From the beginning of the era in smart TVs — televisions with internet connection built-in streaming apps and other web services – there were a lot of people who wanted nothing to do with them. Some may think that this will save money, assuming that the clever scheme adds value. Others may just hate the idea of everything requiring an internet connection. However, others know that when it is connected to the Internet, it is likely to sell some of your personal data. Whatever the reason, the desire for dumb TVs has been around for a long time.
However, it’s 2026 and smart TVs are dominating the market in all categories, big and small. Does any company even make dumb TVs these days? Technically and surprisingly, yes, you can buy a TV that isn’t built around streaming and internet connectivity. However, you may not want to.
Smart TV features save you are money
It’s a misconception that removing Smart TV features will make the TV cheaper. It’s the opposite. Companies like Google and Amazon actually pay TV manufacturers to put their streaming software on TVs. It’s a win-win for manufacturers. They don’t need to spend money on developing streaming software (or in some cases an operating system), and they can sell their TVs cheaper. It’s hard to get specific numbers, but it’s likely that for many low-cost TVs, the manufacturer only makes money by “subsidizing” the streaming software.
Stupid TV options
If you’re looking for a reasonably sized (in other words, not tiny) branded TV with no smart features, you’re out of luck. Dumb TVs in 2026 come in two varieties: small and no-name. If you don’t mind something 40 inches or less, you have options. All are inexpensive. Neither will have particularly good image quality. They’re all low-cost LCDs with minimal, if any, local dimming. As a courtesy, they are often called “dumb” TVs.
In larger sizes, one option is the Scepter, which is most often found at Walmart and some other retailers. They have two lines of smart TVs in different sizes. Of course, they are inexpensive, but not so noticeably compared to more efficient options, such as those found in TCL or Hisense. Take for example Scepter U515CV-U. It’s a 50-inch LCD display that costs $230 and has a built-in tuner, three HDMI inputs, analog and digital audio outputs — plus, it even has an analog component input for older video equipment. After reading user reviews online, the most common endorsements I found were “it’s good” and “I bought it for my kids so I didn’t care.” Compare this with Hisense QD7one of our picks best budget tvthat’s just a little more money and it has a full local dimming array.
Monitors
For something small, the size of a TV computer monitors have been an option for years. You can even find it QD OLED models, the same technology is found in many of the the best TVs. The largest monitors tend to be more similar in size to small modern TVs, but as long as you don’t sit too far away, this can be fine. Keep in mind that you’ll need something for sound, as many monitors don’t have speakers (and the sound is generally poor from those that do). A sound bar or receiver speakers will work fine.
Commercial displays
You can buy scaled-down displays designed for commercial use, such as digital signage, hospitality, and so on. They are not hard to find; even Best Buy has a selectionbut not in stores. However, these models are often more expensive than comparable home models. For example, here’s a commercial model from Samsung that doesn’t have Smart TV features.
You can get it for the same money An OLED TV that is basically the same size but will look much better. Oh, and the commercial model above only has 1080p. In theory, they’re built to last longer, but most modern TVs are pretty reliable.
Old, used models
Sure, you can find old TVs for sale on Craigslist and Facebook Marketplace (but never ship a used TV). Buying used is usually fine, but all TVs wear out. OLED is becoming popular burnoutbut LED LCDs are also getting old. If you haven’t seen what the TV looks like in person, beware. If it’s old enough to not have smart features, the starting price should be around “free with local pickup”, with a few exceptions.
Beating the digital dust off this old one, beware of buying a used plasma TV.
Older TVs may also have older versions of the HDMI standard. what power it’s fine if you’re just plugging in a Blu-ray player or game console, but some newer devices may not want to connect to older devices. If you want to go back really far and get something with analog connections (component or, well, S-video or composite), it’s pretty old school, but I hope you have a plan for what you’re connecting to it.
Make your TV dumb
Since you’re not saving money by giving up smart TV features, maybe you just don’t want companies to sell your data. However, it is quite fair I have bad news for you about every device that connects to the Internet. If you’re trying to minimize data, you can at least make your TV “dumb” by simply not connecting it to the Internet.
However, this is easier said than done. Well, no, the act itself is very simple; these are not consequences. The TV will want to connect to the Internet and may remind you regularly that it is disconnected. This can bother you every time you go to the menu. Not having an internet connection also means you’ll miss out on automatic firmware updates, but these are often security and stability improvements that probably won’t matter if the TV isn’t connected to the internet. Alternatively, for most TVs, you can download the manufacturer’s firmware to a USB drive and update the TV manually.
All of this assumes that you can go through the initial setup process without an internet connection for your TV. Some models allow you to select “Basic TV” without streaming features, but this is not universal. Whether or not it requires a connection to run, it’s worth doing at least once to get the latest firmware. Then just disconnect it from Wi-Fi.
You could also just get a projector. While there are many projectors that use the same Smart TV interface as many TVs, other models come with a streaming dongle that you just can’t connect. The projector will just be a dumb display, without streaming and other nonsense.
About the author: In addition to audio and display lighting, Jeff does photography tours cool museums and places around the world, incl nuclear submarines, aircraft carriers, medieval castlesepic 10,000 mile road trips and much more.
Also, check Budget travel for dummieshis travel book and his a best-selling science fiction novel about submarines the size of a city. You can follow him Instagram and YouTube.