Treat Yourself to One of These Editor-Tested and Approved Outdoor TVs

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Favorable weather makes you want to spend more time outdoors, which means now is a great time to add an outdoor television to your backyard. Outdoor TVs boast brighter backlighting and better durability than standard 4K TVs, so they withstand the sun’s harsh glare and extreme weather conditions.

These sets add more entertainment options to any exterior living space; your family and friends can catch up on their favorite shows and sports while they swim in the pool, grill up some grub on the deck, or lounge around a patio fire pit come rain or shine. And since outdoor TVs are designed to withstand the elements, you can leave them on the patio year-round without worrying about damage from exposure.

The Best Outdoor TVs You Can Buy Now

• Best Overall: Sylvox Pool Pro 2.0 Series 55-In. 4K Outdoor TV

• Best Value: Element Electronics 55-In. Partial Sun Outdoor TV

• Best Visual Performance: Samsung Terrace 65-In. Full Sun Outdoor TV

• Best For Sports & Video Games: SunBrite Veranda 3 Series 55-In. Outdoor TV

• Best Mid-Range: Furrion Aurora Full Sun 4K Outdoor TV

What to Consider When Buying an Outdoor TV

Before you purchase an outdoor TV, there are three major factors to consider: weather resistance, display brightness, and screen size. Manufacturers provide an operating temperature range as well as an Ingress Protection (IP) rating for their TVs. This durability scale represents the TV’s level of protection against solid particles like dust (scaled from 0-6 and represented by the first digit) and liquids (scaled from 0-9, represented by the second digit).

The lowest IP rating on any of these outdoor TVs is IP54. That means it can withstand wind gusts and splashes from all directions without functionality compromised. A higher IP rating is a must if an awning or other overhead structure won’t cover your TV.

Outdoor TVs come in three types: full shade, partial sun, or full sun. Full-shade outdoor TVs are designed to be placed under structures with roofs like a gazebo or bar where they won’t be subjected to lots of light or element exposure. These TVs have lower brightness and IP ratings, which can save you a few bucks if it jibes with your setup.

If you plan to place your TV under direct sunlight, opt for a full-sun TV with a high nit count (this is a standard unit for measuring luminance—the higher the number, the brighter the display) to see the screen on sunny days. Anti-glare screens are nice to have but can often raise the price.

Don’t be fooled into thinking that stronger backlighting translates to better picture quality. But do look at the colors to see if they appear washed out side-by-side with other models because the blacks aren’t as true and lean more toward grays.

You should also pay attention to the TV’s weight for mounting options, plus whether or not you’ll need a separate sound system and power outlet locations for plugging in the TV.

How We Tested

After our test team researched the best-selling weatherproofed outdoor TVs, verified reviews using Fakespot, and talked to product managers about the newest releases, we called in the top models for evaluation. We lined up each outdoor TV along the back wall of our office so they each got the same amount of exposure to sun, rain, and shade throughout the week. We took a look at all of the points we mentioned above, noted picture quality, and took stock of design, features, and overall usability (operating system, remote layout, and content buffering times).

Each TV was set to either the “Bright Outdoor TV” or comparable “Vivid” visual setting presets, which bring the most vibrant across the board and boost brightness, contrast, and sharpness levels. To grab a baseline of image quality, we synced up the trailers for “Top Gun: Maverick” and “Oppenheimer” across each TV to spot differences in sharpness and colors. Each model stayed out in the sun, shade, night, overcast, and rainy conditions over a week in temperatures that fluctuated between 53 and 90 degrees Fahrenheit.

We searched for TVs that were weatherproofed to withstand seasonal changes, subzero temperatures, and wet conditions. We also looked for models across various prices to fit every budget and TVs with high nit ratings for easy visibility in both shaded environments and direct sunlight. If you don’t necessarily need the exact sizes we tested, we’ve included links at the bottom of each review for other sizes of each model so you can choose the size that best fits your outdoor space.

Our Full Outdoor TV Reviews

The Pool Pro 2.0 Series outdoor TV by Sylvox is our top pick for most consumers, offering an amalgam of a no-nonsense design, an uncompromisingly tough build, excellent picture quality with top-notch peak brightness, and a feature-rich platform. The TV is also reasonably priced by this product category’s standards, especially considering its specs and picture quality. Plus, you can order it in a multitude of screen sizes, ranging from a compact 43-inch all the way to an immersive 75-inch panel.

