I’ve been reviewing TVs, computer monitors, and other displays and home theater gear for over a decade. I have ISF Level III training and calibration certification, and over the past decade I’ve tested and calibrated hundreds of TVs—from premium $8,000 flat panels to $100 doorbusters—using hardware such as light and color meters, pattern generators, and input-lag testers.

Smaller TVs, with screen sizes of 32 inches or below, are great for apartment, condo, and dorm-room dwellers with smaller living rooms, as well as for anyone who wants to have a TV in a bedroom, workout room, or other secondary space.

You can pair a 32-inch TV with a computer, but unless you need the built-in over-the-air TV tuner (which is technically what makes a TV a TV, as opposed to a monitor), you’re generally better off going with a dedicated computer monitor. If you’re looking for an affordable display to pull double duty for TV and computer use, these models will technically work with HDMI-equipped computers and laptops—they just aren’t ideal.

As for performance, the vast majority of 32-inch TVs pale in comparison with our picks in our best 4K TV on a budget and best LCD/LED TV guides because they lack features such as high brightness, local-dimming LED backlights, and quantum-dot color. (You can read more about these tech terms in our TV buying guide.) To get exceptional picture quality, you have to move up in screen size and spend more money.

In today’s TV market, manufacturers prioritize larger screens because that’s what people are buying. Lots of new TV series aren’t available in screen sizes smaller than 55 or 50 inches, and many of the 32-inch TVs you can find for sale from major brands are several years old. Hisense, Roku, and TCL released smaller TVs in 2023, but those options are limited to the companies’ most budget-oriented lines.

Because options are limited at this size, we didn’t set any formal criteria to eliminate potential candidates beyond trying to get the newest models available. As we researched which models to call in and test, we noticed some predictable patterns in features and pricing that you might find helpful to keep in mind as you shop:

• Resolution: The majority of 32-inch TVs have 720p (1366×768) HD resolution, but we’re seeing more models that offer 1080p (1920×1080) full-HD resolution. We found the difference between 720p and 1080p to be almost negligible at this screen size while watching movies and TV shows from a few feet away. However, for close-up viewing, the step up to 1080p provides meaningful improvement, especially in text clarity.
• Smart-TV platform: As with TVs of all screen sizes, it has become impossible to find a new 32-inch TV that lacks a built-in internet connection and streaming platform. Companies such as LG, Samsung, and Vizio utilize their own respective proprietary smart-TV platforms, while brands like Hisense and TCL rely on Fire TV, Google TV, or Roku. If you have a strong preference for or against a certain smart-TV platform, that may factor heavily into your choice of 32-inch TV. Manufacturers seldom use their best processors and Wi-Fi tech in these TVs, so the smart-TV experience is usually slower and less robust than what you can get from a good external streaming media player.
• Number of HDMI inputs: Many 32-inch TVs have just two HDMI inputs, but some offer three. Your choice of TVs may come down to how many external sources you need to attach. The built-in streaming capability can eliminate the need to attach an external media streamer, but if you have a cable box, gaming console, and disc player, for example, you should look for a TV with three HDMI inputs.

We test 32-inch TVs in much the same manner as we test larger and more expensive TVs: We take each TV out of the box, set it up, and measure it using Portrait Displays’s Calman software, in conjunction with a C6 HDR2000 colorimeter and a VideoForge Pro test-pattern generator, to measure the color, the color temperature, the light output, and more. We then do direct side-by-side comparisons of TVs using a variety of sources.

For more details, read about how Wirecutter tests TVs.

The Roku Select Series HD (32R2A5R) is the best 32-inch TV due to its combination of good picture quality, simple smart-TV operation, and helpful features. Though it isn’t leagues better than other 32-inch TVs we tested, it edges them out in several key categories.

This Roku TV had the best picture contrast of the models we tested. Contrast—how dark and bright a TV can get—is the most important aspect of picture quality because it’s what gives the image a sense of richness, depth, and dimension. In our testing, the 32R2A5R outpaced its competition, including our previous pick (the now-discontinued TCL 32S334) as well as two new TCL models, the S2 and S3.

