Best 43-inch TVs 2024: Get the best for all budgets and needs

Finding a practically faultless television is rare, yet here we are with the QN90C. Samsung's cutting-edge display is the epitome of next-generation perfection. With a heart-racing 144Hz refresh rate (which is rarely seen in smart TVs), and a gorgeous neo-QLED display with an unfathomable amount of colour volume and vibrancy, Samsung's QN90C is one of the most technologically impressive smart TVs of the year so far.

All of the QN90C's power is housed in a gorgeously thin design, which oozes elegance - it's a real show-stopper when positioned in the centre of your lounge. QLED televisions almost always struggle with top-tier contrast, whereas OLED televisions often excel.

The sheer brightness of the QN90C is staggering, reaching over 2,000 nits is no easy feat, and while this lends to the QN90C's vibrance and colour accuracy, it also causes the QN90C to struggle with darker tones, leaving black colours slightly grey, rather than truly black.

Be that as it may, the QN90C looks tremendous: its contrast, while not reaching the heights of OLED televisions, is certainly a far cry from a standard smart TV – it's visually brilliant, performs extraordinarily well, and is stunningly designed.

One of the best budget televisions on the market, Samsung's CU7100 is loaded with brilliant technology and audiovisual goodness that sets it far beyond the budget competition. Fans of Samsung's beloved 2021 AU7100 are bound to be enthralled by the next-generation Crystal Colour technology, with even more to offer than its predecessor.

Crystal UHD delivers huge, bold colours that are otherwise unseen in smart TVs at a similar price point. Paired with HDR10+, the CU7100 draws everything it can from its post-processing, greatly enhancing shadows, boosting colours and delivering what is a dazzling onscreen picture.

Despite advertising its array of Dolby Audio support with Object tracking, the CU7100 has a standard 20W audio output, which is solid for its price but isn't going to blow you back into your seat. It's certainly solid audio, but it isn't revolutionary - perhaps consider setting up some speakers to get the most out of this television.

Excellent visuals, solid design and plenty of post-processing to create what may well be the best 4K experience you'll get at a low cost, this spectacular 43-inch television is one to keep an eye on.

LG's C3 OLED TV is considered to be one of the best TVs for gaming ever made, from its second-to-none build quality to its razor-sharp 0.1 ms response time, crowning it as one of the fastest displays on the market - there are very few flaws with LG's C3 OLED TV.

The C3's OLED technology is world-class at delivering boundless depth and realism to images with beautiful accuracy, and its 865-nit brightness gives most televisions a run for their money. OLED technology is often limited by its lower brightness on account of lacking a backlight, but the LG C3 OLED TV certainly exceeds its technological limitations.

LG's C3 is a thrilling step in the right direction for OLED technology, considerably improving from the C2's 570 nits of brightness which was scarcely different from a standard 4K television, but OLED televisions are still a long way from reaching the brightness capabilities of a QLED television.

OLED TVs, however, absolutely excel in contrast - an essential factor of what makes a smart TV pop. Shadows, dark tones and details are stellar, the C3 might well be one of the best in the world for its stunning infinite contrast. The LG OLED C3 is a great choice for true cinephiles, and even better for those looking for an unforgettable gaming experience.

LG has a huge range of highly affordable 4K smart TVs, but its UR78 AI ThinQ is easily one of our favourite budget smart TVs of the year. Gorgeous picture quality for a fraction of the price of competing 43-inch smart TVs, LG's UR78 has a wonderfully vivid display that is remarkably detailed for its price, and it's largely a result of AI-powered post-processing.

LG's smart 5 AI processor Gen 6 is well-utilised in the UR78, drastically improving picture and audio. Contrast, colour and overall performance are fantastic on this budget television, with sound being particularly rich and detailed for such a small and inexpensive television.

Our gripes with the UR78 arise when looking at its overall build quality: its thicker design and plasticky build quality aren't typical in LG televisions, yet in reaching for the best screen quality possible for under £300, cuts were likely made.

That being said, if properly mounted on a wall, which it's most certainly suitable for, the LG UR78 smart TV looks as splendid as any smart TV should, and its cheaper build quality, which is typically noticed on the back of a television, is hardly worth any concern. A mighty budget television that has stolen the show, buying one of the best LG TVs this year is an easy decision to make.

The terms 'QLED' and 'budget' rarely occupy the same sentence, and yet the Q65C is precisely that: Samsung's Q65C is a fantastic budget QLED television truly worth investing in, especially at its price. The visual brilliance of an ultra-HD QLED TV cannot be understated: they're brighter than any other television technology, creating some of the most eye-catching imagery you've seen from the comfort of your home.

Its peak brightness, whilst not as remarkably bright as a typical high-end QLED television, looks fantastic at around 500 nits, which is especially impressive at its price. When utilised with HDR10+ technology, which pushes brightness even further than typically possible on the Q65C, you'll notice that contrast on the Q65C is nothing but phenomenal.

Object Tracking Sound audio technology, excellent smart controls and more, this bold budget television has plenty to offer for its lower price point.

Brilliant it may be, but there are certain cutbacks as expected with the Q65C's overall performance that you should be aware of before buying. With a refresh rate of roughly 60Hz, the Q65C runs at a fairly average smoothness, which isn't the most exciting thing for gamers.

For many, however, 60Hz is a speed we're used to in our televisions, and the Q65C remains visually brilliant, despite not excelling in every performance category. A fantastic budget television from Samsung, and one of the best QLED TVs on the market this year, the Q65C is a worthwhile investment into stellar visuals at an impressive price.

