I have over a decade of experience reviewing TVs, projectors, and other video devices. I was formerly the video editor and primary TV tester for HomeTheaterReview.com, and previously contributed TV coverage to Home Theater Magazine, Electronic House, and other publications. I am an Imaging Science Foundation level II certified video calibrator, and I have the full complement of objective testing gear to measure and evaluate the performance of these TVs.

Smaller TVs, with screen sizes of 32 inches or below, are great for apartment, condo, and dorm-room dwellers with smaller living rooms, as well as for bedrooms, workout rooms, and other secondary spaces. They’re also good for budget-conscious shoppers and people who don’t spend a lot of time watching TV but still want one around, since most of them are priced below $200.

You can also pair a 32-inch TV with a computer, but unless you need the built-in over-the-air TV tuner (which is technically what makes a TV a TV, as opposed to a monitor), you are generally better off going with a dedicated computer monitor. These TVs' viewing angles are not always well suited for sitting very close, and most small TVs lack computer-friendly features like a variety of USB ports, a built-in camera, and a tiltable stand. Computers and TVs are simply designed for different uses, and as such prioritize different performance aspects. But if you’re looking for an affordable display to pull double-duty TV/computer use, these will work with HDMI-equipped computers and laptops.

For those who want exceptional picture quality in a smaller form, the vast majority of 32-inch TVs will leave you wanting, since they generally lack the higher-performance technologies that we look for in our guides to the Best LCD/LED TV and Best 4K TV on a Budget (we discuss some specifics in the next section). To get these technologies, you may have to move up to at least a 43-inch screen size.

In today’s TV market, manufacturers prioritize larger screen sizes, likely because that’s what people are buying. Lots of new TV lines aren’t available in screen sizes smaller than 55 or 50 inches, and many of the 32-inch TVs you’ll find for sale—from major brands like Samsung, Sony, and LG—are several years old. Manufacturers like TCL, Hisense, and Vizio are more consistent in releasing new options at smaller screen sizes, but those options are limited to the companies’ most budget-oriented lines.

Because the options are limited in this category, we didn’t set a formal criteria to eliminate any potential candidates, beyond trying to get the newest models available. As we researched what to call in and test, we noticed some predictable patterns in features and pricing that you might find helpful to know before you shop:

• Resolution: The majority of 32-inch TVs have a 720p (1366×768) HD resolution, but we’re seeing more models that offer a 1080p (1920×1080) resolution for a slightly higher price. (As we write this, there is only one 32-inch TV we know of with a 4K resolution, from Samsung, and it costs more than twice as much as the TVs we tested.) If you’re sitting more than five feet away from your TV, we don’t think the lower 720p resolution is a major hindrance. In our tests, the loss of detail between 720p and 1080p was evident at this screen size, but not significant. However, for close-up viewing—such as for desktop, gaming, or kitchen use—the step up to 1080p provides a meaningful improvement, especially in text clarity.
• Smart-TV platform: As with TVs of all screen sizes, it has become impossible to find a new 32-inch TV that lacks a built-in streaming platform. Companies like Samsung, LG, and Vizio utilize their own proprietary smart-TV platforms, while brands like TCL, Hisense, and Toshiba rely on Roku TV, Android TV, or Fire TV. If you have a strong preference for (or against) a certain smart-TV platform, that may factor heavily into your choice of 32-inch TVs. But manufacturers seldom use their best system processors and Wi-Fi tech in these small, cheap TVs, so the smart-TV experience is usually slower and less robust than what you’ll get from a good external streaming media player.
• Number of HDMI inputs: Many 32-inch TVs have just two HDMI inputs, but some offer three. Your choice of TVs may come down to how many external sources you need to attach. The built-in streaming can eliminate the need to attach an external media streamer, but if you have a cable box, gaming console, and disc player, you should look for a TV with three HDMI inputs. These inputs are usually HDMI 2.0, not HDMI 2.1, which means you don’t get all the latest advanced gaming features or higher-quality eARC audio output that you’ll find on more expensive TVs. (You can read more about HDMI 2.1 in this blog post.)
• Other features that may influence your buying decision: Do you want Bluetooth audio output to wirelessly connect headphones or a Bluetooth speaker? Some 32-inch TVs lack this feature altogether, and some implement it more conveniently than others. Do you need a wired Ethernet port? Many of the TVs we tested only support Wi-Fi to stream media, but some add a LAN port, which can be helpful if your Wi-Fi network is unreliable. Do you want voice search built into the remote? How about AirPlay or Chromecast support? Some of these features are tied to the smart-TV platform you choose, which is again why that feature may heavily influence your buying decision.