With a peak brightness of 2,000 nits, the Pool Pro 2.0 Series TV can deliver great picture quality with rich colors, stellar contrast, and wide viewing angles even under direct sunlight. The bright 4K screen is also great for viewing HDR-enhanced content, though it could use a higher refresh rate. Sylvox offers a pricier Pool Pro 2.0 Series TV with a quantum-dot screen and Dolby Vision support if you’re looking for a more dramatic viewing experience and your budget permits.

Impressively, the Sylvox Pool Pro 2.0 Series can produce multi-dimensional Dolby Atmos sound out of the box, making enhanced audio content more enjoyable. However, we recommend investing in a soundbar, especially if you plan to use the TV in a large outdoor space.

The metal housing of the TV is sleek, solid, and worthy of its price category. We love that the Pool Pro 2.0 Series has conveniently placed controls on its right side. The dedicated panel makes operating the TV without a remote super easy. The bundled remote control has an intuitive layout with shortcuts for popular streaming apps, as well as a waterproof build.

On the other end of the price spectrum is Element’s $898 outdoor TV, which is by far the most affordable model we tested. You get a sharp 4K display, a snappy Roku interface, and plenty of ports at a fraction of the price of the competition. There are some tradeoffs. It’s quite bulky for a partial sun TV, and the bezels are thick. But this body makes it suitable for all weather while providing a crisp picture that looks fantastic in shaded areas and at night.

As soon as we set the Element up in our testing area, rain clouds rolled in. This dark overcast revealed the TV’s impressive brightness and color levels, which stood neck and neck with the comparable but pricier SunBrite Veranda 3. The Element’s picture is sharp—we noticed each wrinkle, blemish, and stubble on the actors’ faces in the “Top Gun” trailer just as well as we did on the rest of the TVs.

However, color tones tend to lean a bit too warm. This was best shown in fast-panning shots, such as when Maverick rides his motorcycle in the “Top Gun” trailer test. The greenery and grey paved road in the desert melded together with the yellows of the sand. As each model soaked in the rain, we found water streaks sat longer on the screen of the Element, but they rolled right off of the Veranda and other models.

Element’s outdoor TV offers an easy, traditional TV-like setup. You can unscrew the back panel to connect HDMI devices by hand with any tools for easy access to all of the ports, and channels load up quickly. While the Roku remote replaces the physical voice search button with a sleep timer, we mainly used the Roku app for its digital controller, which offers a keyboard, voice controls, and channel shortcuts. We were able to access content in less than four clicks on average, which is helpful when you need to quickly make a switch while hosting.

If you’re not a cinephile and have enough space for the Element, you’ll benefit from its slick operating system, crisp 4K screen, and durable body at half the cost of the Neptune partial sun outdoor TV above.

If you want the clearest picture, then Samsung’s Terrace is pricey but nearly perfect. We’re talking about an excessively sharp 65-inch 4K QLED display and anti-reflective coating in addition to a max brightness of 1,500 nits for optimal viewing even in direct sunlight.

It runs on Samsung’s snappy Tizen OS (which supports both Alexa and Google smart assistants), the remote is sleek, and its image is crisp thanks to automatic 4K AI upscaling to restore lost detail and reduce imperfections.

The Terrace has the best color and saturation balance and the least overall image noise. Facial blemishes (freckles, scars, and loose hairs), environmental details, and highlights pop best on this TV. Its blacks are also the truest of the pool, which ultimately produces the most vibrant colors and best retains details in dark scenes. It has a much more natural-looking saturation that comes through in the accurate blues of the sky and reds of skin tones. You can best see this in the image at the top of this article—while the other TVs look almost yellow, the Terrace on the far right side produces an image that looks most true to life.

But exposed to direct sunlight, it looks slightly dimmer and occasionally bounces back a glare as the sun moves across the sky. For the price, it’s expensive and bulky, but the picture may make it worthwhile for the right viewer. This is the best-looking TV we tested without any compromise in visual quality. Plus its attractive body and operating system designs feel the closest to a standard TV.

Small but mighty, SunBrite’s budget partial sun outdoor TV is packed with display technology like local zone dimming, Dolby Vision support, and Quantum Dot colors on a bright 4K screen at 120 Hz. All of these features enhanced whatever content we threw at the Veranda, from Netflix’s Ozark to NBA games. Watching the Heat and Celtics go head-to-head, we didn’t notice any motion blur, thanks to the TV’s high refresh rate. This speed also makes it the best outdoor TV for gamers since it offers the fastest image for competitive play.