The 32R2A5R wasn’t the brightest TV overall, but it managed to pair its brightness, which peaked around 270 nits, with the most satisfying black levels. The 32R2A5R produced shadows a whole magnitude darker than those of the other TVs I tested, so movies, TV shows, and video games generally looked richer and more inviting, especially in a dim or dark room.

I watched Obi-Wan Kenobi on an Apple TV simultaneously on all four TVs. The episode found the titular Jedi wandering a skeevy cityscape featuring lots of shadows peppered with bright lights and neon finery. Not only did the 32R2A5R maintain the darkest letterbox bars, but its superior shadow quality also helped make the cityscape look the most dynamic and realistic.

The 32R2A5R also did the best job of transitioning from shadowy black scenes to peak white. While watching episodes of Breaking Bad and Stranger Things, I found that the TCL S2 transitioned too slowly out of black, making scenes look overly dark and shadowy, while the S3 transitioned too quickly, making scenes look overly bright and washed out. The Roku 32R2A5R was just right.

Its color accuracy is good enough. One reason our previous pick managed to stay on the 32-inch TV throne for two years is that the quality of these smaller TVs has generally gotten worse since 2021. During our objective testing of aspects such as color accuracy and color temperature, the 2021 TCL 32S334 still tested better than the three new TVs from 2023. But the 32R2A5R was well within acceptable error margins in our tests, and you’d never notice its color errors while watching TV and movies.

The same isn’t true of the TCL S2 and S3, both of which produced undersaturated colors, making them look less brilliant and satisfying overall. I watched part of the new animated film Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, which features a panoply of colors and animation styles. Among the 2023 32-inch TVs, the 32R2A5R had the movie looking its best.

Its motion is neither better nor worse than that of the competition. All of the TVs in this size and price range have a 60 Hz refresh rate (as opposed to the superior, 120 Hz refresh rate that you’ll find on premium models). As a result, in our tests the 32R2A5R and its rivals had essentially identical strengths and weaknesses when it came to motion artifacts, blurring, trailing, and so on. None of the problems were egregious, and only eagle-eyed viewers would notice motion blurring on a screen this size.

It has low input lag for video games. With pricier LCD or OLED TVs, we expect low input lag—ideally a number of milliseconds in the single digits, but definitely not more than 20. Usually you don’t get such good results in these more budget-oriented 32-inch models. But the 32R2A5R surprised us.

In our measurements, while competitors produced over 20 ms of input lag even in their respective Game picture modes, the 32R2A5R managed a very impressive 10.2 ms. I noticed the difference while playing the games Celeste and Cuphead, both of which require precise button inputs to be played successfully.

One small note: The 32R2A5R doesn’t have a Game picture mode but instead has a “Game mode” toggle in its menu. You can pick the picture mode you like (Vivid for brighter rooms, Movie for more accuracy, and so on) and toggle it on or off for gaming.

At this size, a 720p resolution is (usually) good enough. Of the four TVs we evaluated head-to-head, three have 720p (HD) resolution, while one—our runner-up, the TCL S3—has 1080p (full HD) resolution. Though it’s true that resolution is important for clarity, especially as you increase screen size, watching all four 32-inch TVs at once made it very clear to us how rarely 1080p is a crucial feature for the 32-inch size.

At times you might prefer a TV with 1080p resolution, especially if you plan to do desktop work, sit very close, or play video games with lots of text on the screen. But at normal viewing distances, TV and movies look essentially identical across the different resolutions, and I wouldn’t call the 32R2A5R’s 720p resolution a flaw. Even the smart-TV interfaces have been scaled properly, so they don’t look pixelated like they used to.

