Black Friday And Cyber Monday TV Predictions for 2020

One of the hottest and most desired Black Friday products, every year, is the big-screen TV. Trends over the last few years have been towards high-def displays like 4K and 8K, resulting in shoppers becoming even more focused on getting the biggest and best savings they can on these beautiful behemoths. However, the pandemic may change how shoppers and retailers prepare for TV sales this year. We likely won’t see many stores having a rush of customers at their doors on Friday morning. And we likely won’t see retailers mass shipping out 75-inch TVs either.

We predict that retailers like Best Buy, Walmart and Target will be able to take great advantage of their curbside pickup options during the holiday season this year. But with retailers expected to handle Black Friday differently this year, we predict that television sales may be one of the more trickier products to handle. If some retailers follow the trending idea of having a Black Friday season rather than a specific day of sales, it’s hard to predict when and how big ticket items like TVs will fall into place.

Predictions for lowest-overall-priced TV

Last year, Walmart had the lowest priced 4K doorbuster at $148. It was an Onn. (Walmart brand) 50-inch model. Walmart still carries that particular model, currently listed at $218. Walmart currently has a Sceptre 43-inch 4K model for only $169. We predict that Walmart will yet again be the best place to find the cheapest overall 4K TV. We predict that they reduce the Onn. (or a similar model) again down to $148, specifically because it is their own brand which makes it the easiest for them to mark down.

Walmart was also home to the lowest priced non-4K televisions in years past, with 720p models and 1080p models floating between $50 and $100. However, if Walmart repeats a $149 4K TV doorbuster, we highly recommend spending the additional cash to pick up the higher-pixel TV. Walmart also had a 65-inch Philips 4K television last year as a $278 doorbuster. If you are determined to upgrade your TV during the holiday season this year, we recommend keeping an eye on Walmart’s Black Friday ad.

Black Friday 1080p TV Predictions Based on Size

The popularity of 4K televisions continues to grow and dominate the TV field, but there are still plenty of shoppers and plenty of options when it comes to non-4K televisions. Walmart, Best Buy and Target still stock dozens of non-4K TVs and we predict that, like last year, there will be plenty of these units drastically marked down for Black Friday.

Unfortunately, many manufacturers have dropped off support for lower-end and non-Smart TV models. Our list will be broken down between Smart 1080p televisions and 4K televisions.

32-inch and larger 1080p:

While there are still options out there for TVs in smaller sizes, we predict that most ads this year (as well as most shoppers) will be focused on nothing smaller than 32 inches. There has been a fast growing trend this year – mainly due to the pandemic – in smart devices. While many consumers have already filled their homes with smart features, we predict that smart televisions will be in even higher demand this year than normal. With so many people working from home, the ability to give your home a smart makeover has never been higher.

We predict that Best Buy will feature the lowest price when it comes to 1080p televisions in this size range. Best Buy’s website currently features five televisions in this size, all priced under $240 (except their Samsung Tizen series, which will run you $599). Vizio and Samsung tend to be the standard Black Friday TV models at Best Buy and we predict that either brand will see a sub-$100 sale during the holiday season.

40-inch and Larger 1080p

For reasons unknown to us, manufacturers and retailers just don’t have much of a price difference between 40-inch televisions and 32-inch televisions. Currently, Best Buy has almost two dozen models in this size range, and one of them is a 40-inch Insignia for only $139. Like the 32-inch models, we predict that some 40-inch models could go as low as $100 for the holiday season this year.

50-inch and Larger 1080p

Unfortunately, 50-inch and larger 1080p televisions have become almost a dying breed of product. Most consumers would prefer to make the switch to 4K when looking at a TV of this size and that makes a lot of sense. At this size, the price difference compared to the quality in image starts becoming less and less. Best Buy currently only has two 50-inch televisions that aren’t 4K and both sit around $250. For comparison, last year Best Buy had a 4K 58-inch Insignia for only $199 as a doorbuster.

As technology continues to improve, the options for non-4K televisions dwindles. If you’re looking for a non-4K TV in this size range, we highly recommend making the dive to 4K instead. We doubt that any retailer will run huge sales or savings on non-4K TVs in this size this year, so make sure to keep your eyes out for some giant savings on 4K instead if this is the size range that you need.

