BEST 32 INCH SMART TV’S

What to Look for When Buying a 32” Smart TV?

Unless you’re a real tech-head, knowing what to look for when buying any kind of technology can be a confusing matter. Specs matter more than looks – something we’re sure you’ve tried to convince the other half whenever it comes to buying this sort of stuff. There’s little point of a television looking great if it’s outperformed by everything else in its price range.

Many of you will know what you need to look for when buying a new television but for those of you that don’t, just remember the following considerations and you’ll be fine.

Well as men we’re always told that size isn’t everything…yeah right! However, that saying might actually have some truth in it when it comes to televisions. Unless you’re trying to set up a giant cinema in your home, screen size is not really going to come into it. 32-inches is more than enough for most uses, even as the main television in your home and this is the size that our guide is concentrating on.

Did you know that televisions are not even measured from one side to the other to get their measurements? In fact, the 32-inches that these televisions are classed as will be taken from one corner of the screen to the opposite corner. This is why when you check out our recommendations below, you’ll notice that many of TV’s do not even measure 32” in length. So how big is a 32-inch TV? Well, the actual length of a 32” TV is actually around 29-inches from one side to the other.

• Panel Type

While the size of the TV is important, for some of you, the panel type will be just as important. One of the biggest reasons for a big price difference between any two televisions will be that one will be using a more superior image panel.

You’ll find that most 32-inch televisions use an LCD panel that has an LED backlight behind it. The technology in the latter is what can greatly affect the picture quality on a television set. The better the backlight technology, the better the picture and thus the larger the price.

• Resolution

The resolution of your television is going to be the most important consideration when it comes to picture quality. At the minimum, most TV’s these days will be able to provide you with 720p High Definition resolution of 1280 x 720. However, with resolutions now readily available that are Ultra 4K and some that are now even 8k, you’re going to want a bit more than just basic HD compatible.

Ideally, you should be looking for a full HD television that has a 1080p resolution of 1920 x 1080 as a minimum. This is more than enough for good quality pictures for both movies and gaming and it will not be nearly as expensive as some of the more modern TV’s are that have these insane new resolutions.

• Refresh Rate

The refresh of your television can also have a big impact on picture quality. 60Hz is the standard these days and this is going to be more than good enough for most uses – even gaming consoles top out at 60Hz, so you’re not going to need any more for your PS4 or Xbox One.

That said, if you like gaming on your PC and will be connecting this television, or will be primarily using it for HD movies, 120hz is going to be what you’ll want.

• Picture Quality

Picture quality is extremely important and even if two televisions have the same specs in terms of resolution, panel types, and everything else, they will still look different on the screen to the naked eye. We suggest that you ignore everybody else when it comes to picture quality and judge with your own eyes. Go for the television that you perceive to have a better picture and you cannot go wrong.

If picture quality really is a bigger priority than anything else for you, we recommend sticking with televisions from the biggest names such as Sony, Samsung, and LG as this is where you’ll find the best. They will have their own technologies implemented that ensure crisper, brighter, and better darks than most cheaper televisions.

• Sound Quality

Sound quality is usually a little neglected on televisions these days but it’s easy to understand why. Speakers that come built-in to TV’s have never been of good quality since year dot but in modern times especially, speakers are nothing more than an afterthought. Why? Because most people hook their televisions up to speakers, soundbars, and home theater systems anyway – so the speakers inside the television are actually going to be redundant for most people.

If you’re planning on using the televisions own speakers, of course, you’ll want to find one that has spent a little time focusing on quality in this area.

• Connectivity

You’d be surprised at just how many TVs actually lack in this area. Times have moved on from where we only needed to connect our video source, plug in some speakers and perhaps add a DVD player. These days in the world of home theater setups, smart televisions, movie streaming, internet, and online gaming, our televisions really need plenty of connectivity options to keep us satisfied.

HDMI ports, in particular, are going to be important as these can be used up very quickly. It only takes a sound bar, Roku, PS4, and a Chromecast before you’ve already used four and there are plenty of other devices that use this connection as well.

Other connections available include VGA, DVI, DisplayPort, and USB among many others. If your TV is a smart television you’re also going to want an Ethernet, WiFi, or both connections so that you can connect to the interweb.

Get an understanding of what ports you’ll need for your particular setup before choosing a TV that will allow you to easily accommodate them.

You’ll obviously want something that in your own opinion, looks smart and will go with all of your other devices. Most televisions these days are very slim in design – especially if you grew up like us in the days of the old-style CRT televisions. They’ll also usually be very minimalistic in terms of design so you will rarely see one with many buttons showing on the front.

It’ll all come down to personal preference really when picking a design. Once you see the one you love, you’ll know that it’ll be the right fit for your living room.

• Ease of Setup

While TV’s, in general, are usually quite easy to set up and get going, some will still be a little confusing. Smart TV’s, in particular, may require a little bit extra effort as you ’ll have to connect it to your internet, set up any required accounts and subscriptions for any apps that you prefer.

Even standard televisions, if their user interface is not straight forward to use can throw up confusion when it comes to setting them up. Scanning channels and getting the picture how you like it is not always easy depending on the television hat you buy. Try to find one that has a reputation for being easy to set up.

• Ease of Use

At least one you’ve set up a television, you’ll not have to do it again so it’s just a one-time pain. If your TV is difficult to use however, this is going to be something that is going to get quite annoying over time.

