With so much variety when it comes to what you can watch on the box today, you want to make your home viewing experience as good as it can be. If you're looking for a fully cinematic experience, or want to get the most out of your PlayStation or Xbox, it is well worth upgrading to a 4K TV. Whether you want to use it primarily for gaming or films, once you've experienced a 55 inch smart TV in full high definition, you'll never want to go back!
All of this might sound quite expensive, but you don't need to break the bank when purchasing a great TV. We've looked at some options from Argos, John Lewis, and Amazon that come in at under £500 but don't sacrifice size or quality, from the best TV brands in the industry, that are available in the UK, like Panasonic, Samsung and Philips.
Quick List - Top 4K TVs Under £500
Samsung
Sharp Imaging and Amazing Features From a Great Brand
Hisense
A Top Deal for Those After a Budget QLED
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TV screen sizes continue to get bigger and bigger now that they can maintain the same quality. An upper price limit of £500 will limit you slightly, but you'll still be able to get hold of a quality 55 inch TV, which is more than big enough for a cinematic experience in the average UK living room.
There's a generally excepted rule when it comes to how big your TV is and how far away you should sit. Ideally, you want to be 1.5 to 2.5 times the diagonal measurement away from your TV. This isn't possible in all houses, but for the optimum viewing experience, it is worth taking note of.
Add a streaming device to your TV to watch your favourite shows from your platform of choice!
LCD and LED are two acronyms that pop up frequently to describe TV screen displays. Conveniently, they are essentially the same thing. LCD, standing for liquid crystal display, is the type of display used. LED TVs are an example of LCD TVs.
The alternatives to LCD TVs are known as OLED or QLED TVs, but these are usually more expensive than the LCD alternatives as they provide a better picture through a wider range and colours. OLED screens provide the purest colours, then QLED are a minor step down,
You'll still be able to get a quality OLED or QLED TV for under £500 but you may have to opt for a smaller screen or lesser well-known brand to get the most out of your money. If you're after the best viewing experience possible and don't mind a 32" screen then they're well worth the investment.
The majority of TVs will be able to access the internet in order for you to stream your favourite shows. There are normally two ways you can do this. If you have an ethernet cable and port on the TV, you can use this. This will provide a faster, more powerful connection but tends not to be necessary with modern streaming services as all modern smart TVs will have a WiFi connection.
When it comes to accessing internet services on your smart TV, it's all about the apps. Most modern TVs will have a way to subscribe to Apple TV, Google TV, Now TV, Netflix, Disney Plus, BBC iPlayer, YouTube, Twitch, and countless other streaming and video services straight from your remote.
As home automation has become more and more popular in recent years, even the cheapest 4K options have voice control options meaning you can control your TV without having to worry about where you've put the remote. Many of these will be able to integrate with your systems of choice, most notably Amazon Alexa and Google Home
While commonly found on modern smart TVs, you will find some older or extremely budget models may not have a voice control feature. If you're actively looking to avoid this, it's worth looking out for something at the lower end of the price spectrum, or something a little more dated.
For you, a TV might be more than an appliance to watch terrestrial television. If you're looking to use anything like games consoles, additional TV boxes or sound systems, check that your TV has the capacity to do this as budget options don't always do it all.
Common connections to look out for are USB, Ethernet and HDMI, all of which come in handy with different tools and devices. Most modern TVs will have at least one USB and HDMI port, but if you're planning on plugging in multiple devices into your screen, just make sure there are enough ports for everything!
If you're looking to improve your sound experience, consider adding a TV soundbar to your setup.
To make your 4K home viewing experience even more cinematic, you can use a wall mount to put your TV on the wall. You need a suitable space for this to make sense, but it can be a great way of reducing the footprint that your TV takes up in a room, as well as looking cool.
The size of your TV will affect the size wall mount you need, but for most of the sizes we're looking at, a wall mount of 200 x 200mm will do the trick.
If you're not sure which TV wall mount is best for you, check out our handy article!
Products | Image | Click to purchase | Key features | |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Samsung 50 Inch Smart 4K Crystal UHD HDR TV|UE50AU8000 | ![]() | Sharp Imaging and Amazing Features From a Great Brand | |
2 | LG 43 Inch 4K UHD HDR Smart LED TV|43UP75006LF | ![]() | A Smart TV That Will Make Life More Convenient | |
3 | Hisense QLED Series 43-inch 4K UHD Dolby Vision HDR Smart TV|43A7GQTUK | ![]() | A Top Deal for Those After a Budget QLED | |
4 | Samsung 43 Inch QLED 4K Quantum HDR Smart TV|Q60T (2020) | ![]() | A Sleek Option With Amazing Image Depth | |
5 | Bush 55 Inch Smart 4K UHD HDR LED Freeview TV|DLED55UHDHDRSB | ![]() | A Big Screen Without the Big Price | |
6 | Philips 55 Inch Smart 4K UHD HDR LED Freeview TV| 55PUS7506 | ![]() | Crisp Contrast From a Dependable Brand | |
7 | TCL 55 Inch 4K LED Ultra HD Smart TV|55DP628 | ![]() | Enjoy Impressive Sound Quality With This Bargain TV | |
8 | Toshiba 43 Inch Smart 4K UHD HDR LED Freeview TV| 43UL2163DBC | ![]() | A Smaller Screen, Perfect for a Smaller Space |
This TV has a huge 50" screen, which means you'll be able to enjoy the high-quality picture and targeted sound on the grandest scale. It is also an incredibly thin TV, which will mean it looks great in any room, whether that's on a stand or on a wall.
