Need to know
- Aldi is selling a 75-inch TV for $799 in its Special Buys sale from Saturday 20th September.
- We've tested Aldi Bauhn TVs in our labs and they haven't performed particularly well
- Our experts test TVs, headphones and speakers from popular brands including LG, Sony, Bose, Samsung, Hisense, TCL and more
It's TV time again in the Aldi Special Buys sale. From Saturday 20th September, you can pick up a 75-inch HD smart TV for $799 alongside your groceries, while stocks last. This is significantly cheaper than similarly-sized models with the same screen resolution and specifications from other brands.
The TV is from Aldi's house label Bauhn, and it's powered by LG's WebOS, which comes pre-installed with streaming apps such as YouTube, Netflix, Disney+ and Amazon Prime Video.
At such a low price, it's certainly a tempting deal. But how does this Aldi bargain really rate for quality – and is it worth buying?
We have tested other Aldi TVs and – spoiler alert! – Bauhn's track record doesn't paint a pretty picture
Full disclosure: we can provide expert insights that can help you make up your mind, but we haven't tested this exact model. Aldi products pop up at short notice and usually sell out quickly, so we haven't been able to get our hands on this one to test it. (We do get the latest Aldi models in for testing whenever we can, though.)
However, we have tested other Aldi TVs in our labs and – spoiler alert! – Bauhn's track record on tech doesn't paint a pretty picture.
We spoke to CHOICE TV expert Denis Gallagher about the patchy performance from Aldi TVs in the past, and what you need to know before queuing up outside Aldi at sunrise.
Bauhn to be bad?
There's no denying that Aldi does some products really well. Cheap ski gear and grocery staples, for sure. Electronics, not so much.
Our experts have lab-tested a range of Bauhn TVs over recent years, and one thing's been consistent – they've almost always received pretty average scores. Not one has earned the performance results required for a CHOICE recommendation.
Unfortunately, in this case, it seems you tend to get what you pay for.
So far we haven't really seen a Bauhn TV that's performed especially well
Denis Gallagher, CHOICE tech expert
"So far we haven't really seen a Bauhn TV that's performed especially well," says Denis.
"Of course, that can change with new models – we've seen that with other brands – but despite the undeniably low prices, shoppers should be careful when considering these bargain models based on what we've seen."
Aldi's track record for TVs
The 55-inch Aldi TV we've tested is a step up from previous Bauhn models, but still not great.
"Previous test results have ranged from the low end of good to poor, so there's a lot of room for improvement," says Denis.
While we haven't tested the exact model for sale on Saturday, we have tested a different 55-inch model: the Aldi Bauhn ATV55UHDW-0124.
Was it any good? Sort of, but not really.
Standard- and high-definition (SD/HD) picture quality only looked OK. 4K video looks good, though this content can come with a premium price tag on disc or streaming services. There's a lot more SD and HD content out there.
It had OK sound quality as well, with our testers saying it sounds "a bit harsh while lacking in punch and warmth." Not exactly one to wow your friends on movie night.
This is the highest scoring Aldi TV to come through our labs, with an expert rating of 70%. It's a step up from other Bauhn models we've tested but still not good enough to be recommended by our experts.
Others have scored anywhere from 68% to as low as 59% overall. The 75-inch TV that's currently available has similar specs and the same operating system as the 55-inch model that we tested.
An older 75-inch Aldi TV failed to impress our experts.
"We can't say for certain that this is exactly the same TV, but we suspect that performance scores, picture quality, sound quality, and other features are likely to be similar," says CHOICE tech expert Peter Zaluzny. Basically what this means is that the hardware and interface that you interact with are probably similar, if not identical."
"But the larger screen and speakers could mean that picture quality and sound performance are different from the 55-inch model."
Previous Special Buys have included a 75-inch Baun TV priced at $899 that used the Tizen operating system from Samsung, rather than LG's WebOS.
It boasted a decent range of features, but fell flat in our lab tests with a CHOICE Expert Rating of 67%. Picture and sound quality results in particular, were only OK across the board.
Aldi TVs have often feature in our list of TVs to avoid buying due to their low scores.
Special Buys tips
- Aldi's Special Buys stocks are limited, and popular products can sell out quickly.
- You can check Special Buys stock availability on the Aldi website.
- If you're heading instore, check the weight and size of the item you're buying to make sure you can transport it home.
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