There are also some predictable omissions in TVs at this size. As we mentioned above, most of these TVs are part of manufacturers’ budget lines, which means they don’t include the advanced performance technologies that produce the best-looking picture. Most of them lack support for 4K high dynamic range (HDR) video—and even if they do support it, they lack the brightness, black level (no local dimming), and contrast to do anything meaningful with it. They can’t get anywhere near as bright as the top picks in our other TV guides, and they seldom use the highest-quality screens that are designed to reject ambient light and improve image contrast in bright rooms. Virtually no one offers a true 120 Hz panel in this screen size, to help improve motion detail and cut down on the judder (or jerky movement) in films. But then again, motion blur may be harder for most people to see with this small screen size.

Our TV reviews consist of a combination of objective and subjective testing. For our objective tests, we used Calman measurement software from Portrait Displays, in conjunction with a Portrait Displays C6 HDR2000 colorimeter and Murideo Six-G test-pattern generator, to measure each TV’s brightness, contrast, and color accuracy (based on the Rec. 709 HDTV color standard). We took quick measurements of all the available picture modes, then did more precise measurements of the most accurate choices.

Our subjective testing consisted of direct side-by-side comparisons of the different TVs, to see how they looked with real-world content in both bright and dark rooms, when viewed up close and at a distance of about five feet. We fed content from an Apple TV media streamer, an Xbox One X gaming console, and an Oppo Blu-ray player through an HDFury Integral HDMI splitter to two TVs at a time.

Here is the performance criteria we set for determining the best 32-inch TV:

Picture quality: A TV’s contrast ratio is the best indication of its overall performance, and that number is determined by how bright the brightest white is versus how dark the deepest black is. We gave preference to TVs that combine a good contrast ratio with the best color accuracy and the highest maximum brightness. None of these TVs can match the maximum brightness of the higher-end TVs we test for our other guides; in our tests, they were less than half as bright as even our favorite budget 4K TVs, which means none of them are ideal for use in a really bright room with lots of light reflections. We also considered how clean, natural, and detailed the picture looked, and we used a combination of TV shows, sports, movies, and games to get a good sense of all-around performance.

Ultimately, most of the TVs we tested offered acceptable picture quality. Some were a bit better than others, but none were exceptional, and none were terrible. What really distinguished them was their user experience and the convenient features they offered.

User experience: The TV’s user-friendliness was as important to us as the picture quality, and the built-in smart-TV platform greatly influenced our decision here. These days all of the smart-TV platforms have the major apps and many of the minor ones, so it really comes down to how intuitive it is to find the content you want and control the TV. This includes how fast the TV gets you to your desired shows, the remote’s design and implementation of voice search, how easy it is to change settings or adjust inputs, how the system works with a TV antenna, and whether or not you can connect to headphones via Bluetooth.

Network stability: If you’re relying on streaming apps for your content, then you’re probably also relying on Wi-Fi to deliver it. We tested each TV’s Wi-Fi by adding it to the same network and moving to different locations around our home. This included streaming video over Wi-Fi in the bedroom located the farthest from our Wi-Fi router.

Sound quality: In talking with people who own or plan to buy smaller TVs, we found that most of them did not intend to connect an external sound system, like a soundbar or surround-sound system, to a TV this small. That means the speaker quality matters, so we evaluated how loud the speakers could play, how evenly balanced the sound was, and especially how clear voices and dialogue sounded.

The TCL 32S334 is our favorite 32-inch TV because it has everything you need built in. It combines good video performance, respectable sound quality, and a comprehensive set of integrated features. This was one of the brightest TVs we measured and had the best black level and color accuracy, so the picture looked good whether we watched TV shows, sports, or movies—though the lower 720p resolution isn’t ideal for desktop or other close-up uses. The Android TV smart-TV platform supports all the major streaming services, with a customizable interface that makes it faster and easier to find the shows you want to watch. And we appreciate that features like Bluetooth audio output and voice search are directly integrated into the TV, instead of requiring that you pair the TV with a mobile device to enjoy these perks. TCL also sells a 40-inch version of this TV, the 40S334.

