These are the best 4K TVs under £500 in 2024

At one time, it would have been hard to find a 4K 50-inch TV by Samsung that would fit into this price range - let alone one with a QLED panel. But this Q60C model sets out to pack as much Samsung know-how into it as possible. Aside from the typically refined yet modern design, this TV is an absolutely ideal size to fit most rooms and settings. 

One of the stand-out technical features though is HDR (High Dynamic Range) which really elevates that QLED screen in terms of colour accuracy and depth. Plus, all those glorious visuals are well looked after by the Crystal 4K processor that will upscale lower resolutions all the way up to 4K. Elsewhere there’s Alexa built-in for anyone looking for hands-free control and access to all of the usual smart speaker features you’d expect. Overall, this is a TV from a premium brand with some stunning tech-specs for the price.

Some of you may be old enough to recognise the RCA brand as it started life back in 1919 in the USA and grew into one of the country's largest brands for home entertainment hardware and more. Its brand of TVs has made it to the UK - and this one is a serious contender for one of the most capable, well-regarded and visually stunning sets on the market. 

Firstly, that 55-inch screen is also a 4K QLED panel - meaning top-quality images with plenty of detail and great contrast levels. Secondly, the support for HDR10 is a huge plus, adding colour realism. But perhaps most impressive is the inclusion of some picture processing wizardry - such as MEMC Smooth Motion. If you’re a sports fan or watch fast-moving action of any kind, it’ll smooth out the motion without losing any detail. Lastly, the design has a thin bezel and clean lines - ideal for wall mounting. Amazing, especially at this price.

Imagine settling down to watch your favourite movies on a 65-inch OLED TV knowing that you spend well under £500 on it. This Toshiba 65QF5D53DB is a huge TV with an even bigger set of features to match. It’s a 4K QLED panel for excellent contrast and brightness levels, but it’s also a Fire TV for easy Amazon Prime access. They’ve thrown in Alexa voice assistant too for good measure.

Visually, Dolby Vision and HDR10 are there to look after the over a billion extra colours that are available in this TV's palette, and Dolby Atmos will handle your surround sound experience. And, for once, the sound is actually pretty good. As you’ll see from the rest of this list, built-in TV speakers are rarely adequate  - certainly when it comes to movies and streaming TV series. But here the speakers and sound have been provided by the leading brand Onkyo. Even better, right now this is actually a limited-time deal on Amazon, pushing this below the £450 mark.

While this comes very close to winning in our Best 4K TV for Movies category, it doesn’t because the panel here is LED instead of the slightly superior QLED that would offer movie fans better colour and contrast. But, here, Hisense has added some excellent enhancement technology to its VIDAA Smart TV 65A6KTUK - making it a solid all-around choice for those looking for a 65-inch smart TV. 

With smooth motion tech to retain detail but keep fast motion like sports looking nice and slick, adding a powerful quad-core processor elevates this TV to a new level. It can upscale lower resolutions to 4K using AI - so you’ll get natural-looking hyper-detail from anything you watch. DTS Virtual X sound handles audio immersion - although, again, the sound is a little weak for a proper cinema experience. But that DTS will also enhance dialogue - making it easier to hear over any background noise.

While it might be easy to find a 43-inch TV, it’s not so easy to find one from a top brand like LG that is also 4K. This UR78 Smart TV is just that - and just because it’s smaller than most doesn't mean LG has cut any corners. You still get some stellar image processing tech - namely the α5 AI processor that will keep the picture and sound in tip-top condition as you watch. It isn’t a QLED or OLED though - but we think that’s fine on a set of this size, especially considering the other picture enhancements going on.

Our favourite of those is the FILMMAKER mode. It will identify the movie you’re watching and, using its metadata, set the TV frame rate, aspect, colour and more to match what the filmmaker intended. So, while this may not be a 65-inch home cinema beast, it thinks it is one and has the 4K detail and smarts to prove it.

