Best 43-inch TVs in 2024
Best 43-inch TV: Quick Menu
The best 43-inch TVs are great for folks who want a TV to double as a monitor, or for anyone with a smaller-sized living room.
Right now, LG OLED TVs are basically the king of this screen size, with the LG C3 OLED being the best 43-inch TV around — and we say that after having recently tested the LG C4 OLED. The latter offers some solid improvements, but is costs $600 more than the $899 LG C3 OLED.
If you’re looking for a rival QLED TV, check out the new Samsung QN90D, available in exactly 43 inches, or for more budget-friendly options, you can find smaller sets like the Samsung Q60C and Amazon Omni for under $500.
Why trust us? We do extensive testing on several dozen TVs each year. Our tests use professional equipment like an X-Rite i1 Pro spectrophotometer, a SpectraCal VideoForge Pro pattern generator, and Portrait Displays’ Calman calibration software. The results are then corroborated by real-world testing by our editors. By thoroughly testing each TV, we feel confident in our recommendations, and hope you do, too.
Best 43-inch TV
The best 43-inch TVs in 2024
For so many reasons, the LG C3 OLED is the best 43-inch TV you can buy this year. Because it uses an OLED panel, expect perfect black levels, well-saturated colors, and unbeatable contrast. The C3 also uses LG’s evo OLED panel, which enables the C3 to hit around 820 nits at peak brightness.
For gamers, the C3 offers four full HDMI 2.1 ports that can pass 4K/120 signal from an Xbox Series X or PS5, and its input lag measured in at a respectable 9.3ms when it was in Auto Low Latency Mode. That’s very fast for a TV.
There are a few minor drawbacks that held it back from being a five-star screen, namely you’ll likely need a soundbar to enhance the out-of-the-box audio, and its price can be a bit high for a 43-inch screen. Still, it’s an incredible TV and one that anyone will be happy to have around.
Read our full LG C3 OLED review.
Best OLED TV
So we’ve already discussed why OLED TVs are so great with the LG C3 OLED. But what it you took an OLED and gave it the best motion processing and upscaling in the world? That, my friends, would be the Sony Bravia XR A90K.
The A90K is specifically designed to be a smaller screen. In fact, it’s only available in either a 42-inch or 48-inch model. Despite that, though, it packs an enormous amount of picture processing power under the hood. Our reviewer loved how natural the picture looked, and how motion didn’t have any artfefacting.
So why is down here at #3? For one, its priced like a 65-inch TV. For another its raw test data doesn’t paint the prettiest picture. Its peak brightness is around 640 nits in a 10% window. Its color accuracy out of the box isn’t great. We measured its Delta E value (where the lower the number is, the more accurate the colors are) as 4.2061. The LG C3 OLED scored a 1.385, comparatively.
With proper calibration, this TV is incredible. But it’s a real investment.
Read our full Sony Bravia XR A90K review.
Best QLED TV
The Samsung QN90D is the newest 2024 addition to our list, replacing last year’s excellent QN90C model. Like its predecessor, the QN90D comes in a perfectly compact 43-inch screen size and offers a higher peak brightness than many of its peers.
In our tests, the Samsung QN90D was able to reach a peak brightness of 2,091 bits in a 10% window, which is a huge improvement over the QN90C that could only put out around 1,370 nits in the same test. That being said, color accuracy out-of-the-box was a bit wonky. We measured the QN90D’s Delta E at 4.2619, while the QN90C and LG C4 OLED scored a 1.4542 and 1.8201, respectively. In a Delta E test, the lower the number is, the more accurate the colors are, so it’s disappointing to see that the newer Samsung QN90D didn’t score as well as its peers.
With a little calibration, however, the Samsung QN90D offers a very bright alternative to the OLED options listed above, and with its 144Hz refresh rate, is an excellent pick for gamers looking to maximize their frame rates.
Read our full Samsung QN90D QLED TV review.
Best Value TV
The Samsung QN90C is a show-stopping QLED TV, but it comes with a price tag to match. The Samsung Q60C drops some features and takes a hit on performance, but the result is that you’re getting a QLED TV at a steep discount. Because it’s a bit cheaper, the Q60C makes for a great bedroom TV where you don’t need peak performance, a basement TV or even one for a teenager or older kid.
While it doesn’t get as bright or as colorful as the QN90C, the Q60C is still a solid pick for gamers, as it comes with impressively low input lag and strong color accuracy. Games will look good and play smoothly, even though they’ll max out at 60fps.
Because it’s a 60Hz TV, it’s not the best for sports enthusiasts where players are constantly on the move, and its low brightness means HDR won’t look as punchy here as it will on other sets.
Still, if you need something more affordable for a second room, the Samsung Q60C covers the basics for a reasonable price.
Read our full Samsung Q60C QLED review.
