The best TV deals we expect to see in the Black Friday 2022 UK sales
Black Friday 2022 is nearly here. The annual mega-sale will run from Friday November 25 to 'Cyber Monday' November 28. The best Black Friday TV deals will come from the retailers with the largest stocks including Amazon, John Lewis, Very and AO and could see huge savings – last year we found a 65-inch LG with £600 off.
And you know what else is fast approaching? The World Cup, which starts just a few days before Black Friday on November 20. This leaves us with a dilemma: buy now and have a brand new 4K TV ready for the first games in Qatar? Or hold fire and save £100 or more in the Black Friday sales?
If you can hold your nerve, we'll be compiling the best TV deals here and updating them regularly throughout Black Friday weekend. If any early Black Friday deals are released (and they often are), we'll know about them – so check back here throughout November to see if you can steal a march on a rival deal-hunter.
How much do TV prices drop on Black Friday?
Discounts tend to be in the region of 15 to 40 percent. So on an £800 TV you'd be saving £120 to £320 – although it's worth noting that Black Friday discounts tend to be on TVs that are never sold at the full RRP. It might have been 25 percent off for the whole of the last year, temporarily increased to 40 percent for Black Friday.
You are right to suspect that it's mostly old stock that goes into the Black Friday sales. That's how sales work. But if you're still watching a standard HD screen from the 2000s, even a 4K set from two years ago will feel light-years more advanced.
To give you an idea of the type discounts available on Black Friday we've listed some of last year's best deals below. Happily, some of them are now available with even bigger discounts, so you could get a tremendous deal right now.
To help you work out which TV is best for you, we've also included a jargon-busting guide at the bottom of the page, explaining the difference between HD and 4K and the meanings of OLED, QLED and LED.
Don't forget that BT, Virgin Media and Sky all do Black Friday deals on their packages of TV channels, many of them bundled together with broadband and mobile plans for significant savings. We'll be keeping an eye on those, as well as on the best Black Friday mattress deals, the best Black Friday tablet deals and the best Black Friday mobile phone deals.
Last year's best Black Friday 32 inch TV deal
Hisense 32 inch TV: 32A4GTUK HD Smart TV
Reduced from £249 to £208 at Amazon last year, currently £159
Just before Black Friday 2021, Hisense's 4K TV had featured in the Telegraph's guide to the best TVs. Tech writer Jack Rear said: "While [Hisense] might not have the same pedigree as the likes of Samsung or Sony, it’s a very solid device for the price... Those who’ve been thinking about making the 4K upgrade but don’t want to spend a fortune, look no further." It doesn't offer the picture quality of its more expensive counterparts, but it has impressive speakers and voice control via Amazon's Alexa.
£159
Price at
Amazon
Last year's best Black Friday 40 inch TV deal
Samsung 40 Inch TV: UE40T5300 Full HD HDR LED Smart TV
Reduced from £329 to £279 at Argos last year, currently £259
This 40" full HD TV was one of Argos' stand-out Black Friday 2021 deals. It's a slim, stylish design, with HDR picture quality and instant access to Samsung TV Plus, which provides extra (totally free) movies, entertainment, sports, news and children's channels.
£259
Price at
Argos
Last year's best Black Friday 48 inch TV deal
LG 48 Inch TV: OLED48C14LB 4K Ultra HD HDR Smart TV
Reduced from £1,099 to £945 at Amazon last year, currently £999
Shoppers saved a healthy £154 last year on this LG OLED 48" TV, which boasts exceptional picture quality and a full cinema experience with Dolby Atmos sound and super-smart streaming capabilities (including Freeview Play, NOW TV, Netflix, Prime Video, Disney+ and more). The 55-inch version of this TV was also reduced at Amazon by 34 per cent, and the massive 77-inch version by 15 per cent.
£999
Price at
Amazon
Last year's best Black Friday 55 inch TV deal
Philips 55 Inch TV: 55OLED706/12 Smart 4K Ultra HD HDR with Google Assistant
Reduced from £1,399 to £979 at Currys last year, this year's model currently £1,299
This 55 Ultra-HD model from Philips is no longer available but the updated 706 model has many of the same features, including an OLED screen and LED lighting round the edge of the TV which adjusts in time with what you're watching to enhance the cinematic atmosphere. It's also equipped with Alexa and Google Assistant to change channels or operate the TV functions by voice. Since the new model is at exactly the same price point, it could be a strong contender for a £200 discount this year.
£1299
Price at
Currys
Last year's best Black Friday 65 inch TV deal
LG 65 Inch TV: OLED65C14LB Smart 4K Ultra HD HDR OLED with Google Assistant & Amazon Alexa
Reduced from £2,299 to £1,699 at Currys last year, currently £1,499
The stonking 65 inch version of the 48 inch OLED towards the top of this list, LG's imposing 65C14LB claims infinite contrast and 100 per cent colour fidelity, as well as Dolby Atmos sound. Gamers will appreciate the screen's one millisecond response time, for super-smooth action and low input lag. Currys' Black Friday discount was also available on the 77 inch and gargantuan 83 inch models.
£1499
Price at
Currys
FAQ: What to look for when buying a TV
What is the best screen size?
While bigger isn’t always better, it’s worth noting that manufacturers often reserve their premium technology, such as OLED and QLED (see below) for larger screen sizes. As such, it's worth going for a TV that’s at least 55 inches. Remember, this is the distance from the bottom left to the top right of the screen, not its width.
When viewing, the screen should be parallel with your eyes. You should not have to tilt your head any more than 15 degrees upwards or downwards, or 40 degrees to the left or right.
Picture quality: What is 4K and Ultra HD?
The term 4K refers to ultra high-definition picture quality, and is interchangeable with the term Ultra HD (or UHD). The picture on a 4K or Ultra HD screen is made up of eight million pixels, which is four times as many as the picture on an HD TV. This means you get a crisper picture on the screen.
In general, you should aim for a 4K television, as they are the highest-quality. 8K televisions do exist, but here are only a handful on the market and they are both very large and very expensive. Almost no entertainment is being broadcast in 8K yet.
Nearly all 4K TVs have the ability to ‘upscale’ standard HD content, and premium 4K models might include HDR (High Dynamic Range), a contrast-boosting system that makes colours more vivid on the screen.
You may see other terms when researching a TV, such as “Full HD” and “HD Ready”. To clear up any confusion, the below is a hierarchy of TVs, ranked from the best picture quality to the worst:
8K
4K/Ultra HD
Full HD
HD Ready
Standard Definition
Other terms to know: OLED, QLED and LED
The brightness of the TV screen depends on whether it is an LED, OLED or QLED device. An LED television uses a backlight and turns off areas of light during dark scenes. If you combine this with high dynamic range, you can get better screen resolution because of the contrast of colours.
OLED (Organic Light-Emitting Diode) TVs have a more complex system. The pixels in these TVs emit their own light when electricity passes through, as opposed to relying on a backlight for brightness. As such, the pixels turn off their own colour during dark scenes - so dark colours appear darker and bright colours appear stronger. This method also means that OLED devices have a lower power consumption than LED TVs.
QLED (Quantum Dot Light-Emitting Diode) technology is specific to Samsung. Their QLED televisions use pixels that are able to radiate far more colours at a greater brightness, as they have a microscopic particle filter.
What is a Smart TV?
A Smart TV will incorporate apps, catch-up services, streaming channels (such as Netflix, Disney+ and YouTube), and will give you access to the internet.
Sound
As screen size continues to get thinner, there is less space on the models for front-facing speakers. Therefore, we suggest either investing in a model with Dolby Atmos sound (for a cinematic effect) or finding a soundbar.