While indoor TVs and outdoor TVs may look and function similarly, an outdoor TV needs a glare-resistant display and a waterproof housing. You also need to consider where you plan to place your TV on your patio or backyard space. One of the best outdoor TVs we found is the Samsung Terrace Full Sun, which allows you to catch up on your favorite shows, watch the game, stream movies for the kids and more, even during the brightest times of the day.
Enjoy big-screen entertainment in your yard with some of the best outdoor TVs.
Illustration: Forbes / Photo: Retailer
From the biggest and baddest, like the 85-inch Samsung The Terrace Neo QLED 4K LST9C, to miniature outdoor displays like the Furrion Aurora, there’s a TV for anyone who dreams of watching their favorite movies and shows outdoors. And if you’re on a tight budget, the Peerless AV Neptune 55-Inch is a great affordable option. Here are the best outdoor TVs you can buy in 2024.
Size: 65-inch | Type: QLED | Resolution: 4K | IP rating: IP55 | Sun protection: Full | Refresh rate: 120Hz | Operating system: Samsung Tizen | HDR: HDR10, HDR10+
Best for: Enjoying your favorite movies and shows even on a bright day.
Pros:
High brightness
Strong protections against weather and high temperatures
High refresh rate and low input lag for gaming
Cons:
Expensive
It’s an older 2021 model
Samsung’s The Terrace Full Sun features a 4K QLED panel and a durable design. This TV has sky-high brightness to combat the sun, and the Full Sun model can handle direct sunlight hitting the screen for long periods. You can mount this TV anywhere: The chassis is thick and durable, and it has an IP55 rating—so you don’t need to worry about dust, wind, rain or even the spray from a hose. However, hail or more extreme weather conditions may still cause damage to the display, so we recommend a covering. The Terrace has full array local dimming and impressive black levels which help make HDR shine, and its 120Hz refresh rate makes it excellent for watching afternoon sports.
This QLED TV gets very bright—over 1,500 nits—and its quantum dot design produces a clear and vibrant picture, even in direct sunlight. The screen can withstand up to six hours of sunlight at up to 104 degrees Fahrenheit, and it automatically dims if the temperature rises anywhere beyond that. This TV is a little older than some of the other models, but until a better one comes along, this is the best outside of the extremely expensive.
Best Affordable Outdoor TV
Bright Enough For Partial Sun
Best Buy
Peerless AV Neptune 55-Inch Outdoor TV
Size: 55-inch | Type: LED | Resolution: 4K | IP rating: IP54 | Sun protection: Partial | Refresh rate: 60Hz | Operating system: WebOS | HDR: HDR10
Best for: Watching TV outdoors on sunny days without spending a fortune.
Pros:
High brightness
Strong protections against weather and high temperatures
Affordable priced with a free mount
Cons:
Lacks high refresh rate for gaming
Outdoor TVs tend to cost a lot more than their indoor counterparts—all that weather-and temperature-proofing costs something. But you don’t need to pay the extremely high prices of the other models if you don’t want to. Peerless AV’s Neptune is an excellent outdoor TV with impressive specifications and a much more affordable price tag. It’s a 500-nit display, which isn’t as high as the Samsung models, but its bright enough to enjoy a strong picture quality with vibrant colors and a clear image in partial sun. Don’t try this model in full sun though, as it’s just not bright enough for that.
It’s easy to use wirelessly, though, with great connectivity and a range of built-in smart streaming applications. It also comes with a free $200 wall mount to help you get it in the right position and out of reach of errant children’s fingers and pet messes. The weather-resistance rating is IP54, which is enough to ward off sandstorms and all but the most torrential of rain. It also only has a 60Hz refresh rate, making it less than ideal for gaming on your favorite PlayStation 5 Games. But if you’re using it outdoors, odds are you’re going to have it tuned to a sports game rather than plugging in a console.
Best Small Outdoor TV
A Compact, Weather-Resistant TV
Best Buy
Furrion Aurora Partial Sun Outdoor TV
Size: 43-inch | Type: LED | Resolution: 4K | IP rating: IP54 | Sun protection: Partial | Refresh rate: 60Hz | Operating system: WebOS| HDR: HDR10
Best for: Enjoying your favorite shows outdoors even if you don’t have lots of space.
