10 TVs That Offer the Most Bang for Your Buck

From sports to streaming movies, today’s best and most innovative televisions bring the theater experience into the living room. They generate stunning colors, contrast, clarity, resolution and audio, and they’re complemented by an impressive menu of features. They’re also prohibitively expensive for many buyers.

It is, however, possible to pick up an excellent, feature-rich television below the absolute top of the line, but that still delivers high-quality picture and sound without skimping on features. The data experts at SpecOut, a consumer tech research site powered by Graphiq, developed this list of 10 TVs that give an impressive bang for the buck. The methodology is incredibly thorough.

Each TV on the list was released between 2014 and 2016. Each entry has a Smart Rating of at least 70. Smart Rating is a weighted average combining expert reviews, features and connectivity, and sound quality considerations. Finally, each has a diagonal screen size of at least 32 inches.

From there, the team computed two metrics: price per inch (price divided by screen size) and price per vertical pixel (price divided by vertical height). The TVs that met the above criteria were then sorted by price-per-inch in ascending order, as well as by price-per-vertical pixel, also in ascending order. Next, they took the average ranking of these two categories to create an average ranking column, which determined the order of the list.

Note: Duplicates on the list were removed to avoid having too many similar TVs. They achieved this by simply removing a TV if it was part of the same series as a TV that ranked above it.

#10. LG 32LF500B

This LG is cheap for its size and it comes with three HDMI ports, as opposed to the standard two, but the resolution and refresh rate are both just average. It is, however, Energy Star qualified and VESA compliant.

#9. Vizio M322i-B1

This smart TV features full 1080p HD and LED-LCD screen technology. It has a fast 120Hz refresh rate and is compatible with more than a dozen Internet applications, including Netflix, Facebook, YouTube, Pandora and iHeartRadio.

#8. JVC EM48FTR

Although the colors can be a bit watery, this JVC features an impressive list of compatible apps, including Netflix, Pandora, Vudu and Amazon Video on Demand. A strong choice for someone looking to save money on electric bills, as this TV is Energy Star certified.

#7. LG 32LB5600

Although it’s not a smart TV, this Energy Star qualified LG has eight different options for video connectivity and is cheaper to run each year than the average TV. You’ll get the best viewing experience when the TV is stationed between 3’2″ and 6’8″ away from the viewing area.

#5. TCL 40FS4610R

With a price tag that’s tough to beat for a 40-inch smart TV, this TCL’s Roku-connected features make it a bargain, despite underwhelming color reproduction. Its impressive Internet compatibility includes Hulu, HBO Go, Crackle, Blockbuster, Netflix, Vudu, M-GO and Amazon Video on Demand.

#4. TCL 32S3800

Not only is this TCL cheap for its size, even when compared to other smart TVs, but it costs less to run it per year than the average TV. Its Internet applications include HBO Go, Amazon Video on Demand, Hulu, Netflix and YouTube.

#3. Vizio E390-B1E

Although it is inexpensive for its size, this Vizio weighs in at 16.7 pounds, which is a bit heavy and could create problems with mounting. It’s VESA compliant, it comes with a volume leveler and features parental channel lock capabilities.

#1. Vizio D32h-C0

Inexpensive for its 32-inch size, this Vizio is Energy Star qualified and features multiple language options. It’s light, which makes it a good choice for wall mounting, and it comes with V-chip parental control.