You might be tempted to buy a TV so you can watch the game outside on a nice sunny day or enjoy a movie night with friends and family on a warm night. While there are TVs designed specifically for outdoor use, we haven't bought and tested any of them recently. This article instead focuses on an alternative to buying a very expensive outdoor model: buying an indoor TV and installing it in an enclosure designed to protect it from the elements. Most TVs in this article aren't designed for outdoor use, so ensure they're protected. One other thing you may notice is that there are no OLED TVs on this list. Unfortunately, direct sunlight can permanently damage OLED panels, so as great as they look, it's not a good idea to put one outside, even if it's in an enclosure. Through our in-depth testing process, we can see which TVs are bright enough to counteract glare from the sun, have speakers good enough that you can leave your soundbar inside, and have the picture quality to look good at night.
Below are our recommendations for the best TVs for outdoor use. Also, see our picks for the best smart TVs and the best budget TVs. If you'd prefer to shop for a projector you can use outdoors, look up the best outdoor projectors instead. You can also vote on which TVs you want us to buy and test. To learn more about the TV landscape for this year, check out our 2026 TV lineup page.
We buy and test dozens of TVs yearly, taking an objective, data-driven approach to deliver results you can trust. Our testing process is complex, with hundreds of individual tests that take over a week to complete. Most of our tests use specially designed test patterns that mimic real content, but we also use the same sources you have at home to ensure our results match the real-world experience. We use two main tools for our testing: a Colorimetry Research CR-100 colorimeter and a CR-250 spectroradiometer.
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Best Outdoor TV
Mixed UsageHome TheaterBright RoomSportsGamingBrightnessBlack LevelColorMotion HandlingGame Mode ResponsivenessProcessing (In Development)Peak Direct Reflection Intensity:%Screen Finish:MatteSee all our test resultsSizes:65" 75" 85"The Samsung R95H is the best outdoor TV we've tested. This RGB Mini LED model features incredibly high peak brightness and a matte anti-reflective coating, so glare is barely noticeable during the day and both bright and dark scenes are easy to make out. It delivers stunning picture quality overall, with bright, vibrant colors and incredible contrast, and it has a decent viewing angle, making it a great choice for a wide patio or outdoor seating area. Unfortunately, it's not very accurate out of the box, though, and it has a noticeable blue tint.
It runs Samsung's proprietary Tizen OS smart interface, which has a huge selection of streaming apps, so you can quickly find your favorite content. It supports Wi-Fi 6E for more stable streaming outdoors, as there's considerably less interference, great if you have an outdoor wireless access point. Its built-in speakers get very loud, so you don't necessarily have to plug it into an external speaker system. Finally, it has a great selection of gaming features, including HDMI 2.1 bandwidth and VRR support to reduce tearing.
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Best Mid-Range Outdoor TV
Mixed UsageHome TheaterBright RoomSportsGamingBrightnessBlack LevelColorMotion HandlingGame Mode ResponsivenessProcessing (In Development)Peak Direct Reflection Intensity:%Screen Finish:MatteSee all our test resultsSizes:55" 65" 75" 85" 100"If you're looking for something cheaper than the Samsung R95H, check out the Hisense U7SG instead. This mid-range model delivers surprisingly good picture quality for the price. It's nearly as bright as the Samsung R95H, and its matte anti-reflective coating does a fantastic job of reducing the intensity of daytime glare, but it's not quite as good as the R95H, so dark scenes are slightly harder to see. Colors are also incredibly bright and vibrant, but again, it's a bit of a step down from the R95H. It also has a worse viewing angle than the R95H, meaning it's best suited for a narrow space, as the image degrades as you move to the sides.
It runs the Google TV smart interface, which has a massive selection of streaming apps, so you can quickly find your favorite shows. It also supports multiple user profiles, so you can keep separate viewing patterns for kids and adults. It also has decent speakers that get loud enough for a moderate environment, and it supports eARC so you can easily connect it to an external speaker system.
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Best Budget Outdoor TV
Mixed UsageHome TheaterBright RoomSportsGamingBrightnessBlack LevelColorMotion HandlingGame Mode ResponsivenessProcessing (In Development)Peak Direct Reflection Intensity:%Screen Finish:MatteSee all our test resultsSizes:43" 50" 55" 65" 75" 85" 100"If you're on a budget, check out the Sony BRAVIA 3 II instead. Unlike the top two picks on this list, it's best suited for a shaded area or covered patio, as it's not bright enough to overcome glare from direct sunlight. It has great reflection handling, though, so some light hitting the screen doesn't ruin the image, and you can still make out dim scenes well. On the other hand, it has a better viewing angle than the Hisense U7SG, so it's suitable for a wide space.
