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Cyber Monday 2018 best TV deals: $100 off the 65-inch TCL 6 series, now $799

CNET's favorite TV of 2018 is now $100 cheaper for the 65-inch size. As Cyber Monday winds up, it might be time to finally pull the trigger.

David Katzmaier Editorial Director -- Personal Tech
David reviews TVs and leads the Personal Tech team at CNET, covering mobile, software, computing, streaming and home entertainment. We provide helpful, expert reviews, advice and videos on what gadget or service to buy and how to get the most out of it.
Expertise A 20-year CNET veteran, David has been reviewing TVs since the days of CRT, rear-projection and plasma. Prior to CNET he worked at Sound & Vision magazine and eTown.com. He is known to two people on Twitter as the Cormac McCarthy of consumer electronics. Credentials
  • Although still awaiting his Oscar for Best Picture Reviewer, David does hold certifications from the Imaging Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Standards and Technology on display calibration and evaluation.
David Katzmaier
10 min read
screen-shot-2018-11-01-at-12-03-43-pm

Our favorite TV of the year, the TCL 6 series, is on sale for $800 for the 65-inch size. And you can buy it right now.

Target/BestBlackFriday.com

Update Tuesday November 27, 2018: Black Friday and Cyber Monday 2018 are over, and all of the featured deals on this page are either sold out or pricing has returned to previous levels. This article will not be further updated.

As of this writing some deals are still available, but if you're looking to buy a new TV now, the best place to start is our lists of Best TVs.


If you've been waiting to get the best price on a new TV that's actually good, Cyber Monday continues to deliver its very final hours, though you will find plenty of deals coming to an end.

We're still bullish on the 65-inch TCL 6 series, our favorite TV for the money of 2018, which remains at its lowest price ever until the clock ticks over to Tuesday: $799 at Best Buy. That's $100 off its low-low-low Black Friday price. 

The only sets we've reviewed that significantly outperform the TCL 6 series are OLED models ($$$) and higher-end LCDs like the Vizio P-Series Quantum (sold out, see below).

We've got all the deals from the final hours covered below, so if you're in the market for another size or brand and picture quality isn't at the top of your must-have list, there's plenty for you, too.

Updated: Deals and availability confirmed on Monday, Nov. 26 at 8:15 p.m. PT.

Watch this: Don't waste your money on these Black Friday TV deals (The 3:59, Ep. 492)

We'll be highlighting not only the cheapest TVs we find -- the infamous in-store-only "doorbusters" that were designed to get you to the retailer Friday morning -- but also deals on TVs we actually recommend. Before we get to the deals, here's what you need to know.

  • This update is current as of Monday, Nov. 26 at 8:15 p.m. PT.
  • It incorporates the sale information from Amazon, Best Buy, Walmart, Target, Costco, Sam's Club, BJ's, Dell, Shopko, Meijer, JCPenney, Belk and Samsung.com.
  • Deal availability varies per store, and links to specific TVs at stores might not show the Black Friday 2018 price until the sale starts.
  • CNET may get a share of revenue from the sale of the products featured below.

Best TVs to give for the holidays 2018

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Alright, let's get to it.

Best deals on TVs that are actually good

We're gonna start with the best of the best. These are the best prices on TVs we've actually reviewed, or TVs we know enough about to solidly recommend for the price. 

Sarah Tew/CNET

Store: Best Buy

Availability: Online and in-store now.

This is most likely the best price you'll get for TCL's superb 65R615. This model is exclusive to Best Buy but basically identical to the one we named our favorite TV for the money in 2018. You simply can't get a picture this good for any less, and the awesome Roku TV operating system is sweet icing on the cake.

What makes it better than other TVs? Full-array local dimming, or FALD. This features goes further than any other for improving LCD image quality, and this TCL outperforms other FALD-equipped TV at the price and cheaper, as well as trouncing non-FALD TVs -- including entry-level Samsungs and LGs on sale everywhere for Black Friday.

According to TCL: "This sale will only be valid today at BestBuy.com and at Best Buy stores across the U.S until midnight CT online and until stores close, while supplies last."

Read the CNET review.

Although it didn't get a big Cyber Monday discount, the smaller version of the 6 series is still a great value.

Take everything we said about the 65-incher and shrink it down to the 55-inch size -- this is still the best TV for the money, period. If you want voice the voice remote, however, that version is available at Amazon for $30 more.

Read the CNET review.

Sarah Tew/CNET

Store: Target, Best Buy, Costco, Sam's Club

Availability: Sold out online

This is probably the best price on the best TV all year. Only available in a 65-inch size, the Quantum delivers image quality that's better than the TCL above. In fact it's the next-best thing to OLED TVs. And since OLED sets aren't seeing steep discounts this year, this is the best deal for videophiles on a budget -- if it's in-stock.

