As prices have come down and technology has improved, it’s true that more and more of us want larger 4K TVs for our main television. The sales data is there to show it, but there are still plenty of people out there who would be better suited to something smaller.
Whether that’s down to space – perhaps you’ve got a specific area in your living room to fill – or maybe you’re looking for a second room, a 32-inch TV could be the perfect size for you.
It’s worth mentioning that you won’t get the very best of TV tech at this screen size, but if it’s a size that’s going to work best for your needs, we’ve taken a detailed look at the market to find you the very best models available right now.
Think you can stretch a bit bigger? Check out our picks for best 42- and 43-inch TVs.
Our Top Picks:
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Samsung Q60A
1. Best overall
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Samsung The Frame LS03B
2. Best for wall mounting
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Sony KD32W830K
3. Great midranger
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TCL/Pocket-lint
TCL 3-Series HD TV
4. Full HD value
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Amazon/Pocket-lint
Amazon Fire TV 2-Series
5. Best for streaming
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Hisense A4 Series
6. Good value
Samsung Q60A
1. Best overall
Premium pick
A seriously high-spec TV in a compact size, 32-inch sets don’t get much better than this.
Pros
- 4K QLED panel
- HDR10+ support
- Tizen smart platform
Samsung is one of the few brands to offer true flagship-level features in its smaller TVs. The Q60A is about as good as it gets in this size bracket, packing a 4K screen and QLED panel technology for the ultimate colour accuracy.
Not content with just bringing best-in-class 4K picture quality to the table, Samsung also added its excellent Tizen OS platform for all your smart needs. It’s a clean chassis with minimal bezels, too. What more could you ask for?
Samsung The Frame LS03B
2. Best for wall mounting
Shape shifter
Samsung’s Frame TV is a great option when space it at a premium, because it looks best when wall mounted. That’s because when it’s off, it looks like a piece of art, not a TV.
Pros
- Superb picture quality
- Amazing Art Mode
- Great smart TV system
Samsung’s superb line-up of The Frame TVs are a great option if you don’t love having a black box of a TV in the corner of your room. When you’re not watching it, it can switch into Art Mode, and play a selection of art or you’re own pictures. The screen is ever-so-slightly matte, so it looks pretty authentic in use.
For that reason, it looks even better when wall mounted and has an option for customisable frames – but it does come with a stand if you prefer.
While its bigger models are 4K, with this 32-inch screen you’ll get a full HD picture with HDR – but it’s perfectly sharp at this size. You’ll also get Samsung’s QLED technology, which ensures punchy colours with 100% colour volume, plus Samsung’s excellent smart TV system.
Sony KD32W830K
3. Great midranger
A great pick that’s priced decently, well-built and aesthetically pleasing.
Pros
- Versatile Google TV platform
- Chromecast built-in
- USB hard drive recording
Cons
- Not the best for wall mounting
- Only 720p
Sony makes some of the best TVs around and this 32-inch option is no exception, we think it’s one of the most nicely designed panels in this size range. It’s only 720p but the picture upscaling is pretty good – as is Sony’s strength – with HDR support to boot.
When it comes to smarts, you won’t be let down by the flexible Google TV platform, which has over 5000 apps available. If you do happen to find something that’s not supported, you can easily cast to the set’s built-in Chromecast – top stuff.
TCL/Pocket-lint
TCL 3-Series HD TV
4. Full HD value
Lots to like
TCL’s 3-Series TV is always a popular buy for those looking for smaller screen sizes on a budget. This offers a lot to like
Pros
- 1080p picture
- Roku TV built in
- Good connectivity
TCL’s 3-Series TV should be a decent option for its price, offering a full HD picture and Roku TV built in, which is a great smart platform for all the biggest streaming services.
It has built-in voice control, with support for Alexa, Apple HomeKit and Google Assistant, dual-band Wi-Fi and three HDMI ports for hooking up the rest of your home cinema kit.
One of those should probably be a soundbar (via ARC), as we don’t expect great things from this TV from a sound perspective. Picture quality needs a bit of work in the menu out of the box but once you’ve got it balanced, it represents a very good value set.
Amazon/Pocket-lint
Amazon Fire TV 2-Series
5. Best for streaming
Smart cookie
Amazon’s Fire TV 2-Series is its entry-level in-house TV, which delivers a 720p picture and all of Fire TV’s streaming smarts at its heart.
Pros
- Fire TV is a great smart platform
- Good feature set
- Great price
This is the entry-level television in Amazon’s own Fire TV series, which comes with all the streaming services of Fire TV – think Netflix, Prime Video, Disney+ and more – at its core, plus gaming and Alexa smarts too.
It’s only 720p but that’s par for the course at this screen size – you do get HDR10 and HLG support for punchier HDR pictures with compatible content.
It has Bluetooth built in, so you can connect a pair of wireless headphones and listen privately, plus it can save your viewing position if you have more than one Fire TV device in the house, so you can move your viewing from room to room.
Hisense A4 Series
6. Good value
Solid choice
Great for those who value connectivity on a budget.
Pros
- Great price
- Chromecast built-in
- Works with Alexa
Cons
- Slow interface
- Only 720p
If you’re happy to take the step down to 720p then this Hisense TV is a good option, packing in some handy features.
Both Amazon Alexa and Google Chromecast work with this TV as standard, making it easy to control with your voice and cast your favourite content to it, making it a useful little display.
It’s not the fastest performer, so you may need some patience when moving around the interface. But for under $150, you can’t expect flagship performance. Manage your expectations accordingly and we think you’ll find plenty to like here.