The answer to our budget TV prayers is the 50-inch version of the Vizio M-Series Quantum X that lumps together some of the best picture technologies that gamers will care about at a price that won’t blow your textbook budget. For $650, the 50-inch Vizio M-Series Quantum X delivers a full array local dimming panel with a 120Hz native refresh rate and a peak brightness of 1,000 nits, which is perfect for Dolby Vision and HDR10+ HDR formats (both of which it supports). For gamers, the M-Series Quantum X can hit 240fps with stutter-free AMD FreeSync Premium and rocks HDMI 2.1 ports for 4K/120Hz playback and latency under 8ms on the latest game consoles. Even better, if your home (or dorm, or apartment) supports Wi-Fi 6E Tri-Band/802.11ax, the Vizio M-Series Quantum X will as well, allowing you to get better load times from your favorite streaming services. It’s available beginning online on July 19 at most retailers and should be hitting store shelves in the near future.
This could be the best budget TV of 2022
For years we’ve been recommending the TCL 6-Series as the go-to TV for folks on a budget. But the new Vizio M-Series Quantum X has all the specs to rival — and even surpass — our three-year-strong recommendation. While the 50-inch version is the first to arrive — and the one that will offer the best mix of features for gamers — it’ll also be available in larger sizes as well. Having seen the TV briefly during a hands-on demo, we can safely say that it is delivering on the promise of a top-notch 4K TV at a cut-rate price and we’re looking forward to getting it into our testing labs to see how it compares with other TVs in its price range. Looking for more recommendations on the top tech products for college? Check out Tom’s Guide’s Ultimate Back to School 2022 guide.
