The Best 48-49-50-inch TVs (2024 Reviews)

Need a new 48-inch, 49-inch, or 50-inch TV? We've done all the heavy research in order to present you with the best 48", 49", and 50" TVs right now.

Whether you’ve got limited space in your room or simply don’t want a TV larger than 50″ – you’ll find the best 48″, 49″, and 50″ TVs right here, as well as everything you need to know about them!

TVPanelPeak BrightnessContrast Ratio
VA2508500:1
VA4507500:1
VA5507500:1
OLED800Infinite
budget pick

TCL 50S450G

TCL S450G
  • Affordable
  • High contrast ratio
  • Low input lag
best value

Sony KD50X85K

Sony X85K
  • High contrast ratio
  • Decent peak brightness, wide color gamut
  • VRR up to 120Hz
best overall

LG OLED48C3

LG OLED48C3
  • Infinite contrast ratio, high peak brightness
  • Wide color gamut, low input lag, quick response time
  • HDMI 2.1 with 4K 120Hz support

As you can see, you have quite a selection when it comes to ~50″ sized TVs, so be sure to check out the reviews below in order to ensure you’re getting the best one for you!

The models we selected offer the best value for the money in their categories, so it’s worth checking out the ‘Alternatives’ sections as well, depending on availability and region. We’ll also mention if there are any upcoming TVs worth keeping an eye on.

The Pros:

  • High contrast ratio
  • Low input lag and decent response time speed
  • Affordable

The Cons:

  • Low peak brightness
  • Minor ghosting behind fast-moving objects, mostly visible in darker scenes

About The TV

It seems impossible for us to write a TV buyer’s guide and not include TCL’s S450G series TVs, but that’s only because they offer such excellent image quality and smooth gaming performance at an affordable price!

Image Quality

The TCL 50S450G offers a high static contrast ratio of 8,800:1, which makes for deep and inky blacks resulting in vivid details in the shadows of the picture.

Peak brightness, on the other hand, is not as impressive at a measly 250-nits, but the TV can still get decently bright under normal lighting conditions.

It’s also hard to find a notably brighter TV at this price range, so if you plan on watching the TV in a particularly bright room with plenty of windows and sunlight, you should consider investing in a more expensive TV.

As expected from a budget TV, it covers ~90% of the DCI-P3 color space. So, colors will still be rich and vivid, but not quite as vibrant as that of the more expensive models with 95% or close to 100% DCI-P3 gamut coverage.

The TCL S450G supports HDR10 (High Dynamic Range), but due to its low peak brightness and lack of local dimming, among other things, HDR content won’t look particularly great – again, as is expected from a budget TV.

Features

Besides the exceptional contrast ratio for the price, the TV also offers impressive input lag and response time performance.

Input lag is the measured delay between your actions and the result on the TV; at just ~13ms of lag, you won’t be able to feel or notice any delays while gaming!

Further, the pixel response time speed of around 16ms is sufficient to eliminate most trailing behind fast-moving objects, but since pixels take a bit longer to change from really dark into bright pixels, some smearing in dark scenes will be noticeable, but to a tolerable or even negligible degree, depending on how sensitive you are to it.

Just like most TVs, the TCL 50S450G uses PWM (Pulse Width Modulation) to regulate brightness below the maximum. At lower brightness settings, it introduces a 150Hz dimming frequency, which might bother some users sensitive to flickering after prolonged use.

The TV is based on Google TV OS for smooth and simple navigation through the apps, it can remove 24p judder from DVDs and Blurays, and it supports 4:4:4 chroma for sharp text when connected to a PC.

Design & Connectivity

TCL 50S450G Design

The design of the TV is slim and consists of very thin bezels and VESA mount compatibility.

Connectivity options include three HDMI 2.0 ports (e/ARC for Dolby Atmos/Digital), USB 2.0, both digital and analog audio ports, dual 8W integrated speakers, tuner, composite-in, Ethernet and WiFi (2.4GHz and 5GHz).

The Pros:

  • High contrast ratio
  • Decent peak brightness
  • Wide color gamut
  • Low input lag and decent response time speed

The Cons:

  • Minor ghosting behind fast-moving objects, mostly visible in darker scenes

About The TV

Now, if you want a bit better TV, the Samsung 50Q60C is the best TV for ~$500!

Image Quality

Apart from the notably higher 450-nit peak brightness in comparison to the S450G, the Samsung 50Q60C also offers an incredible 95% DCI-P3 gamut coverage for vibrant colors, while the contrast ratio is similar at 7,500:1.

Gaming performance is similar to that of the TCL S450G, with roughly the same response time speed and input latency.

The TV uses PWM to regulate brightness, but at a high 480Hz frequency, which shouldn’t bother even those sensitive to flickering.

It’s based on TizenOS, supports 4:4:4 chroma, and can remove 24p judder from DVDs, Blu-rays, and native streaming applications. There’s also a BFI (Black Frame Insertion) feature.

This technology inserts black frames between regular ones in order to reduce perceived motion blur, but sacrifices picture brightness in the process.

Design & Connectivity

Samsung Q60C Design

The Samsung 43Q60C has a slim design with thin bezels and VESA mount compatibility.

Connectivity options include three HDMI 2.0 ports (e/ARC for Dolby Digital/Plus), two USB 2.0 ports, a digital (optical) audio port, two 10W built-in speakers, a tuner, Ethernet and WiFi.