As 55 inches is possibly the most popular choice when it comes to fitting most rooms, it makes sense to buy one that is equally well-rounded in terms of spec. And this 55-inch 55E7KQTUK from Hisense is a shining example. Again the panel is a QLED one, meaning better blacks and more accurate colours over LED, but it’s the raft of picture enhancements and Smart TV functions that really caught our eye. It runs on the latest VIDAA operating system, for instant access to over 150 broadcast TV channels, and of course, there’s Freeview Play and streaming apps like Netflix and Disney+.

There’s the class-leading Dolby Vision to deliver over a billion colours, but also a brilliant AI Adaptive Depth feature that will analyse the image and enhance the feeling of depth to the scene. Direct Full Array LED backlight - that means more control over dimming zones, and so deeper blacks and better highlights. There’s Dolby Atmos for surround sound, but as with some others here, if you want big sound invest in a soundbar. Other than that, it’s a brilliant 55-inc all-rounder.

This Panasonic TX-55MX610B might be just another 55-inch TV to some, but for those who want that signature Panasonic design and build with some extra colour, this is the one for you.HDR content is everywhere now, but not all of it is equal. It’s used to deliver extra colours - to the tune of thousands - over the colour range of a standard Full-HD TV. And here we have all of the top-line support for HDR, - including Dolby Vision, HDR10, and HLG. Yes, there are TVs out there that support a couple more, but it’s the twinning of Panasonic’s natural picture know-how with that colour tech that clinches the win here.

Elsewhere, there are loads of apps for your streaming and on-demand content. Again, there's surround sound from Dolby Atmos, and that panel is super-bright, making it a good choice for viewing in brighter rooms. Gamers will like the super-low latency mode for fast reactions. Lastly, you have your choice between Alexa and Google Assistant for voice control too.

If you’re looking for a Fire TV that will serve up all of your Amazon Prime content and more, this is the TV for you. But do note - it’s currently only a shade under the £500 mark because it’s an Amazon Limited Time Deal. Normally a £749 TV, this 55-inch Omni QLED model has some excellent picture enhancements, like local dimming zones for better blacks and less blooming on bright details. But there’s also Dolby Vision and HDR10+ for all of those extra colours that make the picture on this set even more naturalistic.

However, if you’re often struggling to see the picture on your current screen, the Adaptive Brightness feature of this Amazon Fire TV is the answer to your prayers. Not only is this a brighter panel than some others, but it will actually keep track of the ambient light in your room and adjust the brightness automatically. You can even use a mode that will make it display your favourite pictures - turning it into a practical piece of art. Some users do find the Fire TV user interface to be slower than others, but the addition of voice control via Alexa certainly speeds things up.

Again, we've found ourselves doing a double-take when comparing the spec and size of this TV against the price bracket. Although not the main reason we like this set so much, adding Ambilight to the Philips PUS8108 is a welcome bonus - using its picture-matched lighting to create even more immersion against your TV's back wall.

This 50-inch TV really pops with HDR10+ content, and the inclusion of Dolby Vision means that this TV is capable of the very widest colour palette available in HDR televisions today. Movies and television shows are a treat, full of life and immersive detail. It's a stunner in the looks department, too - largely thanks to its almost non-existent side bezels that give the screen a touch of infinity when watching. The operating system is Android TV. So, while it's not as nippy as Samsung's TizenOS, it's fast enough for most. Minor complaints aside, the Philips PUS8108 is an excellent 50-inch television with enough extra features to keep you entertained, plus the frankly awesome Ambilight.

This 55-inch TV from TCL would be a valid contender in any of our other categories here, but we’ve included it purely for its gaming credentials. Gamers, much like movie fans, will have a long list of essential features - like QLED over LED for better contrast and colours - but also extras like low latency and a fast refresh rate. So, while pro gamers might want a higher refresh rate than the 60Hz on offer here, this TCL will be great for everyday console gamers. That said, if you’re playing at full-HD resolutions, this will actually go all the way up to 120Hz.

Perhaps the best feature that will help you win more matches is the Game Master mode. It gives you access to all of the features you need, like FreeSync for stopping choppy gameplay, low input lag, and more. Want 4K, judder-free gaming on a large screen for under £500? Look no further.