Lead
As Black Friday 2025 winds down, our live tracker is following steep, confirmed price drops on large-screen TVs across major U.S. retailers including Amazon, Best Buy and Walmart. Between late Nov. 28 and the morning of Nov. 29, doorbuster and lightning deals pushed flagship OLED, Mini‑LED and QLED models to their lowest prices of the year. Notable offers include deeply discounted 65-, 75- and 85-inch sets — and a handful of extraordinary 98- and 100-inch markdowns. These reductions have already reshuffled inventory and left limited stock for many headline deals.
Key Takeaways
- Multiple flagship OLED and Mini‑LED TVs dropped by hundreds to thousands: e.g., TCL 65″ QM8K fell from $2,499 to $899 (Best Buy), a $1,600 cut.
- Extreme big-screen discounts: Hisense 98″ QD5 moved from $2,299 to $999 (Best Buy/Amazon), and a Hisense 100″ QD7 was listed at $1,697 (was $2,999) during the live window.
- Best-value OLEDs hit record lows: LG 48″ B5 reached $529 (was $1,299) at Best Buy, while Samsung 65″ S84F was $899 (was $1,999).
- Retail mix: Amazon and Best Buy drove most doorbusters, Walmart and Target had complementary offers and exclusive reductions on select models.
- Accessories and streaming sticks also saw heavy discounts (e.g., Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Max to $34), useful for shoppers adding older sets to a smart TV workflow.
- Site reliability mattered: Best Buy experienced temporary access issues during peak hours, redirecting buyers to alternative retailers for some deals.
Background
Black Friday remains the retail calendar’s key moment for consumer electronics markdowns as manufacturers and retailers clear inventory ahead of the holiday season and upcoming 2026 product cycles. In 2025, that pattern continued: brands discounted both previous-year models and select current-year sets to create eye-catching doorbusters. Retailers use a mix of timed lightning deals, limited-quantity doorbusters, and broad site-wide discounts to balance traffic and inventory.
TV technology diversity — OLED, QLED/QD‑OLED, Mini‑LED and traditional LED — gives retailers multiple price‑performance tiers to discount. Lower-tier models attract value buyers seeking big screens for under $400, while mid- and high-tier reductions on OLED and Mini‑LED appeal to cinephiles and gamers. Retailers including Amazon, Best Buy and Walmart coordinate exclusive model assortments and occasional store-only allocations, which can affect where the best markdowns appear.
Main Event
Throughout Nov. 28–29, the live feed logged major, verified price moves. Early highlights included deep cuts on TCL and Hisense Mini‑LED/QLED sets and record lows for several LG and Samsung OLED models. Amazon and Best Buy posted the bulk of the headline items; Walmart had several standout offers, notably on larger LG and Panasonic OLED sets.
Standouts recorded during the window: Hisense’s 98″ QD5 at $999 (from $2,299), TCL’s 65″ QM8K at $899 (from $2,499), LG’s 77″ C5 at $1,999 (from $3,299) and Panasonic’s Z95A OLED for approximately $1,692 (down from $1,999). A Hisense 100″ QD7 also appeared heavily discounted to $1,697 (from $2,999) in limited quantities.
Retail mechanics mattered: many doorbusters were time-limited or limited in stock and sold out within an hour. Lightning deals on Amazon and Best Buy tended to move fastest; when Best Buy experienced intermittent access issues, the same models were often still available through Amazon or Walmart for a brief period. Shoppers who used instant checkout and retailer apps had higher success rates for limited items.
Analysis & Implications
The breadth and depth of discounts indicate manufacturers are aggressively moving inventory ahead of next year’s launches. Large markdowns on premium Mini‑LED and OLED models suggest that price elasticity at the high end remains significant — heavy discounts can quickly convert reluctant buyers. For consumers, this moment narrows the gap between flagship performance and attainable prices, accelerating broader adoption of OLED/Mini‑LED technology.
For retailers, these doorbusters are a traffic strategy: deeply discounted hero SKUs attract shoppers who often purchase add-ons (soundbars, mounts, streaming sticks) and service plans. That cross-sell dynamic helps offset low margins on headline TVs. However, reliance on limited-quantity tactics increases the risk of customer frustration when pages crash or stock is exhausted rapidly, as observed with Best Buy’s intermittent access during peak demand.
On the supply side, brands with multiple value-tier lines (e.g., Hisense, TCL) are using aggressive pricing to win share in the large-screen segment, which pressures traditionally higher-margin rivals to respond. Gamers and home‑theater buyers benefit in the short term — many discounted sets include HDMI 2.1 inputs and 120Hz support — but long-term price normalization could compress manufacturer margins unless component costs fall.
Comparison & Data
| Model | Original Price | Sale Price | Discount | Retailer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hisense 98″ QD5 | $2,299 | $999 | $1,300 | Best Buy / Amazon |
| TCL 65″ QM8K | $2,499 | $899 | $1,600 | Best Buy |
| LG 48″ B5 | $1,299 | $529 | $770 | Best Buy |
| Samsung 65″ S84F | $1,999 | $899 | $1,100 | Best Buy |
| Hisense 100″ QD7 | $2,999 | $1,697 | $1,302 | Amazon |
The table highlights representative headline reductions verified during the live window; discounts ranged from several hundred to more than $1,500 depending on the model and retailer. These figures underline how Black Friday can sharply shift the price floor for both mid-range and premium TVs.
Reactions & Quotes
“We’re seeing the year’s lowest prices on multiple flagship displays — stock is moving fast.”
Tom’s Guide live coverage
“Doorbuster mechanics and timed lightning deals created intense shopping surges; availability varied by retailer and SKU.”
Retail monitoring report (live tracker)
“For bargain hunters, this Black Friday narrowed the gap between high performance and affordability in large-screen sets.”
Tom’s Guide analysis
Unconfirmed
- Exact remaining unit counts for specific doorbusters were not disclosed and changed rapidly during the live feed; availability listed here may no longer be accurate.
- Reports of Best Buy site outages were observed and timestamped during peak hours but the exact internal cause was not officially confirmed by the retailer at the time of reporting.
- Some third-party deals and bundles were reported by sellers; individual seller return, warranty and shipping terms were not fully verified.
Bottom Line
Black Friday 2025 delivered steep, verifiable price reductions across a wide range of TV categories, with the most dramatic savings on large-screen Mini‑LED and QLED models as well as select OLEDs. If you need a big-screen upgrade now, the best approach is to act quickly on verified deals, prioritize retailer checkout speed and confirm return/warranty terms before purchase.
For shoppers who can wait, Cyber Monday and early December promotions may yield similar deals on remaining inventory, but the most aggressive doorbusters are likely gone once sold out. Monitor verified retailer pages and use official apps for the best chance to capture time-limited discounts.