If you've always shopped on Black Friday, you might have noticed that it takes more work these days to find the best deals, especially on TVs. Internet shopping has changed the game, and it's no longer enough to sort through the Black Friday circulars of a few local retailers on the Sunday before Thanksgiving. No worries—we've done a lot of the work for you with our annual list of the best Black Friday TV deals. The biggest change from last year is that we're seeing a large number of 4K UHD TVs offered at low prices. Go to Consumer Reports' 2016 Holiday Gift Guide for updates on deals, expert product reviews, insider tips on shopping, and much more. And be sure to check our Daily Gift Guide. Black Friday TV deals have always involved super-low-priced doorbusters, often on lesser-known brands, but this year we've seen a lot of major-brand sets, especially from LG, Samsung, and Vizio. A number of these models are in our TV ratings, but we've also seen some new "seasonal" models that appeared only recently.
As you scan this list, remember that we expect online retailers to react to each other's deals right through Black Friday. So it's smart to monitor promotions and pricing until the minute you are ready to buy. If you don't find the TV you want below, check out our list of great last-minute deals, too. And before you head out to a store, here are our Top 10 Black Friday shopping tips. • 32-inch Polaroid 720p TV, $85, at Target. Looking for a low-cost TV? This set fits that bill, as does a 32-inch model that Amazon says it will have for $70, though we don't yet know which model. Either way, both of these Black Friday TV deals beat the lowest price we saw last year, which was a $125 32-inch TCL deal. (FYI: The current U.S. licensee for the Polaroid brand is Empire Electronics.) • 43-inch Element ELEFW408 4K UHD TV, $199, at Target. We haven't seen this model, but basically you're getting a 43-inch 4K TV for the price of last year's 720p doorbuster. The Element brand is now owned by the Chinese manufacturer TongFang.
[Note: We originally had this deal for $125, which was an error.] • 49-inch Toshiba 4K smart TV, $200, at Best Buy. This is an in-store-only deal, so Best Buy is hoping you'll buy some pricier cables or other accessories while you're there. The model is the Toshiba 49L621U, and it's at a very low price for a 4K TV in the 49- to 50-inch category. It has the Google Cast-Based SmartCast smart TV platform. The Toshiba brand is now licensed in the U.S. by Compal, a Taiwanese company. • 55-inch Philips 4K smart UHD TV, $298, at Walmart. This is a special buy, with limited quantities. The store will hand out wristbands to customers waiting in line for this deal. The model wasn't specified, but we're guessing it might be the Philips 55PFL5601/F7, which is selling for $498 at Walmart right now. The Philips brand is licensed by Funai Electric, a Japanese manufacturer. • 55-inch JVC 4K TV, $300, at Sam's Club. We think it's the JVC LT55UE76, which means it's 25 percent off its regular price during the sale.
The JVC brand is licensed in the U.S. by Amtran, also a Taiwanese manufacturer. • 60-inch Vizio 1080p smart TV, $398, at Walmart. This is the Vizio D60n-E3. We think it's a seasonal model, so we don't have a regular-season price. But a 60-inch HDTV for under $400 seems like a pretty sweet deal. Vizio is in the process of being acquired by LeEco, a Chinese company. • 55-inch LG 4K smart UHD TV, $398, at Amazon. We're not sure of the model, but it might well be the LG 55UH6030 we've seen at Kohl's and Target for $500. If so, this is a great price for a major-brand 4K set this size. • 60-inch Vizio 4K smart UHD TV, $548, from Sam's Club. This is the Vizio E60-E3, another seasonal model that would usually sell for close to $1,000. It's a couple bucks more—$2—at BJ's Warehouse. • 65-inch Hisense 4K smart TV, $598, at Sam's Club. This is the Hisense 65CU6200, which usually sells for about $200 more. This deal edges out the $600 60-inch LG 60UH6035 smart UHD TV we saw at Best Buy.
We think this LG TV may also be the "premium brand" 60-inch 4K UHD smart TV that Amazon said it would have for $599. Also, Walmart has a 65-inch Hitachi 4K smart TV for $599 as part of an early online sale (see below). • 60-inch Samsung 4K smart UHD TV, $698, at Target and Walmart. This is the Samsung UN60KU6300 set, which performed well in our TV ratings. Sam's Club has the warehouse-club version of the TV—the UN60KU630D—for $2 more. It usually sells for about $1,000.The Target Black Friday TV sales are often a mixed bag. One or two doorbuster specials typically grab your attention, but the others often feature lesser-known models or prices similar to those you'd find at other retailers. This year the Target Black Friday ad includes TVs ranging in price from $85 for a 30-inch second-tier brand set to almost $700 for a 60-inch Samsung 4K smart TV. So we decided to compare Target's deals with the ones being offered by its main competitor, Walmart. What we found was that Walmart has a wider range of deals, especially on larger-sized models.
The retailer has a 65-inch Hitachi 4K TV for less than $600, for example, and a 55-inch Philips 4K set for just $298. But when Walmart and Target have deals on the same major-brand TVs, Target's prices are surprisingly competitive. For example, both have 60-inch Samsung 4K smart TVs for $698 and 50-inch 4K smart TVs for $398. Before we get into more details, you should know that the Target Black Friday deals will be available online—with free shipping—all day Thanksgiving and in all Target stores that evening, when the doors open at 6. The deals will run through Saturday, Nov. 26, or as long as supplies last. Target is also bringing back its “10 Days of Deals” promotion, starting Saturday, Nov. 19. Look for more details on that closer to the launch. Here's a breakout of the Target Black Friday deals: We found three great TV deals in the Target Black Friday ad: 50-inch Hisense 4K 120Hz smart UHD TV, $250 (at least while supplies last). The ad does not reference the model number, but we think it might be the Hisense 50CU6000.
If so, it's about half the usual price. 43-inch Element 4K TV, $200. That one's available only in stores. Once again, no model number was given, but Target carries the Element E4S4316H, which usually sells for about $350. 32-inch Polaroid TV listed, $85. Given the price, we think it's a bare-bones 60Hz 720p model, perhaps the Polaroid 32GSR3000. We've seen that set sell for $150 to $160. Target also has a few noteworthy deals on sets from major TV brands, mainly LG and Samsung. 60-inch Samsung 4K 120Hz smart TV, $698. This is the Samsung UN60KU6300 currently in our ratings. We've seen the KU6300-series sets popping up in a lot of Black Friday deals this year. Walmart has this model for the same price, and Sam's Club has the warehouse-club version—Samsung UN60KU630D—for $700. 55-inch Samsung 4K 120Hz smart UHD TV with a curved screen, $698. This looks like the Samsung UN55KU6500, also tested in our labs and included in our TV ratings. Again, Sam's Club has the warehouse-club version—the Samsung UN55KU650D—for $700.