15 Great Prime Day Deals on TVs and Soundbars

You may be spending a lot of time outside this summer, but now is actually a fantastic time to buy a new TV. The newest models are just starting to get out to stores, which means you can find super deals on older (and still great-looking!) screens. And thanks to Amazon’s annual Prime Day event, there are plenty on sale. We’ve rounded up all the best deals on TVs, below.

Updated July 13: We’ve crossed out the Toshiba M550 (55-Inch), Hisense U8G (55-Inch), and LG NanoCell 80 Series (55-Inch) because they’ve either sold out or gone up in price. We also added the Vizio M-Series Quantum 55-Inch and LG HU85LA Projector, plus several streaming sticks and soundbars. 

The WIRED Gear team tests products year-round. We sorted through hundreds of thousands of deals by hand to make these picks. Crossed out products are out of stock or no longer discounted. Our Amazon Prime Day coverage page has the latest stories, and our Prime Day Shopping Tips will help you avoid bad deals. You can also get a 1-year subscription to WIRED for $5 here

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TV Deals

Read our Best TVs and Best Soundbars guides for more recommendations, as well as our tips on getting the most out of your home theater.

TCL 6 Series

Photograph: TCL

The TCL 6-Series (55-inch) is our favorite TV for most people (9/10, WIRED Recommends), but it’s currently sold out. But the larger, 65-inch version is still in stock. It packs a quantum dot panel that offers up bright colors, plus local dimming zones for deeper blacks, Micro-LED backlighting, so you get really great contrast too, and a built-in Roku interface for easy navigation. 

It’s a small deal, but this TCL also features quantum dot technology, which makes colors pop more than traditional LED displays. Pair that with Google TV built in, and you’ll be able to watch any of the major streaming services in high fidelity with ease (and ask Google Assistant anything). Don’t let the price fool you: You’re getting exceptional value.

This one is slightly smaller than the TCL above, and it’s Hisense’s entry-level option. We have not tested this exact model yet, but we do like many of the Hisense TVs we’ve tried. You get Dolby Vision High Dynamic Range support (better colors), and Amazon Fire TV is built in as the primary interface. You can always use another streaming stick if you’d prefer Roku or another.

Hisense U8G

Photograph: Hisense

Here’s another one that Amazon doesn’t want you to know is a deal (for some reason). This is one of the lowest prices we’ve tracked on this TV, and it’s the lowest compared to all the retailers it’s sold at. The U8G (8/10, WIRED Recommends) looks elegant and has an Android TV interface, and the stand is raised enough that you can fit a soundbar underneath. It has a 120-Hz screen refresh rate (with AMD FreeSync support), so it’s a great budget option for gamers. 

LG’s proprietary NanoCell technology gives this model deeper blacks and better lighting than many similarly priced screens, and we like that the feet on the screen are a few inches away from the edges, which makes it fit better on furniture. Another benefit to this model is LG’s magic remote, which allows you to point and click at apps and the keyboard as if it’s an old-school Wii remote.

The M-Series Quantum 55-inch (8/10, WIRED Recommends) is a great mid-range TV. It has an improved Smartcast interface (which makes it easier to cast tabs from cell phones and laptops), solid gaming performance, and excellent contrast thanks to its local dimming technology. It’s a wonderful option if you’re looking for something under $1,000.

If you need a smaller TV for your kitchen, bedroom, or other compact space, this Android TV from TCL is a decent choice. It even has Google Assistant built in, so you can use it to set timers, play music, and get sports scores without finding the remote. 

Big and Pretty TVs

LG C1 OLED

Photograph: LG

A screen this massive at this price? Not to mention the fact that it’s an OLED panel! Truly, this is a spectacular deal. Organic LED means that each pixel acts as its own backlight, which means positively epic black levels and contrast. Pair that with a 120-Hz refresh rate, with Google Assistant and Alexa built in, and you’ve got yourself one heck of a home cinema. The equally excellent 65-inch version is on sale for $1,697 ($49 off)

This deal is for Prime members only (and availability seems to vary based on your location). It’s rare to find good 55-inch TVs from reputable brands at this price, so this is a great option for anyone who wants to spend as little as possible but wants a large screen. It comes with Amazon’s Fire TV interface built in and full-array local dimming for solid black levels.

This is arguably the prettiest TV on this list, though you’ll need a really long TV stand, since the legs stick out at the very edges (unless you wall-mount it). It’s yet another OLED panel, so you’re getting vivid colors and inky blacks, and there’s an Android TV interface.

Technically not a TV, but capable of creating a big, pretty picture all the same, this short throw projector from LG is the total package in one box. It can project up to a 120-inch screen while still sitting as close to the wall as your typical TV does now. It also includes a built-in soundbar, LG’s smart TV interface, and support for Google Assistant or Alexa. Given how little else you have to buy for this projector, it’s almost a reasonable price.

Soundbar Deals

Samsung HW-Q950A

Photograph: Samsung

This flagship soundbar from Samsung (8/10, WIRED Recommends) has an impressive 11.1.4 speaker array, which includes two satellites, a subwoofer, and the bar itself. It’s an excellent option for people who want robust sound and have a big budget, but don’t have the space for traditional speaker systems.

It might not be all that common for a soundbar to double as a streaming video device, but with Roku’s Streambar, it makes perfect sense. It’s an inexpensive sound system that also includes a Roku streaming player built in—one less gadget you have to buy.

If you love deep, thundering bass—and hate your neighbors—then this soundbar from Nakamichi is our bassiest pick. It comes with two massive subwoofers, as well as a set of satellite speakers that give it a highly accurate system. It also supports all the major object-based surround sound formats, including Dolby Atmos and DTS:X.

Streaming Device Deals

Roku Streaming Stick 4K

Photograph: Roku

This Roku streaming stick is one of our favorites thanks to its voice remote, and support for Dolby Vision HDR. It’s one of the cheapest way to upgrade to a better smart TV setup than the one that probably came with your TV.

The Roku Ultra is the Roku device to turn to if you want the fastest, most responsive experience around. It has dual-band Wi-Fi, a powerful processor, and even an Ethernet port if you want to get the best bandwidth possible. The remote also includes a rechargeable battery, though if you don’t care about that feature, the 2021 model is also on sale for $70.

Google’s had ups and downs with its TV offerings, but the Chromecast with Google TV (8/10, WIRED Recommends) is one of its best efforts. Google finally gave the Chromecast a physical remote, plus an intuitive interface with handy voice controls. It doesn’t have much storage space, but it makes up for it by making it trivially easy to search across most major streaming services.

Amazon is more aggressive about promoting its own products like Prime Video on its streaming stick devices than most other companies. If you’re heavily invested in the Amazon ecosystem, then that might be a benefit, in which case this Fire TV Stick is our top pick for you. Otherwise, a Roku or Chromecast might offer a better balance of streaming services.

Source

Author: showrunner