If you are looking for a top-notch TV but are working within a budget, it can seem like a bit of a task. But don't fret! There are lots of very good TVs you can get for under a grand.
At that price point, the more premium QD-OLED and 8K are understandably out of reach but standard OLED and Mini LED TVs are very much on the table.
That means 4K and HDR are up for grabs (unless you're going for a small model). On top of that, there are some next-gen gaming specs and the usual smart TV features available.
While you won't be able to get your hands on a 75 or 85-inch TV for this price, a £1000 budget will get you a 65-incher if that's what you want.
We have gathered together a list of the best sub-£1000 TVs currently available, all fully tested by our team of expert reviewers.
Each model is evaluated on picture quality, audio performance, usability, features, and gaming prowess.
We also compare every TV to out favourites in its class so we know how it matches up to its rivals. You can read more about how we test TVs at the bottom of the page.
If you want to get straight to the recommendations, then simply scroll down.
The quick list
Best overall
This LG OLED offers a truly cinematic experience without taking up half your living room.
Best Mini LED
With its sharp punchy picture and solid app support, this Mini LED is a stand-out.
Best 42-inch
Small OLEDs aren’t common, and what's even less common is just how capable this 42-incher is.
Best 50-inch
If you’re looking for a 50-inch TV on a limited budget, this QLED from Amazon is an absolute steal.
Best 55-inch
It has its limitations, but this Samsung mid-ranger comfortably outperforms its price tag.
Best 32-inch
This extraordinarily cheap TV delivers a surprisingly satisfying picture performance and user experience.
Recent updates
31st March 2025: Added OLED48C4 as best overall and OLED42C4 as best 42-inch model. Also added Amazon Omni as best mini-LED, and Samsung Q80D as best 55-inch model 1st August 2024
Added the TCL 32SF540K as the best 32-inch model
I’m What Hi-Fi?’s TV and AV Editor and during my 17 years in the industry I’ve had a front-row seat for the introduction of HD, 3D (RIP), 4K and 8K, so I know a good TV when I see one. I’ve also seen plenty of bad ones, particularly when budget is a key consideration and brands cut corners to keep costs down. A TV that costs £1000 can hardly be considered cheap, but it’s essential to know both ends of the market inside out when testing those that sit in the middle, which is why you can trust our recommendations.
The best TV under £1000 overall
Despite this 48-inch model originally launching at £1499, you can now reliably find it for below £1000. This is great news, as it's a TV that has impressed time and time again in our review rooms.
As an OLED should, it delivers superb contrast, with rich and vibrant colours, excellent motion, and high levels of detail. This is thanks to LG’s OLED Evo display, which helps deliver an upgrade in brightness from its predecessor.
We said in our review of the OLED while watching Mad Max: Fury Road: "The C4 delivers this film with equal parts punch and composure, with the rich reds and yellows of the smoke flares contrasting beautifully with the natural cool blue of the sky and burnt golden sand."
In terms of sound, the 48-inch C4 is underwhelming compared to its 65-inch counterpart. However, you can easily improve its sonic performance with soundbar and its excellent picture quality does make up for its sub-par sound.
Its gaming specs are also a stand-out, including four HDMI 2.1 sockets with full 48Gbps bandwidth support for 4K/120Hz gaming with VRR and ALLM supported. There's also 144Hz VRR support, meaning PC gamers with capable rigs can hook their towers up for even smoother high refresh-rate gaming.
Throw in the excellent webOS interface and the C4 delivers everything many people will need from a TV.
Read the full LG OLED48C4 review
The best Mini LED TV under £1000
While the Amazon Fire TV Omni Mini-LED does not quite reach five-star heights, it is the company's most advanced television so far thanks to its use of a Mini LED backlight.
It has two HDMI 2.1 inputs, one of which doubles as the eARC so you can connect a soundbar or other audio system.
Mini LEDs can often go too far in the brightness extremes, but this Amazon model manages to keep its picture balanced and consistent. It does not sacrifice its brightness either.
During our checks it managed to deliver a bright but accurate picture that never tries too hard with its processing or contrast.
