More and more often we hear about ultra-technological televisions that allow you to install multimedia apps and enjoy streaming services without having to use other connected devices. If so far we have believed that this type of TV was inaccessible to our pockets, you are mistaken: they are commercially available several cheap Smart TVs, with a reasonable price (under € 400) that allow you to install the most popular multimedia apps and take advantage of the new TV for Internet streaming.In this guide, we will show you how to choose the cheapest Smart TVs, which features they must possess and finally we will show you a list of models we can buy online to save further.READ ALSO: Best Smart TV for app system from Samsung, Sony, LG, Panasonic
Guide to the cheapest Smart TVs
When we talk about cheap Smart TVs, we will have to pay attention to the features offered by the device, to avoid taking a TV with a multimedia part that is too slow or not compatible with the most famous apps we intend to use.
Features Smart TV cheap
In order to be used without regrets, a cheap Smart TV must necessarily have the following features:
- Wifi connection: since the TV could be far from the modem or from the home router, it is better to be able to take advantage of the wireless connection at home to access the Internet. For the purposes both the 2.4 GHz connection and the 5 GHz connection (faster) are fine.
- HD resolution: many cheap TVs have support HD Ready, which provides a maximum resolution of 1280 × 720 pixels. This resolution can only work well on smaller TVs (less than 36 inches), while to take advantage of a 40-inch Smart TV or above we always recommend betting on Full HD, which is on the resolution 1920 × 1080 pixels. In this price range 4K UHD TVs are uncommon, but still available (only 43-inch models up).
- Smart operating system: on many cheap Smart TVs we find how Android operating system in an unofficial version: it is not, therefore, an Android TV (available only on high-end televisions), but of a version of Android for smartphones optimized to work on the TV; we can then install the smartphone apps on our TV without any particular problems. Unfortunately, some apps will not recognize the TV as a TV screen but as a big smartphone, so we could run into interface compatibility problems (we will have to use the mouse commands available on the remote control to manage some apps); to this we add that often the version of Android inserted in the TV is quite obsolete (we can find Android 4.4 or Android 5) and some apps may no longer be available. If we want more optimization for streaming media and movie apps, we recommend that you bet only on Smart TV models sold by known manufacturers (like LG, HISENSE, Sharp and Samsung) ed avoid Smart TVs with unofficial Android.
- Doors and connections: to support any type of external device, we advise you to check the number of USB ports and HDMI ports; on a good Smart TV, there must be at least 3 HDMI ports and at least 2 USB ports. If we want to connect the TV via Ethernet cable, we check that the appropriate port is also present in the back of the TV.
- Modern television standard compatibility: to be able to make a long-lasting purchase (without having to focus on an external decoder), we advise you to check if the TV is present support for the DVB-T2 standard, the HEVC codec (H.265) and the HbbTV standard. If the television is equipped with all three elements mentioned above, we will be able to see the digital terrestrial channels broadcast in a few years without problems. If we intend to use the Tivùsat platform without an external decoder, make sure that there is a DVB-S2 digital tuner and a CI + Smart CAM slot (Common Interface Plus) on our economical Smart TV.
These are the main features to check at the time of purchase, so you can make a sensible purchase and not dictated by haste or the desire to save at all costs. The lack of even one of the mentioned features could ruin our multimedia experience forever with the purchased Smart TV.
Buying Guide
After seeing together the features that a cheap Smart TV must have, let’s see together the models that we can buy online on Amazon, so as to further save and obtain models with all the features listed above.
JVC Smart TV Full HD
One of the cheapest Smart TVs is signed by JVC and has a 32 “FullHD screen, Smart function with the proprietary operating system (including Netflix and Amazon Prime Video), DVBT2 / C / S2 tuner, HEVC – H265 codec support, Sky HD Certifications, and TV 4K TV and CAM slots.
We can view this model here -> JVC Smart TV Full HD (€ 219).
Sharp Aquos Smart TV HD
If we want superior audio quality, we can focus on this Sharp model, with Wi-Fi connection, the integrated audio system made by Harman Kardon, Active Motion to manage moving images, DTS audio support, and proprietary operating system.
We can view this model here -> Sharp Aquos Smart TV HD (€ 213).
HISENSE H40BE5500 Full HD LED TV
Another very interesting Smart TV is the HISENSE H40BE5500, which has a 40-inch Full HD screen, triple tuner for DVB-C, DVB-S2, DVB-T2 HD (codec H.265), CI + slot, WiFi, Ethernet , Screen Mirroring, HDMI x2, USB x2, USB media player and Vidaa U operating system with Prime Video app, Netflix, Dazn, TimVision and ChiliTV.
We can view this model here -> HISENSE H40BE5500 (€ 279).
Samsung UE43NU7090UXZT Smart TV 4K
Among the best Smart TVs of the category, we find the product of Samsung, which has a 43-inch UHD screen (3840 x 2160 pixels), HDR technology that guarantees brightness and bright colors, reduced thickness and thin frame, Tizen operating system with support for all the multimedia and streaming apps available at the moment.
We can view this model here -> Samsung UE43NU7090UXZT (338 €).
HISENSE H55BE7000 Ultra HD 4K LED TV
The biggest television we can buy in this price range is HISENSE, which has a 55-inch 4K HDR display, Vidaa U3.0 Smart TV system with support for Prime Video, Netflix, Dazn, TimVision and ChiliTV, technology Precision Color to reproduce more accurate and natural colors, DTS Studio Sound Audio, DVB-T2 / S2 HEVC HLG tuner, WiFi connectivity, CI + Slot, HDMI x3, USB x2, Headphone Output and Alexa voice commands.
We can view this model here -> HISENSE H55BE7000 (€ 379).
Conclusions
It is not necessary to spend € 1000 to get the last generation Smart TV, as we can get all the Smart features required for less than € 400 (we can also find valid 4K UHD TVs).
To learn more about the Smart features of a TV, we can read our guide on What does Smart TV means, what are the advantages and disadvantages.
If instead, we have movies or TV series saved on the PC, we can view them on Smart TV by reading our in-depth analysis of how to See Movies and videos on Smart-TV from PC, web, and smartphones.
If, on the other hand, we want to record television broadcasts via Smart TV, we recommend that you read our review on How to record episodes and movies on Smart TV.