If you're eager to get a jump on your Black Friday shopping, check out Walmart's deals. TVs will play a big part in the retailer's in-store and online offerings, including a 39-inch Element smart TV for $125; a 49-inch LG 4K UHD smart TV for $328; and a 65-inch Samsung curved 4K UHD smart TV for $998, a claimed $300 savings. You can start shopping the Walmart Black Friday deals online at 12:01 a.m. ET on Thanksgiving (Nov. 23); in-store sales start at 6 p.m. local time that day. But some deals are live already, so check the Black Friday circular on Walmart.com or use the Walmart app, which will have some exclusive online deals. During a Q&A session, Walmart executives told Consumer Reports that its TV assortment this year will be a mix of some derivative models exclusive to the chain, plus low prices on brand-name TVs you might also see at other retailers. Based on the Walmart Black Friday ad, the TV sales are not particularly impressive. The retailer doesn't always list specific models, so it's hard to fully evaluate them. But CR has done our best to unravel the deals for you. We'll update this article with detailed model information as it becomes available.

Black Friday TV Deals

TVs appear here in ascending order by price. 39-inch Element TV, $125 This could be the Element ELEFW3916, a basic 60Hz 720p set that's on sale at Walmart right now for about $190. If that's true, we tested this set, and it was an OK model with very good HD picture quality. 32-inch Samsung 720p TV, $158 This is the Samsung UN32J4002, a basic 60Hz 720p TV. We think this might be a special derivative for Walmart, similar to the Samsung UN32J4000 model we tested this year. That TV is selling for about $200 almost everywhere right now. 40-inch Samsung 4K UHD smart TV, $328 This is the Samsung UN40MU6290. We've seen MU6290-series sets in a number of Black Friday ads. The Costco Black Friday sale has a 40-inch Samsung 4K smart TV for $300 that looks just like this model. If so, you're better off buying it there. It may also be part of BJ's Black Friday sale, priced at $330. It’s about $450 at other stores right now. 43-inch Vizio 1080p TV, $198 We think this will be a D-series set, Vizio's entry-level series. The manufacturer has a number of D-series models, but we think it could be the Vizio D43N-E1, since most Vizio models are smart TV and this one isn't listed as one. Right now the lowest price we see is $300 at Sam's Club. 49-inch LG 4K UHD smart TV, $328 Again, no model listed, but BJ's has the LG 49UJ6300 or the LG 49UJ6500 for $370. Another possibility: the LG 49UJ6200 model, which is marked on LG's website as "coming soon" to some retailers. It will likely carry an even lower price.
55-inch Sharp 4K smart TV, $298 We can't tell if this is another derivative model exclusive to Walmart. It may also be available at Sam's Club. But it's a low price for a 55-inch 4K set. The closest Sharp set we could find would be the Sharp LC-55LB481U, which is selling for $430 at Best Buy. 58-inch Samsung 4K UHD smart TV, $598 This is the Samsung UN58MU6070. This model appears to be limited to Walmart and Sam's Club. We saw it listed for just under $800 as part of the Sam's Club pre-Black Friday sale, but in that case, it's being bundled with a Samsung sound bar. You can buy this set for $698 on Walmart right now, so you'll really save $100. 65-inch curved-screen Samsung 4K UHD smart TV, $998 This is the Samsung UN65MU6500, a model we've tested. It has excellent HD picture quality and very good UHD performance. It's currently priced at just under $1,020 at Amazon and Best Buy, so you won't be saving very much. Sound Bar Speakers If you have a TV with poor sound, Walmart has two advertised deals on sound bar speakers, one from Vizio and one from RCA. We haven't tested either option, but Vizio's models have typically done well in our sound bar ratings. The RCA is very low-priced, but we can't vouch for its performance. The Vizio SB3251N-E0, a 32-inch 5.1-channel system, is priced at $139. It usually sells for just under $200. The RCA RTS7051B, a 37-inch sound bar without a subwoofer, is on sale for $29. It usually sells for about $20 more.

More Details on the Walmart Black Friday Sale

During a conference call yesterday, Walmart said the store's departments will be color-coded this year on the Black Friday circular and on store maps to make it easier for customers to find deals. In-store "Holiday Helpers" will help shoppers find the items they're looking for. Walmart will not give out wristbands to customers for hot advertised items as it has done in the past. The company did not mention last year's one-hour guarantee, which apparently won't be in place this year. Instead, the company said, it's increasing its inventory of sales items so customers have a fair chance of getting the advertised products. The above was first reported by Consumer Reports.