I review TVs for a living and these 3 budget displays make great gifts
TVs for under $500/£500 to suit every situation
Thinking of going big this Christmas and Holiday season by gifting a TV to someone this year, but want to keep your spending under control? Look no further, as we've compiled the best deals for TVs under $500 / £500 to suit every category below.
You're not going to get the very best of the TV market here, but it doesn't mean you can't get a good TV. In fact, one of the best TVs you can get in 2023 is selling for under this price at the moment. But be warned: you're not going to get the biggest TV at this price point, most of the sets here are under 55-inch but they will still give you plenty of bang for your buck.
Not seeing anything here? You might also want to check out our guides to the best Christmas sales in the US and Boxing Day sales in the UK, for even more great holiday and Christmas gift ideas.
Best TVs for under $500 in the US
Best Overall
Best for most people
The Hisense U6K is packed with high-end features but sells for a low price. It supports Dolby Vision and HDR10+ formats, has a mini-LED panel for brighter pictures and is loaded with gaming features including VRR,ALLM and a Game Mode. It doesn't support 120Hz, but for a 55-inch set for under $500, there aren't many more well-equipped TVs for the price, which makes it an ideal gift for any movie lover.
Best budget
Best for gaming
If you want a good sized, budget gaming TV that's is filled with fantastic gaming features, the TCL Q7 is for you. It supports 120Hz, ALLM and AMD Freesync Premium, as well as Dolby Vision and HDR10+ HDR formats. It also has a Game accelerator VRR for smoother gameplay. It's the perfect TV to gift to the gamer in your life.
Best for sports
Best for sports
Sporting events look best on a big screen and thanks to some incredible deals, you can get the TCL Q6 for under $500 in a 65-inch (!) size. It's got a bright QLED display, a motion rate feature for fast-moving sports and also supports Dolby Vision and HDR10+ HDR formats. This is the ideal gift for sports fans this holiday season.
Best TVs for under £500 in the UK
Best overall
Best TV for most people
The Amazon Fire TV Omni QLED is by far the best TV under £500. It has a QLED display for a brighter picture, vivid colors and an intuitive smart TV platform. It also has good gaming performance and even supports Dolby Vision. All of this is available in the 50-inch model for under £500. It was even named best value TV at the TechRadar Choice Awards 2023.
Best for gaming
Best TV for gaming
For under £500, this TCL C645 comes stacked with gaming features. It supports 120Hz refresh rate, ALLM and AMD Freesync and Dolby Vision gaming, all in a nice 55-inch size. It's also got a QLED display to brighten the picture and supports Dolby Atmos and DTS Virtual: X for your movies as well
Best for sports
Best for sports
The Hisense E7K has a QLED display for watching sports during the day and although it has a 60Hz panel, it has a smooth motion feature for those fast-moving scenes. You can also get the 55-inch for under £500, meaning you can watch the game on a good sized screen without breaking the bank.
More Holiday sales
- Amazon: 70% off Kindle, TVs, tablets & clothing
- Apple: AirPods, Apple Watch & iPads from $79
- Adidas: 40% off running shoes & clothing
- Beauty: 51% off makeup, skincare & hair tools
- Best Buy: $800 off TVs, laptops & headphones
- Cheap TVs: big-screen 4K TVs from $269.99
- Christmas: 40% off decor, pajamas & trees
- Dell: Inspiron and XPS laptops from $260
- DreamCloud: 40% off all mattresses
- Family pajamas: Christmas PJs from $12.99
- Gaming: console bundles from $289.99
- Lenovo: 76% off laptops, desktops & printers
- Lowe's: up to $800 off major appliances
- Nectar: mattress deals starting at $359
- Nordstrom: 40% off Nike, Levi's & UGGs
- Patagonia: pullovers starting at $64.99
- Samsung: $2,000 of TVs, phones and appliances
- Shopbop: 25% off sitewide with code Holiday
- Target: 40% off Christmas decor, TVs & toys
- Toys: Disney, Barbie & Lego from $14.99
- Walmart: cheap TVs, air fryers, PS5 & toys
More Christmas sales
- Amazon: up to 65% off tech and gifts
- Adidas: up to 60% off outlet clothing, shoes, apparel
- AO: up to 40% off vacuums, appliances, and tech
- Argos: up to 70% off toys, Christmas decor, and tech
- Boots: half-price gift sets, gift cards, and fragrances
- B&Q: cheap Christmas trees, lights, decor, wreaths
- Carphone Warehouse: 120GB data for £12 per month
- Currys: up to 40% off TVs, air fryers, laptops and more
- Cotswolds Outdoor: up to 50% off Patagonia, Rab, North Face
- Debenhams: up to 70% off home, fashion, gift sets
- Disney: up to 60% off Christmas jumpers, toys, decor
- Ebuyer: up to 40% off laptops, desktops, and components
- John Lewis: £300 off TVs, Apple, plus Christmas decor
- Jessops: up to £1,000 off Sony, Canon, Nikon, and Fujifilm
- O2: up to £600 off iPhone, Samsung and Google
- Samsung: up to £600 off TVs, phones and appliances
- Shark: up to £100 off best-selling vacuums
- Very: discounts on tech, appliances, furniture and beauty
- Vodafone: six months half-price SIMs from £11.50
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James is the TV Hardware Staff Writer at TechRadar. Before joining the team, he worked at a major UK based AV retailer selling TV and audio equipment, where he was either telling customers the difference between OLED and QLED or being wowed by watching a PS5 run on the LG 65G2. When not writing about the latest TV tech, James can be found gaming, reading, watching rugby or coming up with another idea for a novel.