Great entertainment on a budget

VO Tech

If you want an excellent TV that doesn’t break the bank then we’ve got you covered with our round-up of the best cheap TVs we’ve tested.

For most, whether it be the best TVs or even the best projectors, those higher-priced devices are simply too expensive for the majority of consumers. With that in mind, we put this list together to help more budget-conscious buyers in picking up their next TV.

To ensure that there’s a good amount of variety whilst also being mindful of price, we’ve made sure not to surpass £1000 / $1000 on any of the TVs in this guide. Some are more fully featured than others, but at their core they all offer a viewing experience that we’d recommend, and we’re able to verify as much through our thorough, in-house testing.

The testing process always starts with the most important facet: picture quality. We use the highly-regarded Spears and Munsil Ultra HD Benchmark disc to assess colours, skin-tones, brightness, local dimming performance and viewing angles. This is further complemented by measuring HDR brightness in which we use a colorimeter to test how bright the TV can go.

When it comes to sound quality, we run through a range of content types to assess whether or not a TV’s built-in speakers are sufficient, or if you’ll need to buy one of the best soundbars to go with it. We also have a guide for the best cheap soundbar to keep the costs down there too.

For gaming, we use a Leo Bodnar 4K input lag tester to measure input lag in real-time, so you’ll know exactly what to expect if you’re connecting a games console.

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Keep on reading to see which TVs made the list, but for more home entertainment guides, check out our rundowns of the best 4K TV, best OLED TV, best 55-inch TV and the best Dolby Atmos soundbar.

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Learn more about how we test televisions

Every TV we review is put through the same set of tests to gauge its picture performance, usability, and smart features.

Tests are carried out over several days and are done by eye but supported with technical measurements. Testing by eye involves an expert watching a wide range of material to understand and determine a TV’s performance in fields such as brightness, contrast, motion processing, colour handling and screen uniformity.

We’ll consider the design of the TV in terms of build quality, study the spec sheets and see if the TV’s connections are up to spec, as well as playing video and audio content to ensure that the set handles playback as it claims. We also take note whether a product’s compatible formats and features are in line with industry trends or not to gauge whether it’s relevant for you.

Comparison to other related and similarly priced products is also important, to see if it’s missing any vital features and whether it impresses as a whole. After all this, we’ll come to a judgement on how the TV performs as a whole.

Pros

  • Excellent picture quality
  • Extensive gaming features and strong gaming performance
  • Strong smart features and processing

Cons

  • No Dolby Vision HDR support
  • Some out of the box colour errors
  • Some minor backlight inconsistencies

Pros

  • Colourful, expressive picture
  • Excellent processing
  • Competitive smarts and features for the money
  • Dolby and DTS audio

Cons

  • Suffers with dark scenes
  • Tepid bass performance
  • Some clipping with HDR content

Pros

  • Good-quality, colourful picture performance
  • Wide streaming capabilities
  • Easy to set-up and use
  • Speedy gaming performance

Cons

  • Iffy sound
  • Inconsistent upscaling of SD sources
  • Limited HDR performance

Pros

  • Decent HDR performance
  • Bright, vibrant QD-Mini LED panel
  • Google TV OS

Cons

  • Poor catch-up TV support
  • Only two HDMI inputs support High Frame Rate gaming
  • Unexciting stereo audio

Pros

  • Colourful performance (in the right mode)
  • Slick Alexa integration
  • Well stocked for apps
  • Fire TV Ambient Experience

Cons

  • Feet not the most accommodating for placement
  • HDR performance could use more finesse
  • Rough upscaling with 480p content
  • Competition is cheaper

Pros

  • Impressive OLED images at a sharp price
  • Three-sided Ambilight
  • Titan smart TV OS with Freely TV over Wi-Fi

Cons

  • Lacks flagship OLED brightness
  • Menu navigation quirks

Pros

  • Neat and tidy design
  • Decent picture for the money
  • TiVo offers plenty of entertainment options
  • Affordable

Cons

  • Underwhelming sound system
  • TiVo not the most responsive

Pros

  • Easy to set-up
  • Decent enough HDR picture
  • Fast input lag
  • Alexa support

Cons

  • Upscaling should be better
  • Below average sound
  • Fire TV interface favours Amazon content
  • Weak viewing angles


  • Excellent picture quality

  • Extensive gaming features and strong gaming performance

  • Strong smart features and processing


  • No Dolby Vision HDR support

  • Some out of the box colour errors

  • Some minor backlight inconsistencies

The Samsung Q80D has fallen in price by so much since it went on sale in 2024, that you can get this 55-inch model for less than £700.

