Most TVs have built-in smart features to help stream movies and TV shows without making a second purchase. However, not all smart platforms were created equal. Currently, Roku is our favorite smart TV platform. We appreciate its intuitive features, impressive search, and a vast array of available apps.
List of Best Budget Smart TV 2023
TCL 6-Series with Roku
- Screen sizes: 55″, 65″, 75″, 85″
- HDR support: Dolby Vision, HDR10, HDR10+, HLG
- Smart platform: Roku
Here at Reviewed, we’re all big fans of the Roku smart TV platform, which offers easy access to all your favorite streaming apps—and some exclusive content of its own. It’s intuitive, customizable, and offers snappy performance compared to a lot of other proprietary firmware out there.
If you’re looking for a fantastic midrange TV that gives you the most bang for your buck, the TCL 6-Series is an easy recommendation. The picture quality is nice, with deep blacks and impressive brightness levels.
Quantum dot technology helps enhance the rich HDR colors. Great upscaling tech means that standard-definition content will still look good on this 4K TV.
It also has solid support for gaming features. It has 4 HDMI 2.1 ports, two of which are optimized for 4K 144 Hz support. You’ll also find settings like variable refresh rate for smoother motion, auto low latency mode to reduce input lag, and support for FreeSync Premium Pro.
Sony A95K
- Screen sizes: 55″, 65″
- HDR support: Dolby Vision, HDR10, HLG
- Smart platform: Google TV
Sony’s stunning quantum-dot OLED offers the best image quality on the market, but it’s got a price tag to match. The A95K solves many of the issues that OLED TV models have faced in the past.
OLED TVs tend to have so-so brightness levels, but this is one of the brightest we’ve seen. Likewise, the quantum dot technology pushes spectacular HDR colors. It also comes with the usual OLED strong points, like perfect black levels and an astonishingly wide array of viewing angles.
Gamers will be happy to hear that it delivers 120 Hz with an option for VRR, ALLM, G-Sync compatibility, and other futureproof touches. If you want to enjoy 4K gaming at 120 fps, this TV offers unbelievable picture and performance.
If you’re shopping for a smart TV specifically, you’ll be glad to hear that the Sony A95K comes loaded with the Google TV smart platform. It’s a fast, attractive, relatively intuitive operating system. We tend to recommend Roku, but Google TV is a great option.
Switching from Roku to Google TV is an extremely minimal compromise for such incredible TV performance. Unfortunately, it’s not the only downside of this TV. The A95K is a top-of-the-line Sony model, and it’s priced accordingly. Still, if you’re one of the people whose price range includes this TV, it’s a fantastic choice.
Hisense U8H
- Screen sizes: 55″, 65″, 75″
- HDR support: Dolby Vision, HDR10, HDR10+, HLG
- Smart platform: Google TV
This mini-LED TV from Hisense offers great value. It’s the brightest LED TV you can get for the money, and its inclusion of quantum dots offers rich brightness and strong colors without having to pay for an expensive OLED. Its local dimming delivers great contrast and nice brightness at any time of day, and the HDR offers rich, realistic color.
It’s another fantastic TV that features the built-in Google TV smart platform. Again, while Roku is our favorite, Google TV is a fast, flexible, convenient platform that outshines a lot of first-party smart platform attempts. You’ll be set up and ready to stream pretty quickly with this Hisense.
If you do want to hook up a game console to it, it’s got HDMI 2.1 ports for 4K gaming at 120 Hz, VRR, ALLM, FreeSync Premium Pro, and more.
There are definitely stronger TVs out there. It can’t match the black levels, image quality, or wide viewing angles of an OLED TV. However, its combination of mini LEDs and quantum dots gives you a strong picture at a more affordable price range than an OLED. All in all, it’s a great value.
