Best Budget OLED TVs 2021

OLED panels tend to be restricted to premium TVs primarily because producing them is expensive. The premium pricing hasn’t been helped by OLED panels only being available in very large sizes. Thankfully for those of us looking for a budget OLED TV option, the price is starting to come down, as is the lowest available screen sizes, putting those perfect blacks, wide viewing angles, and infinite contrast within the reach of many more people.

Unfortunately, the prices are still higher than we would normally like for a budget review, however, we’ll take what we can get and present you with our list of the best budget OLED TVs in 2021.

The LG A1 is LG’s new budget OLED series which features 48-, 55-, 65-, and 77-inch models start from just £1300 making it a true budget OLED option. Of course, this price only applies to the smallest panel version, which may be hard to find.

All models feature a 4K resolution and a 60Hz refresh rate. Three HDMI 2.0 ports allow multiple devices to be connected but don’t provide the advanced features found with HDMI 2.1 such as VRR that would be a big bonus for gamers.

The LG CX is an LG budget OLED series that features 48-, 55-, 65-, and 77-inch models starting from just £1400 making it only a little more expensive than the A1. For that extra money, you get an improved processor tier in the a9 Gen 3, and you get HDMI 2.1 ports. HDMI 2.1 means support for VRR including Freesync and G-Sync which is great news for gamers.

The dual Bluetooth speaker support allows you to set up two compatible Bluetooth speakers wirelessly, which is great if you’re wanting to place some surround sound speakers. The lack of HDR10+ support is the only real downside here as we don’t expect to see 120Hz support in the budget tier.

The Sony A9S is only available in a 48-inch format and has a 4k resolution with support for 60Hz. Unusually, the A9S has a 120Hz panel, which enables it to play 1080p content at 120Hz, unfortunately, due to the limitations of HDMI 2.0, it doesn’t support 4K120 playback. It’s a big shame not to see HDMI 2.1 support for 4K120 as that would be a fantastic killer feature at this or even a slightly higher price point.

The lack of HDMI 2.1 also means that there’s no VRR support for gamers. HDR is well supported although HDR10+ is not supported. The screen can get pretty bright for an OLED at 750 nits and has a very wide colour range with 95% coverage of the DCI P3 gamut. Combined the brightness and the wide colour gamut means HDR content looks great with highlights really popping out, just be aware that brighter content increases the risk of burn-in.

The LG BX is another LG budget OLED series that features 55-, 65-, and 77-inch models starting from just £1300 making it the same price as the A1. In this model, you get the 3^rd gen a7 processor, HDMI 2.1 ports and a 120Hz panel. HDMI 2.1 means support for VRR including Freesync and G-Sync which is great news for gamers.

The 4K120 display is the killer feature here as one of the only budget OLED with a 120Hz refresh rate. The slightly weaker processor does, however, mean that frame interpolation and upscaling will be lower quality than on the A1.

The Visio H1 is a 4Ktv that runs at 120Hz and comes in 55- and 65-inch variants. A pair of HDMI 2.1 ports enable the 120Hz refresh rate, however, the VRR feature is unreliable at best and can cause crashes. The stand is designed so that if you remove it to wall mount you can leave the front half attached to use it as a soundbar holder.

The main four HDR standards are all supported and will look good with the 900 nit peak brightness and the wide 96% coverage of the DCI P3 gamut. Unfortunately, VRR reliability isn’t the only issue, the smart TV user interface isn’t the fastest or the most reliable, additionally, the panel is prone to temporary image retention.

That was our round-up of the best budget OLED TVs in 2021. Have you recently bought a budget-priced OLED TV? Which model did you pick and what was it that sold you on it?