We did find, however, that its picture played it a little too safe and therefore missed out on a five-star rating. When watching horror film It for example, it Georgie’s iconic yellow rain coat didn’t pop out of the otherwise grey backdrop as it should.
Like with the majority of sets at this size and price, the 65-inch TV's sound would benefit from a soundbar to improve its performance but it still provides a "serviceable" sonic performance.
We've not even touched on the excellent gaming spec (4K/120Hz, VRR and ALLM) or impressive HDR format support (Dolby Vision, HDR10+, HDR10 and HLG), but the bottom line is that its picture and sound merits alone are enough to recommend this TV.
Read the full Amazon Fire TV Omni Mini-LED review
The best 42-inch TV under £1000
For a long time, those who only had space for a 42-inch TV had to settle for something without all the latest bells and whistles, but LG’s C Series delivers all the benefits of an OLED at a size that’s more manageable for those with compact living areas.
This mid-range OLED impresses when it comes to brightness and, during testing, we found that "the small C4 creates a stellar spectacle that matches what’s being shown on its larger 48-inch sibling and beats the peaks offered by the older C3."
If that's not high praise, I'm not sure what is. And while its colours aren’t quite as warm as with its big brothers, this is the best small OLED you can find at this price.
Excellent sound quality on a 42-inch TV is hard to come by, and the C4 does not manage to buck this trend.
This is why we would recommend investing in a soundbar to get the best viewing experience with the OLED.
If you do, be warned, the OLED's foot placement means there’s just enough space to slot a small soundbar between them, but the fact they can only be set to one height means you will want to measure before buying one.
Those looking for a capable second TV to use for gaming will be pleased to see the inclusion of four HDMI 2.1 inputs, all of which support 4K/120, VRR, ALLM, HGiG, and Dolby Vision game mode, so you can plug in both current-gen consoles and a gaming PC, and still have one socket spare for the soundbar.
The inclusion of webOS 24 is another selling point, as it has the best app support of any TV platform and an easy to use UI.
Snagging all that for under a grand in a neat 42-inch package is a pretty good deal for us.
Read the full LG OLED42C4 review
The best 50-inch TV under £1000
We first reviewed the 65-inch version of Amazon's Omni QLED range and discovered a TV with a surprisingly sophisticated performance to go with its surprisingly comprehensive feature set. It just missed out on five stars, but knowing how much variation there can be between different-sized versions of the ‘same’ TV, we decided to take a separate look at this 50-inch model – and we're glad we did.
This is a TV that's very good value at its full price of £650, but even so, you shouldn’t pay that much for it. That’s because it's frequently discounted by large amounts. We have seen it go as low as £400, but find it for anything under £500 and you've unearthed a bargain.
What makes the Omni QLED appear to be such a bargain is its specification, which includes a QLED panel with full-array local dimming, support for every current HDR format, gaming features such as VRR, ALLM and even Dolby Vision gaming, and the app-packed and user-friendly Fire OS operating system (which can be fully operated via Alexa, of course).
But what's most impressive about the Omni QLED is the considered and consistent nature of its performance. Too many budget TVs attempt to dazzle you despite not having the requisite ability and they end up looking awful as a result. The Omni QLED, on the other hand, works within its limits: it's not going to knock your socks off but it gets all of the basics right and delivers a picture that's true to what the creator intended. It’s natural in a way that means you don’t question the delivery and instead focus purely on what you are watching, and that’s a more impressive feat than you might imagine, particularly at this level.
On the sound front, the Omni QLED is a simple stereo affair, and all the better for it. Instead of attempting fancy processing, it simply provides a clean, clear and direct audio performance that's ideal for general TV content. You're advised to add a soundbar for movies, though.
Read the full Amazon Fire TV Omni QLED review
The best 55-inch TV under £1000
Samsung's 55-inch TV may not have Mini LEDs like much of the brand's offerings, but it does offer a 'local dimming' system using 100 separate zones. That's pretty impressive for such a compact screen.
During testing, we said of the picture quality: "There’s a lovely intensity and richness to its tones with HDR images that are able to draw on the screen’s punchy brightness to deliver much more colour volume than most mid-range TVs."
