Budget TVs in 2026 come with the kind of features you’d expect on higher-end sets, like 4K and built-in streaming. They’re ideal for students in shared housing or smaller rooms, especially if they just want something for streaming or gaming without spending much.
If you’re sticking to a tight budget, you can find decent televisions for around €200. For under €500, it’s possible to get a good 4K TV with advanced screen tech that upscales picture quality.
What to look for in a budget TV
When you’re comparing budget TVs, a few features are worth paying the most attention to. These are the four things that’ll make the biggest difference to how the TV looks and feels in your home:
1. Resolution
4K is now fairly common in TVs around €300. On smaller screens, Full HD still looks sharp enough for everyday viewing when you’re not sitting too far away.
2. HDR support
HDR10 affects how darker scenes behave. It means you can still see faces, corners and background detail instead of everything disappearing into shadow.
3. Screen size
For most rooms, a 43–55 inch TV works well if you’re sitting about 2–3 metres away. Smaller screens still offer good picture quality as long as you’re not seated too far away. The best size depends on your room layout and how far you’ll be watching from. For more detailed advice, here’s the best size TV for your living room.
4. Refresh rate
Most budget TVs use 60Hz, which is fine for day-to-day TV, films and sports. But in really fast scenes or when you’re gaming, you might notice some motion blur. A few TVs between €300–€500 come with 120Hz, which makes speedy on-screen action much smoother.
Best TV under €300
The JVC LT-43CT650 43" TV is a great option for a budget TV. It’s under €300 and delivers 4K resolution. With HDR10 and HLG HDR, the 4K resolution really pops with rich colours and brilliant contrast. It has fantastic sound too, with DTS Virtual:X and Dolby Audio to give you an immersive aural experience.
Best TV under €500
The Sharp 4T-C55HM5245IB 55" TV has a stunning 55” QLED display with vibrant colours, wide viewing angles and excellent brightness for daytime viewing. It has a frameless design, so it blends in perfectly with any room. It has Dolby Vision HDR to make your movies and TV shows bright, bold and dramatic. While Dolby Atmos envelops you in the audio of what you’re watching. It runs on a TiVo OS, making all your streaming apps easily accessible and offering 160+ free channels, live and on demand.
Best budget TV for students
The Hisense A6Q 50" 4K TV is a great deal! Whether you’re buying it yourself or going splits with your housemates, this Hisense TV is perfect for relaxing after a long day on campus. It has a directly lit full-array LED display, so blacks are deep and highlights are bright. Its Hi-View AI Engine intelligently boosts content, so it looks amazing frame-by-frame, and Precision Colour gives you a beautiful array of colours, while its Adaptive Light Sensor adjusts the screen to the room’s brightness.
Best budget 4K TV
The LG NU85 50" LED 4K TV is a brilliant option for a budget 4K TV. It’s powered by an α7 AI Processor 4K Gen9, which constantly adjusts the picture and sound in real time to deliver the best experience. The AI Nano Detail Enhancer boosts the finer details by enhancing textures and contrast. If you love watching movies, Filmmaker Mode makes them look just as the director intended. Prefer gaming? Game Optimiser automatically adjusts settings to make games look and sound their best.
Great TVs at affordable prices
If you’d like more advice on buying the best budget TV, our TV buying guide is a great place to start. You can also explore our guide to the best TVs or visit us in one of our 16 stores to shop our extensive range.
FAQs
What is the average price range for budget TVs in Ireland?
€300 to €500 is a normal range for good budget TVs. At this level, you should expect to see features like 4K screens and better smart TV setups. A budget of around €200 is fine for bedrooms or secondary TVs, especially if you go for smaller screen sizes.
What is the best budget smart TV?
The Samsung U8000H TV is a strong budget-friendly option. With 4K Upscaling, all content will look amazing whether it’s the news or a movie. If sound quality is a key feature for you, this TV has Object Tracking Sound Lite, which follows the audio on screen and Adaptive Sound to customise the audio to what you’re watching.
What TV size is best for a student’s bedroom?
A TV size of 32–43 inches works best if you can sit between 1.5m and 2m from the screen. At closer distances, smaller TV sizes should be fine for films and gaming - and they won’t dominate the room.
