40"-49" TVs

40" to 49" TVs

40 to 49 inch is the natural upgrade from a 32 inch set and the right size for a small sitting room, an apartment, a bedroom that doubles as a snug or a second reception room. It is also the point where 4K Ultra HD becomes standard, so almost everything in this band carries it. The interesting thing about this size is how wide the quality range runs. At the value end there are Full HD and 2K QLED sets with Tivo built in. In the middle sit Crystal UHD and 4K LED models, then QNED and Mini LED, which split the backlight into many small dimming zones and make a real difference to contrast in a room you watch in the dark. At the top of the band are 42 and 48 inch OLED screens, and these deserve particular attention: OLED lights every pixel individually, giving true black rather than dark grey, and 42 and 48 inch are the smallest and therefore cheapest OLED panels made. If you have ever wanted OLED and found 55 inch too big or too dear, this is the size band where it becomes possible. The 42 and 48 inch OLED sets also make excellent gaming and desk screens, being large enough for a sofa and small enough to sit on a desk or a monitor arm, with 120Hz and HDMI 2.1 on the OLED models. See TVs for the full size ladder.

LG holds most of this band, covering 42 and 48 inch OLED Evo through the C6 and C54, 43 inch Mini LED and QNED through the QNED7E and QNED72, Nanocell through the NU85, and a 43 inch Full HD LED set at the value end. Samsung answers with 48 inch OLED in the S95H glare-free and the S90H, 43 inch Crystal UHD in the U7000H and U8000H, a 43 inch Mini LED in the M70H, and The Frame at 43 inch for a screen that shows artwork when it is off. Walker covers the value end at 40 inch with Full HD and 2K QLED Tivo models.