The Roku platform is easy to recommend. When it comes to media streaming devices, we prefer Google TV for its more robust search and recommendation capabilities and its easy integration with the Google ecosystem. But for easily jumping into apps such as Amazon Prime Video, Hulu, or Netflix, nothing is simpler than Roku.

The 32R2A5R’s Roku platform requires you to sign in using your Roku account, but once it syncs and finishes installing apps, watching content on this TV is as easy as pointing and clicking. If you’re using source devices over HDMI, you’ll find them listed in the same place as your streaming apps, and all you have to do is click on them.

This TV supports Wi-Fi 4, which isn’t the latest wireless protocol but is not yet outdated. I never had any issues with loading or buffering. Granted, I tested these TVs in the same room as my wireless router, so your mileage may vary if you’re placing your TV very far from your router. Note too that this model doesn’t have an Ethernet input—check out our runner-up if that’s something you need.

This TV plays nice with older sources and newer soundbars. Unlike most higher-end TVs coming out this year, many 32-inch TVs, including this model, are still equipped with older composite (also called “AV”) inputs—the yellow, red, and white cables that older devices use. As a result, the 32R2A5R can easily work with a VCR, a DVD player, or a retro gaming console such as a Nintendo GameCube.

The 32R2A5R also carries three HDMI inputs (our runner-up has only two), and one of them is eARC-compatible, so it will work seamlessly with newer soundbars that use the eARC protocol.

The included remote is the RF-based Roku Voice Remote. It has direct buttons to launch Apple TV+, Disney+, Max, and Netflix, plus a microphone button for voice search. And because this is a Roku-manufactured TV, you can pair it with the Roku Voice Remote Pro if you want to upgrade to a hands-free voice experience.

Flaws but not dealbreakers

You may want to invest in a better sound system. In general none of these TVs were great with audio (though our runner-up is slightly better equipped in that regard). However, this TV does have an eARC-compatible HDMI input, a headphone jack, and an optical audio output, so if you already have an existing audio system, it should work with the 32R2A5R.

We previously stated that the 32R2A5R supports Bluetooth audio output, but it does not. You can use Bluetooth audio devices with the TV by downloading the Roku mobile app, linking the app with the TV, and selecting the “Private Listening” option. Then you can use any headphones or speakers connected to your phone. Just note that Private Listening only works with the TV’s streaming apps or built-in digital antenna, not external sources connected via HDMI.

It isn’t a great choice for HDR content. Though it might sound unusual, you can watch HDR video on sub-4K TVs, but no model we tested at this size was bright enough to make HDR material look impressive. That said, our runner-up did a better job than this Roku TV of adjusting the HDR content to suit its brightness capabilities. For example, on the Blade Runner UHD Blu-ray disc, Deckard looked a bit flat on this TV—our runner-up added more liveliness and contour.

You might have to spend more if your room is very bright. As mentioned above, the 32R2A5R isn’t particularly bright by average TV standards: With the backlight cranked up during our HDR testing, this model topped out at around 270 nits.

That’s bright enough to combat some room lighting, but if your room gets a lot of sunlight—and especially if the screen will receive direct sunlight—you may need to spend more and increase your screen size. In that case, consider one of our budget 4K options, where the average brightness is closer to 500 nits.

The Select Series HD is sold only through Best Buy. As a result, you’re limited in where you can buy it and what kind of price-matching deals may be available.

Although the TCL S3 represents a step down in picture quality from our top pick, it has some advantages that certain people may prefer—namely, a higher resolution and the option to choose Fire TV, Google TV, or Roku for your streaming platform. We tested the Google TV version, the 32S350G.

Its 1080p resolution is much better for desktop use. During our tests, at average viewing distances (a few feet or more), I could barely discern the pricier S3 and its 1080p resolution from our more affordable top pick and its 720p resolution. But when you’re sitting closer or viewing content with more text (such as a strategy video game), the resolution makes a big difference.

Though we don’t generally recommend using a TV as a desktop monitor (you’d be better served by an actual desktop monitor), the S3 is a better choice for that situation than our top pick.

