Are the Brand’s Cheap Smart TVs Any Good?

If you’ve ever shopped for a TV during a big sales event like Black Friday, you’ve likely noticed some particularly great deals on models sold under Walmart’s Onn brand. These entry-level smart TVs are among the most affordable on the market, offering door-busting discounts that typically undercut the competition.

But such low prices do raise the question: Are Walmart Onn TVs actually any good? Sure, they’re cheap, but there’s a big difference between getting solid value for your money and getting a poor product that cuts too many corners. With that in mind, I put Walmart’s Onn TVs to the test by spending around two months with a 50-inch and 55-inch model. For my evaluation, I used them as I would any TV in my home. I also put them through my standard TV review process to assess different aspects of image quality.

I’ve been reviewing home entertainment gear for over a decade, so I know exactly what a TV in this price range should deliver to be worth it. After extensive testing, Walmart’s Onn TVs proved to be decent budget displays, but only for specific use cases. Here’s a full breakdown of everything you need to know about Onn TVs and their performance.

Why are Onn TVs so inexpensive?

The main reason Walmart’s Onn TVs are so affordable is that they’re very barebones in design and performance. Although they have standard streaming capabilities, they lack the step-up image quality features, style perks, and advanced features you’d get on pricier TVs.

It’s also likely that Walmart sources its Onn TV panels from lower-end manufacturers rather than higher-end display makers like Samsung and LG. Although Walmart does not disclose which companies make its Onn TV panels, my review units shipped from Element TV, and Element is listed as the company that handles warranties for Onn TVs. Element is a budget TV company that also offers a range of LED and QLED models under its own brand.

Of course, cheap display panels assembled by a company like Element have downsides (which I’ll detail below), but as long as they’re sold at an appropriate price and shoppers enter their purchase with a clear understanding of what to expect, they can still be worthwhile.

What smart TV interface do Onn TVs use?

All of Walmart’s Onn TVs use the Roku TV Operating System (OS). The Roku OS is one of my favorite smart TV platforms thanks to its ease of use and straightforward interface. Rather than cluttering the screen with content recommendations you may have zero interest in, the Roku homepage focuses on large icons for all the apps you like to use, making it quick to jump into any service.

Meanwhile, if you do want to browse content recommendations, you still have the option to access a “What to Watch” section via a side menu. This section is filled with recommended movies and TV shows across various genres. It’s also where you’ll find a “Continue Watching” row, where you can pick up where you left off on content you’ve started streaming but haven’t finished.

What’s it like using Walmart’s Onn TV?

As long as you understand their limitations going in, Onn TVs provide decent performance for the money. If anything, I was impressed that I didn’t encounter any major glitches during my testing.

The Roku TV OS worked smoothly without any hiccups. I streamed YouTube videos daily and watched shows on services like Disney Plus and HBO Max. Navigation speed was slower than what I’m used to on budget sets from TCL and Hisense, but never to the point of frustration. The TV was always perfectly usable.

The only small snag I encountered was when the YouTube app repeatedly crashed while streaming a particular 4K HDR video, but this issue likely lies more with YouTube than the TV itself. From a software standpoint, the Onn TV’s Roku OS performs well for this price range.

That said, I often found myself reaching for the remote to initiate a voice search (a force of habit from using other TVs), only to be disappointed when I remembered the TV’s remote doesn’t have that feature. It’s also worth noting that the included remote requires the TV’s sensor, located under the Onn logo at the bottom center of the 55-inch model, to be unobstructed. I placed a soundbar in front of the TV, but since it was just tall enough to hit the sensor, it caused the remote to stop working. If you upgrade to a Roku Voice Remote (sold separately), this isn’t an issue, as those remotes don’t require a line of sight.

The Onn TV’s image quality is as basic as it gets on a modern TV, but that doesn’t mean the picture is horrible. It’s just that the TV only looks good under certain conditions. Its flaws become a bigger issue depending on how much light you have (or don’t have) in your room.

