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The 4 Best 40-42-43 Inch TVs - Fall 2024

Updated Aug 29, 2024 at 11:55 am
Best 40-42-43 Inch TVs

Although most manufacturers and buyers focus on larger TVs, there's still a lot of interest in smaller models for people looking for the best 40-inch smart TV. There aren't as many options in this size as in the larger ones, but some premium models and cheaper TVs are still available. It's easier to look for the best 42- or 43-inch 4k TVs than for the best 40-inch TVs, as the formers are much more common, so you'll have more choices if you can fit a 42- or 43-inch model in your space. There are also some 42-inch OLEDs on the market, which will further expand the selection in that size category.

We've bought and tested more than 450 TVs, and below are our recommendations for the best TVs available in 42 and 43-inch sizes, as well as the best 40-inch TVs available to buy. Also, make sure to check out our picks for the best small TVs, the best smart TVs, and, if you want something bigger, the best 55-inch TVs. You can also vote on which ones you want us to buy and test. To learn more about the 2024 models, check out our 2024 TV lineup page.


  1. Best 42-Inch TV

    The best 42-inch TV we've tested is the LG OLED42C4PUA. It's a fantastic model that looks amazing in a dark room but is capable enough in a brighter environment. It delivers superb picture quality thanks to its near-infinite contrast ratio and has an excellent selection of additional features. Its built-in LG webOS interface has a massive selection of streaming apps, making it a great choice for a dorm or other small space. It's also great for watching movies and has good image processing features, like Dolby Vision and DTS advanced video and audio format support.

    HDR content looks excellent on this TV thanks to the near-infinite contrast of its OLED panel, and it displays a wide range of colors, so content looks vibrant. Its nearly instantaneous response time makes it great for gaming, resulting in crystal-clear motion with no distracting blur behind fast-moving objects. It supports HDMI 2.1 bandwidth on all four HDMI ports, allowing for 4k @ 144Hz gaming with VRR, meaning you can take full advantage of the PS5, the Xbox Series X|S, or a PC with a recent graphics card.

    See our review

  2. Best Upper Mid-Range 43-Inch TV

    Current Deal: The Samsung QN90D/QN90DD QLED 43" has dropped in price by $300 at Amazon.com.

    The best 43-inch TV in the upper mid-range category we've tested is the Samsung QN43QN90DAFXZA. It's an impressive TV that gets very bright, making it more suitable for well-lit rooms than the LG C4 OLED. Thanks to its ability to display vibrant, lifelike, and bright colors, it also delivers an impressive HDR experience. The TV has an excellent local dimming feature to improve its black levels, so you get very deep blacks in a dark room, with minimal blooming around bright highlights.

    It's also an amazing option for gamers since it has HDMI 2.1 bandwidth on all four ports for up to 4k @ 144Hz gaming with VRR. It delivers an impressive gaming experience but has a noticeably slower response time than an OLED like the C4, so you'll see more blur around fast-moving objects if you play fast-paced games. Still, it's a great option if you need a TV to take advantage of your modern console.

    See our review

  3. Best Mid-Range 43-Inch TV

    If you want something cheaper than the Samsung QN90D/QN90DD QLED without sacrificing too much, the Sony KD-43X85K is the best 43-inch TV in the mid-range category. Its reflection handling is very good, and this TV has impressive peak brightness, so it overcomes glare in bright rooms. Unfortunately, it doesn't have a local dimming feature, so blacks are raised and become grayish when highlights are also on screen. However, you still get vibrant and lifelike colors, although they're not quite as good as what you get on the top two picks.

    While its picture quality isn't as good as that of the Samsung or the LG, it has many of the same gaming features, like HDMI 2.1 bandwidth on two of its ports for up to 4k @ 120Hz. It's great if you want to take full advantage of the PS5, the Xbox Series X, or a beefy PC gaming rig. However, its response time is slower than that of the Samsung model, so you see a bit more blur behind fast motion than on that TV.