Best Cheap TV
The Amazon Omni Fire TV won’t win any awards for its earth-shattering HDR performance, but its built-in Fire TV platform and low sticker price makes it a strong contender for the best 43-inch TV. The ability to summon Alexa hands-free is great when you want to ask a quick question, and its respectable 10ms of input latency make it one of the better picks for gamers who don’t mind plugging into an HDMI 2.0 port rather than a new HDMI 2.1 socket.
Amazon’s smart TV software has always been at its best when showcasing built-in Alexa functionality, but the Amazon Fire TV Omni series takes this to a new level, enhancing that capability and pairing it with a better looking TV than any Fire TV we’ve seen before. It’s not a perfect product, but our Amazon Fire TV Omni review explores the many ways Amazon tries to make its new Fire TV the best Fire TV.
Read our full Amazon Fire TV Omni review.
Best 43-inch TV Test Results
| TV | Peak Brightness (tested) | Delta-E (tested) | BT2020 Color Volume (tested) | Input Lag (tested) |
| Samsung QN90C | 1546.55 nits | 2.2404 | 77.15% | 9.2ms |
| Sony A90K OLED | 640.23 nits | 4.2061 | 72.07% | 16.1ms |
| LG C3 OLED | 819.9 nits | 1.3908 | 73.95% | 9.1ms |
| Samsung Q60C | 409.98 nits | 1.6547 | 69.79% | 9.0ms |
| Amazon Fire TV Omni | 556.32 nits | 1.9175 | 73.8% | 10ms |
Also tested
Of course, those five 43-inch TVs aren’t the only ones we’ve tested; each year we review close to three dozen TVs. Here are other 43-inch models we’ve tested, but didn’t make the cut as the top picks in this screen size.
How to choose the best 43-inch TV for you
How to choose the best 43-inch TV for you
When looking for a 43-inch TV, follow our TV Buying Guide tips. If you put some thought into what you need from a TV, you’ll be able to enjoy your purchase for years to come.
First, check that a 43-inch TV makes sense for your space. According to our What size TV should you buy? guide, a 43-inch TV is ideal for viewers seated 3.5 to 4 feet away from the screen. That size makes them the perfect second TV for a bedroom, an inexpensive kids TV or a dedicated TV for gaming.
If your space will allow for a larger unit, we recommend you go bigger — even if you think you’ll be happy with a smaller screen, a bigger one helps make the experience of watching more engaging.
Finally, consider which ports you need and how many. The number of HDMI ports you need depends on how many devices you plan to plug in — a streaming stick, game console or cable box, for example. Most of these TVs have three HDMI inputs, but some have four. If you plan to use a sound bar, you may need an optical digital audio or a 3.5 mm auxiliary output. You may also want a TV that supports Bluetooth so you can listen on your headphones without disturbing people around you.
If you’ve narrowed down your TV shopping by brand, price range or screen size, check out our picks for the best TVs in each.
Best TVs | Best 4K TVs | Best smart TVs for streaming | Best TVs for gaming
The best TVs under $1000 | The best TVs under $500
Best TV brands | Best Samsung TVs | Best TCL TVs | Best LG TVs | Best Roku TVs | Best OLED TVs | Best QLED TVs | Best 8K TVs
The smallest smart TVs | Best 50-inch TVs | Best 55-inch TVs | Best 65-inch TVs | Best 70-inch TVs | Best 75-inch TVs | Best 85-inch TVs
And don’t forget to watch out for the latest TV reviews.
How we test the best 43-inch TVs
How we test the best 43-inch TVs
When it comes to evaluating the best 43-inch TVs, we’re serious about getting it right. That’s why every TV we review is put through a rigorous testing process that measures key standards of picture quality and performance.
Our lab tests involve testing for color accuracy and color gamut using an X-Rite i1 Pro spectrophotometer, an AccuPel DVG-5000 video test pattern generator and SpectraCal CalMAN Ultimate calibration software. These tools are relied on by professional calibrators throughout the industry, and we’ve paired them with custom workflows to gather the information needed for our reviews. These measurements are taken first in standard mode to simulate the average watching experience, and then taken again in other display modes to find the top color and brightness performance offered by each set.
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Our testing measures contrast and maximum brightness, as well as lag time. Using a Leo Bodnar Video Signal Input Lag Tester to test video signal delay, we time how long it takes for content to travel from the original video source to the screen, measured to the millisecond. Shorter response times equate with faster gaming performance, letting us objectively know which TVs are better for gaming.
We use all of these objective test results to make comparisons about quality and performance between different TVs, but our evaluation doesn’t end there. We also spend hours with each set, watching shows and movies, and using carefully selected video samples to highlight the strengths and weaknesses of each set and help us tell you which TVs look and sound the best in a real home viewing environment.
And there’s more to today’s TVs than just viewing, so we also check out the smart TV functions and evaluate everything from the interface to the remote control design. This lets our reviews speak to the technical capabilities of today’s smart TVs and how they fit into your connected home.
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