Availability note: Originally this sale was $1,400 and Costco only (search Costco.com for "PQ65-F" to find it) but it's also available at Target and Best Buy for $1,500 and Sam's Club for $1,600. As of Monday Nov. 26, it's out of stock online everywhere.

In a statement emailed to CNET, Vizio says: "We will continue to ship more supply for the PQ65-F1 for the Holidays and readers can check back for availability at retailers such as BestBuy.com, Costco, Costco.com and Samsclub.com." So keep trying those other links or call your local store -- maybe stock will return.

Read the CNET review.

Sarah Tew/CNET

Store: Costco and Sam's Club

Availability: Online and in-store for Sam's Club, in-store only for Costco through Nov. 26

At this size I still recommend paying the TCL 6 series but if you're a club store member, the M is still a great TV. 

Read the CNET review.

Sarah Tew/CNET

We called the E-Series the cheapest home-theater-worthy TV, in large part because it's the least-expensive with full-array local dimming -- a feature that goes further than any other for improving LCD picture quality. It definitely outperforms the TCL TVs (except the 6 series) and also trounces a lot of the entry-level Samsung and LG TVs found below.

Deals and sizes are available now at numerous retailers, but BestBuy.com seems to have the most in stock.

43-inch for $310

55-inch for $430

65-inch for $630

70-inch for $750

It's also worth mentioning that the cheaper D-Series is on sale at numerous outlets, but image quality won't be as good on that set since it lacks local dimming. The best alternative is the TCL S405 series.

Read the CNET review.

Watch this: Vizio E series is picture-quality king of the budget TVs

So what about those other Black Friday/Cyber Monday TV sales?

The fact is that most TVs on sale for Black Friday/Cyber Monday fall into two distinct categories: 

  • Dirt-cheap sets from unknown or older brands (Element, Westinghouse, Magnavox, Polaroid)
  • Entry-level or one-off ("special purchase") sets from popular brands like Samsung, LG, Sony and Vizio

We don't review any of the former category and very few of the latter so we can't recommend them directly. That said we don't expect any of the to outperform the Vizio E series or the TCL 6 series above, and in many cases they'll cost more. In other words, in the latter case you're often paying extra just for a brand name.

Meanwhile the better, higher-end name-brand sets we do review are also on sale, but they're not nearly as cheap as these entry-level models.

All of that said, if you're OK taking a flyer on a cheap TV, or you really want a Samsung, Sony or LG instead of a Vizio or a TCL, there are plenty of other sale prices to be had. Here's a selection.

Cheapest Black Friday, Cyber Monday TVs (that aren't necessarily good deals)

Note: This buying advice and the links within are from earlier Black Friday deals which may no longer be available.

Below you'll find the cheapest TVs we found for Black Friday, regardless of whether we recommend them or not. While a few are available online, many are classic doorbusters -- in-store only during the store's Black Friday sale, available only in limited quantities.

We picked the TVs on the list below from a much larger collection of pretty much every Black Friday TV 2018 TV sale price (aside from Amazon, which isn't available yet), painstakingly created by the folks at BestBlackFriday.com -- many store links go to the deal details there. If you want to see all of the TVs, here's the whole magilla in a Google Spreadsheet.

157 Black Friday 2018 TV sales by size and $ per square inch

Note that upper price range sale prices actually go higher for each screen size, but we cut it off at the cheapest major-brand sets, typically Samsung and LG. Some of these deals will only be available in stores, so you may not see the same prices listed online.

32-inch TVs: $80

  • Target, Shopko and Belk have 32-inch TVs for $80. Only Target lists a brand name: Polaroid, but it is only available in-store.
walmart-40inch-hisense-tv-matt

By cost per screen area, this Hisense at Walmart is the single cheapest TV we've ever seen.

Walmart

39- and 40-inch TVs: $100 to $130

  • Walmart has a 40-inch 1080p Hisense TV for $100. As far as we know this is the cheapest TV of the year so far at $0.14 per square inch of screen. That's also cheaper by area than any 2017 Black Friday TV we tracked. 
  • Target has a 40-inch 1080p Westinghouse for $125.
  • Best Buy has a 39-inch Insignia and midwestern supercenter chain Meijer has a 40-inch Element, both for $130.

