The 5 Best Small TVs - Winter 2023 Reviews

The best small TV we've tested is the Samsung QN32Q60AAFXZA. It's a decent entry-level TV and is one of the only 32-inch TVs with similar performance to the larger sizes, including a 4k resolution. It delivers decent picture quality, with a high contrast ratio for deep blacks in a dark room and great peak brightness in SDR. It handles glare well thanks to its decent reflection handling, making it a good choice for an office or bedroom with lots of light.

It has a built-in smart interface with a great selection of streaming apps, so you don't have to worry about buying a separate streaming stick to watch your favorite shows. It's a pretty basic TV, though, so it lacks any advanced gaming features like FreeSync variable refresh rate technology, and although it supports HDR, it lacks a local dimming feature, and it can't get bright enough for HDR content to stand out.

If you want a cheap TV or need something small for a bedroom or kitchen with limited space, check out the TCL 32S327. Although it delivers just basic picture quality, it's still a great choice as the best small smart TV because it comes with Roku TV built-in, which is a user-friendly smart platform with a great selection of streaming apps. It means you can watch your favorite content without needing an external streaming device or cable box, so you can easily hook up your TV and start playing content.

The 32S327 variant has a 1080p resolution like the 40-inch model we tested, so if you find the 32-inch size too small, you can get something a bit bigger too. In terms of picture quality, it has excellent pre-calibration accuracy, which is great because you can't calibrate the TV, and images look realistic right out of the box. It doesn't get bright enough to fight a ton of glare, so it's not a good choice for a bright room, but it displays deep, uniform blacks, so it's a good choice for a dark to moderately lit room.

Although the Samsung Q60/Q60A QLED is also available in larger sizes, if you want something larger, the best 42-43 inch TV we've tested is the LG OLED42C2PUA. Although it's significantly more expensive, this TV delivers much better picture quality, with perfect blacks, a wide color gamut, and high peak brightness. It has a fantastic selection of extra features, including many gaming features like HDMI 2.1 bandwidth for 4k @ 120Hz gaming.

If you want to use it in a wide seating area or place it in the kitchen and walk around while watching TV, the wide viewing angle means that the image remains consistent as you move off to the side. Even in bright rooms, it has incredible reflection handling, meaning visibility won't be an issue in most rooms.

If you want a more feature-rich experience than the budget models provide but still don't want to pay a lot, the Sony KD-43X85K is the best mid-range 42-43 inch TV we've tested. It's a good TV, and while its picture quality isn't nearly as good as the LG C2 OLED, it's very good overall. Thanks to its great SDR peak brightness and good reflection handling, it's a much better choice for a bright living room than the budget and cheap picks. Even in a dark room, it displays deep blacks thanks to its high native contrast ratio, but it lacks a local dimming feature to improve the contrast.

Unlike many mid-range TVs available in a small size, it also has gaming features like HDMI 2.1 bandwidth and variable refresh rate (VRR) support. These make it fully compatible with the Xbox Series X and PS5. Even if you don't game and just want to stream your favorite content, the Google TV interface has a ton of apps to download. If you find the 43-inch screen size too big, check out the Samsung Q60/Q60A QLED, a 4k TV available in 32 and 43 inches, but the Sony has slightly better picture quality and better gaming features.

The best budget 42-43 inch TV we've tested is the TCL 43S455. It's a decent TV, and while you're losing out on features and performance compared to the higher-end models, it still provides good value for a low-cost model. It comes with the Roku TV smart platform built-in, which has a user-friendly interface that's easy to learn, and there are many apps you can download through the app store. Its remote doesn't have a built-in mic, but you can still access voice assistant features through the Roku app on your phone, and it even has a unique private listening feature that lets you transfer the audio to your phone or headphones.

It upscales lower-resolution content well, which is great for watching cable TV or DVDs, and it uses a flicker-free backlight at most backlight settings, which helps reduce eye strain during long viewing sessions. It looks best in dark rooms as it displays deep blacks with remarkable black uniformity, but as expected for an entry-level TV, it doesn't get very bright, so it's best to avoid placing it in a bright room.