Most of the TVs we tested did a decent job with brighter TV and sports content, but the 32S334 distinguished itself from the pack with movies. It had one of the highest measured contrast ratios in our testing, plus surprisingly good color accuracy and a solid black level—so films and darker, more atmospheric TV shows looked richer and more natural in a dark room. It was also one of the brightest TVs we measured (with a maximum light output of 90 fL, or 308 nits), so it added a little more pop to bright content during the day. Whereas some TVs we tested had only one picture mode that we found watchable, the 32S334 had a couple good options: The Movie picture mode was the most accurate and best for nighttime viewing, but the brighter Game mode also had a nicely neutral color temperature (or color of white, meaning the overall image wasn’t too blue or red). Colors weren’t quite as accurate, but they did look more vibrant, which many people may prefer for daytime viewing. But Game mode is meant for external sources (like game consoles) connected via HDMI and won’t work with the TV’s built-in streaming services.

The 32S334 has a lower 720p resolution. When comparing it directly to the 1080p TVs in our tests, we could tell from a viewing distance of five feet that the picture looked a little bit softer, but it was not a significant difference. The most meaningful difference came when looking at text in menu systems and news/sports crawls. All the 720p TVs produced very jagged text compared with the 1080p TVs, so if you’re looking for a TV for close-up uses—like a desktop or a kitchen, where you might be reading recipes—you should look at our runner-up pick instead.

The Android TV interface is similar to our favorite media-streaming interface, Google TV: The home page is highly customizable and makes it easy to jump directly to previously viewed shows, movies, or channels. It doesn’t have the more robust live-TV integration of Google TV, and it’s not as simple as the Roku interface that just shows you a grid of all your desired apps, but we find it to be an intuitive way to find stuff to watch. All the major apps—including Netflix, Disney+, Prime Video, YouTube and YouTube TV, Hulu, Apple TV, and HBO Max—are supported, and Chromecast is also built in, to receive streamed content from a mobile device.

The remote is Bluetooth based, so you don’t need direct line-of-sight with the TV, and it has almost all the buttons we wanted, including a Settings button to pull up the picture/sound/live-TV adjustments and a Source button to quickly switch inputs. It lacks a number pad and a mute button, but we especially like that it has voice search built in. Some competitors lacked voice search altogether, and others—like Roku TVs—required that you use a mobile app for voice search, which works fine but is less user-friendly than having it built directly into the remote.

Likewise, this Android TV has integrated Bluetooth audio output, to wirelessly connect headphones for private listening. Roku makes you do this through the app, too.

The TV’s built-in speakers can play very loudly, and they sounded fuller and more balanced than some of the others we tested. Dialogue had a broader and less “beaming” quality to it, and there are seven sound modes to choose from, plus a volume-leveling function to cut down on the extreme jumps in sound level.

While the 32S334 is a little slow to fully power up when you first plug it in, it powers up very quickly after that, and it will automatically go back to the last input you used. So, if you wish to bypass the Android TV interface completely and power up to some other source device connected via HDMI—say, a cable box or different media streamer—it’s easy to do so.

The connection panel includes two HDMI 2.0 inputs, which should be enough for most people, especially if you intend to use the Android TV streaming. It has a composite AV input to attach older analog sources and an RF antenna input. We attached a Mohu mini antenna and pulled in all the usual channels we expect in our area, and we found the user experience to be intuitive. Even though the remote lacks a number pad to directly punch in channel numbers, the keyboard button launches an onscreen number pad, and it’s easy to pull up and customize the channel grid.

The connection panel also includes a powered USB port, a headphone jack, and an optical digital audio output. Unlike several of the TVs we tested, this one also has an Ethernet port if you prefer a wired network connection.