A terrific choice for budget shoppers and television enthusiasts alike, the Hisense 43E7KQTUK QLED TV brings plenty of audiovisual brawn to outshine countless expensive televisions on the market with its array of post-processing technology.

Out of the gate, this budget television's HDR and DTS technology pair beautifully well, delivering crisp visuals and highly detailed sound despite its lower budget. Capable of producing a billion unique shades of colour, in large part thanks to the Hisense 43E7KQTUK's QLED technology, which is unheard of at its price, this television display truly shines.

Unlike typical QLED televisions, however, the Hisense 43E7KQTUK lacks in brightness: its fairly low 250 nits of brightness is nothing but typical for LED televisions of its price, but for a television advertising its QLED technology: this seems quite low.

For most, however, it's a bargain at its price: though it's not as bright as other QLED TVs, it certainly holds its own amongst similarly priced TVs on the market.

Samsung's The Frame is a brilliantly innovative television centred around looking as clean and seamless as possible, almost appearing like a painting. Owners of The Frame can choose between different wooden bezel designs, acting as a literal frame in a bold yet innovative move from Samsung that looks simply wonderful.

When in standby mode, one of The Frame's greatest features activates: Art Mode, whereby various masterpieces of the art world appear on its gorgeous display, creating a wonderful centrepiece for your lounge. Paired with the matte screen, you'll scarcely believe that you're looking at a television.

Samsung's The Frame is filled with fantastic hardware - a QLED display, fantastic viewing angles, and impressive sound despite its smaller 43-inch size - it's all there. The Frame is conceptually brilliant, offering users a gorgeous smart television experience like no other, but when it comes to smart TV performance, it's not quite as exceptional as we'd hoped for the price.

Comparing this 43-inch TV to others on the market, The Frame is easily one of the best on the market, but its performance doesn't reflect its price tag. There are Neo QLED televisions available at a similar price, with better performance at a similar price tag - so choosing between form and function becomes an easy decision to make.

For those looking for a unique, dazzling television that livens the room with its life-like art settings, and sublime QLED visuals, The Frame is an easy choice to make.

Easily one of the most affordable smart TVs on the market, the Hisense 43A6KTUK 43-inch smart TV is an exceptional offer on an up-and-coming midrange technology.

Sporting DLED technology, that's Direct Light Emitting Diode, the Hisense 43A6KTUK 43-inch smart TV has sharp, precise control over the screen's lighting, something which isn't regularly afforded to budget 43-inch TVs at its price. This better control ensures that shadows look deeper, colours look brighter, and images, therefore, are more accurate than is typically possible on a TV of its price.

This sounds fantastic in theory, but how does it hold up in reality? Pretty fantastically, as it turns out. Films and television shows have an exciting array of colours, and while the depth of the image isn't as marvellous as it would be in a QLED or OLED television, it's nonetheless impressive in an entry-level smart TV.

As for its other features, the Hisense 43A6KTUK has a solid array of post-processing capabilities: HDR10+ complements Hisense's DLED technology well, further accentuating shadows and bright tones to create a deeper sense of contrast than this 43-inch TV should rightfully be capable of.

If we were to nitpick, however, we'd certainly point out the fairly underwhelming build quality on the 43A6KTUK. It doesn't chalk up to pricier televisions on the market, and it's reflected in a practically weightless television remote, and cheap feeling design that would undoubtedly shatter should an accident befall it.

Be that as it may, for the sheer quality of the screen itself, the 43A6TUK is worth the risk of weaker build quality, the screen looks fantastic and is well worth investing in.

A true bargain from one of the most recognizable television manufacturers in the world, Toshiba's UF3D smart TV is a sensational entry-level television that brings plenty of visual goodness to the table at a low price.

Visually sharp with upscaling technology that complements live television and streaming shows well, the UF3D doesn't re-invent the wheel in terms of technology, but it's nonetheless a solid choice for kicking back and relaxing in the evening.

If we were to nitpick, we'd certainly note the UF3D's particularly thick and chunky design, which feels outdated by modern standards. A thicker television is less likely to break from those unforeseen accidents, but it's nonetheless ugly to look at, even when compared to other similarly priced 43-inch TVs on the market.

That being said, for solid picture, good sound, and access to all the apps and shows you desire, the Toshiba UF3D is a respectable choice for your home.

This Amazon Fire TV 43-inch 4-series 4K LED TV is an amazing deal for anyone who is a fan of Amazon Prime or any other streaming media provider.

Sporting Amazon's OS (tuned to Prime and other Amazon services), its stand-out feature is full Alexa integration. That means all of the voice-activated goodness you normally only find in an Echo or smartphone is at your command.

As for picture quality, the Fire TV holds its own against a market of powerful budget 43-inch televisions, its ultra-HD quality is brilliantly eye-catching, bringing Prime Television shows such as Fallout to life with a newfound vibrancy. Using HDR10 on the Fire TV draws out plenty of colour and vibrancy from the screen, shadows are detailed and immersive, working especially well in dimly lit scenes, where the Fire TV comes into its own.

If there's anything to criticise about the Fire TV, it's the surprisingly slow user interface - it's a little sluggish and, even worse, filled with advertising that's inescapable for users. This, however, is a standard for cheaper televisions on the market and is otherwise a minor blemish on a fantastic 43-inch television.