Amazon Prime Day 2024 is fast approaching, and if you’re one of the many people primed – see what I did there – to get a new TV, you may be eagerly wondering which models to keep an eye on.
This is a tricky question for many buyers as, while Prime Day isn’t quite as frenzied as Black Friday, there are always more deals than can easily be counted.
Adding to the complexity, Prime Day also falls right when that year’s new models are just going on sale, and the first batch of reviews for them have started going live. That’s certainly been the case this year with our reviewers having just delivered their definitive verdicts on key sets including the LG C4, LG G4 and Samsung S95D, which all earned perfect scores.
This makes it all too easy to fall into the trap of turning into a new TV magpie and only looking at the latest models – which based on my experience covering every Prime Day since the event started, is actually the worst thing you can do if you want the best deal possible.
To help you get the best set for your needs and budget, I’ve penned this feature detailing the top TVs that I and the wider What Hi-Fi? team will be keeping an eye on over Prime Day 2024.
The LG C3 and G3
Regular What Hi-Fi? reader’s often ask why in our best buy and deals guides we often recommend older TVs, even after reviewing newer models. The LG C3 and LG G3 are a good example why.
We always factor value for money into our advice. TVs, unlike some hi-fi, where there’s a huge retro market, typically drop in price fairly fast. So when a new TV comes out, unless it’s a huge step forward on last year’s model, initially it isn’t as good value as its predecessor – which at this point has usually radically dropped in price.
This was the case with last year’s Prime Day, where the majority of the best discounts were on the older LG C2 and LG G2. I even penned an opinion piece at the time explaining why you should focus your attention on the older models if you wanted the best bang for your buck.
If you track prices on Amazon, you can also see the C3 and G3 have started plummeting in price the same way the C2 and G2 did in 2023, with stores similarly rushing to clear stocks to make way for the new LG C4 and G4. This is why we once again recommend keeping a closer eye on the older models, in this case the LG C3 and G3, during Prime Day, as they’ll likely see even bigger discounts than their newer, just-released siblings.
Putting money aside, this is especially true as the LG C3 and G3 already deliver fantastic value at their current prices. The C3 has all the key gaming specifications required to let next-generation consoles run at full capacity and delivers very good picture quality.
Though stocks are drying up fast, the G3 also comes with the added allure of Micro Lens Array (MLA tech). MLA won a What Hi-Fi? Innovation Award last year, thanks to its ability to radically raise OLED TVs’ max brightness levels. It worked a treat on the G3 when we tested it, letting the set deliver a punchy, enjoyable viewing experience regardless of which test discs we threw at it.
The Samsung S95C
The Samsung S95C is another key TV our testers are keeping an eye on this Prime Day and an excellent example of another key, but often ignored, bit of advice we give when recommending OLEDs. Specifically, don’t automatically rule out products we gave four stars to in our review.
If you jump over to our ‘how we test’ page, you’ll see four stars is still a positive review. Often the only reason a four-star product didn’t get a perfect five comes down to its bang for your buck value. This was the case for the S95C when we reviewed it, with its high price compared to rivals and slightly overbaked colours leading to one star being shed from its rating.
However, at current prices, where we’ve seen the 55-inch model’s price float at the £1200 / $1300 mark, which is a huge thousand-buck saving on its original RRP, it is a very good option. For the money you’ll get a well-connected QD-OLED TV that offers a wonderfully punchy and dynamic home cinema experience.
On top of that, like the C3 and G3, with the newer Samsung S95D now out, pricing for the S95C will likely fall even further during Prime Day, making it well worth keeping an eye on.
The Amazon Fire TV Omni QLED
OLEDs get a lot of the headlines during Prime Day, but in my experience covering the event for more years than I care to admit here, it also brings pretty big discounts on cheap sets.
While the volume of discounts looks great, it’s also a bit of a trap as many of the TVs that get discounts aren’t worth your money, even with the lower price. Regular readers will know I’ve long bemoaned the lack of “good” cheap TVs doing the rounds. This is because most companies are focused on the high-end market at the moment, so there’s been an ongoing stagnation in the lower end.
Which is why, if you don’t want to spend thousands on your next TV, but need a new one pronto, I’d recommend keeping an eye on the Amazon Fire TV Omni QLED for two key reasons.
First, Amazon usually gives massive discounts on its own-brand hardware during Prime Day. This was the case in 2023 when we saw Amazon Fire Omni QLEDs getting as much as 40-50 per cent slashed off their price, depending on which size you went for.
The second and more important reason is that they’re good TVs, particularly if you invest in a 50- or 55-inch model. During testing, we found that, despite some black level issues, the TVs offer the best holistic picture quality you’ll find at their price. The use of Fire OS also gives them a reliable selection of apps, though the UX is a little ad-heavy.
TCL Mini LED TVs
If you don’t fancy a Fire TV Omni QLED, and want a cracking deal, we’d also recommend keeping an eye on TCL’s Mini LED TVs. The brand’s been carving a quiet niche, delivering some of the best value TVs we reviewed last year. This was highlighted by the TCL C845K, which not only earned a perfect five stars when we reviewed it but also won the best budget 55-inch trophy at the 2023 What Hi-Fi? Awards.
Though the set is Mini LED, rather than OLED, it remains a fantastic option for buyers on a budget, The TV has all the gaming features PS5 and Xbox Series owners need but, more importantly, it’s also the best TV we’ve tested for picture quality at its price. The Mini LED panel can’t match the perfect blacks offered by the more expensive OLEDs on this list, but during our checks it still delivered a wonderful picture that was stunningly bright and full of contrast.
As an added bonus, it’s also been radically dropping in price, with TCL set to launch its new 2024 range in the not-too-distant future. Last year we saw massive discounts across a range of TCL sets during Prime Day 2023, and if history repeats we’d 100 per cent recommend keeping an eye on the C845K.
MORE:
These are the best cheap TVs we’ve reviewed
Our curated picks of the best OLED TVs
We rate the best 65-inch TVs
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