My Ultimate TV-Buying Hack: The One Rule I Follow Before Upgrading

I see tons of new TVs every January at CES , and they reliably hit store shelves the following spring or summer. These new models typically improve on previous versions with brighter and more vibrant screens or new features, and are the ones most prominently displayed online and in physical stores as soon as they come out. They might be the newest and technically the best, but that doesn't mean they're the best for you.

If you're looking to save money, I have a big tip to share: Consider buying last year's TV instead of this year's model. This is especially true if you're looking for a fancy, high-end TV; you can save hundreds or even thousands by going back a generation and finding the equivalent model still available.

Last year, I followed my own advice and bought a 65-inch LG Evo C4 from 2024 for $1,200. It hit that low price during Prime Day  because its replacement, the  LG Evo C5 , was already out by then. Then, the 65-inch C5 was $1,700, a solid $500 difference. Now, the 2026 version of the TV, the LG Evo C6 , is available at the time of this writing for $1,800 for a 65-inch model, though its list price is $2,700 . And how much is the 65-inch C5? Well, right now $1,500, but it dipped to $1,100 last Prime Day. Clearly, it pays to wait and to consider previous-generation models when shopping.

The Truth About Year-Over-Year Upgrades

I've had the C4 for a year, and its picture is fantastic. This isn't surprising, considering LG's C-series of OLED TVs has consistently earned high scores when I've reviewed them. I didn't get a chance to test the C4 in 2024, but the C5 and C6 both earned high scores and our Editors' Choice awards for best midrange OLED TVs.

Year by year, these three TVs haven't actually seen drastic improvements. Even though I wasn't able to test the C4, my colleagues at CNET did, and I compared their findings to my own test numbers for the C5 and C6. We use a slightly different methodology when testing TVs, and there can be minor differences between individual units, but we both evaluated their pictures as excellent and got similar measurements. Each new model is consistently slightly brighter than the previous one:

According to CNET's tests , the C4 showed a peak brightness of 968 nits, and the C5 1,187 nits using their test methods. In my testing , I note peak brightness from white fields of multiple sizes and, especially for OLEDs, the luminance for fields that take up 10% and 18% of the screen. In my tests of the C5, the TV shows 944 nits with an 18% field and 1,269 nits with a 10% field. The C6, meanwhile, puts out 1,015 nits with an 18% field and 1,552 nits with a 10% field. However you look at it, each new version is slightly brighter, but not significantly so, and for affordable OLED TVs, where light output is often their biggest weakness, those numbers are excellent. And I'm still thrilled with my two-generation-old TV, the dimmest of the bunch.

This isn't an isolated example—it's just the one sitting in my living room. It's a pretty consistent trend between TV models that don't make huge technical leaps between generations. Year to year, most TVs will simply inch forward in features and picture quality.

Timing the Sales Cycle to Save Big

Getting a great deal on last year's TV means being able to find it, and that's not always certain. You'll probably have the best luck in the summer, when the newest TVs have already launched, and retailers are looking to trim their stock of the previous models. That stock usually starts depleting around the fall, when you'll see fewer options still for sale, with scattershot availability in any given screen size. Always keep an eye out for big sales events like Prime Day and Black Friday , because most electronics retailers will slash prices on their older models then.

Don't just check Amazon for deals. Look up the manufacturer's site to see if they sell directly to consumers, and check if any brick-and-mortar retailers in your area have what you want in stock or for a better price. You might get lucky and find a clearance or open-box unit only available locally that costs even less than you would otherwise pay for the same model. I ended up buying my LG C4 from the NY-based electronics chain P.C. Richard & Son for the same price it was on Amazon. The regional chain mounted my new TV and hauled away my old one for much less than Best Buy charges (and these are services that Amazon doesn't offer at all).

When Splurging on the Newest Tech Is Actually Worth It

Even though you can save money by opting for the previous year's TV, this doesn't always mean it's the best option. When TV lines actually make big jumps in technology, they can be hit-or-miss. Maybe their technical swings pay off, or maybe they'll end up being a downgrade you'll be paying extra for.

As RGB LED TVs have become more popular, I've been seeing some pretty big drawbacks that make them less appealing than more conventional mini-LED QLED TVs. Last year's Hisense U8QG earned four stars and our Editors' Choice for its excellent picture and feature set, standing out as one of the best values in LED TVs. Hisense has transitioned to RGB LED TVs in its top models, and while I haven't tested its UR8 yet, I did review the higher-end UR9SG and was unimpressed. It only reached the U8QG's peak brightness in my tests (about 3,200 nits for both, with an 18% white field), and it showed incredibly wide color measurements. However, because of how RGB TVs work, those measured color levels don't translate into vibrant colors for complex video content, so it just didn't look as nice when I watched test footage on it. Its off-angle viewing is also inferior to the U8QG's, with light bloom exploding as soon as you move away from the sweet spot in the center of the TV. Sadly, the U8QG isn't widely available anymore, and the 65-inch UR9 is $2,000.

On the other hand, when the big upgrade does pay off, the results can be incredible. The TCL QM8L is what TCL calls an SQD-Mini LED TV, which is essentially a mini-LED QLED TV with some proprietary upgrades the company claims make it comparable with RGB LED TVs. I was skeptical of these claims at first, and while the first SQD-Mini LED TV I reviewed, the flagship X11L , showed impressive test results, it was also ridiculously expensive at $7,000 for a 75-inch screen. But then I looked at the QM8L, which is only $2,000 for 75 inches and $1,800 for 65 inches, and I was shocked.

Not only were its colors as wide as those of the RGB LED TVs I had tested, as the charts above show, but, unlike them, those colors stayed consistent on the QM8L when showing complex video. It's also ridiculously bright (3,504 nits at 18% field, 3,956 nits at 10% field), earning it our first PCMag Lab Award for peak brightness . It clearly outshines its predecessor, the QM8K (2,849 nits at 18%, 3,138 nits at 10%), and shows far wider color coverage.

You can still get a 65-inch QM8K for $1,100, and it's a great deal at that price, but the QM8L is an impressive enough upgrade that it's still worth considering. So don't be afraid of getting the newest TV. Just know that you might get a great deal if you look back a year.

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