The best TVs for under £500

While Samsung is a leader with its high-end QLED tech, the brand offers an excellent budget-level range of Crystal UHD. Samsung sells these are “entry level 4K”, which is another way of saying “cheaper”. But don’t be put off by the budget tag. The Samsung CU8000 is the latest model in a series of brilliantly reviewed Crystal UHD sets. As with all Samsung TVs, it uses an LCD display with LED backlights — the difference is its Crystal Processor, which is certainly no slouch when it comes to refining the picture and audio.  

Picture-wise it’s packed with HDR support, though it’s missing the Dolby Vision standard bearer. A contrast enhancing feature sharpens the depth and colour of images. One drawback is that it doesn’t have the upscaling power of more expensive Samsung models. But it’s marginal. You’d need to be a real telly tech aficionado to spot the difference though.  

If tip-top audio sounds good, this TV has Object Tracking Sound LITE, which essentially follows the action on-screen and chooses which of the front speakers to use — so the sound actually comes from where the action is happening. It’s also has Samsung’s Q-Symphony, which syncs harmoniously with Samsung’s range of compatible speakers and soundbars. Adaptive sounds reacts to what you’re watching an adjusts according. 

It’s all controlled by the Tizen operating system, featuring all your steaming apps, an easy-to-navigate TV guide, and multiple voice assistants. Other features include a Samsung health app for workouts, a remote that works with other devices, and a gaming hub. If you do prefer the sound – and vision — or Samsung’s QLED technology, the 32-inch Q50AE is recommended. 

As the TCL 55C641K proves, it’s entirely possible to get a well-equipped gaming TV for under £500. Not only is it competent at gaming, it’s actually next level — for the money, at least — with a stack of gaming-focused features that would make more expensive TV sets blush.

Firstly, the visuals are sure to impress you. It uses QLED technology, which brands such as Samsung (which is best known for QLED) save for more expensive models. QLED stands for quantum dot light-emitting diode. This is essentially panel technology that uses quantum nanocrystals to filter the TV’s LCD backlight and boost the brightness and colour and generally sharpen the picture’s vibrancy. TCL claims that this TV delivers over a billion colours.

There’s HDR support — including the sometimes-elusive Dolby Vision — plus AI-powered image enhancement and Dolby Atmos for 3D sound. Google Assistant, Google Meet, and your apps come via Android OS.

Gaming is where this TV really comes to life. It has a dedicated Games Master mode, with a game bar for controlling settings, ALLM, a 120Hz refresh rate, Aiming Aid for first-person shoot ‘em ups, and VRR (variable refresh rate) which gives your smooth, free-flowing images.

It’s worth noting its sheer size — 55 inches. You’d be hard-pressed to find another TV at this size, with these visuals and features, at the same price.

When you’re buying big and expensive, LG is often trumpeted for producing some of the best OLED-powered 4K TVs. But what about the more affordable end of the price scale? As far as we’re concerned, the LG UR91 is a strong recommend — a TV that brings LG’s tech prowess behind an LED display.

For starters, it’s 4K — always a bonus in the budget price range — with HDR10, upscaling capabilities, and local dimming. A Filmmaker mode that promises to turn your movie watching into a full-on cinema experience.

The TV is driven by LG’s webOS 23 platform, which brings together all your channels and streaming apps, plus additional features that include support for Alexa, Matter, and Apple AirPlay. It goes even further, allowing you to personalise your viewing experience by creating shortcut “Quick Cards” with all your favourite apps and services collected in one easy-to-access place. The TV will even make film and game recommendations and uses AI learning to suggest movies based on your voice control searches.

As for audio, the TV boasts AI Sound Pro, though LG is nodding you towards adding a soundbar to maximise the audio performance.

For gamers, there’s a gaming mode — called the Game Optimiser — plus a dashboard for controlling all your settings. In fact, the TV looks a bit like a gaming monitor, which might be a negative for some — it’s not the most aesthetically pleasing LG TV. But it's hella smart for a budget TV.

Samsung’s TV tech is so good it gives you a range of options — even in this price range. The Samsung AU7100 is a slightly older model — part of Samsung’s 2021 range — but there’s a very good reason to go back a few years: Namely the fact that TV sets drop in price when the next generation of models come along, which means in this case you can get a 50-inch 4K television for well under £500.

This TV has a lot in common with the above Samsung model. It’s also part of the budget-end Crystal range and runs on the Tizen smart OS. The platform offers up pretty much every streaming app you can think of, along with all your channels. It doesn’t have voice assistant, which you’ll find on flashier Samsung TVs, but it will connect to other devices with voice assistant.

For the price, the picture is top-notch — an LED display bolstered by HDR10+ and PurColor, a feature that boosts the reproduction of colour.

It’s also built with Samsung’s adaptive sound, though this can be a bit annoying, sometimes switching when you don’t want it to — it’s nothing a quick press of the remote or taking time to sort your settings won’t fix. As always, it works best with one of the brand’s Q-Symphony compatible soundbars.

It doesn’t have the kind of gaming features you’ll find on more recent models but it does boast ALLM (auto low latency mode), which switches between regular and gaming modes and delivers a smooth, lag-free gaming experience. It’s not something you often find on TVs at this price.

 While the trend is towards massive television sets that just about poke your eye out with 4K imagery, not everyone has the space — or indeed the budget — for such monsters. Sometimes you just need a modestly sized TV for a modestly sized room. Meet the Sony Bravia KD-32W800.  

This TV runs via Android — if you’re already an Android user you’ll be right at home navigating the streaming apps (via Freeview Play) and Google features, such as Google Assistant, Chromecast, and Google Play. Another nice touch is a Voice Remote, which allows you to navigate the Android OS hands-free. Another nice feature you won’t find on other TVs is the ability to record programmes on a USB stick or external hard drive.  

If there’s a drawback, it’s that this TV is only HD Ready — not quite Full HD and certainly not 4K quality. However, at this size you wouldn’t necessarily get the full benefit of super-sharp visuals. The Bravia Processor does boasts HDR and Live Colour feature that enhances the colours while you watch. The audio would benefit from adding on a soundbar, though if you’re tight on space that might not be an option. There are plenty of good options out there, including this Bluetooth Sony HT-SD40 soundbar and subwoofer set. 

You can get a Sony Bravia 32-inch with 4K, though you’ll have to pay a bit more than £500 for the pleasure.

If you’re looking to go super budget, you could do much worse than choosing a Hisense TV. The brand is well established at the cheaper end of the price spectrum and often offers up competitive spec for the money. The Hisense 32E4KT is among the brand’s cheapest offerings — a compact smart TV with all the channels and apps you need, plus a few extra features to sweeten the deal.

It's HD Ready, so not the Full HD experience. But for the price and size, it’s still an agreeable picture quality. And with nice touches to help refine the picture further — natural colour, depth, and contrast enhancing, plus similar features for the audio, including noise reduction (which cuts out background fizzing) and DTS Virtual:X.

If you’re a sports fan, there’s another feature thrown in — an AI-powered sports mode that optimises picture and audio for smoothest, closest-to-action viewing experience. A games mode will similarly optimise the TV for immersive gaming. It also has its own version of Chromecast — a Share to TV feature that allows you to beam content from other devices onto the television.

Ultimately, it’s a budget level TV that delivers more than you’d expect — though don’t expect too much. If you want a little more from a Hisense TV for under £500, check out the Full HD 40-inch 40A4KT , the 4K 43-inch 43A6BGT, or the 4K 50-inch 50E6KT.