There is a huge range of apps to explore and enjoy, including some exclusives, so you will never be short of something to watch. Keep everyone happy with this TV that does amazing things at a very respectable price!
This TV has all the tools to make your viewing experience as simple and comfortable as possible. You have everything at your fingertips (or should we say voice), thanks to the in-built voice recognition. Google Assistant and Alexa are both available to help guide you through your TV and all its extras.
You have access to all the channels and streaming services you would expect and more. Miracast will allow you to share content from screen to screen and seamlessly blend all your devices. It also features LG's fully loaded webOS smart platform for ease of use.
For those who s have a smaller space for a TV, there is no reason why you should have to skimp when it comes to enjoying a top viewing experience. Luckily, this TV is here to help. It still has incredible colour and sound technology which makes dialogue crystal clear.
Voice control means you can take complete charge of your TV, and Bluetooth-enabling means you can connect any audio device you please. You can also use a number of streaming services without having to open separate apps.
If you want a TV that isn't going to take up too much room then this is a great option. Not only is it incredibly thin at just 5.7 cm, but it features a sleek form designed so you see nothing but the incredible images on the screen.
This TV's stand adds to the overall style of the product, but it does look equally good on the wall. It features technology that optimises sound to deliver great audio whether connected to a soundbar, surround sound or the TVs speakers.
Finding a TV that is 55 inches and under £400 can be a challenge, but this TV fits the bill. It's fully compatible with all relevant apps and comes with in-built Amazon Alexa voice control compatibility, an internet browser, and Miracast.
Its widescreen allows you to clearly see what you want to, and the HDR10 technology makes whites brighter, intensifying colour and enhancing the overall picture for an epic cinematic effect. It also comes with a one year guarantee for peace of mind!
This TV promises to bring content to life, focusing on naturalistic colours that portray your favourite things to watch in the way they were intended. The operating system is easy to use and you'll be navigating your Smart TV without an issue in no time.
Unfortunately, the Dolby Atmos sound system doesn't quite match the level of the display. It's by no means the worst sound we've ever heard, but if you're looking for a cinema experience it's best paired with a soundbar.
A big screen for a decent price – what's not to love? The display comes with the high quality you would expect from a 4K TV, enhanced by its micro dimming technology. Alongside this, you have the rich sound provided by the Dolby sound system.
The operating system isn't the most optimised around, meaning that you may find that it slows down and occasionally freezes in menus. If you have a games console or smart TV box, however, this is one hell of a bargain.
The detail provided by this TV's TRU picture technology is guaranteed to blow you away. TRU Micro Dimming improves contrast, focussing on all the different regions of the image, while TRU Resolution upscales a wide variety of non-4K content.
Whilst this TV does have all the main apps pre-installed like Netflix and Prime, it doesn't have some of the extras that other brands have. With screens getting bigger and bigger these days, you'll notice that this TV is on the smaller side, and it doesn't include Bluetooth.
In simple terms, 4K TVs, also known as UHD (Ultra High Definition) TVs, have a certain number of pixels – almost 4,000, in fact. A higher number of pixels means that the image will be crisper and clearer, adding definition to your favourite shows and enhancing even the smallest details of a film. It's worth noting that there are even 8K TVs available, but not at the kind of budget we're looking at!
In comparison, HD ready TVs offer 1366 x 768 pixels and 1080p TVs (known as Full HD) offer 1920 x 1080 pixels, whereas 4K TVs have a 3840 x 2160 pixel resolution. Numbers aside, the take-home is the more pixels, the better the image quality!
Written and researched by Emma Cramp
No. 1: Samsung|50 Inch Smart 4K Crystal UHD HDR TV|UE50AU8000
No. 2: LG|43 Inch 4K UHD HDR Smart LED TV|43UP75006LF
No. 3: Hisense|QLED Series 43-inch 4K UHD Dolby Vision HDR Smart TV|43A7GQTUK
No. 4: Samsung|43 Inch QLED 4K Quantum HDR Smart TV|Q60T (2020)
No. 5: Bush |55 Inch Smart 4K UHD HDR LED Freeview TV|DLED55UHDHDRSB
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