If you’re looking for a budget TV, you could try LG, Sony, Vizio, TCL and Samsung. But what about Sceptre?
Not many people have heard of Sceptre TVs, but if you want an extremely low price TV, you should check out the brand that often dominates the budget TV sales charts.
Sceptre TVs sell well because they focus on maximizing value, with the majority of Sceptre TVs selling for $300, meaning there'll be a Sceptre screen within reach of even budget TV buyers.
While that might lead you to believe that Sceptre is just another fly-by-night manufacturer that’s here one day and gone the next, the California-based company has been around since the mid-80s. In recent years, though, it formed a high-end division that caters to a much more performance-minded audience and it now offers a number of 4K UHD TVs.
If you’re scared that you’re buying a TV from a company without a reputation, don’t worry, as Sceptre is here to stay. But that doesn’t mean you should rush into buying a budget TV. You do tend to get what you pay for when it comes to tech, and TVs are no exception.
How much do Sceptre TVs cost?
Sceptre is first and foremost a budget TV brand. That means you’ll find many TVs for under $300, and Walmart doesn't stock any Sceptre TVs above a $500 price point.
At Walmart you will find a 50-inch Sceptre 4K TV for just $469 (out of stock at the time of writing), a 65-inch Sceptre 4K TV for an even lower price of $389, and a 55-inch Sceptre 4K TV for $300. Somehow, you can even get a 50-inch Sceptre 4K TV for just $197.
But things get even cheaper than that. There's a 32-inch Sceptre TV with 720p / HD resolution, retailing for $108 – as well as a 19-inch Sceptre HD TV for just $68.
Just because Sceptre’s TVs are more affordable doesn’t mean you won’t get the best TV tech inside, of course, and we'd be especially wary of budget 4K models, as low-spec processors can struggle with both 4K output and 4K upscaling from HD / Full HD sources.
There are more premium prices too, with some of the high-end Sceptre TVs are currently available for $1,000 and higher, and prices reaching up to around $2,499.
Where to buy Sceptre TVs?
You can buy Sceptre TVs directly from the Sceptre website and from Amazon.com. However, choice is limited. You’ll get the best shopping experience by going to Walmart.com – or visiting a real brick and mortar Walmart store.
A number of TV sets available on the Walmart website at the time of writing also come with Walmart’s free shipping, and there are often discounts running too.
Should I buy a Sceptre TV?
Sceptre caters to a specific audience: budget-conscious buyers who don’t mind missing out on a few features or the best quality. For example, many of Sceptre’s TVs don’t offer a smart platform.
This means you won’t be able to access streaming services, like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and Hulu, without buying a streaming device, like a Amazon Fire TV Stick, Chromecast or a Roku Premiere.
That said, Sceptre TVs really aren’t made for the AV enthusiast crowd: their colors might look washed, faded or incorrect, and motion artefacting is likely to occur in the lower-end models. If you have a critical eye, this might bother you over time and is one of the reasons you’d opt for a more expensive set from Sony, Samsung or LG.
However, more and more are now offering Ultra HD resolution or High Dynamic Range support, fixing many of these issues and giving you a better experience than you’d expect from a budget set.
If you’re buying a TV for the sole purpose of watching non-HD cable TV or a second screen for your bedroom that will only watch over-the-air channels, they’re an extremely good deal. Another example we’ve heard before is that someone will buy them for an elderly family member – someone who doesn’t care about picture quality as much as they do having a large, more easily visible screen.
You could also make the case that the TVs are good for college dorms where accidents might happen (the TVs aren’t that expensive to replace after all) or as signage for a restaurant or bar. You probably shouldn’t buy them to broadcast the next football game or if you’re a stickler for picture quality, but they’re certainly fine if you need a place to advertise or post your deals of the day.
Overall, we’d recommend checking out a model from another budget manufacturer like TCL or Vizio first – but if those TVs are still out of your price range, and you’re fine making a compromise in picture quality, Sceptre’s TVs are perfectly adequate.
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