During my testing, the 55-inch model reached a maximum brightness of around 300 nits, while the 50-inch model peaked at 200 nits. Those are low numbers even for an entry-level TV. Brightness varies a bit across other sizes in the lineup, but Walmart doesn’t list any Onn TVs as being able to surpass 400 nits.

I set up the 55-inch model in my home office, which has only one window. The Onn TV was a good fit for daytime viewing in a room like this. However, I set the 50-inch model up in my bedroom, which has more windows that let in a lot more light, and the Onn TV’s limited brightness was a bigger problem here. The screen was too dim to comfortably watch darker scenes during the day. This isn’t an issue on pricier TVs that can get brighter to overcome glare.

Conversely, the Onn TV also struggles in completely dark rooms. With the lights off, the TV’s limited contrast and elevated black levels can be an eyesore when watching movies and TV shows with dark scenes. Dim sequences in movies like “1917” and “The Matrix” took on an extremely washed-out, milky appearance, making it difficult to see details in shadows.

Ultimately, the Onn TV’s mix of low brightness and elevated black levels means that it looks best when placed in rooms that are neither too bright nor too dark. If your space fits that bill, the TV delivers decent entry-level performance and works fine for basic streaming needs. Native 4K content, available through various streaming services and 4K Blu-rays, actually looks quite good, with sharp detail. Lower-quality sources, such as cable TV, appear decent enough but tend to take on a blurrier and rougher appearance, as the TV’s upscaling capabilities are lacking compared to those of a higher-end set.

What are the downsides of a Walmart Onn TV?

Walmart’s Onn TVs make some clear concessions in terms of picture quality, features, and design to keep their costs low. Here’s a breakdown of some of the limitations you should keep in mind when considering an Onn TV:

1. No voice search or built-in digital assistant

Though Onn TVs use the Roku OS, they only include a basic Roku remote without voice search built in. The TVs also lack any integrated digital assistants, such as Alexa or Google Assistant. However, you can purchase a Roku Voice Remote separately. The standard Roku Voice Remote costs $20, while the latest Voice Remote Pro, which features backlit keys, a rechargeable battery, and hands-free voice control, costs $30.

2. Cheap build and chunky design

If you’re buying a display with aesthetics in mind, Walmart’s Onn TV isn’t for you. The set is a simple black rectangle made from plastic with a thick profile of about three inches. Most Onn TV sizes use left and right feet that get attached with screws (some 32-inch models have tabletop stands), and though they serve their purpose just fine, they feel cheap and lack the heft of sturdier stands.

Walmart’s use of budget parts also raises some concerns about longevity and quality control. I didn’t encounter any issues with the two Onn TVs I tested over a two-month period, but it’s difficult to fully address these concerns without testing more units over an even longer period. In general, when buying a budget TV, it’s best to enter the purchase with the understanding that it may not last as long as a pricier set and may be more prone to quality-control issues. For its part, Walmart offers a one-year automatic limited warranty, which can be extended to two years if you register your TV within 90 days of purchase.

3. Limited picture quality

As I’ve already addressed in other sections, when it comes to image quality, Onn TVs are at the very low end of what’s available. They’re fine for casual viewers who aren’t discerning about image quality, but they have key drawbacks. Most notably, they can’t get very bright, they have low contrast, and they don’t support a wide color gamut.

This makes Onn TVs ill-suited for rooms with lots of windows that let in sunlight, as their screens aren’t bright enough to overcome glare. It also means that dark scenes appear distractingly cloudy, gray, flat, and faded when watching TV in a dimly lit room, since the panel can’t produce deep black levels.

Although 4K Onn TVs can technically process HDR videos using the HDR10 format, their limited contrast, brightness, and color capabilities prevent them from properly showcasing the benefits that HDR is intended to provide. Bright highlights have clipped details and appear dimmer than they should. Likewise, colors are inaccurate and tend to look unnaturally saturated.

