Best Small Flat-Screen TVs to Buy Right Now
You don't have to sacrifice quality just because you need a smaller set
When you shop through retailer links on our site, we may earn affiliate commissions. 100% of the fees we collect are used to support our nonprofit mission. Learn more.
Nothing wows a crowd like a giant-screen television, but sometimes a modest-sized flat-screen TV is a more realistic choice, especially in a bedroom, an office, or an apartment. And smaller TVs are less expensive.
The good news is that you don’t have to sacrifice picture quality when you downsize the screen. In fact, many flat-screen TVs that are 32 inches or less receive a Very Good score for high-definition picture quality in Consumer Reports' TV ratings, and a few earn Excellent ratings.
More small models are now smart TVs, providing access to streaming video services without the need for an add-on streaming media player. Prices range from less than $100 for the smallest sets up to about $250 for full-featured 32-inch smart TVs.
But there are sacrifices. With TVs this size you might have to give up features such as 4K resolution, though that won't matter much on a small screen. And few 32-inch TVs deliver top-notch audio.
All of the 200-plus models in our TV ratings go through a battery of objective measurements and subjective evaluations designed to push a TV to its limits. In our ratings you’ll see separate scores for high-definition picture quality, UHD performance (for 4K models), HDR (high dynamic range) effectiveness when available, viewing angle, motion blur, and sound quality. We also consider ease of use and versatility.
We now incorporate brand-level reliability and customer satisfaction ratings into our Overall Scores. Those ratings are based on a large survey of Consumer Reports members.
As we do with every product that Consumer Reports tests, we purchased all of the TVs at retail outlets. We don’t accept freebies or hand-picked models from manufacturers, so every tested model is just like the one you might take home.
One new perk we're offering to those who sign up for our free membership is access to our TV Screen Optimizer, which will help you get the perfect picture on your TV in just minutes. Join today to get started.
Here are five can’t-miss small flat-screen TVs.
This 32-inch 4K smart TV from Samsung—the smallest 4K set we've tested—is among the best sets this size in our ratings, with top-notch high-definition and very satisfying 4K picture quality. Like other Samsung 4K models, this set supports the HDR10, HDR10+, and HLG HDR formats. It's a smart TV that has Samsung's Bixby digital voice assistant, so it will work with other Bixby and SmartThings-enabled devices, and it's also compatible with Google Home and Amazon Alexa voice assistants.
This 32-inch HDTV from Samsung, a 720p model, is currently the only HD TV this size or smaller to earn an Excellent rating for high-definition picture quality. But its viewing angle is narrow, and like many sets this size, its sound gets only a Fair rating. Otherwise this TV is a fairly basic smart TV with access to several streaming video services.
This 32-inch entry-level 720p smart TV from LG, a non-4K set that nonetheless supports HDR technology, offers satisfying high-def picture quality. While it's only one of a handful of 720p sets we've tested that support HDR content (both HDR10 and HLG formats), it lacks sufficient brightness to do it any justice. The TV has a wider-than-average viewing angle for an LCD TV, but like many sets this size it has below-average sound. This model has LG's webOS smart TV platform, and supports both Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa voice-powered digital assistants.
For those on a tighter budget, this 32-inch entry-level 720p smart TV from LG performs almost identically to its sibling, above, but at a lower price. (The main difference is that it has one less HDMI input.) It, too, is a non-4K set that nonetheless supports HDR technology, though it lacks sufficient brightness to do it any justice. The TV has a wider-than-average viewing angle for an LCD TV, comes with LG's webOS smart TV platform, and supports both Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa voice-powered digital assistants.
This 32-inch 720p smart TV from Toshiba—an Amazon Fire TV model that's sold by Amazon and at Best Buy—offers Very Good high-definition picture quality but a fairly narrow viewing angle. It uses Amazon's Fire TV smart TV for access to streaming services, and it has built-in support for Amazon's Alexa voice-powered digital assistant.
BEST TIME TO BUY:
