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To help you out, we broke down all the best times to shop for a TV below. We also offer tips on how to get a better deal no matter when you buy.
[h=3]When Is the Best Time to Buy a TV?[/h] The absolute best time to buy a new TV continues to be Black Friday. We see a plethora of deals around the shopping holiday — last year, we listed 111 TV deals during the week of Black Friday, compared to 69 the week before. Additionally, the deals tend to be better. A whopping 45% of the TV offers we listed during Black Friday week were designated as Staff Picks, which are our "best of the best" deals.
Black Friday continues to be the best time of year to buy a TV.
Not everyone can — or wants to — wait until Black Friday to purchase a new TV, though. For anyone who isn't shopping in November, what's the best time of year to buy a TV?[h=3]When to Buy a TV the Rest of the Year[/h] While November will likely continue to have the most TV deals, another month could be a close second in 2020. Last November, we listed a total of 286 TV offers, but last March we listed 267. And 46% of the March TV deals were Staff Pick-worthy. Those numbers are pretty close to the ones in November, when about 45% of the TV deals got a Staff Pick designation.
The Super Bowl might seem like a great time to pick up a shiny new set, but we saw significantly fewer deals last February than we did last March. It's a little soon for stores to be dropping their sets to rock-bottom prices again, what with Black Friday and the holidays really having just passed. Still, at least a few notable deals are bound to pop up during the weekend of the big game. If you need a new set to host an epic Super Bowl party, you should be able to find a 55" or 65" TV at a decent price.
SEE ALSO: The Ultimate Guide to Buying a TV
Prices might not be as low as what we see around Black Friday, but that doesn't mean you'll be paying a huge amount more. For instance, during Black Friday 2018, we saw Samsung 55" 4K TVs go as low as $350. Then in February 2019, we found Samsung 55" 4K sets at $398. That's not as low as November's price, but it's not exorbitantly higher, either, and still likely within many shoppers' budgets.
It should also be said that Black Friday prices can beat even themselves year over year. Samsung 55" 4K sets were going for as little as $328 this past November, which is a decent drop from the previous year, when sets of the same size had a minimum price of around $350.
[h=3]TV Deals Are Always Available[/h] TV prices seem to be decreasing overall, and that's largely due to new features coming out that are designed to improve the viewing experience. From higher resolutions to curved shapes, they're all meant to immerse viewers in the movies, TV shows, and sports they watch. New tech hits the market frequently, which means TVs missing those features end up dropping in price.
New TV tech hits the market frequently, and sets without those features tend to drop in price.
New TVs tend to be announced during the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in January. Older models begin to go on sale afterwards, as retailers make room on the shelves. It might not happen right away, but we definitely see an uptick of deals in February compared to January, and then even more offers in March.[h=3]Only Get the TV Tech You Need[/h] Older TVs almost always tend to have the better deals. And while it's tempting to own the latest and greatest tech, the truth is that TVs are often more ahead technologywise than the content you watch on them. When 4K TVs were rolling out, much of the content being made wasn't truly 4K — rather it could just be upscaled to 4K quality, which isn't the same. So while 8K is getting a lot of hype right now, there's no reason to replace your 4K set with an 8K model just yet.
SEE ALSO: 8 Things That Will Be LESS Expensive in 2020
Other features you might not need include HDR and smart capabilities. It's becoming harder to find "dumb" TVs, but they're still out there. If you're fine not having these popular specs, you're bound to come across a decent price on a more basic model. The good news is that 4K and smart TVs are becoming commonplace. As a result, those types of sets can cost the same — or almost the same — as 1080p TVs.
[h=3]How to Save on a New TV[/h] When you're ready shop for a TV, do some research and make a list of the features you want. Try not to settle on one set — find a few TVs that fit your wish list. Then spend a little time tracking their prices. Sign up for alerts with DealNews, and you'll receive notifications when we post deals relevant to your alerts.
If you're worried about the price suddenly changing on you, check for price adjustment policies at your favorite retailers. Sometimes there's a short window of time — think 14 days or so — where if the price drops, you can receive a refund for the difference.
Readers, when do you prefer to shop for TVs? Let us know in the comments below!
Related DealNews Blog Posts:
- The Ultimate Guide to Buying a TV
- 8 Things That Will Be LESS Expensive in 2020
- Do Your Best Discount Shopping Every Month in 2020!
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