How the 32S334 has held up

We’ve used the 32S334 on an almost daily basis since we first recommended it in 2021, and we’ve been mostly satisfied with the performance and user experience. We have received some feedback from readers about the mediocre speed and stability of the built-in Wi-Fi and Android TV platform, and we agree that it could be better—but it’s on par with the competition in this category. Unfortunately, TV manufacturers generally don’t use their best system processors and Wi-Fi tech in these small, cheap TVs. We often connected a Google Chromecast via HDMI to get faster and more reliable streaming, and Google now sells a cheaper $30 Chromecast HD model that would be a logical fit with this HDTV.

Flaws but not dealbreakers

The one notable picture-quality issue with the 32S334 is that its color temperature (or color of white) veers blue in really dark scenes. This was a common problem with many of the 32-inch TVs we tested; in dark scenes from Stranger Things and Gravity, the deepest blacks took on a bluish or purplish hue.

None of the TVs we tested for this guide excel in the brightness department. While the 32S334 was one of the brighter models, its maximum measured brightness is still almost 50% less than what you’ll get if you move up to a larger budget 4K TV. And its LCD panel doesn’t incorporate any light-rejecting technology to help improve image contrast in a bright room. So we don’t think you’ll be satisfied with this TV (or any of the others we tested) in a really bright room with lots of direct sunlight.

As we mentioned above, the 720p resolution is not ideal for text, so we recommend the 1080p 32S327 below for close-up and text-heavy uses.

If you plan to sit close to your TV—say, for desktop use—we think you should spend a little more to get a 1080p resolution, and the TCL 32S327 is the best 1080p 32-inch TV we tested. It’s also the best Roku TV we tested, so if you strongly prefer the integrated Roku TV interface over Android TV, this is a better choice than the 32S334. However, this TV is a bit older than our top pick (released in 2018), sports fewer integrated features, and has a poorer viewing angle. TCL recently introduced a new 1080p Roku TV, the 32S359, which we don’t like as much.

The 32S327's step up in resolution is a definite plus if you're going to be viewing the image up close. Text, in particular, looks a lot cleaner and less jagged than it did on the 720p TVs, and there’s less chance of seeing scaling artifacts (like jagged edges and moire patterns) when you’re viewing 1080p sources, since this one doesn’t have to downscale the image to a 720p screen. When we watched higher-quality HD content on Blu-ray and Netflix from about five feet away, the finer background and facial details looked more crisp and defined on this TV—though we didn’t feel the improvement was major from that distance.

The 32S327’s Movie picture mode looks pretty similar to that of the 32S334, at least for brighter TV and sports. The contrast and color temperature (or color of white) were similar, but this TV is brighter by default. It was the brightest TV we measured overall (93.5 fL, or 320 nits), but its black level and color accuracy were a step down from what you get with the 32S334—so while it’s good for brighter daytime viewing of sports and sitcoms, the darker movie scenes and more cinematic, complexly lit shows we watched had less depth and dimension.

Also, the viewing angle was not as good as on some of the newer TVs we tested. When viewing the screen from about 45 degrees off-center, the image looked more washed-out than it did on our top pick. This TV is better suited for spaces where you’re going to watch the picture straight on, or you should plan to use a swiveling TV wall mount that lets you easily aim the screen at multiple viewing areas.

Roku TVs have been around longer than Android TVs and Fire TVs, so if you’ve purchased a smaller TV in the past, there’s a good chance you’re already familiar with the Roku user experience. The interface is very clean and simple to navigate, with a grid of apps that you can reorganize based on your preferences. It’s a completely different approach from the Android TV and recently redesigned Fire TV interfaces, which focus more on taking you directly to recommended or previously viewed content, and add some degree of live-TV integration to the home page. We think the latter approach is more helpful and in touch with how people use streaming apps today, but we also acknowledge that a lot of people appreciate Roku’s simple design. It totally comes down to subjective preference.

The TV powers up and into the Roku home menu almost instantaneously, but you can reconfigure it to power up into the last-used HDMI input, if you’re relying on external sources. Roku supports all the major streaming video services, including Netflix, Disney+, Hulu, YouTube, HBO Max, and more. However, the company has had more squabbles in recent years that delayed the introduction of new services and removed services like YouTube TV for a long stretch of time (the Google dispute was finally settled in December 2021). The TV does have AirPlay built in to receive content from Apple devices.

