Back in the day, if you were B watching a 43in television at home, the resulting sense of total immersion would have made you feel as though you were sitting in the front stalls of a giant West-End cinema. These days, though, a 43in screen is considered small, and manufacturers have largely turned their attention and their resources - to the bigger sets.
That's good news for anyone looking to buy a smaller screen, as prices have fallen to such an extent that bargains are emerging all over the place, and some brands are virtually giving away their smaller TVs. What's more, many of these modestly sized tellies are almost as well featured as their bigger brothers, carrying much of the same picture-processing wizardry and streaming smarts.
Just before you do splash your cash, though, we feel duty bound to add that, at this price point (one of our trio here costs just £219!), picture quality cannot compete with that of the larger, more sophisticated screens. Nor can you always expect much in terms of sound – although, as we shall see, some models fare notably better than others on that score. Nevertheless, if you have an eye for a bargain and all you need is a decent small telly with wide content access, there is gold to be struck. And each of the three models featured here glitters in one way or another.
Hisense 43A6KTUK
An almost indecently cheap television can't possibly be any good, can it?
4K TV
At just £219 for a 43in TV, this Hisense set represents potentially ridiculously good value for money, especially considering that it delivers a native 4K resolution, HDR support including Dolby Vision, AI-powered picture processing and Hisense’s decent VIDAA smart system.
This story is from the June 2024 edition of What Hi-Fi UK.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the June 2024 edition of What Hi-Fi UK.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
YG Acoustics Carmel 3
\"These speakers thump out low notes with real venom and a scarcely believable amount of muscle\"
SME Model 20 Mk 2/Series V
EXPENSIVE, YES. BUT YOU KNOW YOU WANT THEM
STARRING PARTNERS
Each of the elements in our selection of AV systems puts in a performance worthy of top billing
MATCH FIT
Our ten recommended hi-fi systems are guaranteed to play together beautifully
CAN MINI LED BEAT OLED IN 2024?
2024 was meant to be a big year for Mini LED TVs, but all the signs suggest OLED's dominance isn't going anywhere
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6
Samsung's latest foldable smartphone is a portable AV delight
JBL Live Beam 3
Fancy some buds with a difference? Try these
Triangle Capella
Neat and talented but not quite a rounded package
Anker Nebula Mars 3 Air
Sometimes little goes a long, long way
Hisense U8N (65U8N)
Hisense's latest premium Mini LED TV takes the fight to OLED with mixed results