The LG C2 remains our top pick as the best 48-inch TV you can buy today. Yes, there's a newer LG C3 on the market that claims fifth place or its notable upgrade, such as new features to delight movie lovers and gamers.
But the LG C2 is still the best option for most people with its wonderful picture quality, especially if you can find it reduced now it's technically one of last year's models.
Matt Bolton, Managing Editor – Entertainment
The best 48-, 49- and 50-inch TVs are the best sized TVs for the majority of people. If you don’t fancy investing in a huge screen or simply want something that won’t take up the whole room, a 48, 49, or 45-inch TV is the perfect option. At these sizes, you can still make the most of 4K resolution, luxuriate in the colourful delights of HDR – or High Dynamic Range – and appreciate the technological wizardry at work in modern screens. And even better, you’re not going to have to sell a kidney to pay for it.
The other piece of good news is that you have a wealth of choice when it comes to this size of screen. Manufacturers, thankfully, understand that we now don’t all need to fill a wall with a screen. Plus, it used to be rare that OLED TVs would drop below 55-inches but improvements in screen manufacturing processes mean you can find the best OLED TVs at the right size for you. In fact, many of the best TVs with the latest innovations in screen tech are available at this 50-inch sweet spot so there’s no need to worry about having to find the space or cash for a 65-inch OLED behemoth to have the ultimate home cinema experience.
We've got good news for gamers too. If you're playing on console or PC, you'll find that some of the TVs we've listed here are among the best gaming TVs too. That means you can get the best of both worlds: a brilliant TV and a top-tier gaming experience too. You also might notice that this guide doesn't include any of the best 8K TVs. There's a reason for that: at this screen size, 8K isn't worth having unless you plan to sit with your nose touching the display, and even then there's still a lack of dedicated 8K content to enjoy.
So with all of that in mind, let’s discover the very best 48-, 49- and 50-inch TVs. If you want something smaller for a bedroom or kitchen, we’ve also got a guide to the best 40-inch TVs. Alternatively, if you want to go up a size, check out our breakdown of the best 55-inch TVs. For something in between, check out our list below.
Best 48- to 50-inch TV for most people
Taking the top spot on this list is the 48-inch LG C3, which like its predecessor the LG C2, is a jack-of-all-trades TV that makes the most of your movies and gaming whilst also offering an intuitive smart TV platform, plenty of features and great value.
The LG C3 delivers a fantastic picture, with rich contrast, crisp textures and vibrant colors thanks to its OLED panel. It excels at displaying movies with Dolby Vision HDR, delivering punchy picture quality that extends to gaming. The C3 also maintains its contrast and color when viewed off-center for watching with larger groups.
Gaming is a real highlight for the LG C3. It carries four kitted-out HDMI 2.1 ports that support 4K, 120Hz, VRR including AMD FreeSync Premium Pro and Nvidia G-sync, and Dolby Vision gaming. It also offers a Game Optimizer and Dashboard that's up there with the best and low 9.2ms input lag time (with Boost mode on).
There may be the odd downside to the C3, such as its average sound quality, but overall it delivers in almost every area you could hope for from a TV. And with prices dropping frequently, it's easy to get a good deal on the LG C3, which really is the best 48-inch TV for most people.
Read our full LG C3 review
Best budget 48- to 50-inch TV
The Amazon Fire TV Omni QLED covers a lot of bases, with a detailed and colorful picture, good gaming performance (despite a lack of some next-gen gaming features), Amazon's Fire TV smart platform and more, all at a very competitive price. You can realistically expect to pay $349 / 399 / around AU$775 for the 50-inch model as the Omni QLED is frequently on sale.
For a budget QLED TV, the Amazon Omni QLED's picture is surprising - in a good way. Textures are detailed and skin tones are accurate and true-to-life. Colors are plenty punchy and vivid and it handles motion very well. Sadly, black levels are lacking, with dark tones taking on a gray hue rather than 'true' black, but that's to be expected from a budget QLED TV.
Despite a lack of next-gen gaming features such as a 120Hz refresh rate, the Omni QLED is a strong-performing gaming TV. It does offer VRR, ALLM and even Dolby Vision gaming - a welcome addition at this price. It also beats some much more premium models with a low 10.4ms input lag, allowing for smoother and more responsive gaming.
It does carry some limitations, such as an occasionally stuttering smart TV platform and average sound quality. Still, with the Amazon Fire TV Omni QLED you get an impressive TV at a budget-friendly price that will more than suit many people.