There are a couple of potential drawbacks to the Roku TV design. The standard infrared remote requires line-of-sight with the TV and has a minimalist layout that lacks helpful options like a source button (to easily switch between external sources without pulling up the onscreen menu) and integrated voice search. You have to use the Roku mobile app to perform voice searches, which works fine but is less intuitive than having it built directly into the remote (unless you’re the type who never parts with their phone). When we paired the TV with our over-the-air Mohu antenna, we pulled in the same channels as with the 32S334 TV, but the experience was less intuitive because we found no way to pull up a number pad, and customizing the channel grid required a deep dive into the Settings menu.

The built-in speakers can play quite loud and sound respectably balanced, but if you want to connect Bluetooth headphones or speakers, you have to do it through the Roku mobile app. Bluetooth is not built directly into the TV, as it is with the 32S334.

The connection panel includes three HDMI 2.0 inputs instead of two, which makes this TV a better choice than our top pick if you have more external source devices to connect. But it lacks the Ethernet port if you need a more stable wired Internet connection.

If you want a small, affordable 1080p TV for gaming: Vizio’s 32-inch D32FM-K01 includes some gaming-friendly features that make it a solid choice for an affordable desktop gaming monitor, but it has a few performance issues that hold it back for movie and TV watching. The 1080p picture looks sharp and detailed, and this year’s D-Series TV is brighter than last year’s (though still not as bright as our picks). This model had the highest measured contrast of any 32-inch TV we tested, thanks to its excellent black level. But the TV achieves those deep blacks through an optional backlight control that forces down the brightness and crushes fine black details—so you’ll want to set the brightness control correctly for optimal performance. (You can read how to do that in this blog post.) Unfortunately, the D32FM-K01 isn’t as color-accurate as our picks, and the overall performance is held back by video-processing limitations. We saw more digital artifacts on this TV, including blocking (compression) artifacts, banding (uneven steps from light to dark), noisy backgrounds, and color shifting in whites and grays. Plus the speaker is anemic and treble-heavy; you’ll want to add a soundbar or speakers.

But for gamers, the D32FM-K01 has some features that distinguish it from other 32-inch competitors. It measured the lowest input lag (9.6 milliseconds, when the gaming low latency control is on), it supports HDR10 high dynamic range (at 1080p resolution), and it supports AMD FreeSync and variable refresh rates for smoother playback, with a game menu that gives feedback in real time. The 1080p resolution is better for up-close gaming, and you may not notice the aforementioned processing artifacts as much when you’re focused on gameplay. Plus this year’s model adds Bluetooth audio output to wirelessly connect headphones and gaming headsets.

We are currently rewriting this guide to put in new 2023 TV picks.

The Roku Select Series HD will be our top pick. Available exclusively at Best Buy, this Roku-branded 720p TV includes the Roku Voice Remote and runs Roku OS 12. It has a 60 Hz refresh rate, supports AirPlay 2, and is equipped with three HDMI inputs (one with eARC).

Our runner-up will be the TCL S3, which is available with either the Roku TV platform (32S350R) or Google TV platform (32S350G). We tested the Google TV version. This TV has a 1080p resolution, a 60 Hz refresh rate, and support for HDR10 video playback.

These are the latest TVs we’ve tested and dismissed for this guide:

Hisense’s 32A4H is very similar to our top pick, in that it’s a 720p Android TV with a Bluetooth-based remote and an identical connection panel. This TV has no egregious picture flaws, but it’s just not as bright or color-accurate as our picks. We measured a maximum overall light output of just 57 ft-L (or 195 nits) and a maximum of only 47 ft-L (161 nits) in the more accurate Movie picture mode, so this one is best suited for a room with some light control. We also found this TV to be a bit less user-friendly, though some people may appreciate that the larger remote has a full number pad and playback controls. (We actually tested the Costco version, the 32A45FH, which is identical to the main version.)

TCL’s 3-Series 32S359 is a 1080p Roku TV that replaces our runner-up pick, the 32S327. While the new model has the same core features as the older one, it takes a surprisingly big step down in performance. The 32S359 is notably less bright overall (68.2 ft-L) and less color-accurate than its predecessor, we saw backlight leakage around the edges of the screen, and our measurements showed that this TV can only reproduce about 83% of the HDTV color gamut, compared with 94% or more for our picks. We think the older 32S327 remains the better 1080p option for as long as it is available.