HDR looks superior on this model, but the overall picture quality isn’t as good. In our tests, the TCL 32S350G was only marginally brighter than the Roku 32R2A5R (around 280 nits versus 270 nits for our top pick), but its average black levels were significantly worse (averaging 0.58 nit versus the Roku model’s 0.039 nit). This difference was especially noticeable in content with letterbox bars, where elements of the backlight were often visible, particularly in off-angle viewing.

However, if you mostly watch in a brighter environment (such as a kitchen), where the subtleties of shadow detail aren’t as discernible, you may prefer the TCL S3’s slightly higher brightness. Even though the S3 still isn’t bright enough to really do HDR justice, it boasts better HDR processing than our top pick: Its 1080p resolution helps with higher-detail 4K content, and it handles light and color better, in general, while playing in HDR. Note, though, that only the Fire TV and Google TV variants support HDR playback.

Picture purists will want to tinker with the settings. Compared with our top pick, the S3 is disappointingly inaccurate in its Movie picture mode. In our tests, the colors were undersaturated, and the TV over-brightened shadows, making contrast look a bit shallow. Those errors were not egregious, but we found that this TV was not as well-tuned for standard dynamic range (SDR) content as our top pick.

You can improve things a bit by adjusting the settings for gamma and color space in the picture menu, but if you want tinker-free accuracy out of the box, you’ll be better served by the Roku Select Series HD.

This TV has good internal streaming but is more limited in connections. During my testing, the Google TV–based 32S350G did a fine job of streaming content from a wide array of apps, and I would guess that the Fire TV and Roku variants—equipped with support for the same Wi-Fi protocol—would yield roughly the same results. With different update priorities across those services, however, there’s likely to be some amount of discrepancy from platform to platform.

If you do want to stream HDR in the highest fidelity, or if you don’t have a wireless router (or have one in range), the included Ethernet port is one advantage that the S3 boasts over our top pick. (Again, keep in mind that the Roku variant can’t play HDR content.)

On the other hand, this TV is not as promising of a choice where external devices are concerned. With only two HDMI inputs, it’s pretty limited in how many devices (such as a game console or DVD/Blu-ray player) it allows you to connect, especially if you’re connecting the ARC-compatible HDMI input to a soundbar.

The 32S350G has an AV/composite splitter but doesn’t have direct hookups for that older audio/video format as our top pick does. And older, 480i or 480p sources may actually look worse on this 1080p TV than on our 720p top pick because they require more upscaling.

It has better-than-average onboard audio. No TV in this size or price range can promise good audio, but the S3 has slightly bigger and more robust speakers than the average 32-inch TV, including our top pick.

If you’re just building out an AV space and don’t have an external audio device, or if you don’t want to take up one of the two HDMI inputs with an ARC connection, the audio on this model is more serviceable by a hair, consisting of two 8-watt speakers versus the average pair of 5-watt speakers.

The S3 is bad for some video games but better for others. As mentioned above, our top pick had about half the input lag of every other 32-inch TV we tested, including this model. I did play games on the 32S350G, and in its Game picture mode it was very usable, but our top pick is a better choice for games that require faster reflexes or precise inputs.

Where the S3 might prove to be the better choice is for slower, more strategy-oriented games with lots of text or dialogue prompts—thanks to its native 1080p resolution, it’s likely to leave such games looking less pixelated than our top pick is.

A voice-ready remote is always welcome. The remote you get depends on which smart-TV version you choose. If you buy the Fire TV or Google TV variant of the S3, you get a voice-ready remote control that allows you to use Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant, respectively, to search content or execute commands.

If you buy the Roku variant, you don’t get a voice-compatible remote by default. However, you can use the Roku app on a mobile device to enable voice commands, or you can purchase the compatible Roku Voice Remote Pro.

