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It’s that time of the year when Black Friday sales occupy everyone’s attention as brands, retailers and customers converge for several weeks of shopping excitement.

This year’s Black Friday looks like it’ll be bigger than last year, with retailers looking to rebound with Black Friday and Cyber Monday ahead of the traditional Christmas sales.

We’ll be covering the best deals available, so if you’re in the market for an upgrade over your old set or simply looking to freshen up the main screen, this hub will explain what you need to know, where you can find deals and which TVs to keep an eye out for ahead of the Black Friday event.

Black Friday TV Checklist

If you’re in a rush and want a quick run-down of the key things to look out for when the Black Friday deals begin to drop, then here’s our quick-fix checklist to ensure that you get the TV that’s right for you:

• Don’t go too big: It’s easy to be swayed by larger TVs, but be sure to measure the space you have before purchasing any set.
• Look up the operating system: If you want to stream content from your favourite platform then you’ll need to make sure that there’s a native app available for the TV you’re buying
• Count the HDMI ports: The more ports the better, and HDMI 2.1 ports are essential for 4K gaming
• Check the refresh rate: A high refresh rate isn’t much of a concern for casual viewers, but for you gamers out there, it can help you make the most of your next-gen consoles.
• Use price history tools: If you’re shopping through Amazon, you can use Keepa and CamelCamelCamel to check the price history of any TV

Which retailers offer Black Friday TV deals?

The question is, which retailers don’t offer Black Friday TV deals? From Amazon to Richer Sounds, eBay, Currys, Hughes, Very, AO, Argos, John Lewis & Partners to name but a few, a huge amount of retailers will be doing Black Friday discounts online and, where available, in-store.

What TV should I go for this Black Friday?

Ideal for gamers

If you’re into gaming then there are a number of TVs to look for in this year’s Black Friday sales. Of the bunch, the LG C1 is the model to be on the lookout for.

It’s the most gaming-friendly TV, with support for a 120Hz high frame rate across all its HDMI inputs so you can plug in a PS5 or Xbox Series console. Input lag is one of the lowest on the market, with all types of VRR supported, including Nvidia and AMD’s solutions, ensuring that latency isn’t ever an issue.

The cherry on top of the cake is Dolby Vision gaming. With around 100 games optimised for this format, you can expect deeper blacks, better contrast and more detail in the brighter parts of the picture. And with Google Stadia still due to arrive in (very) late 2021, whichever size LG C1 you go for, it covers every avenue for gamers.

The go-to OLED

We mentioned an LG OLED above so we won’t repeat that option. Instead we’re going for a Philips OLED.

Philips’ mid-range OLED often makes an appearance in Black Friday sales and we’re expecting 2021 to be no different. The latest model – OLED806 – looks to be the best one yet.

It features upgrades on the picture and gaming side to make it more competitive with the likes of LG, Panasonic and Sony. Picture quality with this model tends to be fantastically bright, sharp and punchy, but this OLED series also has a history of producing a capable audio performance from its built-in speaker system. Philips’ TVs have a tendency to have niggly software issues and overly complicated menus, so we’re hoping that’s less of a problem with the latest range.

TVs on a budget

Not everyone’s budget will reach the prices of the TVs above, so we’re also recommending a cheaper set for those who just want a system that’s uncomplicated – the TCL Roku RP20K TV ticks that box.

The RP20K features Roku’s simple and accessible OS platform with all the major video and music streaming apps you could ever want, a speedy gaming performance (though no advanced features) and Dolby Vision support for the likes of Disney+ and Netflix. If you’re after a TV that packs in tremendous value, this TCL Roku is worth keeping an eye out for

Trusted Reviews’ Black Friday TV recommendation

Our recommendation for Black Friday is another OLED from LG, though probably not the one you’re thinking of.

It is the LG B1 OLED. Why this TV? Though it doesn’t boast the advanced AI smarts or even the brightness of the C1 or G1, it has all the gaming features seen on the more advanced models. Previous years have also seen it produce picture quality that’s not far off the C-series model in terms of colour and contrast. At the moment it’s above £1000, but with a Black Friday discount the B1 could fall well below that price.

The post How to find a good TV deal this Black Friday appeared first on Trusted Reviews.