Updated Nov 6, 2026
How can you tell if a Black Friday TV deal is really a price drop?
Compare today’s price with the history of the last month.
Saw a TV "on sale" and suspect the price went up first?
See the discount mathStep 1 of 6
How the fake discount works
The "before" price is whatever the store says it was.
Three common ways a TV looks cheaper than it really got: the price goes up in the days before Black Friday and then returns to normal with a "discount" label; the crossed-out "was" price is a value the TV never really had; and the ad compares one model with another of the same name, like the 43″ TV with the 55″. None of these show up if you only look at the store page on the day.
What takes all three apart is the price history: the price of the same TV, from the same seller, day after day.
Step 2 of 6
The TVs with the highest score in each price range
The highest score up to each price, with today's price.
Up to $1,000.00
The highest score among 47 TVs up to $1,000.00.
Up to $2,000.00
The highest score among 94 TVs up to $2,000.00.
Step 3 of 6
The Radar’s yardstick: the 30-day median
Today’s price against the middle price of the last month.
The Radar saves each TV’s price every day. To decide whether a drop is real, it compares today’s price with the median of the last 30 days from its own price history, from the same seller. The median is the middle value, so a price spike the day before doesn’t pull it up. The math:
drop = (30-day median − today’s price) ÷ 30-day median
Only what stays below of that median is called a discount. The store’s crossed-out price doesn’t enter the math. A change of seller doesn’t count as a drop either, because it’s a different price, from a different place.
Step 4 of 6
If the history is still short
With no history, the Radar doesn’t call it a discount.
To confirm a discount, the TV needs at least 14 days of its own price history on the Radar. Before that, the page shows today’s price and a note that the 30-day median is still being built, without the word "discount". The same goes for the "find" label and for the list of TVs that dropped in price.
That means that near Black Friday, the list may be shorter than the advertised deals. That’s on purpose: we’d rather show little that’s true than a lot that’s doubtful.
Step 5 of 6
Five steps to check a TV
You can do it in two minutes.
- Find the TV’s page. Each model has its own, with the price chart and the verdict of the day.
- Look at the chart line, not the store’s badge. Is today’s price below the line of the last 30 days?
- Confirm the full model. The model code and the inches count: the 43″ and 55″ TVs of the same name are different TVs, with different prices.
- Check the seller. A price from an unknown seller isn’t worth comparing; the Radar only uses trusted sellers.
- See the final price at the store. Shipping, delivery time and warranty change the math, and the final price is the one at the store.
Step 6 of 6
Where to see the TVs that dropped
Three Radar pages, all dated.
| Page | What it shows |
|---|---|
| Real discount | TVs with today’s price below the 30-day median |
| Black Friday TV deals | The same math, with TVs grouped by brand, size and price range |
| TVs that dropped in price | The biggest drops of the week and the month |
Each list shows the collection date and hides anything that doesn’t have enough history yet.
How we read the discount
- 331TVs in the catalog
- 06/11price date
The Radar compares today’s price with the median of the last 30 days of the TV’s own history, from the same seller, and only calls a discount what falls below it. With fewer than 14 days of history, the TV appears without the word "discount". Catalog from 06/11/2026: 331 TVs, median price $998.00.
| Rule | Value |
|---|---|
| History used as the yardstick | 30-day median, from the same seller |
| Minimum history to confirm | 14 days of its own history |
| What doesn’t count as a drop | change of seller and the store’s crossed-out price |
The best by price range
Next step
See the TVs that fit your criteria
Each point is a new TV, by price and spec score.
Frequently asked questions
Is it worth waiting for Black Friday to buy a TV?
Not always. Compare today’s price with the median of the last 30 days for the TV you want: if it is already below it, waiting may not pay off. The Radar saves this history every day and never promises the lowest price.
How can you tell if a TV discount is real?
Compare today’s price with the median of the last 30 days from the same seller. Only what falls below it is a discount. The store’s crossed-out "was" price does not count. On the Radar, the TV’s page shows the chart of this history.
Why doesn’t the Radar show a discount on some TVs?
Because there isn’t enough history yet: the Radar only confirms a discount with at least 14 days of its own history. Before that, the page shows today’s price and a notice that the median is still forming, and the discount list doesn’t include it.
Does the price go up even before Black Friday?
In some cases, yes, and that’s why the Radar compares against the median of the whole month and not the price the day before. A spike of a few days doesn’t change the median, and a drop that just returns to the normal price doesn’t show up as a discount.
Does the Radar promise to find the lowest price?
No. The price is the lowest from a trusted seller that we collected on that date, and the final price is the one at the store. The Radar shows whether the price is below its own history; it doesn’t promise there’s no lower price somewhere else.
Read next
Where the numbers come from
The yardstick is the 30-day median of the Radar’s price history, from the same seller, with a minimum of 14 days of its own history to confirm (RADARDETVS.blackFriday.regua). The day’s catalog comes from the collection. The guide doesn’t depend on a campaign date.
The guide helps you decide and doesn’t recommend a TV for you: the final price is the one at the store, and the spec score doesn’t measure real contrast or durability.
Data from Nov 6, 2026.