1080p Products and Predictions

Black Friday 4k TV Predictions Based On Size

4K televisions have dominated the sales charts over the last few years, but are we finally seeing new trends pushing them out? OLED televisions are becoming more popular, despite their insanely high price tag. Both Epson and Samsung have ultra-short-throw projectors in the pipeline this year that are meant to sit in a living room and replace the standard television. 8K televisions are also starting to make a larger splash, and, with both the Playstation 5 and the Xbox Series line capable of 120hz gaming, we predict that it won’t be long until 4K is on the way out – if it isn’t already.

Fortunately, we predict that 2020 will not be the year that 4K Black Friday savings dwindle. We think retailers are more committed now than ever to pushing through those dirt-cheap models and helping all consumers bring home a great TV at an affordable price. If you’re hoping to snag a nice 4K deal this year, we highly suggest you pay lots of attention to what particular features the 4K models have. HDR is still of the hottest features you can find on a 4K TV and it’s guaranteed to bring you a picture unlike anything you’d find on models without them. Paying a little extra for models with these capabilities is definitely worth it. There are varying degrees of HDR technology: HDR10/HDR10+, Dolby Vision, HLG, and Technicolor HDR.

40-inch and larger 4k

The cheapest 4K TV at Best Buy is a Toshiba 43-inch for only $230. Walmart’s 43-inch Sceptre beats it in terms of pricing, but very little else. If you’re just looking to save some money and still put a 43-inch TV in your home – we predict that one of these models will be the cheapest you can find on Black Friday (most likely Walmart’s Sceptre). However, the Toshiba model does not feature any HDR and the Sceptre model comes with HDR. If HDR is a must (and it probably should be), Best Buy has a Samsung 43-inch for $279.

50-inch and Larger 4k

Last year, the 50-inch televisions were where the significant price differences seemed to stagnate. Best Buy, as previously mentioned, had a 58-inch Philips 4K for only $199. Target had a Westinghouse 50-inch for only $150 and Walmart’s 50-inch Onn, also mentioned before, was only $148. Both of these televisions are considered to be some of the lower performance 4K TVs out there and even if they fell to these sale prices again they’d be hard for us to recommend, regardless of their price.  We predict that we’ll see the same low figures on these kinds of models yet again, namely because they’re still on the shelves at these retailers.

Shoppers wanting to spend a little more money for better quality and brand should keep their eyes on LG’s 50-inch line, as we predict they will once again drop to exceptional Black Friday prices. These TVs also include LG’s line of Magic Remotes, which provide button-activated voice control and feature tons of other Smart features.

60-inch and Larger 4k

In this size range, retailers typically don’t offer savings as dramatic as what they offer on smaller TVs. Last year’s doorbusters at Best Buy included a Samsung 65-inch for $280, while Walmart’s Philips 65-inch model was only $278. Features like HDR are very important to pay attention to, especially at these large sizes, so smart shoppers will want to pay extra close attention to what features they are getting with their purchase. We predict that most retailers will feature a 4K 60-inch or 65-inch in the $250 to $299 range.

70-inch and Larger 4k

Sadly, many retailers don’t offer tremendous savings on televisions in this size range during Black Friday. Last year, both Best Buy and Sam’s Club had doorbusters on televisions of this size. Best Buy featured a Samsung 70-inch for $550 as well as a 75-inch for $750. Sam’s Club had a LG 82-inch for $1,599.

4K Products and Predictions

OLED TV Black Friday predictions

We predict that this may be a hot year for OLED televisions, with the possibility that retailers start focusing some of their heavy discounts on these amazing TVs. Traditionally, OLEDs are some of the most expensive TVs you can find, with 60-inch models selling for as low as $1,999 and 75-inch models as low as $3,999. Now that the technology is a couple years old, we should start seeing reasonable sale prices on these during the holiday season.

Ultra-short-throw projectors

Projectors are certainly nothing new when it comes to home theater, but in the last few years they have had a hard time keeping up with the technology that televisions seem to be racing through. 4K projectors, for example, were never super affordable for the average consumer – not when compared to standard 4K televisions. There have been major changes as of late, however, and brands like Samsung, Epson and Optoma have released laser projectors which do not use a bulb. These lasers have quickly led to a development of affordable projectors that project real 4K (not pixelshift) images. The current trend is the ultra-short-throw projector, which is meant for a more traditional living room as opposed to a home theater room. The projectors project the image from an incredibly short distance rather than projecting at the wall from across the room. This makes them ideal for a living room setting, with screen sizes up to 130 inches. Both Samsung and Epson are racing to get their ultra-short-throws to market before the holiday season officially kicks off, thought it is not clear if either of them will be offering discounts for Black Friday.