Best 4k 50inch TV on a budget

[Marco96]

Hey everyone!

I want to buy a 50inch 4k TV (2021 model) for max £400, so wanted to see which is the best TV I can get with this budget? My priorities for this TV are:

• Great to watch movies and sports (mainly football and F1)
• Great sound system to listen to music and enjoy movies
• Mainly for a mild dark environment, don't normally watch the TV with the lights on

Potential contenders are the LG50UP75006LF, Samsung AU7100, and Hisense 50A7100FTUK or 50A6GTUK. Any help or advice is MASSIVELY appreciated!!!

Thanks so much,
Marco

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[Dodgexander]

TVs now that have good all-round picture quality tend to start at much more than £400 and even those don't have good sound.

For good sound too, you need to spend at least £1000 and go 55".

For cheaper TVs, really not a huge in it. Good thing about 50" is you'll be getting a TV with a VA panel no matter which you choose. If you can still find Hisense U7Q from last year that's a lot better than anything you can buy from 2021 ranges.

 

[Marco96]

Thanks so much Dodgexander! The U7Q looks good, I've actually found this deal for a 55 inch U7Q on Electric Deals (Hisense 55U7QFTUK (2020) 55" Smart 4K Ultra HD QLED TV HDR Freeview Play | Electrical Deals).

The TV is "Manufacturer Refurbished" which is why it's cheaper. Would you recommend getting a refurbished TV and do you also think Electric Deals is trustworthy?

Thanks as ever,
Marco

 

[Dodgexander]

I don't really know anything about Electrical Deals, I've bought refurbished TVs before and it's been fine though. More of a risk than new perhaps.

 

[mps]

Perhaps this might be better in terms of being new with 5 years guarantee.

Hisense 50U7QFTUK 50 Inch ULED 4K Ultra HD Smart TV | Costco UK

QLED TV. Our ultimate 4K HDR experience. Get closer to reality with the Hisense U7QF ULED TV with Quantum Dot Colour, delivering over a billion true-to-life colours. Direct Full Array Local Dimming utilises independently controlled dimming zones for added precision. Bring the true cinematic...

www.costco.co.uk

 

[adampaine]

Hi I am currently looking to but a 50 inch sub £400 TV too. Its a minefield as nothing makes sense like answers above where a TV from 2020 is better than a newer 2021 version that should be an upgrade. I thought the Hisense Qled would be a great option but read viewing angles are really poor. look at reviews for the Samsung A7100 and expert reviews says it's not great.

I am starting to think are all the expert reviews are actually being over critical because it seems newer TV coming out have worse pictures. Surely a 50inch new panel today will be a better picture with the newer technology than a 50 inch purchased 3 to 5 years ago...or are tvs getting worse.

With regards to a refurb I bought a 55inch hisense roku from electrical discount 2 years ago for £220. Its great and only issue I now have is 2 dead pixels which are only ever noticible when the whole picture is black.

Sorry for long reply but finding it really frustrating trying to buy a 50 inch tv and might just go for the hisense oled one because how bad can it actually be.

 

[Dodgexander]

I am starting to think are all the expert reviews are actually being over critical because it seems newer TV coming out have worse pictures. Surely a 50inch new panel today will be a better picture with the newer technology than a 50 inch purchased 3 to 5 years ago...or are tvs getting worse.

No actually. TVs aren't that different from other AV equipment discussed here on the forum. In that sense, a good TV will last you some time, and compare well to good TVs 10 years later. A bad TV will be crappy and compare to a bad TV 10 years later.

The problem is that £400 is just far too low of a budget to buy something decent, so you're always going to end up with something with some big downsides. You're better keeping your TV for longer, saving up more money and going for something a bit more premium in my guide here:

NEW: My best value TVs, 2021-2022 Edition

My best value TVs, 2021-2022 Edition Please read this post before posting and asking for advice. Include all the information we need to recommend you the right TV! Its also worth reading my useful links here: My links & guides (Also found in my signature, desktop view) These are my own...

www.avforums.com

 

[adampaine]

Thanks Dodge

It's just hard to get your head around if you look at it when things like mobile phones or laptops or tablets each year actually do improve with better tech specs and better screens. Even tech like soundbars improve. From what your saying if I bought a best buy led tv 5 years ago unless i spend a load of money the latest Oled or qled tech, which is meant to be a big improvement, might not be better than the TV I have. It's crap and frustrating as a consumer as I have read reviews on TV c1k saying there are issues.

 

[Dodgexander]

Every TV has issues, and even the most expensive ones will have negatives.
Yes, if you bought a TV 5 years ago, a TV you buy for the same money won't get you something worth buying today.

The key change in the TV industry is with HDR, and HDR is only a viable feature on more expensive models. If you buy a cheaper model with HDR compatibility, you can actually get a worse picture than just watching SDR. If it was the case HDR had scaled picture quality on the cheaper TVs, then it wouldn't be a problem.

There are soundbars 10 years old that will out-class ones you buy today, for example the Yamaha YSP-3050. Where soundbar's have improved is with sound format support and size, not audio quality. Much like a speaker, a good soundbar is going to sound good, and a bad one will sound bad. There's not as much advancement in the AV industry at all in cheaper brackets, which is one of the reasons a lot of people on this site will end up paying more money to get something that will stand them in good stead for a lot longer.