Pros:
Relatively affordable
Compact size compared to its contemporaries
Extreme temperature protection
Cons:
Lacks heavy rain protection
Not bright enough for sunny daytime viewing
If you have a smaller garden or patio, you can still enjoy a TV outdoors. The Furrion Aurora comes with with all the protections you need to watch your favorite shows and movies outside without fear of adverse weather. With an IP54 rating, it’s not as well-protected as other outdoor displays, but it can handle a bit of rain and is fully dust-proof. While it doesn’t have as stringent protections as some against water, it supports a wider temperature range than most outdoor TVs. Able to withstand anything between -24 degrees Fahrenheit up to 122 degrees, it’s well suited to hot and cold weather climates.
Rated for “partial sun,” we’d recommend you keep this one in the shade, or use it when after the sun sets, so you can still see everything on-screen clearly. The TV’s contrast delivers good black levels, and it has a very low input lag, making it a good choice for gaming even though it lacks a high refresh rate. If you stick to 4K 60 Hz games, this TV makes them look and feel great to play. If you really like this TV, but wouldn’t mind it slightly bigger, you can get the Furrion Aurora in a range of sizes, including a 65-inch option.
Best for: Making the most of a covered area with movies, games and more.
Pros:
Incredible brightness
Less expensive than the full-sun model
IP55 protection keeps it safe from the elements
Cons:
Can’t handle direct sun
Samsung’s Full Sun The Terrace is our favorite outdoor TV, so it’s no surprise that the partial-sun version is our favorite option for shaded areas, too. It has all the same amazing features as the Full Sun Terrace, but for less than half the price because it can't handle direct sunlight in the same way. It still has no trouble with an ambiently bright day outdoors, but it works its best in shaded areas where its high brightness can really pop. And by bright, we mean really bright. This TV can hit over 2,000 nits at its brightest, making it capable of looking vibrant, with rich colors on even a very sunny day.
No need to worry about a little rain or dust as this TV has an IP55 rating, making it practically dust-proof and able to withstand everything up to a light jet washing without concern for damage. Armed with its impressive anti-reflective coating, this TV looks terrific outdoors. It also has the contemporary features you’d look for in a top-tier TV, like a 120 Hz refresh rate and low input lag for gaming and HDR10 and HDR10+ support (though no Dolby Vision, same as all Samsung TVs). The TV runs on Samsung’s responsive Tizen operating system for smart TV and streaming functions.
Best for: Enjoying your favorite movies and shows on a gigantic screen, even in full sun.
Pros:
High brightness
Strong protections against weather and high temperatures
High refresh rate and low input lag for gaming
Cons:
Very expensive
If you want the ultimate outdoor TV experience, there’s nothing quite like Samsung’s latest edition of the monstrous Terrace TVs. It features the latest generations of Samsung technologies, and is about as big as you can get in a modern TV, as well. At 85 inches, you can sit a long way from this TV and still get an amazing viewing experience, or gather around hordes of people to enjoy the big game outdoors. It’s rated to handle full-sun exposure, with a sky-high brightness that ensures the picture looks great during the day and at night, while the quantum dots deliver vibrant and rich colors.
It has a 120Hz refresh rate and a low response time and input lag, making it great for outdoor gaming, and with native support for Samsung’s Gaming Hub game streaming, you don’t even need to connect a gaming PC or console to play. Its waterproofing has been enhanced over older versions of The Terrace, now offering IP56 support, making it all but impervious to dust and able to withstand pressure washer jets from any angle. Rain is not going to bother this TV. You might want a cover to protect against hail or more extreme weather, but it can operate between -24 and 122 degrees Fahrenheit, so unless you live in the hottest of hot climates, this TV works brilliantly no matter the weather.
Co-author Jon Martindale is a regular Forbes Vetted tech contributor who has bylines in digital publications including Digital Trends and PCGamer, and formerly ran his own PC hardware review website. He also is a home entertainment expert who knows the inner workings of TVs.
Jared DiPane has written for CNET, Android Police, Android Central, Digital Trends and other major tech publications. His career started out at Best Buy selling home theater equipment, and he’s been interested in tech ever since, providing buying advice from the best OLED TVs to the best 4K projectors.
We know tech trends can quickly become outdated. We recently updated this story in May 2024 to expand our buying advice on what to look for in the best outdoor TVs.
How We Chose The Best Outdoor TVs
The best outdoor TVs are different from the ones you place on your TV console. They’re subject to the outdoor elements, and if you plan to use them in a sunny area, you need to account for that, too.
