Want a Great TV for Less Money? Last Year's Models Are the Secret

If you're looking to buy a new TV, I have an odd piece of advice. How about a not-so-new TV? Specifically, TVs that were launched last year but are still available, brand-new, right now. Many of these models have big discounts as stores and manufacturers try to clear space for this year's models. The thing is, the best TVs from last year are still brilliant this year. This year's models might offer some minor improvements but not as much as you might think.

Last year's TVs offer incredible image quality and all the best features as this year's TVs. Are this year's models perhaps a little brighter, maybe a little more colorful? Maybe, but not always. The best 2024 TVs will absolutely outperform nearly all 2025 TVs. So how do you choose? Excellent question.

If I buy a 2024 model in 2025, what new features am I missing?

For the most part, a 2024 TV at a given size or price will generally have similar picture quality and features to its 2025 counterparts. Could you see a difference if you put them side-by-side? Maybe, but it won't be a huge difference. Considering how much cheaper you can get 2024 models in 2025, that potential difference might not seem important. 

There's always something new around the corner but changes from year to year are usually incremental. If you worry about missing out on the very latest tech, it should give you peace of mind that even if something really new hits the market, it's going to be extremely expensive. 

For instance, many manufacturers are hyping up mini-LED TVs. While this is a newer technology, it has been available for several years. It's also based on LCD, which has been around for decades. OLED, even QD-OLED, is a mature technology now and improvements are incremental. Last year's models will be very similar in picture quality and often hundreds of dollars cheaper.

A great number of 2025 TVs have included some AI features but they range from "don't need them" to "meh." Some of these are just AI-branded versions of evergreen features such as picture processing, while new assistants like LG's AI Concierge can be weirdly divorced from the rest of the TV. For instance, LG's feature is supposed to suggest new shows based on what you watch but it will only suggest content using what you search for using the AI assistant -- not what's in your watched list. As it happens, Netflix and every other streaming service already makes suggestions and it's better. In short, the new crop of AI features aren't worth upgrading for yet.

Other new tech, like HDMI 2.2, isn't necessary right now and likely won't be for quite a while. As far as streaming goes, the 2025 models have the same services available as the 2024 models. Meanwhile, advanced picture tech such as UV LED and NanoLED are still a long way away.

Do I need to upgrade?

Forget all the new tech. If your TV works and you're happy with it, keep it. Don't feel any pressure to upgrade. 

Modern TVs are, on average, brighter and have better picture quality than the TVs from a few years ago. Unless you're the type of videophile who wants to tweak every setting and fixates on nits and color accuracy, however, you probably don't need a new TV.

The pressure to upgrade is pervasive in our tech culture but TVs tend to last (and be perfectly functional) longer than most devices. They don't, for example, have batteries that lose capacity like mobile phones -- or have external wires that wear out like headphones. A TV from five or even 10 years ago should work fine, although it might not look as good as the current 4K HDR TVs. So again, if that's not a huge deal for you, you likely can keep what you have for a few more years. 

If your TV is having issues, or you just want something larger, that's a different story. New TVs are much cheaper per inch than TVs of the past. You'll be able to replace your current TV with something the same size, that looks better and is cheaper than your old TV. Or you can pay the same amount as your old TV and get something far bigger.

When is the best time to buy a TV?

First, it's worth considering the annual television pricing cycle. Everything starts with CES in January, when new TVs (plus other tech like laptops and car technology) are announced for the coming year. Later, in the spring and summer, most of the new models become available and at the highest price they'll ever likely be. Meanwhile, manufacturers and retailers want to get rid of the old models so they'll offer deep discounts on last year's TVs during this time. 

TV sales are the biggest in the fall and culminate at Black Friday and Cyber Monday. There are always some incredibly cheap TVs available but that's not the whole story.

First of all, the TVs that get the huge discounts are usually either no-name brands or low-end models from name brands. They're fine if you just want a cheap TV but they're not going to offer the picture quality of an even slightly higher-end model. The best TVs go on sale as well but deep discounts on those are less common. 

Second, massive discounts on TVs are rare in general. It might be counterintuitive but TVs typically don't have much markup, especially the cheaper ones. There isn't a lot of profit in a $500 TV. So unless the store is trying to clear out stock, you shouldn't expect a gigantic drop in price, even during sales. Plenty of good discounts are available, they're just not going to be "50% off" or similar, unless there's a specific reason that model is getting such an extreme discount. Or it's a doorbuster in limited quantities.

Third, most big companies don't allow stores to offer their own pricing. This is called unilateral pricing policy, or UPP. It means that a TV from that company is going to cost the same, whether it's on Amazon, at Best Buy, or anywhere else. Well, anywhere else that wants to continue selling TVs from that company. If this sounds sketchy, it is, but that's a topic for a different article. 

All in all, is it worth upgrading my TV at all?

Here's the short version:

Get a new TV now if:

• Your current TV is having issues or is too old to connect to a streaming service like Netflix.
  
• You're willing to buy from a place that has a price-match policy, in case there's a sale.
  
• You want something bigger than what you have now.
  

Don't get a TV now if:

• Your current TV works fine.
  
• There's literally anything else you need or want to spend money on.
  

If you have the itch for something new but you're still on the fence, consider giving your TV a bit of a makeover. If you've never adjusted the settings, it's easy to do and will probably make your TV look better than it ever has. That might tide you over for a bit.

And if you finally decide that, yes, you're ready to buy a new TV now, for the best deal choose last year's model. For more information, we at CNET have some guidelines and also suggested models that include some 2024 models that are still available and some new ones from 2025.

Editors' note: This story was first published in 2019 but is regularly updated with new info.

In addition to covering audio and display tech, Geoff does photo tours of cool museums and locations around the world, including nuclear submarines, aircraft carriers, medieval castles, epic 10,000-mile road trips and more.

Also, check out Budget Travel for Dummies, his book, and his bestselling sci-fi novel about city-size submarines. You can follow him on Instagram and YouTube.