The Pros:

  • High peak brightness
  • High contrast ratio
  • Low input lag
  • HDMI 2.1, 4K 120Hz

The Cons:

  • Minor ghosting in fast-paced games, mostly in darker scenes
  • No 120Hz support at 1440p
  • No HDR10+ support

About The TV

If you want a TV with a native 120Hz refresh rate for a responsive gaming experience, the Sony X85K is the only ~50″ model available around the $600 price point, with other models going for ~$1000.

Image Quality

In comparison to the Samsung Q60C, the Sony X85K also provides you with a bit higher 550-nit peak brightness, while the contrast ratio and color gamut performance are about the same. The main feature of the X85K is the 120Hz refresh rate though.

Supported HDR formats include HDR10, Dolby Vision, and HLG.

With a pixel response time speed of ~13ms, some trailing will be visible in fast-paced games, but to a tolerable degree.

Input lag, on the other hand, is imperceptible at ~16ms at 60Hz, and ~7ms at 120Hz. Thanks to its HDMI 2.1 support, the Sony KD50X85K supports 120Hz at 4K UHD resolution, making it a great pick for the Xbox One X/S and PS5, as well as PC gaming.

120Hz is also natively supported at 1080p, which is good news since most games are too demanding for a high frame rate at 4K, even with high-end hardware.

What’s more, the TV supports VRR and even though it’s not officially certified as ‘G-SYNC Compatible’ by NVIDIA, you can use it with HDMI 2.1 compatible graphics cards with a 48-120Hz VRR range.

In some cases, however, brightness flickering is noticeable when your frame rate fluctuates around 48FPS as LFC (Low Framerate Compensation) is triggered. The intensity of flickering varies across different units of the TV, and depends on the game.

The TV is completely flicker-free, it’s based on Google TV, supports 4:4:4 chroma, and can remove 24p judder from any source.

Both 30FPS and 60FPS framerate interpolation is supported for the soap opera effect, and there’s a BFI feature.

Design & Connectivity

Sony KD 43X85J Design

Connectivity options include four HDMI ports (two HDMI 2.1, two HDMI 2.0, e/ARC for Dolby and DTS), two USB ports, digital audio out, composite-in via adapter, tuner, Ethernet, IR-in, dual integrated speakers and WiFi.

The Pros:

  • Infinite contrast ratio
  • High peak brightness
  • Impressive color gamut
  • 4K 120Hz support
  • Low input lag and rapid response time speed
  • HDMI 2.1
  • FreeSync/G-SYNC Compatible support

The Cons:

  • Risk of permanent image burn-in

About The TV

If you want the absolute best ~50″ TV, there’s the LG OLED48C3.

Image Quality

While the LG C3 has a notably lower 800-nit peak brightness than equally priced mini LED models, the main advantage of the OLED technology is basically infinite contrast ratio as there’s no backlight and each pixel is self-emissive.

This results in true blacks, amazing HDR image quality, and no backlight bleeding.

Additionally, the colors are exceptional thanks to the wide ~97% DCI-P3 gamut coverage and OLEDs also have the best viewing angles making the image flawless at basically an angle.

The main disadvantage, however, is the risk of permanent burn-in and temporary image retention.

If you leave your TV on for a long time with an image that has static elements (like TV channel logo), there’s a risk that it will permanently ‘burn in.’

As long as you’re careful though, this won’t be an issue and there are plenty of built-in features (screen savers, pixel refreshers, etc.) that help prevent burn-in and image retention.

For a more detailed explanation of OLED screen burn-in, you can check out our dedicated article. You can also read our full LG OLED48C3 review for additional information.

Features

Yet another big advantage of OLEDs is the instantaneous <1ms pixel response time speed, which prevents overshoot and trailing behind fast-moving objects.

Input lag is excellent as well, amounting to ~14ms at 60Hz or ~7ms at 120Hz for no perceptible delay while gaming.

Both FreeSync and NVIDIA G-SYNC Compatible VRR technologies are supported up to 120Hz at 1080p, 1440p, and 4K for tear-free gameplay.

The TV is based on WebOS, it can remove 24p judder from any source, supports 4:4:4 chroma, and there’s a framerate interpolation feature for the soap opera effect.

Supported HDR formats include HDR10, Dolby Vision, and HLG, but there’s no HDR10+ support.

PWM is not used to regulate brightness, but there’s a very slight and essentially unnoticeable shift in brightness every ~8ms.

Design & Connectivity

LG OLED48C3 Design

The design is ultra-thin and VESA mount compatible, while connectivity options include four HDMI 2.1 ports (e/ARC for Dolby and DTS), three USB ports, a digital audio jack, a tuner, integrated speakers, WiFi and Ethernet.

Alternatives

If you’re worried about burn-in and would rather have a brighter display than OLED, check out the Samsung QN50QN90C as an alternative. However, keep in mind that the FALD (full-array local dimming) solution on these displays without a high zone count causes blooming around subtitles and in demanding scenes (stars in the night sky, fireworks, etc.).

Conclusion

Did you find the best ~50″ TV for you?

Overall, you can’t go wrong with the LG OLED48C3 or the Samsung QN50QN90A, depending on your preference.

In case you’re on a tight budget, the TCL 50S450G offers excellent image quality and performance for the price, but we recommend saving up for the Sony X85K to get the best value for your money.

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Rob Shafer

Rob is a software engineer with a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Denver. He now works full-time managing DisplayNinja while coding his own projects on the side.