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When it comes to purchasing a TV, you’ve got a plethora of options at various price points. But if we were to cull those options and end up with two simple choices, you’d have a choice between budget and premium TVs.
Not all TVs are alike, and not everyone has the budget to spend on a premium TV. In some cases your choice will be made for you by how much you can spend. If you have the money to spend on a premium TV, we’d recommend you do just that. You’d get a higher quality performance. If you don’t, there are plenty of less expensive options to choose from.
Nevertheless, we’ll be comparing a few areas which may have an impact on whether you’ll go for a premium or budget TV.
How long do TVs last?
This is an area that we’d describe as rather nebulous. TVs are meant to last for a long time, though there are various competing ideas of how long a TV should last. Some say 4-6 years, other sources suggest 7-8 years. It’s not so much the TV itself that’s the limiting factor, but like with every electronic device, how well you take care of it.
OLED is a premium TV tech but as its panel is made from organic materials, the picture performance degrades over time. Part of this is down to image retention or burn-in.
The former sees static elements in the image retained in the screen, but this issue can resolve itself over time if you watch different types of content. Burn-in is more serious, and sees static elements retained permanently within the screen. However, for this to happen, usage of your OLED TV has to be in the extreme. With normal use, burn-in shouldn’t be an issue.
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That’s primarily because OLED TVs come with a range of technologies to avoid image retention and burn-in. Some of these are done automatically, while others are performed manually, though in the latter case we’d suggest you don’t perform these actions often (only if you absolutely need to) as they can affect the lifespan of an OLED TV.
Plasma TVs suffered from a similar issue, but there are some Plasma TVs such as Pioneer’s Kuro that are still running more than a decade after release.
LCD LED TVs don’t suffer from burn-in, but like with any type of TV there are few things to consider. One is that you shouldn’t run the backlight at its maximum setting all the time. You’ll not only use more energy but potentially wear out the LEDs in the backlight faster.
This applies to any type of TV but heat and ventillation are an issue. There’s a temperature range that TVs perform comfortably in and you won’t want to place a TV in areas where it becomes too hot. At the very least, if the TV is uncomfortable in the heat, you’ll get a warning suggesting that is the case.
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In all the TVs we’ve reviewed on this site, we’ve found issues with TVs to be very rare. Whether you’re buying a premium TV (OLED, Mini-LED) or a budget one (Direct LED, Edge-lit), you’re looking at the same lifespan.
For further peace of mind, you can always purchase from a retailer that offers a long-term guarantee. In the UK, John Lewis & Partners offers a five-year warranty on all its TVs. If you purchase a OLED TV direct from LG, you can get five-year limited panel warranty on a G and Z-series OLED.
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Although we’ve focused on the physical aspect of TVs, in terms of longevity the software is one to consider too. TV interfaces are regularly updated and changed. Features will be added, some features will be taken away, but most important is keeping the same level of performance as when you first bought the TV.
Adding more features can put a strain on the TV’s processor, slowing it down over time, and there is the possibility that it’ll affect a cheaper TV that has a slower processor than a more expensive model. Interfaces that we’ve found quick and easy to use include Roku TV, LG’s webOS, Google TV, and Panasonic’s My Home Screen.
Is there a difference in picture quality?
Picture quality is where you’ll find the biggest differences between budget and premium TVs. TV performance tends to scale upwards, so the more you pay, the better the performance should be.
Premium TVs have more advanced features, whereas budget TVs have fewer. Inexpensive TVs don’t often have motion interpolation, which is processing that helps smooth out a signal to reduce stutter that comes with 24fps content. Whether this is pain point for you depends on whether you care about having it.
Upscaling is another area where a premium TV will outperform a budget TV. The use of AI technologies, machine learning and more advanced processing gives premium TVs the ability to take an image signa and constantly refine each frame. Budget TVs don’t have that level of processing available, with some TVs processing images in a smeary way that lacks detail and clarity.
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HDR brightness is another area where premium TVs have a sizeable advantage. 500 nits is considered the minimum in order to see the effects of HDR, but many budget TVs that we’ve tested struggle to hit 400 nits. Highlights are dimmer, colours are not as wide-ranging, and in some cases, TVs can lack punch, making HDR content look drab and dull.
HDR support is also limited on cheaper TVs. Though some TVs carry Dolby Vision or HDR10+, they’re not widespread across budget models and rarely are both premium HDR formats supported.
That said, premium TVs that carry both these formats aren’t widespread either, with Philips, Panasonic and TCL TVs being the main brands to carry these features.
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The main difference here in terms of HDR picture quality between budget and premium TVs is the type of backlight used. A Direct-LED or an Edge-lit panel won’t offer as much contrast or precision as a Full Array Local Dimming (FALD) screen. Performance improves further with OLED and Mini LED because they can offer more precision in terms of brightness, contrast, and black levels.
Budget TVs won’t be able to hit the performance of a more expensive model but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t consider buying one. If you’re not looking for a premium home cinema-type experience, and just want to watch daytime TV or what’s on Disney+, a budget TV will do fine, though some are better than others.
If you want the best picture quality then you should be prepared to fork out the money for it. We’re spoilt for options, which is why you should consider taking a look at our best lists to help you decide, whether its the best cheap TV, best OLED TV, best 4K TVs from each brand or the best TVs full stop.
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