43-inch TVs: $130 to $280

  • Best Buy's crazy 43-inch Fire TV deal, highlighted above, is the only 43-inch TV under $200. It, and every other 43-inch and larger TV on this list, is 4K resolution, but the extra pixels are irrelevant at this screen size and definitely not worth paying extra for.
  • The next-cheapest is a Westinghouse at $200, available from East Coast and Ohio wholesale club BJ's.
  • None of the other deals beat the regular price of our favorite 43-inch TV, the TCL 43S30 ($220 right now). 
  • They include an LG 43UK6090 at Meijer ($220), the same TV at BJ's ($260), Sam's Club, Amazon and Target ($270), as well the Samsung NU6900/6950 (all $280) at Best Buy, BJ's, Costco, Meijer and Target.

49- and 50-inch TVs: $200 to $330

  • The cheapest in this range is a 49-inch Polaroid with Chromecast built-in for $199, courtesy of Shopko, a superstore with branches in about half of the states in the US The catch? This price is only after a mail-in rebate.
  • Prices increase incrementally from there, with an Element TV at Meijer ($220), a Westinghouse at Target ($230 -- listed as out of stock as of Friday 23. Nov, 3 a.m PT), a Philips at Target ($250 -- listed as out of stock as of Friday 23. Nov, 3 a.m PT), a Sharp at BJ's ($270) and that Insignia Fire TV at Best Buy mentioned above ($280). Costco also has a TCL Roku TV, model 50S423, for $280.
  • And then there's the Samsung, model NU6900/NU6950 ($330), available at BJ's, Best Buy, Target and Shopko (listed as out of stock at BJ's and Target as of Friday Nov. 23, 3 a.m PT). 
screen-shot-2018-11-13-at-2-29-26-pm
Target

55-inch TVs: $200 to $400

  • There are more 55-inch TVs for sale this Black Friday than any other size, and this is also where the second-cheapest price per screen lives. Both Target and Meijer have a 55-inch Element TVs for $200, clocking in at just $0.15 per square inch of screen -- the second-best of Black Friday. Better yet, the Meijer is a Roku TV. (Target is listing this item as discontinued for shipping online as of Friday NOv. 23, 3 a.m PT, but it may still be available in store.)
  • Roku TVs are also available for $250 from other retailers. Best Buy has a Sharp LC-55LBU591U (in-store only) while Walmart rocks a Hisense 55R6000E (the sale price for this item is no longer listed online). 
  • Shopko tempt shoppers with a Polaroid for $300, but it's a tough sell for $50 more sans Roku, and again you'll need to mail in to get the rebate.
  • Samsung's NU6900 series is at it again, priced at $400 in pretty much every store: Best Buy, Dell, Meijer, Shopko, Target and Walmart (as of Friday 23. Nov, 3 a.m PT listed as out of stock at Target and Dell, Walmart showing as in-store only). LG is charging the same price for the UK6090 series at Sam's Club.

65-inch TVs: $400 to $650

  • There are a few 58- and 60-inch TV deals, but their price per inch falls well short of the best 65-inch TV prices, so we're ignoring them here. 
  • The best prices at this size come courtesy of the $400 Roku (at Walmart) and Amazon Fire TV Edition (at Meijer) sets noted above. From there prices go to $530 for a Philips at BJ's.
  • The next price tier is $600, occupied by the Samsung UN65NU6070 at Best Buy as well as a bunch of LG 65UK6090PUA sets sold by Sam's Club, Costco, Dell and Meijer.
  • Finally there's the $650 Samsung 65NU6950, sold by the folks at BJ's, Costco, Samsung.com, Shopko and Target.

70-, 75-, 82- and 86-inch TVs: $700 to $2,500

  • Every TV in this size range, with the exception of the $730 Vizio E70-F3 at Costco highlighted above, is from either LG or Samsung, and only at a handful of stores.
  • The cheapest is the 70-inch LG 70UK6190PUB at Best Buy for $700 (ended).
  • Best Buy also has a 75-inch LG from the same series, model 75UK6190PUB, for $1000. 
  • The 75-incher from Samsung is $1,200, model 75NU6950/6900, available at BJ'sBest Buy and Samsung.com. That's a relatively hefty $0.50 per square inch, if you're keeping track.
  • The 82-inch Samsung UN82NU800D jumps up to $2,500 -- a substantial increase to $0.86 per square inch -- at BJ'sCostco and Best Buy.
  • Not big enough for ya? LG's 86-inch 86UK6570AUA costs the same $2,500 ($0.79 per square inch) at Sam's Club, BJ's and Costco.

That's it for the Black Friday/Cyber Monday TV deals we've found so far. Check back for updates as we uncover more.

Cyber Monday 2018 deals in each category

Cyber Monday 2018 deals by store

Cyber Monday 2018: CNET's complete coverage