Sound and Vision: Now is the best time to buy a premium TV

OPINION: The 2024 TV reviewing season has officially kicked off with new TVs from Samsung starting things off with a bang. You can read this site’s thoughts on the flagship 8K Mini LED and OLED, along with impressions of the step down 8K and OLED screens.

You might look at the high prices of those TVs and think to yourself “what is this writer on about with the headline?” Nearly £7000/$7000 for an 8K TV or £3500/$3500 for an OLED? These aren’t prices that are anywhere near affordable.

But the headline is not in relation to the brand new TVs with all their fancy anti-glare technology coming to market, but instead TVs from 2023 and 2022. If you’ve been waiting to purchase a new TV for a few years, right now is the best time to do so.

That’s because with the new models coming to the market, the older models have to go somewhere, which is in the discount aisle to make space for the new stock. While Black Friday is a good time to invest in a new TV, I’d say that Spring time – just before Easter pops around – is when you should be thinking about spending your hard-earned money.

And that’s mainly down to a reluctance during Black Friday for TV manufacturers and retailers to offer deals on their most premium TVs, with their cheaper models getting further discounts instead. For big brands, the competitive landscape of the budget TV market (cost, pricing, manufacture etc) means there aren’t many, if any, profits to be had from tussling with other TV makers. The profits come from keeping high prices for as long as possible while still generating appeal to customers who desire a premium experience.

Let’s say that premium TVs in general have a lifespan of about two years. For a premium TV that launched in 2023, Black Friday 2023 would be about a quarter of the way through its lifespan. That’s a little too early to start reducing the price if you’ve got a long-term approach to TV sales.

To use LG as an example, that would mean that the B2, C2, and G2 OLEDs are inching close to end of life (EOL) status. In fact, look up the LG OLED65G2 and you’ll find that it’s reduced to clear. When we first reviewed that TV, it was priced at £3299 – now you can get this five-star OLED for £1299. That’s a bit of a bargain in my opinion, especially if you’re not someone who is massively concerned about having the latest TV technology.

Those timings aren’t the case for every TV manufacturer. Philips tends to refresh its line-up every six months, which makes keeping track of prices and models trickier. By the time we’ve got our hands on a sample, the new model would have been announced. Nevertheless, I’m seeing reductions on 2023 TVs from Sony and Panasonic, the A80L OLED can be snapped up for £1399 (down from £2399) and the MZ1500 is £1599 (down from £2899), and both are very impressive TVs that were excellent at their original RRPs and an even better proposition at their less expensive prices.

So while it’s helpful to look for a banger of a deal in the Black Friday sales, for premium TVs I’d suggest you keep your powder dry and wait until Spring time for the best deal. Like an Easter egg, there are deals just waiting to be cracked open if you have the patience to wait.