Black Friday is here, and the sales are already underway, especially on some electronics. If you’ve been dreaming of a new TV for yourself or to give it to someone else, now is the time to look for deals.
Consumer Reports has tips to help you get the best TV for the best price this holiday shopping season.
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Consumer Reports tracks the prices of thousands of products throughout the year.
Black Friday and Cyber Monday are the best times to score the lowest prices on TVs, but you have to be a savvy shopper to cash in.
The big news for Black Friday this year is that CR is seeing extra-large TVs, with screens 98 and even 100 inches, at shockingly low prices, starting at about $1,600.
To help you compare prices early and often, consider price-tracking apps like BuyVia, Shopkick, and ShopSavvy. These apps let you scan barcodes or QR codes to compare prices, get discounts, and score coupons.
Browser extensions like CamelCamelCamel, Keepa, and Honey are tools that give you price histories, price alerts, and coupons when you shop online.
You can also follow your favorite brands and retailers on social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram to get deal alerts and discounts. And some retailers offer their members special prices or early access to deals.
When shopping for a TV, there are some too-good-to-be-true deals that you may want to avoid, like those rock-bottom doorbuster models from lesser-known brands with prices that draw you in but may not be worth the money.
Keep in mind that you’ll be watching that new TV for years. If you’re unhappy with the features or the picture quality, you may regret not spending a little more money to get something better.
OLED TVs are known for their impressive picture quality, which generally dominates CR’s ratings. And many are now at their lowest prices of the year.
While it can be tempting to get a very inexpensive TV from a lesser-known brand, major brands tend to do better in our ratings and have higher reliability scores.
CR says it’s a good idea to check a retailer’s price match and return policies beforehand since some stores suspend price matching on certain items during Black Friday and may charge a restocking fee for returns.