    See our review

  4. Best Budget 40- And 43-Inch TV

    If you want something in the budget category and want to save money, consider the Roku 40R2A5R/43R4A5R, also known as the Roku Select Series. Its brightness and reflection handling aren't as good as the Sony X85K, but it's still good enough to use in a room with some lights on. Fortunately, its contrast is very similar to the Sony model, so blacks aren't any grayer when highlights are on screen. Sadly, the TV isn't bright enough in HDR for an impactful HDR experience, and it can't display nearly as vibrant colors as the other options on this list.

    It also has fewer gaming features than the Sony, as it's limited to a 60Hz refresh rate and doesn't have HDMI 2.1 bandwidth or VRR. Still, it has a great response time for minimal blur behind fast motion, so it's a decent gaming TV if you don't care about advanced features. It comes with the Roku TV smart platform, and you can plug headphones into the remote, a great feature at this price point. Overall, the TV is decent and provides a good user experience, especially for the price. The 40-inch model of the Roku is limited to a 1080p resolution with three HDMI ports. On the other hand, the 43-inch model is a 4k TV with four HDMI ports, making it the best 43-inch 4k TV for those with a budget, so choose accordingly.

    See our review

Notable Mentions

  • LG 42LX3QPAU: The LG OLED Flex has the unique ability to curve; you can use it as a typical flat panel TV or curve it in increments up to a 900R curve. However, it's very expensive, and it has an unremovable stand. It performs almost as well as the LG C4 OLED but is significantly more costly, so the C4 is the better option for most users. See our review
  • Samsung QN43Q60CAFXZA: The Samsung Q60C QLED is a decent TV from Samsung and an alternative to the Sony X85K. However, the Sony is brighter, has a faster response time, and has many modern gaming features for about the same price. See our review
  • Amazon 4K43M600A: The Amazon Fire TV Omni Series is a solid budget TV from Amazon. Still, the Roku Select Series is a bit cheaper and better overall due to its much better pre-calibration accuracy and higher SDR peak brightness. See our review
  • Samsung QN42S90DAEXZA: The 42-inch Samsung S90D/S90DD OLED is an alternative to the LG C4 OLED. It has HDMI 2.1 bandwidth, VRR support, and supports up to 4k @ 144Hz. Unfortunately, the 42-inch model uses a traditional WOLED panel instead of the QD-OLED panel found on the larger sizes, so it doesn't have the increased brightness and color vibrancy like some of the larger sizes. Therefore, the C4 is better since it supports Dolby Vision, is more accurate in SDR and HDR, and has better low-quality content smoothing. See our review

Recent Updates

  1. Aug 29, 2024: We replaced the LG C3 OLED with the LG C4 OLED in the 'Best 42-Inch TV' category and replaced the Samsung QN90C/QN90CD QLED with the Samsung QN90D/QN90DD QLED in the 'Best Upper Mid-Range 43-Inch TV' category. We also refreshed the text throughout for clarity.

  2. Jul 02, 2024: Refreshed some text throughout the article for accuracy.

  3. May 30, 2024: Updated text in the 'Best 42-Inch TV' category for clarity.

  4. May 03, 2024: Refreshed some text throughout the article for clarity and added the 42-inch Samsung S90D/S90DD OLED as a Notable Mention.

  5. Apr 04, 2024: Mentioned the newly available Samsung QN90D and LG C4 OLED in the 'Best Upper Mid-Range 43-Inch TV' and the 'Best 42-Inch TV' categories. We also refreshed some text in the Notable Mentions section for clarity.

All Reviews

Our recommendations above are what we think is currently the best 40-inch, the best 42-inch, or the best 43-inch TV to buy for most people in each price range. We factor in the price (a cheaper TV wins over a pricier one if the difference isn't worth it), feedback from our visitors, and availability (no TVs that are difficult to find or almost out of stock everywhere).

If you would like to do the work of choosing yourself, here is the list of all our 40 to 43-inch TV reviews. Be careful not to get too caught up in the details. While no TV is perfect, most TVs are great enough to please almost everyone, and the differences are often not noticeable unless you really look for them.