2020 Black Friday TV Deals & Sales

What to Expect From Black Friday TV Deals in 2020

Black Friday TV deals are pretty consistent from one year to the next, so we can make some concrete predictions ahead of the event. Here's what we saw in 2019:

• 32" and Below

• Brands With Most Deals: Insignia, Samsung

• Best Black Friday Price: $59

• Average Black Friday Price: $95

• 40" - 49"

• Brands With Most Deals: TCL, Samsung, LG

• Best Black Friday Price: $150

• Average Black Friday Price: $214

• 50" - 59"

• Brand With Most Deals: LG

• Best Black Friday Price: $150

• Average Black Friday Price: $425

• 60" - 69"

• Brand With Most Deals: Samsung

• Best Black Friday Price: $280

• Average Black Friday Price: $854

• 70" - 79"

• Brands With Most Deals: RCA, JVC, Vizio

• Best Black Friday Price: $500

• Average Black Friday Price: $831

• 82" and Above

• Brand With Most Deals: LG

• Best Black Friday Price: $1,399

• Average Black Friday Price: $1,673

3 Tips for Shopping Black Friday TV Deals

1. Don't Count on In-Store Doorbusters

Black Friday has been moving more and more online every year, and for 2020, we expect an even bigger push to online shopping over in-store. A handful of retailers usually save at least one or two of their best TV deals for in-store only, but this year we're expecting very few — if any — of those deals at all. If you do see an in-store doorbuster you want, try to figure out if you can get it with contactless pickup.

2. Measure Twice, Buy Once

Purchasing a new TV can be exciting, especially if you're upgrading from your previous set. But before you decide to snap up that $700 70" set, check that you have the room for it first. Do you have an entertainment center? Make sure it can accommodate a huge set. Want to hang the TV on the wall? Make sure there's enough support. Reusing your TV stand? Make sure it supports sets of that size. The last thing you want to do is buy a TV, then have to either return it because you don't have the space or buy more accessories in order to use it.

3. Make Sure You Can Accommodate the Preferred Distance

This is sort of in the realm of our No. 2 tip, but in addition to making sure you have the physical space to house your new TV, you need to make sure you can set it up to be viewed from the optimal distance. As a general rule of thumb, you should opt to sit 1.5 to 2.5 times the diagonal screen measurement in distance from your set.

For a 40" set, you'd need to be sitting between 5 feet and 8.3 feet away from the screen. By the same rule, a 70" set has an optimal distance of 8.8 feet to 14.6 feet. If the room your new TV will be in isn't big enough under those parameters, you should probably consider a smaller TV.

Best Black Friday TV Deals Preview

32" Sets Will Fall to $80 or Even Less

While super-cheap 32" TVs might have started as in-store doorbusters, they've moved online in the last few years. Because of this, we don't expect 2020 to be any different.

Last year, we saw a refurbished Onn 32" TV for only $59. While that might not appeal to a lot of shoppers, a cheap set like that would be perfect for a kids' playroom, a workshop, or even a kitchen. That way, you won't feel bad about any abuse it might take, but you can still watch TV wherever you need it. As for brand-new sets, we saw a 32" set from Ematic for $80 — the only catch was that it was Paw Patrol–themed. So again, perfect for the kids, but maybe not one you'd want in your kitchen.

If your budget is a little higher, watch for TVs from brands like Insignia and Toshiba to be bundled with devices like the Echo Dot speaker, for a price tag of $120 or less. Prefer a bigger brand like Samsung? They have small sets available, too, sometimes for around $150.

Three Brands Will Dominate 40" TV Deals

If you want a slightly bigger TV but aren't all-in on the midsize sets, you can count on the 40" size class having solid deals from brands you can recognize. For instance, a Vizio 40" set would only set you back $160 around Black Friday 2019, provided you were a Sam's Club member. And if you weren't? Well, there were plenty of other options to choose from.

LG, Samsung, and TCL had a 3-way tie for the most deals in the 40" size class last Black Friday. A TCL 43" Roku smart TV fell to only $170, which is less than the average price in this size class. And a Samsung 40" smart TV cost only $8 more. However, some of the more appealing deals will be those that are bundled with gift cards. For instance, an LG 43" smart TV went for $230 during Black Friday 2019, but it was bundled with a $25 Dell gift card. As long as you used it, that effectively dropped the price to $205.

55" LG Sets Will Hit $300

TVs in the 50" size class are fairly popular, which means we'll likely see a significant number of deals on 50" and 55" sets, with a few 58" TV deals thrown in for good measure. For example, last year we saw LG 55" 4K smart sets cost as little as $300.

We also expect to see a wide range of prices. Last year, for instance, we saw a Westinghouse 50" Roku smart TV for $150 at Target. It was an incredible deal, given that Westinghouse TVs with similar specs were going for over $350 at other retailers at the time. However, the big issue with this deal is that it was an in-store-only offer, which meant it likely sold out in the blink of an eye when doors opened on Black Friday.

Fortunately, you don't have to brave in-store crowds to get a good deal on a midsize TV. Watch for retailers like Amazon to offer Toshiba Fire TV sets bundled with Echo Dots; one offer last year included a 50" set with the latest Echo Dot for $270. Not shopping at Amazon? Other retailers will have their own perks. For instance, Dell Home had a Vizio 50" 4K smart TV for $270, and it was bundled with a $75 gift card.

Gift Cards Will Help Name-Brand 65" Sets Drop Under $450

The TV sets in this size class also attract a lot of deals around Black Friday. While deals with perks like gift cards are nice, you can also find great prices outright on 60" to 69" TVs.

If you aren't worried about owning the most-well-known brands, you can expect to find 65" sets for as little as $280; however, it's important to note that this particular deal for an Element TV was another in-store-only offer at Target. Again, we don't expect these in-store doorbusters be a big thing in 2020, but their absence might mean we don't see these rock-bottom prices again.

Even without those in-store-only deals, you can still expect plenty of serious savings on TVs in the 60" size class. We saw an LG 60" smart TV for only $398 last Black Friday, while a Samsung 65" smart set fell to $478. But the hardest deals to pass up included gift cards, such as the LG 65" set for $480 that came with a $50 gift card. Dell Home also offered a Vizio 65" smart TV for $600 — and bundled it with a $200 gift card.

Buy a Huge TV for Just $700

By "huge," we mean huge — like 70" and larger. A 70" TV for $700 is already a fantastic deal, and we expect to see offers like this again this year. We'll probably see this excellent price at stores like Costco, but shopping at Dell Home will mean you can save even more. Last year, it offered a 70" Vizio for $640 — a great deal on its own — that also came with a $200 gift card. As long as you used the card, it effectively dropped the price of that TV to $440. That's an astounding offer for a recognizable brand.

Don't want to fool with gift cards? Keep an eye on the warehouse clubs. As mentioned above, Costco is a strong contender, and last year we saw a Philips 75" smart set for $599 at Sam's Club. Don't have a warehouse club membership? Keep an eye out at Best Buy, which offered a TCL 75" Roku TV for $600 last year.