Welp, the inevitable happened. After 15 years of serving me well, my LG TV spitefully died on me just weeks before Black Friday. I can’t say I’m shocked — in TV years it’s pretty much a fossil and it’s high time I upgrade from Full HD to 4K. When the display started flickering like crazy over a month ago, I knew it was time for an upgrade. Adjusting the TV’s backlight setting to fifty percent stopped the flicker, but that it was only a temporary fix.Although I had already had in mind to buy a new TV, I was hoping it would last until its replacement was installed. For now, I’ve converted my computer monitor into a TV with the Chromecast I pulled from the dead LG TV’s carcass. Nothing is stopping me from catching up on my favorite shows. Deciding to buy a TV is one thing, but choosing the right one is not as easy as it was 15 years ago. Nowadays, there’s LED, OLED, QLED, mini-LED QLED with either edge- lit, direct lit or full array local dimming backlight technology. At the end of the day all I want is for my next TV to look good and last me another 15 years. That said, I narrowed it down to the 55-inch TCL Q7 QLED TV which is now on sale for $499 at Best Buy. It normally costs $599, so that’s $100 off and the lowest price ever for this TCL QLED TV. This is one of the best value Black Friday TV deals under $500. I chose this particular model for the 4K 120Hz display panel with HDR Ultra and Google TV Smart OS. By comparison, the cheaper model TCL Q6 QLED has a 4K 60Hz panel and I want a TV that can get the most out of next-gen consoles like the PS5 which supports 4K gaming at 120Hz. The TCL Q7 QLED is further optimized for gaming with 240 variable refresh rate (VRR) for lag-free gameplay. As I mentioned earlier, I’d been using a Chromecast with Google TV to make my “dumb” LG TV smart. I’m an Android user and to me, Google TV is easy to use and customize. Additionally, it works seamlessly across my other Google gadgets and Android devices. For hundreds less than TCL’s $1,300 QM8 mini-LED QLED model, the Q7 will be just as much of a feast for my eyes. Also the QLED panel is suitable for viewing in bright environments and my living gets plenty of sunlight. Full array local dimming provides more vivid color and better contrast. As per sister site Tom’s Guide’s hands-on review, the TCL Q7 QLED TV is the perfect balance of performance and cost. Today’s best Black Friday TV deals
