How to save money buying an older smart TV

• Search during the right time frame
• Check for essential video features
• Take stock of essential connections
• Target this specific refresh rate

Investing in a smart TV heavily involves finding value for your needs. You want to make sure you have all the features and specs that suit the entertainment you want to consume, but it’s important not to overpay for things that end up being superfluous. Some new TVs offer a lot of extras that aren’t necessary, and they tend to carry the highest of price tags.

That’s why it’s worth looking at slightly older models. However, you don’t want a model that’s so old it will become obsolete more quickly. You also don’t want to pay for features that are already dated. Here’s how to find the sweet spot when investing in an older smart TV.

Search during the right time frame

Invest in models at newer TVs debut

It’s important to set up the right time frame to narrow down your search. Basically, you’re looking at TVs between 10 and 18 months old. When a company like LG or Samsung announces its new lineup, that’s when you should start your search. The once top models will be bumped down, and their prices will go down as well. It will likely go on sale during popular shopping holidays as the manufacturer looks to move out the older inventory.

You don’t want to wait too long, however. A TV that comes out in January of one year, for example, may not be the best investment almost two years later during an after-Christmas sale. It’s likely a newer model will be coming out soon thereafter. It’s worth noting the market generally favors consumers at this time, so prices are decent overall. There are a lot of companies in this saturated industry vying to be your favorite brand, and there are plenty of sales and deals worth exploring, especially if you’re looking to invest in accessories as well.

Check for essential video features

4K resolution and HDR are required

There are a handful of top features that should be present on your smart TV. These are essential if you’re someone seeking out a central entertainment hub for diverse enjoyment, including streaming titles, playing video games, and enjoying physical media. To start, any TV you’re buying now should have at least 4K resolution and one of two top-tier HDR formatting options. It’s hard to find a sizable TV right now that isn’t 4K, especially as 8K TVs are emerging, but make sure you have this level of detail as just about every new piece of media, including some reality TV and live sports, as shot in 4K.

You’ll also want to make sure your TV offers either HDR10+ or Dolby Vision. These are both dynamic formats that boost contrast and color accuracy, creating a richer, more detailed picture. Most smart TVs offer one or the other, but some models will feature both. EVen when you’re investing in an older TV, you want to make sure you’re not settling for basic HDR.

Take stock of essential connections

HDMI and USB ports are necessary

Any TV you invest in should have the top connections available so that you can reliably and faithfully enjoy any connected device. You’ll want at least one HDMI 2.1 port available on your TV, although two would be ideal. HDMI 2.1 allows for fast, faithful transfer of video and audio from the top gaming consoles as well as audio devices. For any soundbars or speakers, you’ll want to connect to the eARC HDMI port, which optimizes audio.

Most new TVs come with four HDMI ports, though an older model might only offer three. Consider what devices, such as a Blu-ray player or streaming device, you might be connecting to your TV. You’ll likely encounter at least two USB ports as well, which will be helpful for supplying power to a streaming stick as well as granting access to any media files you might need.

Target this specific refresh rate

Sufficient hardware keeps visuals smooth

Refresh rate is a hardware spec that sometimes is made overly complicated by manufacturers. There are only a handful of options offered on smart TVs, with most models featuring either a 60hz or a 120Hz rate. It’s best to target the 120hz rate option. Anything higher is likely going to be unnecessary for most users, but there may be a noticable difference if you downgrade to a 60hz rate.

Refresh rate informs how often the image on screen refreshes every second; a higher rate allows for a smoother image. That’s especially important when watching live sports, action movies, or playing video games. Be mindful that some manufacturers will boast about software enhancement. They will call this different things, such as MotionRate, with associated numbers reaching 580 or 720. These can mostly be ignored as they are artificial boasts that are meant to simulate higher refresh rates, even if these rates are imperceptible and misleading. Just stick with the native refresh rate, and you’ll have a suitable TV for your needs.