Even though 55" and 65" have become the most popular TV sizes, smaller TVs are still very important to a lot of people. These sizes are great for a secondary TV, like in a guest room or kitchen, or even for student dorms. Although you usually won't get the most advanced features or the best picture quality, there are still many decent TVs available in smaller sizes.
We've tested more than 80 TVs in the last two years; some are available in smaller sizes, and below you'll find our picks for the best small TVs available for purchase. See also our recommendations for the best 32 inch TVs, the best smart TVs, and the best 40-42-43 inch TVs.
Note: Since many new TVs aren't available in smaller sizes, you'll notice that some older models remain as picks in our recommendations.
The best 43 inch TV that we've tested is the Samsung QN43Q60TAFXZA. It offers decent performance for its price that should please most gamers. If you have space, this TV is also available in a 50 inch variant. It has impressive out-of-the-box color accuracy, so you may not need to get it calibrated to enjoy it to the fullest.
This is an entry-level model in Samsung's QLED lineup, so it has good overall picture quality but lacks extra features. It has an excellent contrast ratio and one of the best black uniformity we've tested on a LED TV, but it doesn't have a local dimming feature to further deepen any blacks. The out-of-the-box color accuracy is impressive, it can get very bright, and it has decent reflection handling. The input lag is low, but the refresh rate is limited to 60Hz with no VRR and its response time is mediocre.
Unfortunately, it doesn't have wide viewing angles, and even though it can display a wide color gamut for HDR, it doesn't get bright enough to truly bring out highlights in HDR. It doesn't have many extra features, but it's able to interpolate motion up to 60Hz and supports eARC, which allows you to send high-quality audio over HDMI. Overall, this is one of the best small TVs that we've tested.
If you want a TV with better viewing angles for a wide seating arrangement, then the Sony XBR43X800H is a good choice. It can't produce deep blacks like the Samsung Q60/Q60T QLED, but instead, the image remains accurate when viewing from the side, and it has a much better response time, resulting in less motion blur. Besides their panel differences, it performs very similarly to the Samsung as it has excellent out-of-the-box color accuracy, decent reflection handling, and great peak brightness, but it doesn't get bright enough in HDR to make some highlights pop. It has a low input lag, but there's no VRR support, and luckily it can remove judder from 24p sources like cable boxes or native apps.
If you're looking for the best small TV we've tested, consider the Samsung, but if you want one with wider viewing angles, consider the Sony.
The best 32 inch TV that we've tested is the Samsung QN32Q50RAFXZA. This is a decent model that offers similar performance to larger 55 inch TVs, and it's one of the first 4k 32 inch TVs available. It's a good choice for video games thanks to its outstanding low input lag and good response time, though unfortunately, it doesn't sport any advanced gaming features like FreeSync.
Overall, the picture quality is quite good thanks to its excellent contrast ratio and good, deep blacks, despite not having a local dimming feature. It supports HDR10 and HDR10+, and while its HDR peak brightness is disappointing, resulting in HDR content not popping quite as it should, its SDR peak brightness is decent, and it should be able to combat glare and reflections in moderately bright rooms. Thanks to its size and ability to properly display chroma 4:4:4, it's even a great choice to double as a computer monitor, great for tight spaces like a dorm room.
Unfortunately, like most TVs with a VA panel, the image degrades quite a bit when viewed at an angle, so it's best for setups where you'll be sitting directly in front. There are also some noticeable motion artifacts, which may bother fans of sports or action movies. Note that this is a 2019 model, so it may be harder to find, but you can still purchase it at some stores as there aren't many TVs available in this size. Overall, this is a good all-around model that finally brings higher-end features to a smaller size TV.
The best small TV for gaming that we've tested is the Samsung UN43TU8000FXZA. It's a simple, budget-friendly TV with good picture quality that excels in dark rooms. Although it's limited on many gaming features and doesn't have variable refresh rate (VRR) support, it still offers good gaming performance.
It has an incredibly low input lag for gaming that stays low whether you're playing at a 1080p or 4k resolution, which is great. The response time is decent, but you may notice some motion blur trail behind fast-moving objects. There's a Black Frame Insertion feature, but sadly, it results in image duplication. It's great for dark room gaming because it has an outstanding native contrast ratio that displays deep blacks, and its black uniformity is remarkable. It upscales lower-resolution content without any issues, which is good if you have the PS4 or Xbox One.
Sadly, it's not a good choice for HDR gaming. It fails to display a wide color gamut, and it doesn't get bright enough in that mode to truly bring out highlights. It also has narrow viewing angles, which is expected from a VA panel TV, and the image loses accuracy when viewing from the sides. Besides these minor problems, if you need one of the best small TVs around for gaming, you won't be disappointed with this one.
The best small smart TV that we've tested is the Hisense R6090G. It's a simple, budget-friendly TV that's available in a wide range of sizes. The 43 inch model may be harder to find than some of the bigger sizes, but there are a few retailers that sell it. Unlike most Hisense TVs, it has built-in Roku TV instead of Android TV. Roku is easy-to-use, the menu navigation is very smooth, and there's a ton of apps you can download through the app store.
The Hisense has a VA panel and performs best in dark environments. It has an amazing native contrast ratio and outstanding black uniformity, but there's no local dimming feature to further improve the picture quality in dark scenes. It has good out-of-the-box color accuracy, so you likely won't need to get it calibrated if you don't want to, but this varies between units. It upscales lower-resolution content without any issues, removes judder from native 24p sources, and has excellent low input lag for gaming.
Sadly, even though it supports HDR10 and Dolby Vision, HDR content doesn't look all that different from SDR because it fails to display a wide color gamut and doesn't get bright enough to make highlights pop. It also has dirty screen effect in the center, which could get distracting during sports, but this varies between units. Luckily, it has good reflection handling, so it's a good choice for most moderately-lit rooms. All in all, if you want the best small TV with good smart features, you should be pleased with this one.
12/08/2020: Replaced the LG UN7300 with the Hisense R6090G.
10/09/2020: Replaced the TCL 5 Series 2019 with the LG UN7300; removed the TCL 4 Series 2019; added the Samsung TU8000 as 'Best Small Gaming TV'.
08/11/2020: Only minor updates to the text and verification for accuracy; no changes in product picks.
06/12/2020: Replaced the Vizio M7 with the Samsung Q60T and the LG UM7300 with the Sony X800H; removed the 28 inch category from the article.
12/18/2019: Replaced the Samsung Q60R with the Vizio M7 Series Quantum 2019.
Our recommendations above are what we think are currently the best small TVs to buy for most people in each price range. We factor in the price (a cheaper TV wins over a pricier one if the difference isn't worth it), feedback from our visitors, and availability (no TVs that are difficult to find or almost out of stock everywhere).
If you would like to do the work of choosing yourself, here is the list of all our reviews of TVs that are available in 43 inch sizes and smaller. Be careful not to get too caught up in the details. While no TV is perfect, most TVs are great enough to please almost everyone, and the differences are often not noticeable unless you really look for them.