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The best 48 to 50-inch TVs: fantastic TVs rated by experts

48, 49 and 50-inch TVs range from £400 to more than £1,000, so use our expert reviews to find the best TV for you
Martin PrattPrincipal researcher & writer
LG 4K OLED TV displaying the night sky

In this article

From reasonably priced mid-range sets to the very best on offer from top brands such as Samsung and LG, you’ll find something for your tastes in this size bracket. Our expert reviews uncover the finest models available to buy.

Price isn’t everything, though. We’ve tested Don't Buy TVs that cost as much as £700, but we’ve also found Best Buys that beat models two or even three times the price.

Not sure about what size you want? Check our TV reviews for our favourites from 32 to 65 inches.

Best 48 to 50-inch TVs

Only logged-in Which? members can view our recommendations in the table below. If you’re not yet a member, join Which? to get instant access to our table and all of our reviews – from TVs to dishwashers.

Not found the model for you? Browse all of our TV reviews.

48 to 50-inch TVs by brand

48 to 50-inch TVs reviews by price

Why you can trust our TV reviews

At Which? we don't just give a TV a quick once over, watch a few films, fiddle around in the menus and call it a day. Oh no – it takes more than a month to fully review a TV and our list of tests is exhaustive. We go to these lengths because TVs are a big purchase and one you're likely to spend a lot of time with. We love watching telly in the UK, and whatever genre you're into, you need a TV that will make it look and sound its best.

Picture and sound quality are a massive part of the test, but we also check everything from how easy it is to organise channels in the electronic programme guide, to checking whether there are enough screen magnification options for people who are blind or partially sighted. Like we said: exhaustive.

What's more, we never take samples from manufacturers. Every TV we test was bought straight from the retailer, so we're reviewing the same model you can buy. That means there's there's no influence from brands.

We have smaller living rooms than our American cousins (one of the biggest TV buying markets in the world) and it means 48 to 50-inch TVs are popular here. There are some stunning models, but choice is more limited at this size and there are still plenty of inferior options. We test all the 48 to 50-inch TVs from leading brands, so whatever set you're eyeing up you can check with Which? to see if it's any good.

Martin PrattWhich? TV expert

Where to buy a 48 to 50-inch TV

TVs are sold at most home and tech retailers. You can even pick them up from some supermarkets. Below, we've chosen some of the most popular retailers that sell 48 to 50-inch TVs  – they also scored highly in our member survey on the best tech shops.

  • Amazon carries TVs from most major brands including Samsung, LG, TCL, Hisense and more, as well as its own-brand Fire TVs. You can pick up a 48 to 50-inch TV from £180, and you'll get free delivery on most models. If you're a Prime member, there are a range of free delivery options. 
  • John Lewis stocks TVs from brands like LG, Sony and Panasonic. You can expect to pay from £300 to £1,500 for a TV, and most models will qualify for free standard delivery. You can also add services like TV setup, wall mounting, and more for additional costs.
  • Richer Sounds has 48 to 50-inch TVs from under £300, but most models cost between £500 and £800. You'll get free standard shipping on all TVs, and you'll typically find models from brands like LG, Samsung, Philips, Sharp and Sony. Richer Sounds was also the winner of our 2024 retailer of the year award.
  • Very offers mid-sized TV models from brands including LG, Hisense, Sharp and Samsung. For a 48 to 50-inch TV, you can expect to pay at least £250, with most models costing between £500 and £600. Just know that delivery won't be free – you'll have to spend an extra £9 for standard delivery, £17 for express and £22 for next-day shipping.

How big is a 48, 49 or 50-inch TV?

Each TV has a different-sized bezel and stand, so there will always be slight variations in the height, width and depth of a TV. 

We've taken the average size of the models we've tested so you can get a good idea of how much space one will take up.

  • 48-inch TV: 65.3 x 107 x 26.1cm (H,W,D)
  • 49-inch TV: 71.8 x 110.1 x 26.2cm (H,W,D)
  • 50-inch TV: 71 x 111.8 x 25.6cm (H,W,D)

How to check if a 48 to 50-inch TV is the right size for you

According to our research, this size bracket is the most popular. More visitors to the Which? website look at more 50-inch sets than any other screen size. 

Smaller 43-inch 4K TVs are available and, of course, there are bigger ones, too. We recommend sitting around 3 metres from a 48 to 50-inch TV; sit closer and you should probably choose a smaller TV, or a bigger one if you sit further away. 

Use our TV screen size tool to work out the size of TV that will best suit your room.

What features do the best 48 to 50-inch TVs have?

If this is the right size for you, here are some key things to look out for:

  • 4K ultra-HD: there's no reason to buy an HD TV. 4K TVs make up the overwhelming majority of what's available, don't tend to cost much more than HD models and do a better job of displaying HD content anyway.
  • Sound quality: there’s a huge disparity in sound quality across modern flatscreen TVs. While a Best Buy sound bar will improve your experience of any TV, the sound shouldn’t be so bad that you’re forced to splash out on one. We test every TV with both music and dialogue to ensure our Best Buys not only look great but sound great, too.
  • High Dynamic Range: you’ll now find this picture technology on most 4K sets. It should give deeper blacks, brighter whites and more subtlety of tone in between, but you need HDR content to make use of it. Hundreds of hours of HDR content is available on streaming services and pricier 4K TVs will have more advanced formats. These aren't necessarily must-haves, though. Our reviews always detail the HDR formats supported and how well they are utilised.
  • High-end display tech: though not a must, you'll see a lot of OLED and QLED TVs in this size bracket. If you want the best picture quality, it's worth considering them, but they do cost more than LCD TVs on average.

What size TV should I buy?