The Q80D is a QLED and not a Neo QLED such as the QN90D, so this TV doesn’t boast as many dimming zones or hits the same levels of brightness but for the money, we think it’s a bargain considering the performance it offers.

It produces excellent black levels and contrast thanks to an effective local dimming system, and impressive levels of detail. It’s bright enough to reach 1000 nits, which means you get a wide-ranging and rich-looking colour performance. HDR support includes HDR10, HLG, and HDR10+, though Dolby Vision doesn’t make the cut.

We also found the built-in sound system decent for a TV, producing a large sound stage with bass that was free of distortion. There is Dolby Atmos support, along with the Q Symphony feature that combines the TV’s speakers with a compatible Samsung soundbar for a bigger sound.

For gamers, VRR support improves visuals and latency, with the Q80D’s input lag among the best TVs at a speedy 9.8ms. And whether you game on a console or in the cloud, Samsung’s Game Hub also keeps all gaming sources in one place to track your gaming habits.

Build quality is good, with its compact central plinth allowing it to be perched on stands big and large. There’s also an area in the back of the stand to filter cables through to keep the rear area tidy.


  • Colourful, expressive picture

  • Excellent processing

  • Competitive smarts and features for the money

  • Dolby and DTS audio


  • Suffers with dark scenes

  • Tepid bass performance

  • Some clipping with HDR content

The Sony X85L first launched in 2023 but its staying power means it’ll be sticking around for the rest of 2025. If you look around, you can find this TV for £999.

While that is a high price for a 55-inch screen, especially compared to the Samsung Q80D that also features on this list, for home cinema fans, we rate this model very highly.

It has a Full Array Local Dimming backlight that offers more precise black levels and brightness than a standard LCD TV, although we noticed it’s not the brightest out of the box. Our measurements showed that it produced 738 nits in Standard HDR mode – the Samsung Q80D is brighter – but compared to the rest of the TVs on this list, it is still one the brighter HDR TVs.

What really appeals with this Sony TV is its colour performance. It describes colours with terrific variety, producing a vibrant but still natural-looking image. Upscaling with HD and SD content is solid, and although there is some noise the X85L manages it well. Its motion processing is very good to the point where we didn’t even notice that it was on.

Sound quality is ok. It produces a crisp tone with voices but lacks bass. We’d suggest getting a soundbar to go with the X85L.

Gamers looking for a premium experience can count on ALLM, VRR, and HFR, while input lag is a solid 14.5ms. This TV plays nicely with a PS5 with its custom features that includes optimising the HDR performance for the best image quality.

For smarts, Google TV delivers all the streaming apps you’ll need, and we found the interface to be quick and responsive to use. The design is customisable, as the stand can be put together in two ways to allow for a soundbar or if you want to place it on a small surface.

This model will continue on throughout 2025, and we have a sneaky feeling the price could fall even lower once Sony’s new 2025 TV range goes on sale. If you’re after a less expensive alternative, there is the Amazon Fire TV 4-Series, though it’s not as bright in terms of picture and not as good in terms of home cinema features.


  • Good-quality, colourful picture performance

  • Wide streaming capabilities

  • Easy to set-up and use

  • Speedy gaming performance


  • Iffy sound

  • Inconsistent upscaling of SD sources

  • Limited HDR performance

The R50A7200GTUK model repeats the same trick as its R50B7120UK predecessor in packing in even more value at a similar price.