If you’re willing to pay a lot more for a 32-inch TV that can blend into any room: Samsung’s 32-inch Frame TV is styled to look like a painting and comes with a slim-fit wall-mount—though you can set it up on a stand or table, too. It has customizable bezels, a matte screen, a built-in art store, and a bunch of other unique features that you can read about in our guide to the best 40- to 49-inch TVs.

The 32-inch version only has a 1080p resolution, but like the larger 4K versions, it has quantum-dot color and support for high dynamic range video. However, the edge LED lighting limits overall contrast. Plus, its dual citizenship as both a fully functional Samsung QLED TV and a convincing piece of art means it costs more than twice as much as our picks. You can get a larger, better-performing 4K TV for less money.

If you want a small, affordable 1080p TV for gaming: The 32-inch Vizio D32FM-K01, originally released in 2022, includes some gaming-friendly features that make it a solid choice for an affordable desktop gaming monitor. But it has a few performance issues that hold it back for movie and TV watching, as it isn’t as color-accurate as our picks and suffers from a few video-processing limitations.

For gamers, however, the D32FM-K01 has some features that distinguish it from other 1080p 32-inch competitors. It had the lowest measured input lag (9.6 ms when the gaming low latency control was on), and it supports AMD FreeSync and variable refresh rate for smoother playback, with a game menu that gives feedback in real time.

Our top pick has been discontinued and replaced with the new Roku Select Series HD 32R3B5, which has a 1080p resolution, a direct-lit LED backlight, a 60 Hz refresh rate, and three HDMI inputs. It’s also available in a 40-inch screen size (40R3B5). We plan to test it this fall.

Hisense’s 2024 A4N Series includes 32-, 40-, and 43-inch screen sizes, has a 1080p resolution, and runs Roku OS. But availability seems limited.

We’ve tested or dismissed dozens of 32-inch TVs since this guide’s creation in 2017. Many of them have since been discontinued and replaced by newer models. Here are a few notable competitors that might still be available:

Samsung’s UN32Q60C, introduced in 2022, is one of the few contemporary 32-inch TVs designed with higher-end video specs, including 4K resolution, quantum-dot color technology, and support for the HDR10 and HDR10+ high dynamic range formats. We did not test this TV because, according to reviews from sources we trust, it offers mediocre performance despite costing more than twice as much as our picks.

The Samsung UN32N5300, introduced over five years ago, is still available. At the time, it was one the first 32-inchers to offer 1080p resolution and support HDR, but those features can now be found on newer TVs.

We tested the TCL S2 (the step-down model from our runner-up pick) and found it to be lacking in a few areas: It offers worse contrast than both of our picks, it displays inaccurate colors in its Movie picture mode, and it’s generally too dark, brightening too slowly out of black. It’s available only in a 32-inch size at 720p resolution, and only with the Roku platform—so it’s essentially just a worse version of our top pick.

Our former pick, the TCL 32S334, has technically been discontinued and replaced by the new S3 model. You may still find this TV available online, but usually at elevated prices.

Sony introduced the KD-32W830K in 2022, but we opted not to test it because, despite being a basic TV with a 720p resolution like our top pick, it’s considerably more expensive.

LG released the 32LQ630BPUA in 2022. We chose not to test it due to LG’s poor track record with entry-level LCD TVs and trusted review sources stating that it’s a worse performer than our picks.

You can find a number of Fire TV–equipped 32-inch models manufactured by brands such as Insignia and Toshiba. These lines are refreshed semiregularly and are often on sale for less than $100, especially during deal events. I’ve tested such models in the past, and I’ve always been disappointed. You can get better picture quality and more reliability by spending a little more on one of our picks.

In your shopping, you may also come across other 32-inch TVs from brands you recognize, such as Hitachi, JVC, Philips, RCA, or Westinghouse. These TVs are no longer manufactured by the original companies; rather, the brand names have been licensed by other companies and are often mass-produced together. We prefer to focus on the major TV manufacturers that still do their own research, development, and customer support.

This article was edited by Adrienne Maxwell and Grant Clauser.