I test TVs for a living — here’s what I’d buy for $500, $1,000 and $2,000 in 2026
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When readers, acquaintances and friends ask me to put over a decade of TV knowledge to good use and to help them shop for a new screen, I’m often given one of three budgets: $500, $1,000 and $2,000.
Yes, there are plenty of TVs cheaper than $500. There’s also an entire classification of ultra-premium sets — including many of the best OLED TVs — above $2,000. However, setting aside the super-cheap sets and the luxurious, top-tier TVs, you can still find most of the best TVs within the $500 to $2,000 mark.
With this in mind, let’s run through a little thought experiment: You come to me and ask me for help buying a TV within these three budgets, and I lay down some hip, up-to-date advice about which models I think make the most sense as a living room upgrade.
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$500: Hisense U6SF Pro (55 inches)
$500 is one of the most popular price points for shoppers embarking on a budget-oriented search for a new TV. It’s just above the ultra-affordable, $300 benchmark while not tipping into the lower end of the mid-range tier.
As such, I’m looking for a TV whose performance is also just above the ultra-affordable class. While $200 or $300 will net you a perfectly cromulent screen, I’ve found that folks shopping with a $500 expect a bit more when it comes to picture quality and features — and rightfully so.
If someone cut me a check for five hundred bucks and told me to come back with the best deal right now, I’d pick the Hisense U6SF Pro. We’re still in the process of evaluating this set, but having seen the test results and the TV itself in action, I’m confident that it’s among the best options at this price point.
As the “Pro” designation suggests, this TV is built around Mini-LED backlighting, which is great to have on hand for $500. With Mini-LEDs in tow, the U6SF Pro offers a peak brightness between 1,200 and 1,400 nits (depending on content and picture mode). That means it’s plenty bright enough for both daytime viewing and movie nights.
Unlike most super-affordable, entry-level sets, the U6SF Pro comes with a couple of HDMI 2.1 inputs (out of four total) and supports 4K gaming at 120Hz (and up to 144Hz with VRR). Just note: You’ll have to settle for 55 inches to get under the $500 mark.
$1,000: TCL QM7L (55 inches)
Another number people throw at me when asking for TV-shopping advice is $1,000. If you’re comfortable spending up to a grand on a living room upgrade right now, your list of options expands greatly.
If you slide me a sack of a thousand bucks and hire me to buy an all-around fantastic TV for your home, I’m coming back with the 55-inch TCL QM7L, one of the year’s best mid-range TVs.
The QM7L is one of just a handful of TVs to sport TCL’s brand-new, Super Quantum Dot (SQD) display technology. SQD tech enhances range of color on a Mini-LED display to, in some cases, levels we used to only measure on quantum dot-enhanced OLED TVs.
What I love about the QM7L is that, according to our lab tests, it delivers roughly the same color volume we measured on the flagship-level TCL QM8L. The latter is significantly brighter in HDR, but the QM7L is no slouch in the brightness department, either.
The 55-inch version of the QM7L is on sale for just a hair under $1,000. For my money, it’s one of the most value-forward TVs of the year.
$2,000: Sony Bravia 7 II (65 inches)
For $2,000, you’re opening up the door to some remarkable-looking, cinematic pictures. As your theoretical personal shopper, I might have some further questions for you about how and when you might use your new $2,000 TV, but the Sony Bravia 7 II will be one of the top picks for the job nine times out of ten.
Unlike the TCL QM7L, which taps TCL’s proprietary SQD technology for brighter, bolder color, the Bravia 7 II leverages Sony’s True RGB technology — the brand’s spin on RGB LED backlighting.
While flagship-level RGB LED TVs often crest the $3,000-mark, Sony’s step-down model is significantly cheaper. However, in many ways, it punches well above its relatively reasonable price tag. It’s not quite as bright as Sony’s top-tier TV for 2026 (the Bravia 9 II), but it offers a comparable range of color and a similar set of features as the higher-end model.
Look, I have to be honest: For $2,000, it was tempting to come back from the store with a brand-new OLED TV like the 65-inch LG C6 OLED. But while there are multiple mid-range OLED TVs worth buying this year, a TV with the bright, punchy performance profile of the Bravia 7 II is a safer bet for a wider swath of shoppers.
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