The number of smarts in the Hisense R50A7200GTUK Roku TV is excellent. There is Freeview Play that brings the catch-up apps into play like iPlayer and ITVX. There’s also a wide range of streaming apps like Netflix, Disney+, Apple TV+ among others, while the Roku OS has been updated to support AirPlay 2 streaming and Apple HomeKit. Alexa and Google assistant voice control is also available through connected smart speakers.

Build quality is fine. The slimness of the rear panel means the Hisense Roku doesn’t jut out much when wall-mounted, and with most of the connections side-facing it’s easy to plug sources in. Assembling the TV is simply a case of slotting in the feet, tightening the screws and turning the TV on.

Picture quality is similar to the B7120UK. We observed it lacked the contrast and brightness to produce a dynamic HDR performance like the Sony X85L and Samsung Q80D. Its peak brightness is only around 300 nits but its native 4K performance offered solid detail and colours are naturally portrayed – we don’t think many will be disappointed by what it serves up.

The sound quality is disappointing. It struggles to convey the action scenes with dynamism or excitement, and proves messy when playing music. As is the case with many of the best cheap TVs on this list, a soundbar would help.


  • Decent HDR performance

  • Bright, vibrant QD-Mini LED panel

  • Google TV OS


  • Poor catch-up TV support

  • Only two HDMI inputs support High Frame Rate gaming

  • Unexciting stereo audio

TCL has been delivering relatively inexpensive TVs with an enviable high spec, and we find the TCL C805K offers a ridiculous amount of value for the asking price,

The design is smart and can easily be accomodated on various AV furniture. You get four HDMI inputs, one of which supports refresh rates up to 144Hz, another up to 120Hz, and in a sensible move, the eARC input for sound systems is available on another port, especially useful if you’ve got plenty of gaming consoles at hand.

Google TV has the big guns in the form of Disney+, Apple TV+, and Netflix, but the UK catch-up apps are mostly missing, with only My5 available at the time of review. You’ll want to consider purchasing a streaming stick if you do want those apps. TCL will send one if you request it.

For gamers we measured latency at 13.3ms, which is quick but not the quickest you’ll find. The Samsung Q80D hits a speedy 9.8ms out of the box with its input lag. Nevertheless, there’s ALLM, VRR, high refresh support as well as AMD FreeSync Premium Pro onboard for PC gamers.

Brightness is greater than the TCL 55RC630K, hitting 966 nits on a 5% window. Our reviewer found black levels to be reassuringly dark, with HDR content looking very good. Upscaling is solid, and motion processing is decent for sports viewers. You’ll want to mind where you sit with this TV as at angles the colour performance can fall off.

In terms of sound, this TV is fine, but we’d recommend adding a sound system to beef it up.


  • Colourful performance (in the right mode)

  • Slick Alexa integration

  • Well stocked for apps

  • Fire TV Ambient Experience


  • Feet not the most accommodating for placement

  • HDR performance could use more finesse

  • Rough upscaling with 480p content

  • Competition is cheaper

The Amazon Fire TV Omni QLED is part of Amazon’s own brand of TVs, and while it’s not perfect, it puts in a generally enjoyable performance across the board.

We’re not fans of the feet placement for the 65-inch version. They’re set at the edges which means you’ll need a wide surface to position the TV on.

The Fire TV platform presents plenty of apps is excellent, but the content is weighted too much towards Amazon’s own Prime Video. If you subscribe to other streaming services, it’s not as easy to find what else is available in our experience.

Alexa voice control is reliable, and you can choose to call up Alexa with the Voice Remote or hands-free (which you can switch off if you don’t want Alexa always listening). The Fire TV Ambient Experience turns the TV into an Alexa-powered smart display where you can keep track of the weather, play audio, and change the background so you’re not confronted by a big black screen when the TV is ‘off’. We liked it as it makes the TV more living room friendly.

The Fire TV Omni QLED features supports Dolby Vision IQ and HDR10+ Adaptive. The image quality could be more consistent as HDR10/HDR10+ performance is not the most colourful; while its Dolby Vision IQ performance suffers from raised blacks. It’s also not the brightest for HDR content as we measured it a peak of 529 nits.

