My 15-year-old TV just died — here’s the Black Friday TV deal I’m buying for under $500

Welp, the inevitable has 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. 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 vs full array local dimming TV technology. At the end of the day all I want is for the TV to look good and last me for 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 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. The Q6 is a 4K 60Hz panel and I wanted a TV that would be futureproof for next-gen gaming consoles like the PS5 which supports 120Hz. 

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 I find this platform easy to use and customize, and it works seamlessly across my other Google gadgets. The TCL Q7 is also optimized for gaming with variable refresh rate.

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. According to sister Tom’s Guide’s hands-on review, the TCL Q7 QLED TV does a great job at balancing performance and cost. 

Today’s best TCL Q7 deal