People tend to think of Black Friday and other sales events, such as Prime Day, as the best time to buy a TV. But there is another great time of year that is often overlooked: the end of a TV’s life cycle. The best TVs usually have a lifespan of 1-2 years before they are replaced by their successors. Most major TV manufacturers will release a new model every year, often around the same time.
LG and Samsung are first out of the gates in March and April, followed by TCL and Hisense in June/July, and Panasonic and Philips are usually in the latter part of the year, say August/September. Sony used to release in July, but has since reverted to a biannual release schedule for most of its flagship models.
But what does this mean for older models? Well, it usually means you can expect big discounts! Companies will be eager to clear the stock of said older models before the arrival of the new sets, meaning you can usually get a nice price cut. It’s not always the case, but it happens more often than you think.
While there are tons of models each year to choose from that could get discounts, I’ve picked a few of my favorites from 2025, looking at current pricing and what you should aim to pay.
LG C5
- Current price (65-inch) – $1,399 / £1,599
- Ideal price (65-inch) – $1,199 / £1,299
The LG C5 was one of the best OLED TVs I tested in 2025, delivering the perfect balance between price and performance. Its picture quality delivers strong contrast, bold colors, refined detail, crisp textures, and accurate motion. It’s got all the features you could want from the best gaming TVs, including four HDMI 2.1 ports that support 4K 144Hz, full VRR including FreeSync and G-Sync, Dolby Vision gaming, and ALLM. Plus, its smart TV, webOS 25, is intuitive with useful AI features.
While OLED is a premium-priced technology, the C5 has been one of the most consistently discounted TVs since its March 2025 release, often offering huge discounts. You can pick up the 65-inch C5 for $1,399 / £1,599: a nice drop from its release price of $2,699 / £2,699.
We have, however, seen the 65-inch C5 drop to $1,249 / £1,349 in its lifetime, and while this is a great price, if you can get it for $1,199 / £1,299 before it disappears, that’s an excellent deal.
TCL QM7K (US) / TCL C7K (UK)
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- Current price (65-inch) – $799 / £849
- Ideal price (65-inch) – $699 / £699
The TCL QM7K/C7K is TCL’s mid-range model in its 2025 mini-LED lineup, and it’s seriously impressive. Boasting brilliant picture quality, which is bright and rich with refined local dimming, great gaming features, including 4K 144Hz, FreeSync Premium Pro, and Dolby Vision support, with performance to match: all for a staggeringly low price. While this is an excellent value TV at full price, you can get this TV for a bargain if you know what to look out for.
Upon its release, the 65-inch TCL QM7K cost $1,499, while the TCL C7K cost £1,000. The QM7K’s price quickly dropped to $999, and while these are both excellent prices for these TVs, we’ve seen them drop lower. The QM7K has hit $799 (its current price), and the TCL C7K (also known as the Q7C at some retailers) has hit £740.
If you can pick up the QM7K 65-inch for $699 and the C7K/Q7C 65-inch for £699, that’s a phenomenal price for a TV with this much to offer.
Samsung S95F
- Current price (55-inch) – $1,899 / £1,499
- Ideal price (55-inch) – $1,599 / £1,299
The Samsung S95F is the flagship model in Samsung’s 2025 OLED TV lineup. I gave it five stars in my review, and it earned the title of TV of the Year at the TechRadar Choice Awards. Its picture quality is superb with vibrant colors, rich contrast, and crisp textures, and thanks to its OLED Glare Free anti-reflection screen, it can be watched in a bright room. This means it’s fully equipped for gaming and has a visually appealing design that’s slim and modern.
Naturally, as a flagship OLED TV, the S95F wasn’t cheap on release. The 55-inch model launched for $2,499 / £2,199, and while prices have dropped, it is still at the premium end of the TV market. However, it is worth the money.
You can now pick up the 55-inch S95F for $1,899 / £1,499, which is a reasonable price, but it has dropped to $1,799 / £1,449 before. An ideal price for this would be $1,599 / £1,299. It’s an extremely ambitious price, but the S95F’s predecessor, the Samsung S95D, fell to around this price. If you can pick up the S95F for a similar price, that’s a superb deal.
LG B5
- Current price (48-inch) – $599 / £799
- Ideal price (48-inch) – $499 / £649
The LG B5 is the entry-level model in LG’s 2025 OLED TV lineup. It may not have the brightness of step-up OLED models, but it does deliver crisp textures, powerful contrast, rich colors, and great motion handling. It also carries all the gaming features you could need, with 4K 120Hz, FreeSync and G-Sync, Dolby Vision gaming, and ALLM supported across all four HDMI 2.1 ports. It does all this for cheaper than other OLEDs.
The B5 48-inch model, a perfectly sized screen for gaming, launched at $1,299 / £1,299, which was a steep price for a model this size, but its price quickly dropped, creating a larger gap between it and the step-up C5.
The LG B5 48-inch is currently available for $599 / £799, which is actually a very good price for an OLED at this size. However, I’d hope it drops to $499 / £649 before the end of its life. This would be a superb deal worth jumping on.
The best TVs for all budgets
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james.davidson@futurenet.com (James Davidson)