The built-in sound system provides a good sense of space to films and TV shows, though it is crisp in tone to a fault. Some sound modes fair better than others, but a soundbar will remedy that.


  • Impressive OLED images at a sharp price

  • Three-sided Ambilight

  • Titan smart TV OS with Freely TV over Wi-Fi


  • Lacks flagship OLED brightness

  • Menu navigation quirks

It wasn’t that long ago that you were expected to part with a hefty chunk of cash, well over £/$1000, to enjoy the luxury of an OLED TV. Nowadays however, there are quite a few entry-level OLED options that give you the depth that only this screen technology can provide, but at a far more reasonable price. For our money though, the Philips 55OLED760 is one of the best you can buy right now.

While it can be picked up in a smaller 48-inch variant, it’s the 55-inch model that we reviewed and which sits at £999 that provides the best value for money. Typically you’d have to wait for a major sales event like Black Friday to get a new OLED TV at that price, so being able to pick up at any time of year for that rate just makes it a must-buy for folks on the hunt to upgrade.

In spite of its relatively affordable price tag, the Philips 55OLED760 still brings the heat where it counts. Viewers get to enjoy phenomenal HDR which blends well with the deep blacks that really elevate whatever’s happening on screen. A quick screening of Joker Folie a Deux brought forth stunning detail in the shadows of Arkham Asylum.

What helps to give the TV an extra leg up on the competition is the inclusion of Philips’ Ambilight technology. This utilises Philips Hue lighting on the back of the TV to project an ever-changing palette of light to the wall nearby, mimicking the colours onscreen to create an almost ethereal viewing experience.

If you’re more of a gamer than a passive viewer then there’s a lot of gaming friendly features available as well. With a compatible console in tow, you can enjoy rich 4K gaming at 120Hz which is perfect for more fast-paced, action-packed titles, and the inclusion of AMD Freesync Premium prevents screen tearing which could otherwise ruin the experience in both single-player and online sessions.


  • Neat and tidy design

  • Decent picture for the money

  • TiVo offers plenty of entertainment options

  • Affordable


  • Underwhelming sound system

  • TiVo not the most responsive

The fact that you can now get a TV with a QLED panel for just £379 is incredible, and shows just how far the industry has come in terms of moving away from UHD and making newer display tech more accessible for the masses. If you’ve been using a standard UHD TV for years and are ready to upgrade to something that’ll have a noticeable difference but at a reasonable price, then the Sharp 50GM6245K is an easy option to go with.

Because the TV uses a Quantum Dot panel, it has greater control over its lighting which leads to a more realistic image and better contrast. Blacks appear deeper than a UHD TV which makes darker scenes feel even more atmospheric. If you’re someone who loves to watch horror movies or play games with a fear-inducing vibe then you’ll appreciate how the Sharp 50GM6245K can accommodate those types of entertainment.

There’s support for a wide variety of picture formats including HDR10, HLG and Dolby Vision HDR, the latter of which goes a long way towards showing you the version of a movie that the filmmaker in question wanted you to see. It’ll feel like being back in the cinema when said movie came out, except now you get to enjoy it from the comfort of your own home.

When it comes to the user interface, the Sharp 50GM6245K utilises TiVo as its platform of choice which, from our experience, has been quite a handy option for seeing all of your available streaming services in one place. You’re far less likely to miss out on a new episode of your favourite show as you’ll always be kept up to date. There’s even voice search which can show you films from a certain actor, or within a specific genre.

Because there are no less than three HDMI 2.1 ports, the gamers in your household won’t have any issues with plugging in all of their current consoles, so you could have a Switch 2, a PS5 Pro and an Xbox Series X hooked up at the same time. You can even throw a dedicated streaming box into the mix, like Apple TV, if there’s a different type of OS that you prefer to use.


