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The 6 Best TVs to Give for the Holidays 2023

The holidays are here, and a new TV gift could make someone feel special.

David_Katzmaier.jpg
David_Katzmaier.jpg
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.
thumbnail-lord-sarah-268-ret2-reel
thumbnail-lord-sarah-268-ret2-reel
Sarah Lord Writer
Sarah Lord covers TVs and home entertainment. Prior to joining CNET, Sarah served as the tech and electronic reviews fellow at Insider, where she wrote about everything from smart watches and wearables to tablets and e-readers. She began her career by writing laptop reviews as an intern and subsequent freelancer at Tom's Hardware. She is also a professional actor with many credits in theater, film and television.
Expertise TVs, Home Entertainment, Streaming, Computers Credentials
  • Member of Screen Actors Guild and Actors Equity Association
David Katzmaier
Sarah Lord
4 min read
$248 at Walmart
01-tcl-s325-s425-series
TCL 4-Series Roku TV
Best TV to give for everyone
See at Woot
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Sponsored - Samsung and LG TVs
Up to 63% off Samsung and LG TVs at Woot.
$329 at B&H Photo-Video
Vizio V-Series on a TV stand
Vizio V-series
Best TV to give runner-up
$380 at Best Buy
Roku TV
Roku Plus Series
Best midpriced smart TV gift
$700 at Best Buy
HiSense 65u 8K TV
Hisense U8K
Best high-performance TV gift
$900 at Best Buy
TCL 65QM850G TV
TCL QM8
Best big-screen TV gift
$1,300 at LG
The 2023 LG C3 OLED TV
LG OLED C3
Best high-end TV gift

The holiday season is upon us, which means it's the perfect opportunity to buy a new TV for that special someone (or, let's face it, yourself). A quality TV can be a costly gift, but the joy it can bring your recipient is well worth it. And the best part is that TV prices start falling in the weeks before Black Friday. In fact, there are some early TV deals and discounts you can take advantage of right now. 

Now comes the tough part -- figuring out which is the best TV. CNET is here to help. After extensive testing in our hands-on TV lab, we've rounded up a selection of models that offer great value and will make the best TV gifts this season. 

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Sarah Tew/CNET

There are more expensive TVs listed below, but the affordable TCL 4-Series Roku TV will make both the gift-giver and the recipient happy. Its picture quality was only a slight step behind the Vizio V-Series (below) in our budget TV test, and the differences between the two are slight enough that you'd really have to have them set up side by side to notice anything at all. 

The 4-Series lacks the Dolby Vision, Bluetooth connectivity and AMD FreeSync with a variable refresh rate, all of which the Vizio offers. The 4-Series' advantage over the Vizio is that it comes with the excellent Roku Smart TV system built in. That makes it a great choice for those looking for a one-stop smart TV solution, without having to add an external streaming device. 

We reviewed the S455 series but other variants, including the S451 and S452, should be basically the same according to their specifications. The price shown here is for the 55-inch size.

time-for-a-tv-upgrade-woot.png
Woot

Needing a TV upgrade in time for the holidays? Now's the time. Get a great deal on a new Samsung or LG TV, from $418 to $2,500, only at Woot.

Vizio V-Series on a TV stand
David Katzmaier

When we compared the best budget TVs side by side, the picture quality of Vizio V-Series clearly emerged as the leader of the pack. The Vizio offered the most balanced and accurate picture during our comparisons, and it comes with some useful extras such as Dolby Vision support, Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth compatibility and variable refresh rate for potentially smoother gaming. The biggest downside of the Vizio is its smart TV platform, Vizio SmartCast. It's crowded, slow and littered with ads for platforms such as Tubi and Kidoodle TV. Even when you factor in the cost of adding a new streaming device, however, the V-Series remains the best overall entry-level TV that we tested. 

The price shown here is for the 50-inch size.

Roku TV
Josh Goldman/CNET

If you're looking to spend a little more on a TV gift in 2023, the Plus Series is a great starting point. Unlike the TCL Roku TV higher on this list, this one is all Roku, with no other brands on board. It adds a couple of step-up extras, including QLED and full-array local dimming, which help deliver a better picture than the TCL 4-Series, for example. And of course, it offers the simple Roku system that will make your gift recipient's streaming as pain-free as possible.

The price shown here is for the 55-inch model.

Read our TCL 6-Series (2022 Roku TV) review.

HiSense 65u 8K TV
David Katzmaier

The Hisense U8K has spectacular image quality that's handily outperforms any of the cheaper TVs on this list, so it's sure to please the image quality stickler on your list. It also includes all of the high-end gaming extras that Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5 fans have come to expect, including 4K/120Hz input and VRR. Sure it's a hefty price for a gift, but it's still more affordable than the high-end options.

The price shown here is for the 55-inch size.

Read full review.

TCL 65QM850G TV
David Katzmaier/CNET

The TCL QM8 didn't perform quite as well as the LG C3 OLED, but if you want to give the gift of a gigantic screen, it's our top pick. This mini-LED based TV has amazing image quality thanks to a bright image, making it our favorite TV overall for 2023. Its smallest size is 65 inches, and it's also available in massive screens all the way up to 98 inches. That's a lot of wrapping paper.

The price shown below is for the 65-inch size.

The 2023 LG C3 OLED TV
Josh Goldman/CNET

OK, let's be honest. Most people who are buying an OLED TV as a gift have only one recipient in mind: themselves. And if that's you, we're not going to judge. The LG C3 OLED is an incredible gift no matter who receives it, with top-notch image quality, excellent features and all the sleek styling you could ask for.

The price shown below is for the 55-inch size.

Other stuff to know about giving a new TV for the 2023 holidays

We're sure you'd be happy with any one of the TVs above, but a new set can be a big investment, so maybe you're looking for a bit more information. Here's a quick and dirty list.

  • In our opinion, bigger is better. In general, your money is best spent on large screen sizes rather than a slight upgrade in image quality.
  • If you don't like the built-in smart TV system, you can always add a streaming device from Roku, Amazon, Google or Apple. They're generally cheap and easy to use for streaming services -- and they receive updates more frequently than most smart TVs. See our picks of the best streaming device for 2023.
  • The sound quality of most built-in speakers is terrible, so it's worthwhile to pair your new set with a sound bar or other speaker system. Good ones start at around $100. See our picks for the best soundbar for 2023.