Read our full Amazon Fire TV Omni QLED review
Best mid-range 48- to 50-inch TV
The Samsung Q80C sits in an odd place in Samsung's 2023 TV lineup. It's a mid-range QLED set that's not as premium as its Neo QLED or OLED range and not as budget as its Samsung Q60C QLED or its LED range. However, that doesn't stop it from being a top quality TV. It offers sensational picture quality for the money and an ideal TV for gamers with a suite of features, all for a very competitive price.
The Samsung Q80C's picture seriously impresses. It has better-than-expected black levels, which are almost 'true' black, excellent lighting control and of course bold, bright colors that somehow also maintain a level of subtlety and naturalness that stops them being too overblown. One downside is that the Samsung Q80C doesn't have the best viewing angles, so if you're going to have large groups watching regularly, you're better off looking at OLEDs such as the LG C3.
For gaming, the Samsung Q80C is a well stocked TV. Featuring the full suite of four HDMI 2.1 ports, which support 4K 120Hz, VRR including AMD Freesync Premium support and a low 9.7ms input lag time to offer a smoother gaming experience. Pair these features with the Q80C's sharp, detailed and vibrant picture and you get a TV that should be a consideration for gamers looking for the best value.
It may not be as well designed as other TVs, even other Samsung sets, given its unremarkable yet solid build quality and its sound quality is lacking in bass, but it is hard to argue against what the Samsung Q80C delivers, especially at the price it's at.
Read our full Samsung Q80C review
Best 48-50 inch mini-LED TV
If you're looking for a super bright TV in smaller sizes that's in the mid- to high-end price range, then the Samsung QN90C is one of our newest and top picks. It's from Samsung's Neo QLED series of TVs and it boasts high brightness and impressive all-around video performance.
With its anti-glare screen, the QN90C is a great option for daytime sports viewing, and its comprehensive gaming support also makes it a perfect choice for console- or cloud-based gaming – it offers up four 4K 120Hz-capable HDMI 2.1 ports for connecting next-gen game consoles. Similar to other Samsung TVs, HDR support here extends to the HDR10+, HDR10, and HLG formats, but not Dolby Vision.
During our testing, we found the Samsung QN90C delivered impressive peak HDR brightness (we measured 1,787 nits) in its Movie picture mode. There is also a Filmmaker mode option, but that had lower brightness and was generally less accurate than Movie. We also noted deep blacks with detailed shadows and only a small amount of backlight blooming.
Design-wise, this TV is slim with a thin bezel. It also has a sturdy hexagonal plate stand, which all adds to the QN90C's strong visual appeal – it even looks great when in Ambient Mode, a feature for displaying artwork and photos in a low-power mode.
At this price, it won't hit the same performance heights as the company’s flagship QN95 series, but it’s a good deal less expensive while checking off many of the same boxes from a features standpoint.
Read our full Samsung QN90C review
How to choose the best 48- to 50-inch TVs
What is the best 50-inch smart TV?
Currently, the best 48-50 inch TV available is the LG C3. Now available for as low as $999/£899, it gives you everything you could need in a TV for movies, gaming and smart features plus has the added benefit of a crisp, dynamic OLED panel.
How much should you pay for a 50-inch TV?
It all depends. If you want the TVs with the most amount of features, expect to pay close to $800 / £700 / AU$1,000. That said, you can easily find 50-inch TVs at half that price if you don't mind skimping out on performance. If you consider yourself a cinephile and love to watch movies at their best, it's better to spend a bit more for a more premium model.
What should you look for in a 50-inch TV?
Like shopping for any other TV, there are a few important specs to pay attention to: resolution, contrast, native refresh rate and HDR support all matter here. Ideally, you're looking for a 4K 120Hz TV with a peak brightness of around 1,000 nits and support for Dolby Vision and/or HDR10+. That's hard to find outside of our top pick – but that's what you're looking for in an ideal world.
For gamers, you definitely want to find HDMI 2.1 ports like the ones you'll find in our second pick while sports watchers should pay extra attention to a TV's motion handling. The latter is tough to suss out through specs, but definitely something you can spot in-person if you go to the store.
What makes shopping for 50-inch TVs tricky is that manufacturers typically don't make their flagship TVs in that size. That means you're basically stuck shopping between all the B-list TVs and lower.
If you can stretch your budget – and wall – a bit further, we'd really implore you to consider a 55-inch TV instead. There's a much wider selection of models available and many of them are the brand's flagship TVs. If, however, a 50-inch is all you fit, then hopefully you've found at least a few options above.
Latest updates
March 28, 2024
Changed the LG C3 to the 'best overall'. Introduced the Amazon Omni QLED as 'best budget' and Samsung Q80C as 'best mid-range'. Samsung QN90C became 'best mini-LED'. Removed Philips OLED807, LG A2 and Samsung BU8500 due to stock levels. Added in this latest updates section.
