These are Amazon's 16 best-selling TVs—but should you buy them?
It's fine to buy a TV online, as long as you buy a good one!
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Getty Images | franckreporter
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It's 2018, and online shopping is many people's go-to choice for acquiring things: groceries, gadgets, gardening supplies—almost anything you can think of! But what about TVs? Bigger and thinner than ever, TVs might seem like the kind of big-ticket, slightly fragile item you'd have to buy at a brick-and-mortar retailer like Best Buy or Wal-Mart.
But that's not the case: Amazon has dozens of best-selling TVs listed, many with thousands of customer reviews. Plus, almost all of the hundreds (if not thousands) of TVs Reviewed has tested over the years have been shipped to us, and 99% of them arrived without a scratch. It's safe to say the only drawback to buying a TV online is waiting for it to arrive.
Especially if you're a Prime member, it's probably tempting to check out Amazon's "Best-Selling Televisions" list and buy the biggest, cheapest thing you can house. But just because buying a TV on Amazon is a safe bet doesn't mean that all of these best-sellers are actually good TVs. Here's the scoop.
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#1 49-inch TCL S Series (2017)
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What It Is: 49-inch 4K HDR Roku TV
What It Costs: $319.99
What It Scored: 7.3 — read our review
Should You Buy It: Yes! TCL is building a strong track record for good picture quality, and the built-in Roku platform is almost always a winning addition.
You won't get impressive HDR here, but think of that as a bonus on top of your very affordable 49-inch 4K TV.
#2 40-inch TCL S Series (2017)
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What It Is: 40-inch 1080p Roku TV
What It Costs: $199.99
What It Scored: 7.3 — read our review
Should You Buy It: Yes! This is the 40-inch version of the #1 selling TV. You're saving $120 and losing nine inches of screen real estate, 4K resolution, and HDR compatibility.
If you can't go bigger than 40 inches, or just really don't want to spend much, this TV should be just as good as the 49-inch version.
#3 32-inch TCL S Series (2017)
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What It Is: 32-inch 4K HDR Roku TV
What It Costs: $129.99
What It Scored: 7.3 — read our review
Should You Buy It: Again, this is the TCL S Series, just in a smaller size. A lot of people enjoy a smaller 32-inch TV for their first TV purchase, or for a dorm or bedroom.
Like the other sizes in this series, it's a perfectly good TV. Just note that this isn't 4K or even 1080p resolution, it's 720p, so it might not be a great choice for modern game consoles.
#4 Toshiba 50-inch Fire TV – Limited Edition
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What It Is: 50-inch 4K HDR Amazon Fire TV
What It Costs: $399.99
What It Scored: A similar product scored a 6.1 — read our review
Should You Buy It: Maybe. This one is a bit tricky to quantify because we didn't review this exact model, but we did review a very similar 50-inch Westinghouse Amazon Fire TV at the beginning of the year.
For $400, getting a 50-inch 4K/HDR/smart TV feels like a good deal, but we found that while the built-in Amazon Fire TV platform was great, especially for Prime members, the picture quality was pretty meh. Toshiba used to make solid TVs, however, so this one is a "maybe."
#5 28-inch TCL S Series (2017)
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What It Is: 28-inch 720p Roku TV
What It Costs: $119.99
What It Scored: 7.3 — read our review
Should You Buy It: Maybe. This is the same TCL S Series we've been recommending, and it should be fine if you don't mind 720p resolution.
However, unless you just truly need something tiny, why not spend TEN DOLLARS more on the 32-inch version?
That's like $2.50 an inch.
#6 is a refurb of #3 and costs the same — pass
#7 43-inch TCL S Series (2017)
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What It Is: 43-inch 1080p Roku TV
What It Costs: $229.99
What It Scored: 7.3 — read our review
Should You Buy It: Maybe—again, this is a TCL S Series from 2017, and it should generally be a satisfactory TV as affordable LED TVs go.
However, for not a ton more money (about $90), you not only get a bigger screen, you get 4K resolution and HDR compatibility. It's more money, but it's also a better investment overall.
#8 is the 55-inch TCL S Series, and is currently unavailable, but is a good choice when it's back in stock.
#9 32-inch Sceptre 720p TV
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What It Is: 32-inch 720p LED TV
What It Costs: $114.78
What It Scored: N/A
Should You Buy It: No!