Even in the punchy Standard picture preset, peak bright areas don’t ‘flare out’ and lose subtle shading detail, while the darkest areas don’t ‘hollow out’ into empty black holes.
The TV uses a basic version of Samsung’s Object Tracking Sound system, which manipulates the sound so that different effects appear to be coming from the correct area of the screen. This creates a surprisingly large soundstage considering the quality of most TV's sound, although it is not as precise as more premium versions.
One drawback is that the Samsung model's HDR support does not include Dolby Vision which means you can't get the best from PCs, the latest Xbox consoles and, of course, many streaming services and 4K Blu-ray discs.
Feature-wise, there's the VA LCD panel that works hard on contrast, HDMI 2.1 ports that support 4K/120Hz gaming, VRR and ALLM, which is music to gamers' ears, and if you're all about streaming platforms, then the Tizen OS system has excellent app support.
All told, by getting the basics right in terms of picture and improving on the sound standard for TVs at this price, the Q80D makes itself an easy TV to recommend to buyers on a tight budget.
Read the full Q80D 55-inch review
The best 32-inch TV under £1000
Even in the world of 32-inch TVs, the TCL 32SF540K is very cheap. We tested it against the Sony’s KD-32W800 and Amazon Fire TV 2-Series, and not only was the TCL model much cheaper than both, but it was actually better in many ways.
The main draw here (as it is with the Amazon 2-series model mentioned above) is the Fire OS operating system, which grants access to pretty much every streaming service you could need and is very user-friendly. The TCL backs this up, though, with a surprisingly balanced and likeable picture performance.
You don't get a super-bright or super-vibrant picture from the 32SF540K, but what you do get is a consistent delivery that avoids any major flaws – and at this level, that's quite the feat. Blacks are reasonably deep and there's no horrible blooming, shadow detail is good, colours are fairly rich and warm, skin tones look authentic, and contrast, while not sizzlingly striking, is consistent and natural. Motion is handled pretty well, too. In fact, our only real complaint where picture quality is concerned is that viewing angles are quite limited.
The sound is much less appealing than the picture, but you could add a cheap soundbar to the TCL 32SF540K and still have spent less than the cost of most rival 32-inch TVs. All in all, while certainly not perfect, this is a really good option for those on a very limited budget.
Read our TCL 32SF540K review
Also consider
TCL 55C745K: While it’s nowhere near as capable as the C845K above, this 55-incher is a good chunk cheaper but still offers great contrast and colour. It’s excellent for gaming, too.
Samsung UE55CU8000: If you’d like something a little larger than the 50-inch Amazon Omni above but don’t have the budget to match, this 55-inch Samsung is a bit of a bargain.
How to choose the best TV under £1000 for you
There are normally two main factors that determine which TV you end up buying: budget and size.
We’ve already covered the former by limiting the models here to under £1000, but when it comes to the latter there’s a bit more to it than just picking the biggest one that’ll fit in the boot of your car.
At this price you’re unlikely to find any genuine whoppers, but a 65-incher isn’t out of the question. What you should be really asking yourself, though, is whether you really have room for it. You see, it’s not just about whether you have space for the TV itself, but whether you’re going to be sitting far enough away from it to see the picture at its best. Fortunately, you can read our full guide that will help you to work the best viewing distance here.
Nobody in 2024 should consider buying a TV with a resolution that’s lower than 4K (and you wouldn’t find any on this list anyway), but it is worth considering what kind of screen technology you want. OLED tends to offer the best contrast and vibrant colours, but at this price the size of the screen you’ll be able to get will be limited, so you might want a Mini LED or QLED if you’re after more inches.
It’s also worth checking which HDR formats a TV supports. HDR10 and HLG pretty much come as standard these days, but not all models play nicely with HDR10+ or Dolby Vision. If you’re a gamer, you’ll also want to make sure at least one of the HDMI ports can handle 4K/120Hz, VRR, and ALLM, otherwise you won’t see your console performing at its best.
