Toshiba has been a household name in the world of consumer tech for a long time, and some of the most well-known consumer Toshiba products are TVs – specifically, budget to mid-range TVs that compete with those from the likes of Amazon, Insignia, TCL and Hisense.
Its range isn't huge. It only makes a handful of models of TVs for sale in each of the UK and US.
So, should you buy a Toshiba TV, and if so, which one? What features do Toshiba TVs have versus other competing brands, and how do they compare in terms of pricing? We’ve reviewed some Toshiba TVs, though nowhere near all of them, but there’s a lot we can all learn from looking at specs.
Relax, grab a drink, and read on to learn everything you’ll need to know to decide whether or not a Toshiba TV is the right fit for you this Black Friday…
Should you buy a Toshiba TV? The short answer…
Across the US and the UK, Toshiba offers up a slew of budget TVs that will get the job done when it comes to providing modern TV features and the ability to stream from whatever services you subscribe to. However, most TVs – even affordable models – do that these days, so we’d check prices against similar-spec TVs from the likes of TCL and Hisense. Depending on the TV, you may well be able to find a similar alternative for cheaper, especially if you find a decent sale.
In the UK, the QF5D Series looks to be the most competitive offering from Toshiba, bringing a QLED display to the table for barely more than a similarly-spec standard LCD Toshiba TV. While sometimes you might find another QLED cheaper on sale, the QF5D offers up strong specs, on paper, plus a competitive price that’s hard to ignore when you’re looking for a TV.
Toshiba TVs in the US
In the US, Toshiba has two primary TV models, each of which is available at a variety of sizes. First up is the smart, 4K C350 series, second is the also-smart, HD V35 series. Unfortunately, the most intriguing, gaming-focused M550 series has now been discontinued.
As you might expect, these TVs scale up in terms of performance, price, and features. However, all of the US Toshiba TVs have an LCD screen with an LED backlight, and most support Dolby audio tech. You’ll get familiar smart functionality out of these TVs as well as VESA wall-mount support, too.
In general, Toshiba TVs tend to offer similar features and similar prices to other budget brands such as Hisense, Insignia, TCL, and Amazon, but Toshiba tends to offer surprisingly good deals on feature-rich TVs you likely won’t be able to beat for value.
Should you buy a Toshiba V35 Series TV?
- Sizes: 32-inch, 43-inch
- Display type: LCD
- Resolution: 720p (32-inch), 1080p (43-inch)
- Refresh rate: 60Hz
- HDR: None
- HDMI: ARC
The V35 Series is Toshiba’s most basic line of TV, and it only comes in two sizes. The 720p 32-inch V35 officially costs $200, while the 1080p 43-inch V35 goes for $290. You can, however, often find both on sale for a lot cheaper. So, what's in a V35?
Well, it’s pretty standard stuff. You get an LCD panel with an LED backlight, either HD or Full HD (depending on size), and a 60Hz refresh rate. Plus, the V35 TVs are smart TVs, so you’ll be getting all the familiar smart TV functionality (via Amazon's Fire TV platform) here as well, along with Alexa support for voice controls.
At full price, neither of these TVs looks like a great deal, but you can often pick up both for significantly less. The 32-inch V35 currently sells for just $89, at which point it looks like pretty good value if you need a screen for your kitchen or guest room, for example. The 43-incher is currently $140.
Should you buy a Toshiba C350 Series TV?
- Sizes: 43-inch, 50-inch, 55-inch, 65-inch, 75-inch
- Display type: LCD
- Resolution: 4K
- Refresh rate: 60Hz
- HDR: Dolby Vision, HDR10
- Audio: Dolby Atmos
- HDMI: ARC
The C350 Series is Toshiba’s mid-range budget 4K Fire TV, offering up a bunch of different sizes, the full-fat 4K experience, HDR, and a ton of different audio technologies. The C350 Series starts off at $280 for the 43-inch and goes up to $650 for the 75-inch, though you can often find these sets on sale.
This is a modern set with competitive features for the budget side of the TV market, more so than the V35 Series at any rate, so if you’re looking for a set you can use to stream all the 4K/HDR content you can imagine without spending an arm and a leg, the C350 Series from Toshiba can get you there.
Generally, pricing on the C350 Series is reasonably competitive, falling in line with other brands such as Insignia, but your money is best spent on the C350 Series when on sale. Spending $280 on a 43-inch TV in this day and age, even a 4K/HDR set, is usually not too hard to beat, so we’d recommend waiting for a sale.
Plus, if you’re willing to just spend a little more cash, you can often nab a set with more premium display tech or gaming-focused features such as VRR or 4K/120Hz. So, before you buy a C350 TV at retail, make sure you do your due diligence and check out some other sets first, depending on what you’re looking for out in a TV.