4. Narrow viewing angles

Like a lot of budget displays, image quality degrades when you sit to the side of an Onn TV, as contrast and colors distort when you’re off-center. Black levels, in particular, take a big hit when you move to the side or sit too close. This means Onn TVs aren’t a great choice if you need to sit at extreme angles from your screen.

5. Minimal gaming features

All of Walmart’s Onn TVs are limited to a 60Hz refresh rate, and they do not support Variable Refresh Rate (VRR). The best gaming TVs, equipped with higher refresh rates and VRR, can provide smoother motion when playing certain games on a PS5, Xbox Series X, or PC. Onn TVs also lack a dedicated gaming pop-up menu. These types of menus are now common on TVs from other brands, providing quick access to video signal statistics and gaming-related image adjustments.

6. Mediocre sound quality

Even the best TVs often struggle with subpar sound quality, and Onn TVs definitely don’t buck that trend. Though dialogue is easy enough to hear, the speakers have an overall muddy quality with minimal stereo separation. Sound effects in content with lots of action tend to get smooshed together, making it hard to hear different elements. Again, even pricier TVs suffer from speaker quality issues, but audio performance is clearly on the low end here.

What size Onn TVs can I buy?

Walmart’s current Onn TV lineup includes a mix of 4K and HD models ranging in size from 24 to 85 inches. The 4K models also support HDR (High Dynamic Range) using the HDR10 format, while the HD models only support SDR (Standard Dynamic Range). You can learn more about the difference between HDR and SDR in our HDR TV guide.

Beyond those differences in resolution and dynamic range, there are some variances in brightness across certain sizes. But otherwise, all Onn TVs offer the same basic capabilities.

Here’s a full rundown of the collection, including any sale prices at the time of writing:

What are your alternatives?

Onn’s main competition in the entry-level TV market comes from another retailer brand: Best Buy’s Insignia line of TVs. Though Insignia is Best Buy’s in-house TV brand, they’re also sold on Amazon, presumably since they use Amazon’s Fire TV operating system. Pricing varies depending on current discounts, but Onn and Insignia TVs are often sold at comparable prices.

Though I prefer the Roku OS used by Onn over the Fire TV OS used by Insignia, Insignia models do have a leg up with the inclusion of an Alexa Voice Remote. If you want voice search with an Onn TV, you need to buy a Roku Voice Remote separately.

Meanwhile, if you want to step up a bit in image quality, the TCL S5 Series is a good alternative to an Onn TV. The S5 offers better color performance, comes with a voice remote, and is available in either Fire TV or Google TV interfaces. However, S5 models typically cost a bit more than Onn TVs, and there is no 85-inch size available.

If you’re able to venture out of the value-priced market and consider a more full-featured budget TV, I highly recommend taking a look at the TCL QM6K or Hisense U65QF. Both TVs typically start at around $500 to $550 for a 55-inch model, which is more than double the cost of a 55-inch Onn TV. However, the jump in brightness and contrast performance is dramatic. You can find additional recommendations in our guides to the best budget TVs and best TVs under $500.

Should I buy a Walmart Onn TV?

Walmart’s Onn TVs are as entry-level as a smart TV can get, but they’re priced accordingly. If you’re someone who wants to pay as little as possible for a basic display, then an Onn TV could be all you need. And though they’re not part of Walmart’s early Black Friday sale so far, it’s likely they’ll get discounts over the coming weeks, which would make them an even better value for budget shoppers.

However, if you’re someone who likes to watch movies in a dark room or have a bright space prone to glare, an Onn TV is a poor fit, even if you can get it on sale.

I’ve been using the 55-inch model in my office to keep the news on in the background and the 50-inch model in my bedroom right before going to sleep, and they’ve been a solid fit for those needs. While I don’t recommend an Onn TV for home theater fans or gamers, they’re solid budget buys for people who want a secondary display for a bedroom, or just want a cheap, no-frills TV for a casual space with moderate lighting.