My usage of TV is rather limited so I don't care much about brand as long as it is a good value for money. I had this (https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/270480) which went strong for almost 6 years and time to buy a new one now. I don't see sub $500 deals for TVs these days; most deals being posted here are in quite high price range. Can someone recommend a low range smart TV? Flexible with size so anything above 55" should do I reckon. Thanks.
Some Cheap/Good Value TV Recommendations
virhlpool on 31/03/2022 - 15:27
Last edited 31/03/2022 - 23:43 by 1 other user
Last edited 31/03/2022 - 23:43 by 1 other user
Comments
EKO usually doesn't make good TVs.
However, LG was selling off a part of their division during the pandemic, and now we are seeing other Branded TV Makers actually shipping with LG remote controllers and webOS. EKO being the main one in Australia that struck my eye. So I'm not sure how good they are, if they are actually rebadged LG units or not. But if they are, you might be surprised to find you're getting a half-decent quality unit at that basement price of (55") $500-$900 (75"). So it might be worth looking into. I believe their no-name AndroidOS is still their old units that were of poor quality. Not sure about their new line of AndroidTV units, it might be bad quality.It might be lucrative to buy your TV from gumtree or Facebook Marketplace, someone's unwanted unit.
As freefall101 said, the Sony Refurbished ones are sometimes good buys.
Hisense is pretty good. Only issue is that in the last 10 years, they have been raising prices to challenge the top tier brands. So it's unlikely you're going to get a good one at a good price.
I would probably rate TCL the highest when it comes to Quality and Price. JB Hifi has FFalcon, which looks like a rebadged TCL unit, so they may be okay.The Aldi Brauhn TV were the only ones offering cheap prices (hence long queues) but their quality have always been low, they are probably better these days but not sure exactly how they compare. But I'd be cautious.
get a second hand TV
i grab a 2nd hand almost new 55" Bauhn smart TV off gumtree or marketplace. for $120 -that was 2 years ago.
my previous TV was a Kogan 55" for $20 from gumtree which was advertised as "broken" as it would not get past the loading screen - it just required the firmware to be reinstalled. it lasted 2 years before the MB died. but fate was looking out for me and the same week I found an identical model by the road side with a smashed screen. quick transplant and original kogan TV was up and running for another year.
Probably because cheap TVs are a dime a dozen, they're not hugely different and there's always something on sale. Also the size, 55" is over 70% more area than 43", there's a lot more TV. Then covid, supply shortages, etc.
What's your budget? And bang for buck with TVs is always subjective, if you just want it to display an image then just wait for JB/GG/Aldi/BigW to have a sale on their house brands (FFalcon, Brahn, EKO, etc). Some people want a UI that's not incredibly frustrating or a better picture for not too much more money but it's always diminishing returns.
IMO TCL screens for ~$800 when they're on sale (either the 55" C727 if you want quality or a 65" P615 if you want size) are a nice buy in terms of bang for buck.
Sony ebay refurb store is also pretty good, get a year or two old model for less than half the original price is often better than a new cheap TV - https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/284717311228