While it might be tempting to get a 32-inch TV for this Sceptre's current price of $115, it's just not worth it. This TV almost certainly exists to fulfill the mass quantity needs of hotels and motels.
You don't get any smart features, and from the Sceptre TVs I've reviewed before, I'm pretty certain the picture quality just doesn't cut it either. Spend slightly more on something like the 32-inch TCL S Series.
#10 55-inch TCL 4K HDR Roku TV (2018)
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What It Is: 55-inch 4K HDR Roku TV
What It Costs: $479.99
What It Scored: 7.5 — read our review
Should You Buy It: Yes! The TCL 5 Series is the 2018 version of last year's S Series, and it's simply a slightly better version of that reliable product.
This still isn't a top-of-the-line HDR TV, but it's better than the 2017 model, and for what you're paying it's a really good value.
In fact, TCL's 5 Series is probably one of the better values of 2018—at least amongst Amazon's Vizio-less selection.
#11 50-inch Sceptre 1080p TV
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What It Is: 50-inch 1080p LED TV
What It Costs: $199.99
What It Scored: N/A
Should You Buy It: Unless you're super strapped for cash, probably not.
This is a bare-bones $200 50-inch TV. It doesn't have any frills, but it also doesn't have hardly any reviews. Of the 10 reviews on Amazon, 40% of them are 3 stars or lower.
And simply put, there's simply no way this TV actually looks or sounds good. It might be palatable if you don't have a standard by which to judge it, but if you're at all concerned about accurate-looking or high quality movie/TV experiences, be prepared to spend a little more.
#12 55-inch TCL 6 Series (2018)
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What It Is: 55-inch 4K HDR Roku TV
What It Costs: $649.99
What It Scored: 9.3 — read our review
Should You Buy It: Yes!
This is one of the best values of 2018. TCL's 6 Series is an excellent choice, especially if you're passionate about AV things. It's a great HDR set that gets bright and colorful enough to produce impressive HDR images (and is the only TV in the top 12 Amazon best-sellers to do so, to boot).
The 6 Series is a lot more expensive than many of the, ahem, bottom feeder types on Amazon's best-seller list, but it's also the most respectable TV on the list so far.
#13 49-inch TCL S Series (2017)
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What It Is: 49-inch 1080p Roku TV
What It Costs: $299.99
What It Scored: 7.3 — read our review
Should You Buy It: No!
This is a 49-inch 2017 TCL like the #1 seller, but it isn't 4K or HDR, so you're saving money, but buying a TV that's basically already obsolete.
Considering you can get the 49-inch 4K/HDR model for like $20 more, there's zero reason to ever buy this version instead.
#14 24-inch LG Smart TV (2016)
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What It Is: 24-inch 720p Smart TV
What It Costs: $146.99
What It Scored: N/A
Should You Buy It: No!
DOUBLE no!
Why would you pay $150 for this when you could pay $130 for a larger, newer TV? How this is a best-seller escapes me.
#15 43-inch LG 4K Smart TV (2018)
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What It Is: 43-inch 4K Smart TV
What It Costs: $345.90
What It Scored: N/A
Should You Buy It: Maybe.
LG makes very good OLED TVs, but we find the company's LED TVs to sometimes be hit or miss. I'd expect most buyers to enjoy this TV's bright, crisp 4K picture, but LG's IPS paneled LED TVs often don't produce the best black levels, leaving them with a somewhat shallow contrst.
However, if you aren't planning to watch in a dimmer or dark environment, you might not notice the less appealing contrast. But you could also spend about $120 less on the 43-inch TCL S Series, which uses a VA panel and will have better contrast—you also get the Roku platform.
#16 65-inch TCL 6 Series
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What It Is: 65-inch 4K HDR Roku TV
What It Costs: $999
What It Scored: 9.3 — read our review
Should You Buy It: Yes!
This is the larger TCL 6 Series, one of our top values in future-facing TVs this year. The 65-inch 6 Series is one of the most impressive TVs you can find at this price, and has been creating a buzz in the AV enthusiast community all year.
Obviously, if you're more interesting in saving money than getting a TV that imitates the $2,500 sets for $1,000, this isn't as appealing. But if you want a taste of top-of-the-line, the 6 Series is an excellent choice.