Smart TVs have always represented good value since they’re a TV and a streaming box all in one. The main downside, and one that eventually led me to buy an Apple TV 4K, is that smart TVs don’t have the quickest user interface in the world. That’s a big complaint of mine, because I don’t want to spend time navigating menus or waiting for things to load. I want to fire up an app and start watching something, and it’s something that feels less and less fluid as time goes on with a smart TV.

The fix to this was to grab a streaming device, and they were usually cheap enough to justify the cost. Today, it’s hard to justify splurging. If you want a new Apple TV 4K, you have to shell out $200. If you want a new Roku Ultra, it’ll cost you $150, barring a sale. These are high prices to pay for added streaming speeds. It used to be quite easy to recommend these devices, but now I’m not so sure about that.

Brand

LG

Display Size

42, 48, 55, 65, 77, or 83 inches

Operating System

webOS

Display Type

OLED

Display Resolution

4K

Refresh rate

165Hz (with VRR)

Smart TV stocks are going up, but that’s bad

Prices keep on rising

I used to look down on smart TVs, but now it feels like they’re gaining value while streaming boxes are going down. Sure, you can still find a streaming stick for pretty cheap, but when you go down to sticks instead of boxes, the performance is closer to matching your smart TV’s performance. A streaming box is what’s needed to really see that uptick in performance, but when one costs almost as much as a low-end 4K smart TV, I don’t see how that’s good value at all.

The only thing I can really say about a streaming box is that they have quite a bit of longevity. My Apple TV 4K dates back to 2017, but it’s still alive and kicking as my daily driver. In my experience, smart TVs don’t last nearly as long, at least ones that you’re relying on for their interface. I have a Roku Ultra in my bedroom for my TV in there, and it’s way faster than that TV’s software. It used to be such an easy recommendation, but it’s just not anymore.

I’m not even sure what the fix is either. Smart TVs do slow down over time, but I can’t really tell somebody to go out there and buy an Apple TV 4K for $200 to offset that problem. There are way better ways to spend your cash, as much as it pains me to say so. For me, a streaming stick is more of a way to get around using an interface you don’t like, like switching from Fire TV to Roku, for example. A stick might be a small performance boost, but it’s definitely closer to your TV than a box is. However, the massive price difference between a stick and a box can’t be ignored. When you can pick up a 4K streaming stick for a fraction of the price, it’s probably worth pulling the trigger.

I have a Fire TV in a spare bedroom that I’m quite happy with. It’s a 2025 model, and given its recent release, it still runs pretty well. I used a Fire TV Stick with it for a while, but then I realized the performance was negligible, so I got rid of it and rely on Alexa voice controls now. I’ll probably keep doing this until something changes.

Smart TVs just need to stay affordable

So far, so good

It’s been a rough couple of years for tech because the price of everything has been going up. Not a single game console costs the same as it did when it came out, and instead of going down, the prices went way up. This has now started to bleed over into streaming devices, which is a terrible sign. I’ve been excited for a new Apple TV 4K, so much so that I’ve been trying to squeeze my first-gen model for everything that it’s worth. If this price hike for the third-gen model is anything to go off, I’m not going to be getting a new one at launch.

So far, TVs have done a good job of staying out of the price hike lane. You can still find very affordable smart TVs, so if you’re in the market for one, I’d suggest hopping on one sooner rather than later. TVs still use RAM like everything else, so either they found a loophole to keep prices down, or a hike could hit out of nowhere. TVs last several years, so buying one now should still guarantee you years of use. I just hope it doesn’t become something you have to prolong the life of for several years because of prices going up. TVs aren’t exactly the cheapest thing in the world, and if you want something with Dolby Vision, you have to spend a pretty penny. Let’s just hope that penny doesn’t turn into two or three pennies.