Best 40 inch TV: from Samsung to Sony, these are the best buys

The best 40 inch TVs are among the most popular televisions currently available thanks to their reasonable size – particularly by today's standards – stylish designs and impressive selection of features. Remember, it's really not unreasonable to expect all but the most budget models to have a lot of the headline technologies.

And whether you're looking to trick out a living room with a model that won't overwhelm the space, or want a reasonably sized television for your bedroom, we've rounded up the best models based on price and performance.

The TVs in this range are either with 40in or 43in panels – a nice size for an enjoyable viewing experience when you don't have loads of room for a more generous 55in (or bigger) television. Keep scrolling for full product reviews.

Want more televisions to choose from? Check out our best TV 2020 guide for the best screens, at the best prices. 

The best 40 inch TV

If you want the best 40 inch TV in your home (in our opinion), we recommend you buy the Samsung RU7100 43". While it's not the most premium model around, it offers the best design and performance for its price. Enjoy a high quality audio visual experience and easy access to your favorite streaming platforms, including Netflix, Samsung TV Plus, YouTube and more.

The best 40 inch TVs

It’s not the most premium TV on the list but, dollar for dollar, you won’t find better than this television from Samsung.
Buy the Samsung RU7100.

Impressive image quality

It’s edge-lit by a good array of LEDs over which the TV’s processor has very good control. That means it can create a smooth and subtle variation of lighting needed to deal with the light and dark areas of the screen equally well.

Great user interface

Samsung also happens to have one of the best TV user-interfaces around. It’s intuitive and stuffed with more of your favorite apps than any other smart TV platform. It even includes the Apple TV app for direct access to content from the iTunes Store.

Enjoy HDR content

Samsung doesn’t support the Dolby Vision standard at the moment but you can still enjoy HDR through HDR10+ material which you’ll find on Blu-ray discs and on plenty of Netflix and Prime Video content.

This Sony TV gets our vote for the best premium TV, although they sit about midway through the company’s TV range.
Buy the Sony BRAVIA X800H 43in TV

Edge-lit LED model

It’s an edge-lit LED model but one of the better performing sets of this type you’ll find. There’s no patchy backlight issues and the picture is is nice and strong thanks to Sony’s X1 processor which runs the show.

Impressive motion processing

Ever noticed any judder when you’re watching TV and the camera pans across a scene? Well, one of the things Sony does particularly well is motion processing. So, you can guarantee that the action on this 4K HDR set will be the smoothest you’ll find on this list.

This LG set is packs a ton of value and makes a great option for those seeking a top rated 40 inch TV.

Buy the LG UN7300PUF 43in 4K Ultra HD Smart TV

Quality image

It has the 4K HDR credentials of the others on this list and good picture quality too but what sets it apart is the wide viewing angles it offers. It doesn’t matter how far off the main axis you’re sitting, the image will stay as strong as ever without any hint of the colors looking washed out.

Make the most of LG’s magic remote

We also like LG’s magic remote for gesture controls and how well this set fits into your smart home thanks to its ability to work with both Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa without having to attach an Echo or Home device to it. Just talk down the remote and your wish is its command.

The Serif and the Frame, which you'll find below, are going to offer very similar performance to both each other.
Buy the Samsung The Serif QLED HDR 4K Ultra HD Smart TV

QLED technology

They all represent the lower end of Samsung’s excellent QLED range and Samsung scores them very similarly on its PQI (Picture Quality Index) rating. The major differences instead are aesthetic and that’s really down to what you’re looking for in your home.

Stylish design

While Q60R is the basic design, what you get with the Serif is a set designed to sit on tall, freestanding legs anywhere in a room, independent of any other furniture. The other approach is to balance it on its frame on any flat surface — such as a sideboard — without its legs. That’s possible thanks to its Bouroullec Brothers design who have given it a capital I shaped cross-section, an I, of course, with serifs.

Enjoy ambient mode

The Serif looks great but you definitely pay for the privilege. It comes in a 43in size and features an Ambient mode to turn the panel into a series of attractive images instead of just a black rectangle and you can connect your phone to it using NFC by resting your device on its top edge.

If you're looking for a 40 inch TV that blends seamlessly into your space, look no further than this Samsung TV.
Buy the Samsung The Frame (2019) QLED Art Mode TV 

QLED

As with the Serif, The Frame TV is QLED features with a strong steer towards interior design. 

Stylish design

Instead of an ordinary bezel, it’s styled like a picture frame which you can hang on your wall. When it’s off, it blends with your other pictures thanks to Art Mode and the set’s ability to display thousands of attractive digital pictures. You can subscribe to Samsung’s Art Store for hundreds of images ranging from contemporary to classic.

No trailing wires

Key to this set is the No Gap Wall Mount which sits this TV absolutely flush to your wall with only enough space for the tiny Near-Invisible Cable to run discreetly down to the One Connect box which you can tuck away inside a cupboard. It’s the One Connect where you plug everything else including the TV’s power cable, your set-top-box, Blu-ray player and any external speakers.

Strip the Serif of the Frame of their aesthetic niceties and you'll end up with something very similar to this Samsung alternative.
Buy the Samsung Q60R (2019) QLED HDR 4K Ultra HD Smart TV

QLED technology

QLED is Samsung’s top panel technology and while the very best QLEDs don’t come much smaller than 50in, the baby of the family does. This 43in Q60 is an edge-lit version. It’s not quite such a talented performer as its bigger brethren but then it’s considerably cheaper. Most QLEDS are much north of the $1,000 mark.

Impressive picture quality

As a QLED, the Q60R benefits from exceptionally good dark details, nice deep black levels, rich colors and excellent viewing angles. No matter where you’re seated in the room, you’ll get a brilliant picture.

This may be a value-priced TV but this set still boasts some savory tech and plenty of great features.

Buy the VIZIO V-Series 40" V405-G9

HDR10, HLG and Dolby Vision HDR content

It offers full HDR support including HLG and Dolby Vision.

Best-in-class features

The Vizio V-series incorporates a number of features typically reserved for higher-end models, like Dolby Vision, hands-free voice control, Ultra-Bright 400, and Octa-core processor, and Clear Action 180 which supports fast-moving scenes. 

How to choose a 40 inch TV

When it comes to buying the best 40 inch TV, there are a few factors worth considering to ensure you get the most for your money. There include:

Image quality

Make sure whatever you chose has 4K resolution for the best possible detail. Look out for 40in TVs which are HDR-compatible to get the best from dark and light areas of the image on your screen. If possible, those which support HDR10+ and/or Dolby Vision are preferable to just HDR10.

OLED or LED?

Even though you're not likely to find an OLED panel at this size, LCD TVs still come in enough different flavors to make it worth knowing what you’ve got in your shopping basket. Those which are edge-lit by LEDs can be much thinner and often more aesthetically pleasing but their direct or back-lit LED counterparts can produce a more subtle and nuanced picture even if their frames aren’t quite as easy on the eye.

Smart enabled

Anything you buy should be a Wi-Fi-enabled smart TV with at least three HDMI sockets around the back. We’d be very surprised if it wasn’t but it’s worth checking. You should also be sure that your favorite streaming services are available on its app platform. Very few TVs cover all the bases but remember that you can always add an Amazon Fire TV Stick, Chromecast, etc to plug those missing gaps.

Look out for model numbers

Lastly, when shopping for a 40in TV deal, you may come across something with a slightly different model number to those featured in our guide. While it won’t be identical, if the number is very close, it may just be a case of the same screen with a small change, such as a different finish to the frame or an alternative stand. In theory, their performance should be similar.

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