We’ve tested TVs that cost a lot more than £1000 that still don’t sound great, so while underwhelming audio shouldn’t be a deal breaker when it comes to choosing your next television, it makes sense to go for one that sounds acceptable when watching everyday TV. As always, though, we’d recommend budgeting for a soundbar as well, with plenty available at similarly wallet-friendly prices.
TVs under £1000 FAQ
What’s the difference between LCD, OLED, and QLED?
All three refer to different kinds of screen technology.
LCD is the least advanced of the trio, but that also makes it the cheapest. It uses white LED lights to illuminate a liquid crystal display (LCD), which means there’s a limit to how good the contrast between light and dark can be. LCD TVs are also fairly chunky in comparison to their newer, more advanced brethren.
OLED stands for Organic Light-Emitting Diode, which means there’s no need for a backlight layer. Not only does that make OLED TVs delightfully thin, it also means they have control over individual pixels, so the picture looks more realistic, with loads of detail even in the very brightest and darkest areas. OLED screens are more expensive than LCDs, though, and aren’t available in as many sizes, with 42 inches the smallest at the time of writing.
QLED is Samsung’s answer to OLED, although QLED TVs are available from other manufacturers as well. It stands for Quantum-dot Light-Emitting Diode, and while it still requires a backlight meaning the contrast isn’t quite as good as on an OLED, QLEDs can go even brighter.
How many HDMI ports do I need?
HDMI has become the standard connection for everything from games consoles to soundbars, so the answer to this depends on how many things you want to plug in to your new TV.
The bigger question is really what type of HDMI ports you need. If one of those things you plan to plug in is a soundbar, make sure you use the TV’s ARC or eARC HDMI socket. This supports more audio codecs than an optical cable, and will also allow you to control everything with your TV’s remote, rather than using a separate one for the soundbar.
If you’re a gamer you’ll want to ensure that you get a TV with full-bandwidth HDMI 2.1 inputs. These can support features such as 4K/120Hz, VRR, and ALLM, which you’ll want to make the most of if your console is going to perform to its full potential.
How we test the best TVs under £1000
The process of testing a sub-£1000 TV is no different to what we subject one over £1000 to, which means it involves a number of days in our state-of-the-art testing facilities in London, Reading or Bath.
Sitting in front of the TV might sound like a leisurely task, but thoroughly testing one requires a methodical process of feeding it various sources, including 4K Blu-rays, HD terrestrial TV, and good old DVDs, and comparing the TV's performance in real time with its best-in-class rivals, which we keep in our stockroom at all times for reference.
We also check which streaming apps are available and confirm that they are able to play all the video and audio formats they claim to, before plugging in both a PS5 and Xbox Series X to check which HDMI ports support any claimed gaming features, such as 4K/120Hz, VRR, ALLM, Dolby Vision, and HGiG. Input lag is then measured using a Leo Bodnar device.
While we don’t have a professional calibrator on hand to get each TV performing at its best, we won’t just accept the settings as they are when it comes out of the box either. Each one is tweaked and adjusted, and different picture and audio modes are tested, until we’re absolutely sure the TV is performing to its full potential.
Speaking of sound, almost every flatscreen television benefits from being connected to an external sound system of some sort, whether that’s a full speaker package or a more compact soundbar, but it’s still important to test the built-in speakers to find out what they’re capable of for those without the space or budget to augment it.
Our in-house testers have over a century of combined reviewing experience, with each verdict settled upon by the whole team rather than just one individual, so if you buy a product off the back of something we’ve written, you can be sure your purchase is based on consistent, impartial advice.
For more on how we test products here at What Hi-Fi? read our full in-depth explanation.
Recent updates
1st April 2025: Added OLED48C4 as best overall and OLED42C4 as best 42-inch model. Also added Amazon Omni as best mini-LED, and Samsung Q80D as best 55-inch model.
1st August 2024: Added the TCL 32SF540K as the best 32-inch model.
10th April 2024: Added LG OLED55B3 as the best overall and LG OLED42C3 as best 42-inch choices. Also added sections on how to choose, how we test, FAQ and other options to consider.
