1000XM5 are some of the world’s best noise-canceling headphones: combining looks, Sony’s excellent technology, and top sound quality. They’re now on offer for just $328 at Amazon. But hurry – they’re selling like hotcakes.
This outrageous deal represents their lowest-ever price across trusted online retailers and it is live now for Black Friday. And remember, these are hands-down top-class Sony flagship cans – we saw them drop briefly to this price on November 3 and thought this particular flash deal had faded back to the ether. Now, it’s back.
As we said in our five-star review of the Sony WH-1000XM5, you’re getting excellent noise cancellation, a wonderful-sounding audio performance, smart ambient features, and an app you’ll actually want to use.
They’re quite simply the complete package and we think that anyone searching for the best noise-cancelling headphones money can buy should consider the Sony WH-1000XM5, especially with this significant discount.
If you’re stuck deciding between wireless headphones and earbuds this Black Friday then Becky Scarrott, our Senior Audio Staff Writer, is here to offer some top tips that should help you make a decision.
She’s been testing all types of headphones for nearly six years now, and these are the four questions you need to ask yourself:
1. Do you commute regularly? And if so, do you prefer to pack light? Because if you use public transport and you want over-ears, you’ll also need a nice big rucksack or backpack capable of accommodating the case – leaving said case at home is the quickest route to damaged headphones. A set of earbuds, meanwhile, will slip straight into your pocket.
2. Do you dislike the thought of something sticking into your outer ear canal? Because earbuds do this (some admittedly more than others) and although most of us get used to it, others find it invasive and would rather stick to something that sits around the whole ear. On the flip side, perhaps you tend to overheat on public transport – particularly if you have had to run for the bus – and red sweaty ears are not the best look for the office.
3. ANC: how important is it to you? A few years ago, I’d have said over-ear is the way to go for top-notch noise-cancellation, but the tech’s improved so much now that the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds or JBL Live Pro 2 can match any set of cans for noise-nixing, and that’s just for starters.
4. What about sound quality? Again, even 18 months ago I’d have said over-ears will trounce earbuds for sonic nuance, expanse, immersive wizardry and detail. But the driver tech that can now be squirrelled into even the smallest earbuds (Sony WF-C700N and Technics EAH-AZ80, I’m looking at you) is so good now that I take it all back. That said, do think about the type of sound you want, and read our review of the product you’ve got your eye on – we don’t pull our punches there.
Here we go folks – this is the cheapest price we’ve ever seen for a Dell XPS 13 laptop, and it’s one of the latest models no less.
As you’d expect, this isn’t the highest configuration since it’s got a 12th gen Intel Core i5 chipset, 8GB of RAM, and a 256GB SSD, but this is a superb price for such a premium machine.
The main selling points for the XPS 13 are the gorgeous aluminum chassis, excellent display and incredibly lightweight design great if you need to carry it with you every day. While complaints have been made about this model’s ports (or lack thereof) we awarded it four stars out of five with our Dell XPS 13 2022 review.
Dell XPS 13 laptop: was $799 now $599 at Dell
Tired of expensive cell phone plans? I hear you!
One of the best options this Black Friday for those who want to save some cash is over at Mint Mobile – a prepaid carrier that’s offering a whole three months of service for free for new customers currently.
This awesome promo was one that TechRadar readers had exclusive early access to last week but it’s so good it’s worth mentioning again now it’s available to all. It’s easily the best deal all year at Mint Mobile for new customers who want to check out this prepaid carrier.
With this deal, for example, you can try Mint Mobile’s unlimited data plan for just $90 for a whole six months – an outstandingly low price. You can also use it to try out the cheaper data-limited plans, starting with the 5GB plan for $45 for six months. Both are fantastic choices in their own right – especially if you’re pairing them up with a cheap unlocked device from this year’s Black Friday phone deals.
Welcome to the TechRadar Black Friday deals live blog!
I’m James Pickard – Senior deals editor here at TechRadar. I’ve been covering Black Friday deals for 10 years now so I’ve got more than a few tips, tricks, and recommendations to share with our audience. If you’re joining me at this late hour – welcome. Stay tuned for more posts imminently.
While we specialize in recommending tech products here at TechRadar, I’ll try and keep things relatively varied – a good deal is a good deal, after all. No matter if you’re looking for cheap stocking filler or a discount on a high-end OLED display, I’ll be doing my best to score you the best deals this Black Friday.