These are TVs we tested and dismissed for previous updates to this guide:

Hisense’s 32H4G from 2021 is a 720p Roku TV that delivers a generally pleasing image with solid contrast and color. It’s not quite as bright or color-accurate as our TCL picks, and it uses an in-plane-switching (IPS) LCD panel, which is designed to provide wider viewing angles but also produces higher black levels. In darker movie and TV scenes, this TV’s black level looked gray, the gamma was too light (with no way to adjust it through the TV or the Roku app), and fine black details were hard to see. This TV has been replaced with the newer A4 Series and has limited availability.

Fire TV is the other major independent smart-TV platform, alongside Roku TV and Android TV. In 2021, Amazon announced its own brand of Fire TVs, but that lineup does not include any 32-inch models. At the time of our 2021 testing, the two top sellers (according to Amazon search results) of 32-inch Fire TVs were Toshiba and Insignia, and both tend to offer similar features. We chose to test Toshiba’s 32LF221U21, which is a 720p Fire TV that has a voice remote, three HDMI inputs, Bluetooth output, and the option to use a wired or Wi-Fi network connection. Amazon recently redesigned the Fire TV interface, and we like the new version a lot better. It’s not quite as Prime Video–centric as the older version, and it’s more like Google TV in its emphasis on showing previously viewed content and live-TV options. This Toshiba TV was a solid performer in terms of its measured image contrast, brightness, and black level. Where it fell short of our picks is in the color department: Even in the most accurate Movie picture mode, the color temperature (or color of white) was too blue, and the primary colors were less accurate. Plus the TV can only reproduce 80 percent of the HDTV color gamut (our picks can do 95 percent or more), so colors looked noticeably flatter and less saturated. And the viewing angle was not very good.

The Insignia NS-32DF310NA19 is another 32-inch Fire TV, and it has been favorably reviewed on Amazon and Best Buy. But it came out in 2018, which is why we chose to review the newer Toshiba.

Samsung’s UN32Q60A is one of the few 32-inch TVs designed with higher-end video specs, including a 4K resolution, quantum dot color technology, and support for the HDR10 and HDR10+ high dynamic range formats. We did not test this TV because its asking price is more than double that of our picks, and according to the reviews we’ve read, it doesn’t have the brightness or contrast to do much with 4K HDR content and justify the added expense. But by all accounts, it is still a very good TV, if you really want 4K and are willing to pay the premium

Samsung’s UN32N5300 was introduced over three years ago. It has a 1080p resolution, supports HDR, and uses an IPS panel to offer wider viewing angles. But given its age and higher $270 price, we chose not to test it. Rtings tested it, though, and rated it lower than the TCL 32S327 overall. But if you need a wide viewing angle and a 1080p resolution, it may be worth a look.

TCL’s 32S335 has a 720p resolution, two HDMI inputs, and the same Roku features as the TCL 32S327. However, Rtings did not review this model as favorably as older TCL 3-Series models, and when we requested a sample, TCL preferred to send us the 32S327 instead.

Vizio sent us a 1080p 32-incher, the D32F4-J01. It had the lowest measured brightness, and thus the lowest contrast, of any TV we tested—but it does have a 1080p resolution and a good black level, and the Calibrated picture mode was almost as accurate as our top pick. Those three elements make it a solid choice for movie lovers who primarily watch stuff in a darker room, but TV and sports fans will likely find the picture to be too dim. The design feels a little more stylish, with almost no bezel around the top and sides and a brushed gray panel along the bottom, and the remote had the most thorough button layout, with a number pad. But Vizio’s SmartCast smart-TV platform is slower and less intuitive to navigate, and it’s prone to freezing, so you’ll want to use external source devices with this TV. It’s the only one to support both AirPlay and Chromecast, though.

In your shopping, you may come across other 32-inch TVs from brands you recognize, like Philips, Hitachi, JVC, RCA, or Westinghouse. These TVs are no longer manufactured by the original companies; rather, the brand names have been licensed by other companies and are often mass-produced together. We preferred to focus on the major TV manufacturers that still do their own research, development, and customer support, though we had to make an exception with Fire TVs (the Toshiba brand falls into this category, too).