It runs the same Google TV smart interface as the Hisense above, with a fantastic selection of streaming apps and support for multiple user profiles. It has a much weaker speaker system, though, and they don't get very loud, so you'll want to consider a separate speaker system or an outdoor Bluetooth speaker if you're planning on using it in an open space.
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Best Cheap Outdoor TV
Mixed UsageHome TheaterBright RoomSportsGamingBrightnessBlack LevelColorMotion HandlingGame Mode ResponsivenessProcessing (In Development)Peak Direct Reflection Intensity:%Screen Finish:GlossySee all our test resultsSizes:50" 55" 65" 75" 85"The TCL QM5K is one of the cheapest TVs that's suitable for use outside. It's not quite bright enough to use in the middle of your yard on a very sunny day, but if you have it in a gazebo or another shaded area, visibility is okay. Its anti-reflective coating is much worse than the Sony BRAVIA 3 II's, though, so it's best suited for bright content like sports, as dark scenes are hard to see. The TV has local dimming to help deepen blacks, so the image has nice depth during movie nights in your yard. Like most of the other TVs on this list, its viewing angle isn't wide enough to enjoy a consistent image from the sides of the screen, so try to stay centered to the screen.
It runs the Google TV smart interface, so you can use the TV's built-in apps, keep your dedicated streaming device inside, and keep your remote to the side while using your voice to control the TV. Unfortunately, its speakers aren't very good since they lack bass and don't get very loud. The sound profile becomes unbalanced as you raise the volume, but dialogue is clear enough to understand at moderate volume levels. If you want better audio, you can pair headphones or a Bluetooth speaker to the TV or use a dedicated soundbar.
Notable Mentions
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Samsung The Terrace:
The Samsung The Terrace is a great TV that's meant for outdoor use. The version we bought and tested is no longer widely available, and although it's been replaced by more recent versions, we haven't tested them.
See our review -
Sony BRAVIA 9 II:
The Sony BRAVIA 9 II is a fantastic alternative to the Samsung R95H. While it performs almost as well in a bright space, it has a considerably worse viewing angle, so it's not as well-suited for a wide patio or outdoor space. It's also considerably more expensive.
See our review -
Samsung S95H OLED:
The Samsung S95H OLED is a fantastic TV for use in a bright room, and it delivers deeper blacks and a punchier image than the Samsung R95H. Unfortunately, OLED panels can be damaged by direct sunlight, so it's not recommended for use outdoors.
See our review -
Hisense CanvasTV 2026:
The Hisense CanvasTV 2026 has a great matte coating that significantly reduces glare, but it's simply not bright enough for daytime viewing. It's an okay alternative to the Hisense U7SG if you're using it in a covered patio, but it's expensive.
See our review
Recent Updates
Sep 23, 2026:
We removed the Samsung The Terrace from the list, as it's old and no longer easy to find. We also replaced the Hisense U65QF with the Sony BRAVIA 3 II, as the Sony has a much better anti-reflective coating.
Jun 25, 2026:
Refreshed the article, adding the Samsung R95H as the Best Outdoor TV and replaced the TCL QM8K with the Hisense U7SG, as their matte coatings are better for outdoor use. Refreshed the Notable Mentions to more recent models.
Mar 23, 2026:
We revised the introduction and confirmed that our picks are still accurate and available.
Nov 20, 2025:
We replaced the Samsung QN90D with the Samsung QN90F, the Hisense U8N with the TCL QM8K, the Hisense U7N with the Hisense U75QG, the Hisense U6N with the Hisense U65QF, and the Roku Select Series with the TCL QM5K. We also updated the Notable Mentions.
Jul 03, 2025:
We updated the introduction section to bring it up to date and tweaked some text throughout for clarity.
All Reviews
Our recommendations above are what we think are currently the best outdoor TVs for most people to buy. We factor in the price (a cheaper TV wins over a pricier one if the difference isn't worth it), feedback from our visitors, and availability (no TVs that are difficult to find or almost out of stock everywhere).
If you'd like to do the work of choosing yourself, here's a list of all our recent TV reviews. Be careful not to get too caught up in the details. While no TV is perfect, most TVs are great enough to please almost everyone, and the differences are often not noticeable unless you really look for them.
