People always like to chime in whenever I look at a budget TV.
They say:
“Don’t get that. It won’t last.”
I don’t like that.
Not saying they’re wrong…
But it’s something I want to find out for myself.
That’s why I’m looking into Onn TVs.
And here’s what I found…
Keep reading to discover:
- What makes Onn TVs a slight health hazard.
- How does Onn compare to other brands in terms of price.
- An in-depth look at whether Onn TVs are suitable for gaming.
- 6 reasons why you should and 3 reasons you shouldn’t get an Onn TV.
- And so much more…
Is Onn a good TV brand?
Onn is a good TV brand. Despite being one of the cheapest, they still boast a great display and a sleek design. They also have Roku, voice control, and excellent customer service. The only downsides are that they don’t last as long as other TVs due to poor build quality, and they’re bad for gaming.
6 reasons why Onn is a good TV brand
#1: It’s cheap
Onn is one of the, if not the, cheapest TV brands in the market.
Even dropping to as low as $88 during Black Friday sales.
Yes, you heard that right: less than $100 for a 43-inch smart TV.
But you don’t need to wait for discounts.
Here’s how Onn fares against other brands in the 75” segment.
| Brand | Onn | Samsung | Sony | LG |
| Model | 100044717 | Q60A | XR-75X90J | 75UP7070PUD |
| HDR | HDR10 | Quantum HDR10+ | HDR10, HLG, Dolby Vision | HDR10, Dolby Vision |
| Resolution | 4K UHD | 4K UHD | 4K UHD | 4K UHD |
| Refresh Rate | 60Hz | 60Hz | 60Hz | 60Hz |
| Display | DLED | QLED | LED | LED |
| Price | $678.00 | $1099.99 | $1389.99 | $910.06 |
Note: The prices listed are the cheapest for each TV on Amazon or, if it’s unavailable, on the manufacturer’s website.
#2: Sleek design
For its price, you might expect thick sides and a hefty weight.
But what you’ll get instead is a sleek design.
Complete with thin bezels and a modernized UI.
It wouldn’t turn any heads…
But it wouldn’t turn them away either.
#3: Roku TV
Whenever I buy a new TV, I always consider its software.
And one of the most attractive features of Onn TV for me?
It runs on Roku.
Roku boasts a clean interface with dozens of available streaming apps.
And, unlike other operating systems, it doesn’t have a lot of bloatware.
Bloatware are pre-installed apps that your TV can’t delete.
They can eat up your memory, thus slowing down your device.
Android TVs, in particular, are notorious for this.
But not Roku.
Instead, they pride themselves on being a minimal service perfect for streaming content.
#4: Can connect to smart assistants
“Hey Alexa, can you tell me one reason why Onn is a good brand?”
Well, she can’t answer you right now, but I can think of one:
It can connect to all the major smart home assistants like:
- Apple Airplay.
- Amazon Alexa.
- Google Assistant.
But, what can they do?
They allow you to use your voice to control your TV.
So the next time you lose your remote…
Don’t waste minutes looking for it in the endless void called ‘under your couch.’
Instead, just yell at your TV.
#5: Good customer service
One thing about Walmart?
They don’t like bad reviews.
That’s why they’re attentive to every customer service request.
Many users on Consumer Affairs have praised Walmart.
Why?
For immediately responding to issues related to the TV.
And for quickly sending Element, the company that handles Onn maintenance, for repair.
#6: Great display for its price
Let me tell you the truth:
If you buy an Onn TV expecting picture quality that rivals Samsung, Sony, or LG…
You’ll be disappointed.
But if you look at it relative to their price…
You’ll be surprised at how great their display is.
Take the 43-inch Onn Roku TV, for example.
Right now, it retails for above $200. But some have gotten the TV for around $80 during sales.
For that price, you’ll get:
- DLED.
- 4K UHD resolution.
- Widescreen display.
Sounds too good to be true, right?
Perhaps. And that brings us to…
3 common Onn TV problems
#1: Poor build quality
When you pay for something this cheap…
Expect the company to cut corners.
A lot of corners.
There have been some ex-Walmart employees who have commented on Reddit posts about Onn.
And they’re saying that the TV tends to have a high return rate.
Why?
Because they’re made of cheap plastic materials and outdated hardware.
But that’s not all…
#2: Styrene
Try going to Onn’s official website and selecting any TV.
Under its price point, do you see something called Proposition 65?
Proposition 65 is a warning given to Californians about a potentially dangerous chemical.