For this story, we carefully reviewed the features of each TV from its nits to its waterproofing.
In addition to reviewing the features each outdoor TV has, we consulted with industry experts to gather insight as to what to look for in the best outdoor TVs.
We also combed through real customer reviews to make sure these panels are TVs we’d be excited to use in our own backyards for outdoor entertainment.
Based on our own personal testing insights and hands-on time with these TVs, in addition to hours of research, we carefully separated out our top recommendations from the competition. Rest assured, these are the best outdoor TVs you can buy in 2024.
What To Look For In The Best Outdoor TVs
The best outdoor TV may look very similar to a regular TV, but there are a few things to consider when looking to use the TV outside of your home. Much like when buying one of the best TVs, your personal use case will help determine the best outdoor TV. Here are the most important factors to consider.
Brightness
Brightness is even more important on outdoor TVs than on their indoor counterparts. Where it’s mainly used for improving HDR on indoor TVs, the overall brightness rating for an outdoor TV could be the difference between being able to see it in your backyard or not. It doesn’t have to be a full-sun model, but even partial-sun or shaded outdoor TVs need to be bright enough to shine through on sunny days, making sure you still get a vibrant picture for whatever you're watching.
Whereas indoor TVs can get away with just a few hundred nits of brightness, outdoor TVs need as much as you can get. A 1,000 nit rating is worth targeting as a minimum for an outdoor TV, but the top models can reach over 2,000 nits at their brightest, which can really help if you're trying to watch during a very sunny day.
Weatherproofing
Your outdoor TV is subject to elements that indoor TVs don’t face, so you need good weatherproofing. Most outdoor TVs come with an IP code rating, which gives you some indication of their ability to handle dust and dirt and water. A low rating, like IP34, will only offer modest protection against light splashes, and some wind-blown dirt, while an IP55 rating would protect it against almost all dirt and even a light pressure washing (though we don’t recommend power washing it).
Temperature Range
Outdoor TVs also need to contend with greater swings in temperature than indoor TVs, so you want one that can handle the heat of the summer and the cold of the winter. You want your TV to work within the bounds of the temperatures it’s likely to encounter.
Samsung’s The Terrace Full Sun Outdoor TV has an operating temperature range of 2 to 82 degrees Fahrenheit and be stored between temperatures of -22 and 122 degrees Fahrenheit. Some outdoor TVs can go higher than that. Be sure to read the fine print if you’re in a warmer—or colder—climate.
Full Sun, Partial Sun Or Shaded
Outdoor TVs tend to be rated for full sun, partial sun or shaded areas. These let you know if they’re designed to be able to handle some sun or none at all. Full sun models shouldn’t need any kind of cover, and tend to have the strongest temperature and weather protections.
Partial sun TVs can handle some reflected sunlight and will look their best in shaded areas, while shaded TVs can’t handle any kind of direct sunlight and must be located in a shaded area to look good—and prevent overheading.
What Is The Difference Between An Indoor And Outdoor TV?
While visually indoor and outdoor TVs may be very similar, there are a few key differences. One of the big things that sets the two apart will be the brightness, as outdoor TVs will need to be significantly brighter in order to be able to be properly viewed in sunlight. Most outdoor TVs will have an anti-glare coating on the display to help increase visibility, too.
Plus, as mentioned before, outdoor TVs come with much-needed weatherproofing to ensure it lasts for years to come. A good rule of thumb is that if the model doesn’t specifically state it’s an outdoor TV, you should assume it’s not meant for the great outdoors.
Can You Use An Indoor TV Outside?
If you want to use an indoor TV as an outdoor TV for a prolonged period of time, you’ll want to look into buying an enclosure. This will help protect your TV from the elements and keep it safe to use outside. But in general, while they’re pricier than their indoor counterparts, we recommend splurging for a weatherproof, outdoor TV for your backyard space.
Do Outdoor TVs Use The Standard VESA Mounting Pattern?
The good news: Outdoor TVs work with the same mounts that you use for an indoor display. This means that you can get a slim profile mount, one with tilt or even go all out and get one that can swing away from the wall. The universal mounting pattern makes it easier to hang the TV without worrying about the mount you are buying. Be sure to purchase a mount that’s rated for the outdoor TV you will be hanging. We also cover the best TV mounts recommended by Martindale if you’re not sure which one to get. As always, be sure to check the print to make sure that the TV mount works with the outdoor TV you choose.
