When choosing the very best television for your home, deciding just how much to spend on the best budget TV for you can be nothing short of a nightmare. With a range of sizes to choose from, from 43-inch TVs to a whopping 70-inch television, it's no easy feat to settle on an ideal display for your lounge; your ultimate space of relaxation.
For those looking to break into the 4K television market, whether it's your first smart TV or an upgrade - you're in the right place.
We've compiled the most excellent budget televisions this year - from a range of sizes and technologies, suiting your home cinema needs to a 'T'. Each and every selection on our list is priced below £500 - so you can start assembling your dream home cinema, and still afford some movie snacks on the side.
The best budget TVs at a glance:
• Best budget TV 2023: Samsung BU8000 55-inch TV - View at Amazon
• Best low-budget TV: Hisense 43A6BGTUK 43-inch TV - View at Amazon
• Best budget QLED TV: Samsung Q60B 43-inch TV - View at Amazon
• Best Philips budget TV: Philips 55PUS7906/12 - View at Amazon
Shop TV deals on: John Lewis | Currys | Appliances Direct | Amazon
From a range of top brands such as Samsung, LG, Philips, Hisense and more - these cheap televisions offer the most bang for your buck out of any televisions on the market, giving you the best picture possible at their price.
Please note: All prices correct at time of writing. Prices, stock and deals subject to change without notice.
Best TV under £500
Description
Samsung's BU8000 consistently tops our lists as one of the best budget UHD TVs on the market, and
Pros
- Excellent screen size
- Solid Crystal UHD screen for budget
- Great build quality
Cons
- Average refresh rate
- Some dullness compared to higher-end TVs
Best budget TV under £300
Description
Sometimes, when in search of the perfect television, you come across a deal that seems far too
Pros
- Massively affordable
- Solid picture for the price
- Impressive HDR
Cons
- Fairly dull screen on occasion
Best QLED budget TV
Description
It's exceedingly rare to find a QLED television for less than £1,000, so when Samsung releases the
Pros
- Best-priced QLED TV
- Gorgeous image quality
- HDR10+ support for excellent depth
- Wonderful build quality
Cons
- Not as bright as other QLEDs
- Speakers are so-so
- Average refresh rate
- Lacking Dolby Vision
Best Philips budget TV
Description
Philips has consistently made some of the most astonishing budget televisions on the market in
Pros
- Gorgeous ultra-thin bezel design
- Solid LED screen rich with detail
- Ambilight is a unique and immersive feature
Cons
- Weaker Android TV UI
- So-so speakers
Best budget LG TV
Description
LG, generally speaking, is not known for their budget televisions - a lot of their televisions are
Pros
- Solid colour and brightness
- Incredible value for its size
- Solid LG user interface
Cons
- So-so build quality
- Poor contrast
What's the best time of year to buy a budget TV?
Throughout the year, there are tonnes of sales events across retailers - from Spring Sales to Black Friday, so whenever you're shopping for a television, there's bound to be at least a handful of deals on a range of smart TVs.
Having said that, you'll find that there's a practically limitless amount of deals around Christmas time, with stocks fluctuating through that time massively, so you have to be quick.
Are budget TVs worth it?
Absolutely, yes. While high-end Neo-QLED TVs with 120Hz refresh rates certainly have sufficient appeal, a true budget television from the best TV brands can still be incredibly impressive and have a range of tech features you'd never suspect at such affordable prices.
What size TV do I need?
Here’s a quick and easy guide to give you an idea of the minimum distance you should have from your TV when enjoying your favourite entertainment:
40 inches - 80 inches (6.7 feet)
50 inches - 100 inches (8.3 feet)
60 inches - 120 inches (10 feet)
75 inches - 150 inches (12.5 feet)
LED vs QLED - is there a big difference?
LED and QLED tech is actually quite similar in precisely how they work - much like most typical televisions, they use a backlight to illuminate diodes, which make up individual pixels on the smart TV's screen, giving you an image. Quantum dot technology uses an additional layer of quantum dot diodes that creates a much wider range of colours.
Backlights on QLEDs also tend to use brighter backlights - making the displays appear much more vivid. So - in short, there is quite a large difference between standard 4K LED TVs and full-fledged QLED TVs, but you can still find some great deals on QLEDs nonetheless.
Ryan is a tech writer and reviewer for What's The Best, specialising in PCs and gaming. He is a keen PC gamer and an avid reader.
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