The 5 Best Outdoor TVs - Fall 2023 Reviews

The Samsung The Terrace is the best outdoor TV we've tested. Unlike most TVs on this list, it's designed for outdoor use with protection from the elements. It's very well-built, with a unique design and IP55 dust and water resistance to protect it from rain or other outdoor elements. It's exceptionally bright, so it has no issues overcoming direct sunlight, and, combined with its outstanding reflection handling, it can easily combat glare outdoors, even in the middle of the day.

This TV has the same Tizen OS smart interface found on most other Samsung TVs. It's easy to use and has a huge selection of streaming apps available, so you're sure to find your favorite content, and you won't need to connect any extra streaming boxes. You can also cast content from your phone or another mobile device, which is great for sharing pictures with family and friends. It's one of the loudest TVs we've tested, so you won't have any trouble hearing it if you don't want to connect a sound system and there's a lot of outdoor noise while watching TV.

The Samsung The Terrace is an excellent dedicated outdoor TV but is costly, so it's only worth it if you don't have a proper enclosed space to protect your TV. If you can protect your display from the elements and want to spend less, consider an upper mid-range model like the Samsung QN90C/QN90CD QLED. It's nearly as bright, and thanks to its remarkable reflection handling, you won't have many problems using it outside. However, you must have it in a proper enclosure because it's technically an indoor TV.

The TV has a decent viewing angle, good enough that the image remains consistent from the sides. This makes it a good choice for wide seating areas as everyone sees the same image, although the TV's 43" and 50" sizes have a worse viewing angle than the bigger models. It also uses the user-friendly Tizen OS smart interface, and its speakers are decent enough to use on their own in an outdoor setup. This TV's predecessor, the Samsung QN90B QLED, is still available in some sizes. It's very similar to the QN90C overall, so get the cheapest one you can find.

If you want to save money, a mid-range TV like the Hisense U8H is a great alternative. Although it doesn't get as bright as the Samsung QN90C/QN90CD QLED, it still has fantastic SDR peak brightness, and its reflection handling is amazing. You'll need to put it in a proper enclosure to protect it, as it doesn't have any weather protection features. The main difference with the Samsung is that the Hisense has a worse viewing angle, so the image looks washed out from the sides, meaning it isn't a good choice for wide seating areas. That's the trade-off for getting a cheaper model.

While it supports eARC to connect a soundbar, its built-in speakers have an okay frequency response with minimal distortion, so you'll hear things well if you choose to stick with the TV's internal speakers. It uses the Google TV interface, which has a ton of apps you can download, and the built-in Chromecast lets you cast content from your phone. If you still find this TV too expensive, the TCL 6 Series/R646 2021 QLED costs a bit less and gets as bright in SDR, but the Hisense is still more well-rounded for a better overall experience.

Although budget TVs typically aren't bright enough to use outdoors in bright sunlight, they're good enough for a well-covered patio or use at night. The best budget outdoor TV we've tested is the TCL 5 Series/S555 2022 QLED. It's a surprisingly good TV for the price, and it looks great outdoors thanks to its high peak brightness and decent reflection handling. It has a great selection of extra features, and the built-in Roku OS smart interface is easy to use and has a great selection of streaming channels.

It's a decently well-built TV, but like most on this list, it's not weatherproof, so you'll need a proper enclosure to protect it from the elements. Sadly, it has a narrow viewing angle, so there are better choices for a wide patio, as the image degrades when viewed at an angle. It can't get very loud, either, so a soundbar or outdoor speaker system is a good idea if you plan to use it for loud BBQs or pool parties.

If you like watching hockey games in the evenings or catching up on your favorite shows after dark, the best outdoor TV for nighttime use is the LG G3 OLED. While it's best suited for nighttime use with its extremely deep, uniform blacks, with no distracting haloing around bright objects in dark scenes, it's also no slouch for daytime use, except perhaps when watching very bright content during very sunny days, as the TV's Automatic Brightness Limiter (ABL) significantly dims the TV when bright content takes up most of the screen.

The TV gets very loud with its 4.2 integrated speaker system, which is good as you can avoid the hassle of figuring out where to put a soundbar outside. It has an incredibly wide viewing angle, so it's a great choice for a large patio, as everyone will see the same thing no matter where they're sitting. It has fantastic reflection handling, so glare isn't an issue if you have a few lights outdoors at night. The built-in webOS interface has a great selection of streaming apps, so you can easily find your favorite shows. The cherry on top is the support for advanced home theater features like Dolby Vision HDR and DTS:X, so your UHD Blu-rays will look their best and sound their best. Movie night on the patio, anyone?