The law doesn’t matter to everyone, especially people not from California…
But what matters is what the law tells us.
And that is that Onn TVs have Styrene.
Styrene is an industrial compound used to produce plastic and rubber. You can also find it in tobacco smoke.
According to the CDC, inhaling large amounts of Styrene can lead to:
- Tiredness.
- Feeling drunk.
- Balance issues.
- Vision changes.
- Slowed reaction time.
- Concentration problems.
Note: Don’t be scared. Although Styrene is dangerous, Onn TVs can’t produce enough of it to harm you seriously.
But, as always, it’s better to be safe than sorry.
#3: Doesn’t last
There have also been multiple reports of Onn TVs having bad longevity.
Ideally, TVs should last up to 10 years.
But some users have left reviews on the Walmart site saying that their Onn TV didn’t last long.
How long, you ask?
Well, some lasted months.
Meanwhile, others didn’t even last a night.
Note: If you’re on the market for a TV, consider this:
In the long run, it’s more frugal to spend a little bit more…
Instead of spending a whole lot more for repair or replacement in the future.
#4: Bad for gaming
If you’re looking for a TV to play your PlayStations or Xbox with…
Here are the questions you should ask:
- Is the screen color accurate?
- What’s the screen’s refresh rate?
- How well does it connect to the internet?
- And most importantly, how’s the TV’s input lag and latency?
So let’s answer each of these questions.
Color accuracy
Just because the display is good for its price…
It doesn’t mean it’s the best out there.
In a lab test done by Tom’s Guide, they reported that the 40K UHD Onn TV model has a 96.7% sRGB color gamut.
And that’s a little bad.
Let me explain why.
Color gamut tells you how many colors a TV can display, with the highest being 100%.
Now, you might wondering:
“96.7 out of 100 sounds pretty good.”
And, usually, it is.
But for color gamut, it’s way below average.
Budget TV competitors like Hisense U8G and TCL 3 have 99.95% and 98.2%, respectively.
So, as far as color accuracy goes, Onn TVs are subpar.
Refresh rate
Next, let’s talk about refresh rates.
But first, we should discuss the difference between effective and panel refresh rates.
- Panel refresh rate: True frames-per-second cap.
- Effective refresh rate: Frames-per-second after display manipulation.
Simply put, don’t trust the effective refresh rate numbers.
Manufacturers put this to trick unsuspecting buyers.
They use motion smoothing to make it seem like you have a higher refresh rate.
And that’s exactly what Onn did.
2 out of their 3 active series lines list 120Hz as their effective refresh rate.
When, in reality, their refresh rates are capped at 60Hz.
Honestly, 60Hz isn’t that bad for gaming.
But, when you’re playing multiplayer shooter games…
You might want something higher than that to compete with your enemies.
Internet
As I’ve mentioned, Onn TVs have a reputation for having poor build quality.
That also includes its internals.
Users who had a broken Onn TV often report that their Wi-Fi that gave up first.
But, thankfully, all of their models have an ethernet port…
Which you can use to directly connect to the internet.
Input lag and latency
Input lag determines how long a press of a button reaches your screen.
And if I could sum up Onn’s input lag numbers in two words, I’d say:
“Not great.”
20ms is the benchmark for a good input lag.
And the Onn 4K Roku TV only has 32.1ms.
Frequently asked questions:
Who makes Onn TVs?
Onn TVs are produced exclusively by Walmart, but no one actually knows who makes them.
Some blogs online say that Durabrand, a Walmart Subsidiary, manufactures it…
But there’s been no official mention of this being the case anywhere.
Several people also say that Onn TVs are repackaged Element TVs.
Which, to some degree, is possible.
Especially considering that Element also handles the repair of all Onn TVs.
Does Onn TV have good picture quality?
Onn TVs have good picture quality–for its price.
For models that start from $99.99, you might not expect Onn TV to have:
- OLED.
- HDR10+.
- Dolby Vision.
- 60Hz refresh rate.
But they do.
However, Onn TVs tend to lack maximum brightness and color accuracy.
Which TV is better: Element or Onn?
Onn is better than Element–but not by much.
Across their models, both have a similar design and picture quality…
They even use the same OS, which is Roku.
At the end of the day, while both TVs pride themselves on being budget TVs…
Onn is just a little bit cheaper.
And that’s what sets them apart.
You might also want to know: Is Element A Good TV Brand? 5 Problems & 4 Reasons