Forking out for a top-of-the-range telly will get you an OLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate, a broader array of speakers to make sound more precise and directional, and the latest processor to power it all. If reading that gave you a little buzz of excitement then you're likely a fan of high-end tech and the satisfaction you get from knowing you're seeing a TV show or film at its very best.
But the truth is, as much as TVs do benefit from all those fancy extras, they aren't necessary for good picture and sound. You can spend less to get a telly you'll be delighted with and, honestly, most people should. At £600 or less you'll find Great Value models at every size and even a Best Buy or two.
Here's why £600 is the sweet spot for your next TV.
What to expect from a £600 TV
TV prices range from £200 to £10,000 (and more for some specialist models) but at their core they all function the same way. Despite almost every TV being 4K and smart, there are some areas where high-end models differ from the models that are available for £600 or less.
1. The panel and resolution
Barring the smallest and cheapest models, any TV you buy will be 4K. We wouldn't recommend an HD TV unless you're buying something 32 inches or smaller where there aren't 4K options. In our experience, HD TVs seem to be an afterthought for manufacturers. We haven't tested one that looked or sounded good in years.
So, for your £600 (or less) you're getting a 4K TV and it will be backlit. That doesn't mean your TV is taking part in glamorous photo shoot, although what you do with your new TV is up to you. A backlight is a layer of bulbs behind the screen, or around the edge of it. They shine on a colour-producing layer to make the picture. At this price, it's most likely to be an LCD TV (liquid crystals make the colour here) or a QLED (also uses liquid crystals, but adds quantum dots for a colour boost).
It will be 60Hz, which means the screen can refresh the image 60 times every second. This is exactly enough for all the content you watch. Anything quicker is only a benefit for gamers.
2. HDR support
Paying £600 or less will typically mean you're only getting support for HDR10 and HLG.
HDR's job is to broaden the contrast to make darker parts of the picture look denser and fuller, while brighter parts have a crisper gleam. HDR10 and HLG are basic formats that set a blanket contrast adjustment for each piece of content, while Dolby Vision and HDR10+ adjust contrast on a scene-by-scene basis.
This finer contrast control from these advanced formats doesn't always look good though and we've tested cheaper TVs with better HDR use than some high-end models.
3. Screen size
You might be thinking that spending less means you'll have to settle for a smaller screen, but that's not necessarily the case. Yes, having a smaller budget means your big screen options are limited, but there are a handful of TVs as big as 65 and even 75 inches for around £600 that we recommend.
This won't always be the case though. It's important to buy your TV at the right time if you want the best price, which is the spring and summer the year after they were released. You won't find 65 or even 55-inch TVs we recommend for below £600 if you buy them just after they launch.
4. Sound and picture quality
It's the screen and the speakers where you're going to see the biggest difference between a cheaper TV and a more high-end one.
If you're looking for five-star picture and sound then you'll need a top-tier TV, but there are numerous models that manage a respectable four-stars across SD, HD and 4K picture quality tests.
There are even a handful of standout models that manage five stars in at least one resolution.
The difference between four and five stars can be razor thin and sometimes spending hundreds more only results in small improvements, which makes cheaper sets even more tempting for anyone who is happy with good quality rather than excellent quality.
5. Operating system parity
Brands make their own operating systems (OS) or use one from Google or Amazon, and it's rare to see a brand use different ones for each range.
Buy a £300 or £3,000 TV from Samsung and you're getting the same OS and this is true of almost every brand. The remote may differ as you move up a brand's lineup and beefier processors mean high-end sets are typically more responsive, but the menus, app store and electronic programme guide will be the same.
You shouldn't be buying a TV that isn't smart either and, thankfully, almost all of them are.
6. Fewer extras
TVs aren't exactly bedecked with bonus features, so you're not missing out on anything game-changing if you spend less, but there are a couple of things you won't find on a cheaper set.
7. More TVs to avoid
TVs tend to get better as their price goes up, which means there are more models to be wary of at the cheaper end of the spectrum. Be particularly wary of bigger sets that fall into the £600 price bracket. There are good options to be had, but they are scarcer.
Look out for cheaper sets promising high-end features, too. Some brands have a tendency to do this, but it's not good enough for the tech to simply be on the TV, it needs to be implemented well.
Our favourite TVs for £600 or less
Which brands to look out for when you're spending less
Their TVs still tend to be cheaper than LG and Samsung, but the incredible success of these brands has driven down prices everywhere, which is why we're seeing more Great Value sets from every brand, not just Hisense and TCL.
YoWhen should you spend more?
There are two camps of people who should be looking at a more high-end TV: gamers and perfectionists.
Gamers Perfectionists undefinedsource https://www.which.co.uk/news/article/why-you-dont-need-to-spend-more-on-a-tv-acyUz7g4uzY5