Our budget picks

The Hisense 50A7NQTUK QLED is the best budget TV Compare Electronic tracks in the UK in June 2026. It is a 50-inch 4K QLED with three HDMI 2.1 ports, VRR, Dolby Vision, HDR10+ and Dolby Atmos, a feature set most budget TVs cut. The Hisense 50U7QTUK Mini-LED is the best picture for the money thanks to local dimming and a 144 Hz panel. The Hisense 65E78QTUK QLED is the cheapest route to a 65-inch screen, and the LG 55UA73006LA is the lowest-cost set from a major brand.

What a budget TV gets you in 2026

Budget no longer means basic. In 2026 the affordable end of the market gives you a 4K resolution, quantum-dot QLED colour, and increasingly HDMI 2.1 with VRR. What you trade away is contrast, peak brightness and processing, not core features.

• You keep: 4K resolution, QLED or Mini-LED colour, Dolby Vision and HDR10+ on the better sets, and a full smart platform with the main streaming apps.
• You compromise on: peak brightness (budget sets are dimmer, so HDR has less impact), contrast (no OLED black), and motion processing (cheaper chips upscale less cleanly).
• Watch the refresh rate: most budget TVs run 60 Hz. A 144 Hz budget Mini-LED such as the Hisense 50U7QTUK is the exception worth seeking out if you game.

1. Hisense 50A7NQTUK 50" QLED - best overall budget

The Hisense 50A7NQTUK is the most TV per pound in the catalogue. It is a 50-inch 4K QLED, so quantum-dot colour gives it richer, more accurate output than a plain LED set at the same price, and it supports both Dolby Vision and HDR10+ along with Dolby Atmos. The standout for the price is connectivity: three HDMI 2.1 ports and VRR, so a PS5 or Xbox Series X gets variable refresh on a budget panel. The trade-offs are the 60 Hz refresh (no high-frame-rate gaming) and QLED contrast, but for a first 4K TV or a second room this is hard to beat.

2. Hisense 50U7QTUK 50" Mini-LED - best picture

The Hisense 50U7QTUK is the best picture for the money. Mini-LED swaps the basic backlight for thousands of small LEDs grouped into local-dimming zones, so dark areas dim independently of bright ones. That gives it deeper contrast and stronger HDR than a plain QLED at a similar price. It is also the gaming pick of this shortlist: the panel runs 144 Hz with VRR, well above the 60 Hz the other budget sets settle for. For a buyer who wants the best image and some high-refresh headroom on a budget, the U7Q is the standout.

3. Hisense 65E78QTUK 65" QLED - biggest screen

The Hisense 65E78QTUK is the cheapest route to a genuinely big screen. At 65 inches it is the largest set on this shortlist, and it stays at 4K rather than dropping to 1080p the way some big cheap TVs do. The quantum-dot QLED panel keeps colour rich, and it supports Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos. The compromise for the size and price is the rest of the spec sheet: this is a film-and-TV set rather than a gaming TV, so do not expect high-refresh or a full gaming feature list. If your priority is maximum screen for minimum spend, it delivers.

4. LG 55UA73006LA 55" - cheapest big brand

The LG 55UA73006LA is the pick for a buyer who wants a major brand at the lowest possible price. It is a 55-inch 4K set on a 60 Hz panel, and it runs LG's webOS smart platform with the main streaming apps built in. This is a basic set: it does not carry the Mini-LED contrast of the Hisense U7Q or the HDR format breadth of the A7N, and it is best understood as a clean, simple 4K TV for a second room, a kitchen or a first move up from a 1080p set. The value here is the brand and the price, not the spec sheet.

Best budget TV UK 2026 spec sheet

How to shop a budget TV without regret

Mini-LED is the upgrade that matters most on a budget

If you can stretch to a budget Mini-LED such as the Hisense 50U7QTUK, do it. Local dimming is the single biggest picture upgrade available below OLED money, and it lifts both contrast and HDR impact over a plain QLED. The contrast versus brightness trade-off is covered in full in OLED vs QLED explained.

Do not pay extra for HDR a cheap panel cannot show

Budget TVs list Dolby Vision and HDR10+, but a dim panel cannot deliver the brightness HDR needs to look dramatic. Treat HDR support on a budget set as a compatibility tick (so content plays correctly) rather than a reason to pay more. Spend the extra on panel type and size instead.

Match the size to the room, then buy the best panel that fits

A 50-inch to 55-inch set suits most living rooms at 2 to 2.5 m seating. Going to 65 inches, as the Hisense E78 does, is worth it only if you sit further back. Once the size is fixed, put the rest of the budget into the panel. For the premium tier and the full ranking, see Best TV UK 2026.

Verdict

The Hisense 50A7NQTUK QLED is the best budget TV Compare Electronic tracks in the UK in June 2026: a 4K QLED with three HDMI 2.1 ports, VRR and the full HDR format set, for the lowest price of the shortlist. The Hisense 50U7QTUK Mini-LED is the best picture for a little more, the Hisense 65E78QTUK is the cheapest big screen, and the LG 55UA73006LA is the cheapest set from a major brand. Every one of them is a real 4K TV, not a compromise, at a budget price.