  • Easy to set-up

  • Decent enough HDR picture

  • Fast input lag

  • Alexa support


  • Upscaling should be better

  • Below average sound

  • Fire TV interface favours Amazon content

  • Weak viewing angles

If there’s one fact that’s been proven time and time again across tablets, smart speakers and more, it’s that very few brands can make a cost-effective product quite like Amazon. Even though the company does have a handful of premium devices, it just has an eye for offering affordability that can rarely be matched, and the Amazon Fire TV 4-Series (2024) is another example of exactly that.

In spite of its affordable price tag, the Fire TV 4-Series has some of the best HDR performance we’ve seen at this end of the market. When watching a particularly colourful film like Spider-Man: Across the Spiderverse, the TV did an amazing job at depicting the full palette that the animators were working with, which goes a long way towards making each scene feel more immersive.

The 4K visuals are also impressively sharp, and you’ll notice as much if you’re watching a modern film that’s been shot with more detail-rich cameras. Even though this is an LCD set and not a QLED one, the contrast ratio was still very nice in testing, with a good amount of weight given to darker colours.

Where the Fire TV 4-Series really comes to life however is with its smart features. Because the set runs on the brilliantly optimised Fire TV OS, you have quick access to all of your favourite streaming apps right from the get-go, and there’s also Amazon Luna available if you want to indulge in a bit of cloud gaming.

The included Fire TV remote is always appreciated as it’s easy to use in a pinch, but when you can’t stand the idea of mindlessly scrolling through suggestions you can always rely on Alexa to simply bring up the show you want, just by asking for it. As a final note, the input lag on the TV itself is almost impercetible, so gamers will get on just fine if they’re diving into a fast paced title that requires them to be locked in.

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FAQs

What’s the best cheap TV under?

If you’re after a 55-inch set then the Samsung Q80D would suit the bill. Picture quality is by far some of the most impressive we’ve seen on a TV below £1000, with the Tizen interface including a wide range of streaming apps and its gaming input lag is very good. When it first launched it was over a £1000, but drops in price have made it an excellent value TV.

Test Data

  Samsung QE55Q80D Sony KD-55X85L Hisense R50A7200GTUK Roku TV TCL 55C805K Amazon Fire TV Omni QLED Philips 55OLED760 Sharp 50GM6245K Amazon Fire TV 4-Series (2024)
Contrast ratio – – – – – Infinity – –
Input lag (ms) 9.8 ms 14.5 ms – 13.3 ms 10.1 ms 13 ms 15.3 ms 10.1 ms
Peak brightness (nits) 5% – 742 nits – 944 nits 462 nits – 307 nits 429 nits
Peak brightness (nits) 2% 909 nits 738 nits – – – – 220 nits 429 nits
Peak brightness (nits) 10% 1024 nits 743 nits – 1049 nits 534 nits 760 nits 360 nits 429 nits
Peak brightness (nits) 100% 692 nits 614 nits – – – – 370 nits 429 nits
Delta Colour accuracy (Delta E) 2.9 – – – – – – –
Set up TV (timed) – – – – – – – 90 Seconds