Most will be very straightforward as how difficult can it actually ever be to change a channel or turn up the volume. Some, especially when it comes to their smart platforms though, may not be quite as straightforward. You’ll want a TV that is easy to use in all aspects.

• Reliability

When you’re spending your money on anything, but especially something that is going to cost a fair amount of money, you’ll want to be sure that you get your money worth out of it before it breaks down. Not all televisions are as reliable as you might think so it’s important to buy both a brand and model that has a good reputation with regards to reliability.

The bigger names are generally the brands that you’ll want to look at but you’ll probably have to pay a little more. It’s a balancing act between initial cost and how many years you’re hoping to get out of your TV.

The type of warranty coverage that you get is also an important consideration. Taking reliability, a step further is how much a brand actually believes in their products and you’ll generally find that the most reliable TV’s are those that have the longest warranty period. This shows confidence in their own product as well as thinking about their customers.

Always find out what sort of cover you’ll be getting with your purchase before weighing up whether you want to buy a television.

• Smart Software

Even many of the cheaper televisions these days will have some kind of smart software and features. However, this does not mean that all smart televisions will be able to offer you the same platform and features. Some will severely lack in the number of pre-installed apps and what you can actually do with their smart platforms.

On the flip side, some will give you tons of apps, allow you to download further apps, surf the web, and even allow you to connect to Alexa so that you can voice control your television set. Our advice would be to go for TV’s with Roku, Android, or Amazon’s Fire TV systems installed. You’ll be able to enjoy apps from all the big names such as Netflix, YouTube, Hulu, Amazon, and Spotify.

• Aesthetics

What a TV looks like really should be the least of your worries in all honesty. We do know that some of you will want one that looks more stylish than another but each of the above considerations hold far more priority over whether a television is thin, has its curves in the right place, or has a better stand. Most televisions look the same anyway these days – basically looking like nothing more than big oblong shaped screens.

What are the Best Brands That Manufacture 32” Smart TV’s?

There is no doubt that many of you’ll already have a few names in mind when it comes to the best brands of televisions on the market. Sony, Samsung, Toshiba, and LG, will probably be on your lips but there are some others that are starting to make a big name for themselves in recent years.

The likes of Vizio, TCL, and Hisense are just a few of these new names and while these are generally known for producing televisions that some may consider as budget, they’re actually starting to move on up to challenge their more upmarket competitors.

When you think of pure build and picture quality, Sony is almost always going to be at the top of the list. They’ve been producing high-quality television sets for close to sixty years now and you can always count on their models to be among the best in their price range.

While they pride themselves on releasing state of the art cutting edge televisions at the top of their range, in recent years they’ve also made sure that they have televisions available for all kinds of budgets.

Samsung is another big name and not just in televisions. Obviously, they’re very well known for their mobile phones too but they also manufacture everything from washing machines, kitchen appliances, and watches. Televisions are one of their specialties though and they’re easily recognizable as one of the world’s leading manufacturers.

Like Sony, Samsung likes to be a leader in the industry and you’ll always be guaranteed an excellent picture. They also put a lot of focus into the smart aspects of their modern televisions – a lot more than many other brands do.

Another reliable brand that has been manufacturing televisions for decades is that of Toshiba. Known for building durable television sets that offer up a good picture quality, features, and affordability, Toshiba is certainly a brand that should be considered by everyone. They are probably on the next rung down on the ladder in the television industry compared to Sony and Samsung but they always offer great value for money.

LG is probably not right up there with Sony and Samsung but they, like Toshiba, are certainly in the next bracket down. Known for reliability, good features, and for offering value for money, LG smart televisions are definitely worth a look. They also pride themselves on their very best OLED models which are renowned for having excellent picture quality.

Vizio is somewhat of a newcomer but they’ve already demonstrated their ability at churning out quality but cheap 32-inch TV’s. Actually, they’ve even started producing higher-end televisions that are capable of competing against some of the bigger brands on this list in recent years. In general, though, most of their range is aimed at being competitively priced as well as being a particularly good companion for gamers out there.

For the ultimate in budget-priced televisions though, TCL is right up there as one of the best. They cannot compete in terms of picture quality but this is not to say that theirs is at all bad, just not as crisp, bright, or has as good viewing angles as some of the top names.

One positive though is their partnership with Roku which means all of their televisions offer this smart platform. Roku has a great selection of streaming channels and apps that really does add to the positives of owning a TCL television.

Other Brands of Note

There are plenty of other brands of televisions worldwide as well as those we’ve listed above and while some will be cheap little-known brands, there are some other big names too such as the following:

• Sharp
• Panasonic
• Insignia
• Hisense
• Westinghouse

Panasonic and Sharp in particular from those above are well worth checking out as these have been manufacturing televisions for many decades now.

Conclusion

32-inch TV’s are generally used for secondary purposes these days rather than being the main television in the house. There are much bigger screens that usually take up the main living area of home while the good old 32-inch is normally resigned to smaller bedrooms, guestrooms, and as computer and console monitors.

This is why there really isn’t too much need to have the most hi-tech and most expensive televisions in this size. Well, that is unless you have tons of money and simply like the best of everything no matter its purpose or what it’s going to be used for.

As you can see, there’s plenty of options out there if you wanted to buy a good quality 32-inch television but without breaking the bank. Sure, if you wanted a 4k resolution television or something that has the latest and greatest technology this might not be the list for you but for something that offers good value, quality, and features, we’re sure you’ll find what you’re looking for.