The most popular TV reviews over Black Friday
Black Friday is over (cue a collective sigh of relief at Which? HQ), but the deals aren't (cue a collective gasp at Which? HQ). Many offers remain as we roll into Christmas and the January sales, so if you felt paralysed with choice during November, then maybe seeing what everyone else was looking at will help.
We found numerous deals, many of which are still available. You can see them all in our guide to the best TV deals in the sales.
But let's narrow it down. The five TVs listed below aren't necessarily the best TVs, but they were the most popular around Black Friday. We started seeing deals from 7 November, so we tracked from that date up to the big day itself on Friday 25 November.
Seeing our favourite TVs may also help you choose the right TV for you. Here are our top TVs of 2022.
The top five most popular TVs on Black Friday
People were looking at TVs with an interesting mix of prices and screen sizes, but it's clear that LG was the most popular brand for Black Friday - even if it didn't have the most popular TV overall. That honour fell to Samsung.
1. Samsung UE55AU7100 - typical price £550
- Screen size: 55 inches
- Screen resolution: 4K
- Display type: LCD
- HDR formats: HDR10, HLG, HDR10+
- Position in Samsung's line-up: Entry-level
- Is it still on offer? Yes
This Samsung from 2021 has some staying power. TVs from the previous year have usually gone off sale by now, but the UE55AU7100 is having one last hurrah - which might be a penultimate hurrah if it holds on until the January sales.
It's one of Samsung's more basic ranges, but that didn't deter people. Having £150 off the price probably helped – in the lead up to Black Friday it was on sale for around £550.
It was close at the top, though. Samsung may be in the number one slot, but the LG OLED at number two wasn't far behind.
More basic TVs don't tend to score that well in our tests. It's not the lack of features that causes issues, it's usually a deficiency in the sound quality that creates significant problems. But some aren't enjoyable to watch, either.
Does the UE55AU7100 buck that trend, or was its Black Friday popularity unearned? Our Samsung UE55AU7100 review has the answer.
2. LG OLED48A26LA - typical price £799
- Screen size: 48 inches
- Screen resolution: 4K
- Display type: OLED
- HDR formats: HDR10, HLG, Dolby Vision, Dolby Vision IQ
- Position in LG's line-up: Mid-range
- Is it still on offer? Yes
LG OLED TVs are some of the most popular TVs around, and the A2 range is where you'll find the cheapest ones. It's no surprise to see the OLED48A26LA among the top five most popular TVs, as it's rare to find an OLED TV this close to £500.
It doesn't have the gaming features to match LG's more expensive B2, C2 and G2 OLED ranges from 2022, but that all-important OLED acronym is still in the model name, and those organic light-emitting diodes can be the difference between a good TV and a bad one.
The fact that we're seeing OLED TVs costing so much less than they used to is impressive. It demonstrates how well LG has been able to hone the manufacturing process to produce the TVs for less and less, and the saving is clear in the OLED48A26LA.
Do you need to spend more for the true OLED experience, though? LG makes three more OLED ranges that have more features and cost more than the models in the A2 range.
Read our LG OLED48A26LA review to see if the cheapest LG OLED is good enough.
3. LG 43UP77006LB - typical price £279
- Screen size: 43 inches
- Screen resolution: 4K
- Display type: LCD
- HDR formats: HDR10, HLG
- Position in LG's line-up: Entry-level
- Is it still on offer? We don't think it was on offer over Black Friday
Like the Samsung UE55AU7100, the 43UP77006LB is a 2021 TV just about hanging on. It's got very limited availability but, while stocks last, this is one of the cheapest 4K TVs around.
It's rare to see a more basic TV stick around this long (yes, there are two in this list, but it really is rare) - usually it's the high-end models that stay on sale.
The good thing is, even basic TVs have plenty of features. The 43UP77006LB has a great remote with a built-in microphone for voice control, as well as HDR and access to streaming apps.
In fact, this TV's main issue is how hard it is to find. Read our LG 43UP77006LB review to see if it's worth hunting down.
4. LG 43UQ91006LA - typical price £415
- Screen size: 43 inches
- Screen resolution: 4K
- Display type: LCD
- HDR formats: HDR10, HLG
- Position in LG's line-up: Entry level
- Is it still on offer? Yes
You shouldn't have any issues finding the 43UQ91006LA. This popular 43-inch TV was released in 2022, so it's still widely available.
It may be an entry-level set without a flashy OLED display, but LG has a knack for getting good results from its basic TVs. As with the 43UP77006LB at number three, basic doesn't mean lacking in features -- voice control, smart apps and the ability to record live TV on to a USB hard drive are all available on the 9100.
You're not just paying for more features on a high-end TV, though. They've often been tuned for longer, so teams of people have been tweaking the picture and sound to make it the very best it can be.
Is the 43UQ91006LA the TV for you? Read our LG 43UQ91006LA review to find out.
5. LG OLED42C24LA - typical price £999
- Screen size: 42 inches
- Screen resolution: 4K
- Display type: OLED
- HDR formats: HDR10, HLG, Dolby Vision, Dolby Vision IQ
- Position in LG's line-up: High-end
- Is it still on offer? Yes
We called it. As soon as this TV was announced, we knew it would be popular. People tend to prefer small TVs and, at 42 inches, this is as small as OLED TVs get.
What do you get when you combine a popular screen size with a display type synonymous with excellent TVs? And then you knock a few hundred pounds off the price? You get one of the most popular TVs on Black Friday.
It's part of the C2 range, which is one of LG's most high-end TVs, so it's jam-packed with features. But there's always the risk that OLED quality doesn't translate to smaller screens.
See our LG OLED42C24LA review to find out if a TV this small is worth spending £799 on.
This is just a tiny sample of our TV reviews - we test more than 200 every year. You can find the best model for you in our TV reviews.