Toshiba TVs in the UK
This side of the pond, Toshiba offers four models of TV, all of which are QLEDs. The QA5D and QF5D are very similar but run different operating systems: the QA5D runs Android TV, while the QF5D runs Amazon's Fire TV operating system. Both the QV2F and QV3F run Hisense's VIDAA platform.
All four models start at 43 inches, but while the D series top out at 65 inches, the F series models come in 75-inch variants.
You get support for HDR10 and Dolby Vision, as well as the TRU Picture Engine that offers up motion smoothing, upscaling, and more. The D series models are a bit brighter than the F series, and have the TRU Micro Dimming feature, which the F series lack. There are some slight differences between the QF5D and QA5D – the former has more sound modes, for example.
UK Toshiba TVs target the budget TV market, so you can expect low prices comparatively across all of UK Toshiba TVs.
Should you buy a Toshiba UF3D Series TV?
- Sizes: 43-inch, 50-inch, 55-inch, 65-inch
- Display type: LCD
- Resolution: 4K
- Refresh rate: 60Hz
- HDR: HDR10, Dolby Vision
- Audio: Dolby Audio, Dolby Atmos, DTS Virtual:X
Toshiba’s UK UF3D line of TVs is the brand’s standard flagship 4K TV. This line of TV comes with smarts courtesy of Amazon’s Fire OS, 4K support, HDR10 and Dolby Vision, and a slew of audio technologies and Onkyo speakers.
Across these TVs, you’ll get fairly robust HDR support, Dolby Atmos support, and the Fire TV OS for all the 4K streaming you could want. Onkyo speakers are a nice addition, but of course, for a premium sound, you’ll want to invest in an external sound solution, such as a budget-focused soundbar. All told, with modern features and specs, these TVs can get the job done.
The UF3D line starts off at £349 for the 43-inch set, and scales up the bigger the size you’re interested in. However, you'll rarely find this set at retail price, as usually it will be on sale for well below the RRP.
As mentioned above, 4K Samsung sets can often be found on sale for around £350, and other budget brands such as TCL can offer up 4K sets for less than £300. So, unless you’re a big fan of the Toshiba brand or can’t find a better deal, outside of a sale, you’ll generally have the option of spending less.
Should you buy a Toshiba QF5D Series TV?
- Sizes: 43-inch, 50-inch, 55-inch, 65-inch
- Display type: QLED
- Resolution: 4K
- Refresh rate: 60Hz
- HDR: HDR10, Dolby Vision
- Audio: Dolby Atmos
Toshiba’s UK QF5D Series is its most interesting, most premium line of TV that brings QLED technology to the table for the first time for Toshiba UK TVs. These TVs come in a variety of sizes, support 4K, smarts courtesy of Toshiba’s own OS, and a range of HDR and audio technologies. And for Toshiba’s most expensive UK TV, it’s not much more expensive than the UF3D.
How much are they, exactly? Well, the QF5Ds start off at £329 for the 43-inch model, which is right around what the UF3D retails for at MSRP; however, like the UF3D, this set rarely sells for its retail price.
In terms of value, the QF5D Series is priced competitively with other budget QLEDs. You’ll see other budget QLEDs for around the same money, such as TCL’s CF630K QLED TV, which goes for £379 for the 50-inch model. If you find a QF5D on sale, you may well be getting some of the best value you can get with a budget QLED, but even at full price, it’s generally competitive compared to what you’ll see from other brands.
If you want a modern 4K TV with some fairly premium display tech on top of easy access to streaming of all of your favourite shows and movies, you could do a lot worse than the Toshiba QF5D Series. If you’re a gamer, you might want to spend your money on a set with 120Hz or VRR support over going for a QLED TV, but if you’re looking for a good way to watch content, the QF5D is worth a look.
Should you buy a Toshiba QA5D Series TV?
The Toshiba QA5D is very similar to the QF5D (same panel technology, same screen sizes), but with Android TV in place of Fire TV. It has Freeview Play too, and Google's usual suite of apps (Google Play. Google TV & Movies and Chromecast Built-in).
Should you buy a Toshiba 24WK3C63DB TV?
- Sizes: 24-inch, 32-inch
- Display type: LCD
- Resolution: HD
- Refresh rate: 60Hz
- HDR: HDR10, HLG
- Audio: Dolby Audio, DST:X
The Toshiba 24WK3C63DB (catchy name!) is a very good small TV. It might only be 24 inches in size, but it earned four stars in our review, thanks to its low price, balanced, engaging picture and simple operating system.
There are no bells and whistles, but given it's a small TV for a kitchen or bedroom, that's to be expected. It's better looking than most TVs at this size, and has Alexa voice controls, which we weren't expecting.
Despite its narrow viewing angles, it produces a very good picture. Contrast is excellent, dark detail very good indeed, and the colour range is more than broad enough. As long as you temper your expectations, you'll be pleasantly surprised by this little wonder.
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