Best Smallest 4K TV Available (what size?)

If you’re looking for the smallest 4K (or UHD for ultra high definition or 2160p) TV for great image quality without being too big in size for a small space like a mobile home, bedroom, kitchen, workshop or waiting room, you will find what you need here.

Best smallest 4K TV available

After a long research online, the smallest 4K TV I found was a 32 inches screen (81 cm). I didn’t find any smaller! Only one brand is in the niche: Samsung. In fact, the majority of 4k TVs are 43, 55 or 65 inches and even up to 85 inches!

Small4K TVs get very good reviews. The quality of images is very impressive.

4K TV 32 inches: Samsung Q60A

SAMSUNG 32-Inch Class QLED Q60A Series - 4K UHD Dual LED Quantum HDR Smart TV with Alexa Built-in...

→ Check on Amazon

Other Small 4K TVs for sale

Why are there no small format 4k TVs?

One can legitimately wonder why small 4K TVs are not being sold?

In your opinion?

The reason is simple, you have to take the problem upside down…

4k TVs were designed for large televisions and not the other way around! A small TV with 4K resolution is of no interest because a lower resolution is enough to see a beautiful image.

For the last 20 years, TV sizes have doubled. But there is a problem… the bigger the screen, the worse became the quality of image! (same when you zoom in on a photo on your computer or smartphone… it’s not very good looking and looks pixelated).

4K technology was invented when screens reached sizes of around 32 inches because Full HD resolution(1080p) no longer provided sufficient image quality.

4K (2180p) TVs come with many more pixels and allow for a smooth, non-pixelated image on large screens.

43-inch 4K TV reviews

While is 32-inch TVs are hard to find, 43-inch 4K TVs are common.

Two main differences:

  • Regular 4K TVs
  • 4K Smart TVs that work with Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant and SmartThings.

Regular TV or smart TV

The prices are different, and that’s normal. Unless you need a smart TV connected to internet, a regular 4k TV will be enough and won’t cost much money.

If you are hesitating between a simple TV model and a smart TV model and if the prices are about equal, I would personally buy the smart TV.

HDR

HDR stands for High Dynamic Range.

About the image quality, the HDR function is a common option with exceptional visual rendering.

When purchased, TVs have default setups. You can choose to adjust the colors and contrasts to your liking in Settings / Image / Advanced settings.

You can test until you get the desired image rendering. If you messed up too much with the settings, you can always reset the default settings.

Benefits of 4K TV with HDR

To buy a good 4K TV, choose a model with HDR included.

This function really improves the image rendering. HDR improves brightness, contrast and color depths. It is a “must have” recommended on any 4K TV.

4K is a resolution (3840 x 2160 pixels). It is also called Ultra HD or UHD. Called 4K because 4 times more pixels than Full HD resolution (1920 x 1080p) => 2 x 2 = 4. But called by error “4K” because there are 3840 pixels and not 4000. (closed comment…)

When comparing 4K to HD, the 4K display will be much smoother (less pixelated).

HDR (often used for photography) impacts colors with a wider panel of gradients. HDR contains 2x the color gamut! In fact, there is more brightness and contrast in the colors than a TV without HDR (SDR standard).

With game consoles requiring deep black and vivid colors, HDR is perfect.

Also, Netflix, Amazon Prime, Disney+ and others are developing more and more HDR content.

Additionally, the 4K screen resolution and HDR combination is visually perfect.

Sound

Regarding the sound, nothing special to say. The sound depends on the built-in speakers and generally suitable for watching daily TV news, series or movies.

For better sound quality, you can buy a home theater speakers with multiple speakers or soundbars or use Bluetooth headphones if your Smart TV has Bluetooth.

Price

Overall, small 4K TVs have been very affordable for a few years. The prices of the 32, 43 and 55 inches have dropped considerably.

Low price does not always mean low quality.

Small 4K TV for video games

For video games, small 32-inch 4k TVs are the best value for money you can find.

With a refresh rate of 60 Hz and a good contrast, these televisions are well suited to play video games in the dark.

Disadvantages of small 4k TVs

The only drawbacks of small 4k TVs are: the size of the TV itself for a living room or a large room. If you’re looking for a 4K TV to watch movies or football games with many people in a large room or a waiting room… it’s not suitable. It would be better to choose a larger TV (minimum 55 inches in that case).

The small 32-inch 4k TVs are perfect for spaces with limited setback. According to Samsung, a specific viewing distance is recommended.

Viewing distance (in inches)/2 = recommended TV size.

For example: a 10 feet room is 120 inches. You divide 120 by 2 and you find the recommended TV size of 60 inches.

120 inches room/2 = 60 inches TV.

But! Don’t forget screen resolution!

We learn on techguidelab that the TV screen resolution also impacts the recommended viewing distance!

  • The lower the resolution, the bigger the viewing distance recommended
  • The higher the resolution, the closer the viewing distance recommended
Recommended Viewing Distance / TV size / TV screen resolution
TV screen resolution HD Full HD UHD (4K)
Resolution pixels 1366 x 768 px 1920 x 1080 px 3840 x 2160 px
Recommended viewing distance 3,9 times screen size 2,6 times screen size 1,3 times screen size
Between 3 and 5 feet <19″ 19″ to 24″ 40″ to 46″
Between 5 and 6.5 feet 19″ 26″ to 32″ 46″ to 55″
Between 6,5 and 10 feet 24″ to 32″ 32″ to 46″ 60″ to 85″
Between 10 and 13 feet 32″ to 40″ 46″ to 55″ 110″

For example: for a 43-inch TV (109 cm), the recommended viewing distance is 6,5 to 10 feet for a Full HD screen or 3 to 5 feet for Ultra HD resolution (4K).

4K 32 inches doesn’t show on the table because all brands (aside from Samsung) sell 4K TVs with minimum 43 inches or above. The recommended viewing distance would be lower than 3 feet.

For a small room, a truck or other small room, a 32 inches 4K TV is good but it’s clearly too small for a living room.

In general, small 4K televisions offer amazing screen quality. Before buying, read customer reviews on Amazon!

Advantages of small TV screen

Some rooms in a house or travel vehicles are too small and unsuitable for a large screen TV.

Can you imagine a 65 inch TV in your bedroom? In the kitchen? Or in your mobile home or RV?

A smaller TV is better suited in these places.

Talking about price, a small 4K TV costs less money than a large 65 or 85 inch 4K TV, sometimes 3 to 5 times more expensive!

Wrapping it up

The smallest 4K televisions is a 32 inches sold by Samsung.

Small 4K TVs are suitable for smaller spaces, have very nice picture quality and are not very expensive.

Aside from Samsung, there are no 4K TVs under 43 inches because this resolution was created specifically for large screens and not the other way around.

The HDR function combined with 4K is recommended for better color contrast, especially for movies and video games.

Finally, if you are looking for the best small 4K TV with good value for money, you can choose the 32 inches from Samsung or choose among many 43 inches from any other brands.

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