Full Specs

  Samsung QE55Q80D Review Sony KD-55X85L Review Hisense R50A7200GTUK Roku TV Review TCL 55C805K Review Amazon Fire TV Omni QLED Review Philips 55OLED760 Review Sharp 50GM6245K Review Amazon Fire TV 4-Series (2024) Review
UK RRP £1199 £1399 £399 £599 £999 £1199 £379 £549
USA RRP $1099 – – Unavailable – Unavailable – –
EU RRP €1239 – – €669 – – – –
CA RRP Unavailable – – Unavailable – Unavailable – –
AUD RRP Unavailable – – Unavailable – Unavailable – –
Manufacturer Samsung Sony Roku TCL Amazon Philips Sharp Amazon
Quiet Mark Accredited – – – – – – – –
Screen Size 55 inches 54.6 inches 49.5 inches 54.6 inches 64.5 inches 54.6 inches 49.5 inches 54.6 mm
Size (Dimensions) 1227.6 x 253 x 768 MM 1228 x 56 x 709 MM 1116 x 226 x 709 MM x 73 x 714 MM x x INCHES x x INCHES 1117 x 280 x 745 MM x x INCHES
Size (Dimensions without stand) 706.2 x 1227.6 x 47.2 MM 784 x 1228 x 336 MM 648 x 1116 x 82 MM x x 301 MM 853 x 1451 x 87 MM 708 x 1228 x 58 MM 648 x 1117 x 80 MM 1236 x 90 x 718 MM
Weight 19.8 KG 17.4 KG 9.8 G 13.2 G 21.2 KG 17.2 KG 9.7 G 11.5 KG
ASIN B0CYBPLQY8 B0BX6N4BYP B094485MJP B0CKNKTN4K B09N6RZB35 B0F24VHMK4 B0DSLM1PPW B0CZBG2XGQ
Operating System Tizen OS Google TV Roku OS Google TV Fire TV OS Titan OS TiVo Fire TV OS
Release Date 2024 2023 2021 2023 2023 2025 2025 2024
First Reviewed Date 30/06/2024 – 20/04/2021 – – – – –
Model Number Samsung QE55Q80D KD-55X95L R50A7200G – QL65F601U 55OLED760/12 50GM6245K 4K55N400U
Model Variants 50Q80D, 65Q80D, 75Q80D, 85Q80D – R50A7200GTUK – – – 50GM6245E –
Resolution 3840 x 2160 3840 x 2160 3840 x 2160 3840 x 2160 3840 x 2160 3840 x 2160 3840 x 2160 3840 x 2160
HDR Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Types of HDR HDR10, HLG, HDR10+ HDR10, HLG, Dolby Vision HDR10, HLG HDR10, HLG, Dolby Vision IQ, HDR10+ HDR10+ Adaptive, HDR10+ Gaming, Dolby Vision IQ, HDR10, HLG HDR10, HLG, Dolby Vision, HDR10+ Adaptive HDR10, HLG, Dolby Vision HDR10, HLG
Refresh Rate TVs 24 – 120 Hz 40 – 120 Hz 50 – 60 Hz 24 – 144 Hz 48 – 60 Hz 48 – 120 Hz 50 – 60 Hz 50 – 60 Hz
Ports Three USBs, Four HDMIs, optical digital audio output, Ethernet port, RF port Two HDMI 2.0, two HDMI 2.1, Ethernet, two USB, composite video input, digital audio output, terrestrial/satellite inputs 3x HDMI 2.0, USB 2.0, Ethernet, Optical out, CI+ 1.4 Slot, AV Composite in, Aerial, 3.5mm out 4 x HDMI, Digital optical audio, USB, Ethernet, CI card slot, wired headphone jack, AV 3.5mm minijack Three HDMI 2.0, HDMI 2.1, Ethernet, two USB ports, optical audio out, 3.5mm audio out, IR out, and an input for cable/aerial connection Four HDMI 2.1, digital audio output, two USB ports, Ethernet, terrestrial/satellite – Three HDMI 2.0, HDMI 2.1, USB, digital optical out, Ethernet
HDMI (2.1) Four ports with 4K/120, ALLM and VRR support ALLM, eARC, VRR, 4K/120Hz – eARC, ALLM, VRR, HFR eARC, VRR, ALLM eARC, ALLM, VRR, HFR eARC, ALLM eARC, ALLM
Audio (Power output) 40 W 20 W 16 W 30 W 24 W 20 W 24 W 16 W
Connectivity Three USBs, Four HDMIs, optical digital audio output, Ethernet port, RF port, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth Bluetooth 4.2, Wi-Fi, AirPlay 2, Chromecast Wi-Fi, DLNA Wi-Fi, AirPlay 2, Google Cast, Bluetooth Wi-Fi, Bluetooth Wi-Fi, Bluetooth – Wi-Fi, Bluetooth
Colours Silver – Black – Grey – Black/Silver Black
Display Technology Direct-LED (Full Array Local Dimming) LCD, Direct-LED (Full Array Local Dimming) Direct-LED QLED, Mini LED QLED OLED QLED LCD, Direct-LED

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