If I had a white shot, I’m clear on which smart TV pair to throw my glove on. But that’s not the case. To tell the truth, when I thought about replacing my old, small TV that came as standard in my rental flat, my priority was to spend as little money as possible for a TV and movie buff: I spent 299 Euros. Let me tell you what I pay attention to when buying my TV, What matters when you choose a cheap smart TV and the entire Xataka Home team recommends the model we choose..

What can we aim for (and what should we give up) with this budget?

The first thing is to take into account that we are destined for a budget of 500 euros. move between input range and mid range. And the higher the quality of the television, the smaller the diagonal will necessarily be. it’s time to compromise.

panel technology. It should be clear that OLED screens won’t and we’re more interested in VA-type displays because of their good work on LCDs in providing color reproduction, contrast and brightness for HDR content. As for the backlighting schemes (Edge LED, Direct LED, and Full Array), it’s the Direct LED we can afford, though FALD is the best.

Dimension. In my case, I chose the 55-inch model, as this is a fairly standard diagonal with a lot of offers. From there, it’s nearly impossible to find anything decent. However, 43 inches is a good option.

As for HDR standards, we will find ourselves in more modest ranges. HDR10 and HDR10+ This makes for a basic minimum, but it’s also the pleasant surprise of the most interesting color and brightness compatible with Dolby Vision, but it’s a licensed standard reserved for more premium models.

OS. Tastes, colors, but personally I love the experience Android TV offers and the number of apps and it was one of the requirements I had when choosing my TV.

HE soundwill be fundamental, with certain exceptions, both in terms of strength and configuration and compliance with standards. However, it is still possible to find a model compatible with Dolby Atmos spatial sound.

And to play? The democratization of technologies for playing next-gen consoles makes it possible for us to find the strange model with moderately low latency and an HDMI 2.1 port, automatic low latency mode and variable refresh rate, but it will be impossible for this to happen. A 10-bit panel at 120 Hz native. So you’ll have to make do with 4K UHD resolution and HDR and some of the above technologies.

Which TV would I buy on a 500 Euro budget?

I bought the TCL 55EP660 from MediaMarkt for 299 Euros in a Day without VAT, 55 inch VA panel 4K smart TV with 16W sound with Dolby Audio and HDR10 compatibility and I am happy, although I miss more speed, for closed and dark scenes interface and more brightness.

Considering the rather high budget of 500 euros, the model I would buy Philips 55PUS8007 (499 euros). For starters, it has a 55-inch LED panel compatible with HDR10+ and eye, Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos, as well as Android TV as the operating system. In that sense, it’s ideal for dramas and the Ambilight chirping is an extra I appreciate for a more immersive experience.

Alternatively, a TCL brand QLED (highly recommended in this price range), TCL 43C735 (499 euros). If you don’t mind having a 43-inch screen, you get a model with a QLED panel that is compatible with gaming technologies such as Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos sound, Android TV and automatic low-latency mode thanks to the HDMI 2.1 socket.

Juan Carlos López’s advice

When we decide to invest our savings in an entry-level television, we inevitably have to give up some features that are only found in mid and high-end models.

However, for an affordable device, I would request it to include a device. VA type 4K UHD panel because the native contrast ratio is higher than IPS matrices give us.

It seems important to me that I can deal with the most popular HDR formatsLike Dolby Vision, HDR10+ or ​​HDR10. Additionally, if it can handle Dolby Atmos content and includes at least two HDMI inputs that implement the full 2.1 standard, that’s great.

However, in practice, it is difficult to find an entry-level television that meets all these requirements. Of course, sometimes very attractive special offers appear. Two models that I will consider and meet some of the conditions that are important to me are the 55-inch Panasonic LX650 (494 Euro) and the 43-inch Sony X73K (542 Euro).

Enrique Pérez’s advice

When our budget is limited, we almost always have to put something aside. We could have bought a 65″ model, but I think 55″ is very good in this price range. allows us to achieve a certain image quality.

I think we could aspire to a TV with QLED technology compatible with Dolby Vision and this TCL C63 series (458 Euros) gives us that. TCL is a company that offers very competitive prices on its core product line and the quality is quite high from random Chinese brands.

It also has another advantage and that is that we have Google TV so that the operating system will be recognized. Although the TCL’s P range seems a bit insufficient to me, this C range is a point where I think it should be above the minimum desirable..

Antonio Sabán’s advice

If I had to choose a model for over 500 euros, I would prefer the 50-inch (586 euros) Xiaomi Q2. We find it a bit more expensive right now, but it often has big sales, especially at times like this or on Black Friday.

It’s on TV everything you could want from an input range: QLED VA panel, so we will have images with good contrast, Google TV, a great operating system with good support for almost all services and platforms on the market, and additions such as Dolby Vision.

To provide an alternative, Samsung is also very successful in this range.and if you care about app support, Tizen is probably the best alternative to Google’s system.

Advice from Antonio Vallejo Taslimi

When looking for a television under 500 euros, a number of factors need to be considered if we are to make the right purchase. For me, On an entry-level TV, I would prioritize the technology of its panel.i.e. both the backlight used (because OLED would be nearly impossible at this price) and the type of panel (VA or IPS).

Each manufacturer has their own algorithms when it comes to making the most of the image, so in that sense Samsung’s mid-range QLED models (like the Q60) or TCL’s LCD recommendations (like the C645 inch 50 inch at 449 Euro) are a good entry point. , but brands like Xiaomi or Hisense should not be overlooked either.

I have a 55-inch Xiaomi TV P1 in my living room, and while it’s far from offering me pure picture quality, it performs very well on most content and offers compatibility with Dolby Vision (although it has a mediocre maximum brightness). with correct calibrationwe can get a lot out of this type of panel without having to break the bank.

Another important feature is the operating system. In this case, there is nothing I can recommend more than Android TV / Google TV, as it will give us more freedom when it comes to downloading all types of applications and compatibility with a large number of formats. However, you can always choose to purchase a Chromecast, Fire TV or similar and plug it into a TV with another operating system.

For audio, in this price range (and even higher), the battle is lost.. So if you care about sound on TVs, the best thing you can do is at least buy a soundbar that accompanies your new TV.

Jose Antonio Carmona’s advice

I know from the beginning that there are some aspects that I have to give up when buying a cheap television. But it’s not all about OLED panels. And when I personally recommend or want to buy a TV, there are certain aspects I always look for.

In my personal situation and as an Android user (also iOS) I always call A TV with Google TVSomething that is difficult given the price limitations, so the alternative is Android TV.

The aim is to benefit from some of the applications I have bought before and to benefit by combining the television and mobile phone. Mid 2023 has hurdles to overcome, so here’s a panel Supports 4K resolution and some HDR systems I also value for image enhancement.

In my case, this is the model that fits everything I’m currently looking for among all the available offerings, the Panasonic TX50LX. It costs 499 euros and all has been said, this is a fairly compact diagonal television that can be installed almost anywhere in the house if space is limited, as in my case.

Paco Rodríguez’s advice

In the entry range, we can’t be too perfect with the features of our new television, but some the minimum bases I would want for my ideal model.

For example, a minimum diagonal size of 40 inches, HDR compatible 4K resolution, a smooth-running solvent operating system, and a media player that can handle most formats found on the Internet.

In this sense, the TCL 43C645 meets these requirements to cover the entry range for less than 450 euros, or if we can spend a little more we can get the 55-inch model for 599 euros.

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