The best 50-inch TVs you can buy right now

Most TV brands want double this price for one of their entry-level 50in sets. So yes, like we said: everything’s relative.

Pros: Brilliant operating system; very decent 4K picture quality; the price Cons: The sound; no Dolby Vision or HDR10+ HDR

Price: £349 | Check price on Argos | Amazon

Sony KD-49XH9505

The best ‘premium’ 50in LED/LCD TV

In some ways, and when lined up against some of these 50in-ish rivals, the Sony KD-XH9505 (£849) doesn’t look much like a ‘premium’ TV. It’s quite deep, its feet make it look bow-legged and its bezel is relatively chunky too.

You’ll notice, though, that all of these criticisms can apply to the Sony when it’s not even plugged in. Power it up, set it up (its Android operating system makes things easy, its exemplary remote control easier still), sit back and watch it… and yes, this is a ‘premium’ TV all right.

The Sony has what sporting types call an ‘all-court game’. Its colours are vibrant and punchy but never overblown; its contrasts are strong but still packed with detail; it handles motion without alarms and is capable of quite impressive depth of field at the same time. Bright white tones don’t glare or shout, black tones don’t crush all the detail from the image.

Even sound keeps the ‘premium’ side of the bargain. No, of course the sound of the Sony doesn’t compete with the Bowers & Wilkins-powered Philips 48OLED+935 (above) – but on its own terms it’s a surprisingly robust and expansive listen.

So by the standards of 50in TVs that aren’t actually 50in at all, this is a great-looking and great-sounding option.

Pros: Deft and convincing pictures; slick operating system; unexpectedly accomplished sound Cons: Feet look a bit gawky; no HDR10+; not an obvious candidate for wall-hanging

Price: £849 | Check price on John Lewis | Currys

Samsung QE49Q80T

The best 50in TV for gamers

Published at Thu, 20 May 2021 17:09:00 +0000