While the TV delivers a rich, colorful picture, it doesn’t fare as well as any of the other models in direct sunlight. It was hard to see when the sun peaked in the middle of the afternoon. To its credit, it is a partial-sun TV, yet it still reproduced noticeable details like cinematic film grain in movies such as Star Wars Rogue One during daytime testing.

Since the TV is under 50 pounds, you can easily take it out of its primary shaded area at night to enjoy it in even more spaces. While you may not want to keep it out in the open during the day, it’ll survive a rain storm since its ports and remote are all weatherproofed.

We like that it runs on Google’s Android TV OS, as this opens the door for tons of smart features. These include things like Chromecast sharing, Google Assistant, and the Google Play store. You can stream media directly from the device or straight from your phone.

Three different testers had no problems pulling up YouTube videos. The only downside is that while the speakers built into the system are adequate if you live in a quiet neighborhood, you’ll probably want to invest in a separate sound system if you’re near a busy street.

Furrion’s Aurora gives our top pick a run for its money. It’s surprisingly affordable for a full-sun TV, uses the same easy-to-use LG webOS interface as the Neptune, and is equipped with external antennas for stronger Wi-Fi coverage. However, its chassis is heavier, as it includes a built-in fan.

You can prop this unit up on tabletop TV stand legs or lean it without being forced to mount it. Its 4K picture looks just as sharp as our top pick, and colors are generally accurate.

It has its flaws, though: As Maverick flew over forests in the “Top Gun” trailer, the greens from trees and foliage reflected into the cockpit. Also, reflections can obscure the picture when light hits it from certain angles, even though its brightness is listed at 1000 nits. I noticed this the most when lining up the TVs back inside our office at the end of the day. Sunlight coming through the window panes and ambient overhead lighting would stretch across the blank screen.

The TV comes with LG’s excellent magic remote for multiple ways to input text like motion controls and voice search. But its bigger, more durable body makes it a great fit for those living in areas that experience the brunt of a blistering winter or sweltering summer. Ultimately, this Furrion is best for those who want a full sun TV without the bulky size or price tag. It’s great for watching TV anywhere in the yard, even in the middle of the day.

Test Editor Hunter Fenollol Answers Questions About Outdoor TVs

PM: What is the difference between an indoor TV and an outdoor TV?

HF: When people see the higher prices for outdoor TVs, they often wonder if they really need to buy this specialty model instead of simply placing a cheaper standard 4K TV outside. The short answer is: Yes, you absolutely do.

Outdoor TVs are more expensive but are built to withstand extreme conditions, so you don’t have to worry about covering them up or taking them inside. Plus they come with anti-glare coatings and strong backlighting with higher peak brightness levels. This helps their image look its best even while fighting off the sun.

You’ll save hundreds of dollars buying a regular 4K TV and sticking it in an outdoor cover or enclosure, but it won’t be bright enough to see in direct sunlight and likely won’t withstand the weather for very long. If rain or snow makes its way through these protective layers, you’ll have to buy a new TV and risk potential electrical issues.

PM: Which outdoor TV type is best for me: full shade, partial sun, or full sun?

HF: This decision comes down to the layout of your exterior living space. If you know that you’ll place your TV under a shaded structure like a bar or gazebo, then go with a full shade model (usually 500 nits and below), which is often the most affordable variant. Areas that are indirectly exposed to sunlight, like under an umbrella, overhang, or pergola, are best for partial sun models, which have higher brightness levels (between 600 and 1,000 nits).

But if you know you want to shift your TV around your yard during the day in areas where the sun hits it directly, like by the side of a pool or on a patio, then you should look at full sun models. These offer the highest brightness levels (1,000 nits or higher) and anti-glare screens.

PM: What accessories should I buy for my outdoor TV?

HF: If you don’t like the smart operating system that comes installed on your outdoor TV (or if it is lacking one entirely), then you’ll need a streaming device like a Roku or Amazon Fire TV to access streaming apps such as Netflix or Hulu. These sticks open the door for computer functionality like playing the latest video games or browsing the web on the big screen. But in order to make the most out of these smart capabilities, you’ll want a strong, lag-free Wi-Fi connection.

If your TV is placed just outside your home, say on a deck or patio, your existing Wi-Fi network should be sufficient. But if you’re experiencing buffering or heading to a further section of the yard, like a bar or pool, you may want to invest in a Wi-Fi extender.

This is an affordable gadget that repeats the internet signal to extend network range coverage and improve performance. If you happen to have a mesh Wi-Fi system you can add another node for more speedy and balanced coverage for several devices. Lastly, you may want to see if the TV supports mounting VESA standards. This varies by size and weight.

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