Are you on the look for a new Smart TV? There are so many options out there that this can become really hard and overwhelming. You need to consider many factors, and this might take ages while going through many different TVs. This is why we are here to help you with the ultimate buying guide full of tips on choosing the best Smart TV.
Quick cheat sheet
If you want to have everything you need to know in just a couple of lines, we have you covered. Here are the quick tips you need to know about:
- Don’t go for anything below 4K — If you want good quality, don’t even think about getting a Smart TV with just Full HD or 1080p.
- Size does matter — We go to the cinema to experience watching movies on the big screen. If you want to get close to that experience, get yourself a big TV, and you won’t regret it.
- Go for 60Hz or higher refresh rate — When watching 4K content, you don’t want lagging issues or blurry pictures, so you need a TV with at least 60Hz refresh rate or even better 120Hz.
- Check for device compatibility — we all love our smart devices, and you need to make sure your new TV will be compatible with all of them. For example, if you are a fan of Fire TV, as many others, check if the TV will be compatible with the version of the Fire Stick you have. Setting up your Fire Stick on a new TV and taking advantage of even more features and a better picture with your new Smart TV is so easy. Let Firesticktricks guide you and show you all the benefits of having a Fire Stick and trust us, there are many.
- Better choose an OLED TV — Indeed, OLED TVs are a bit more expensive, but there is a better option compared to LCD.
- Check the HDMI ports formats — If you can find a TV with the latest HDMI 2.1 ports, it will be more than great, and make sure to get a new HDMI cable as well to make sure everything works smoothly.
Tips on finding the best Smart TV
If you want to have more details on what you should keep in mind and why while choosing a Smart TV, keep reading.
Screen size
First of all, you will never regret getting a bigger TV, but you might regret getting a smaller one. We don’t mean getting a too big TV, and you can’t really enjoy watching TV on it, but something that will fit in your place and be big enough for you to get maximum enjoyment. The most common sizes that people get for their living room would be anything between 55 to 65 inches. But no size fits all preferences and needs, so choose the size that matches yours.
The major factor when choosing the size is to consider how far away you would sit from the TV. The best advice we can give you is to choose a size based on that rule — the distance between you and the TV should be at least two times the size of the screen.
Screen resolution
As we mentioned going for anything under 4K is not worth it. On the other hand, going with 8K might be too expensive, and there is still not so much content for such resolution. Why do you need a higher resolution? The answer is simple a higher resolution would mean you will get a better picture with really good details.
HD resolution or 920 x 1080 resolution is maybe the most popular one for TVs, but this might not be enough when it comes to Smart TV. 4K has 3840 x 2160 pixels as resolution, and if you wonder what those pixels mean, you can check this article. If you get 4K and watch content with the same resolution quality, you will be able to see almost every tiny detail on the screen with greater clarity.
You might suppose 8K means you will get even more details thanks to the 7680 x 4320 pixels. And it really is so, but you also need to watch content with the same quality. And for the moment, most channels are not able to support this, and not many movies or TV series offer it as well. Smart TVs with 8K resolution are, for the moment, a bit too expensive for what they can offer.
Refresh rate
The refresh rate will show how many times a picture is refreshed on the screen per second. What would be good is if you could go with at least 60Hz, but anything above that is even better. There is now something called HFR or High-Frame Rate which would be a great addition to the features you need to look for in a Smart TV.
Compatibility and connection options
We will group all this together because there are so many options to connect your TV to other devices and so many additional ones that you might want to use. Whether it is something as we mentioned as Fire Stick or another similar device or you just want to connect it with your laptop from time to time, you need to make sure all the devices are compatible.
On top of that, your Smart TV will have a number of ports available. Maybe the most important one is the HDMI one. This is why if you can find a Smart TV in your price range with the newer HDMI 2.1 format, you will guarantee yourself a better connection and also better refresh rates, quality, etc.
Panel technology
Both OLED and LED technologies are great, but we will admit that OLED is just a bit better. However, those TVs are more expensive, so you won’t be disappointed even if you get an LED LCD. The difference is visible for people that really pay attention to colors, especially the black and the contrast. So, if you can fit an OLED Smart Tv in your budget, this will be more than perfect for you and enjoy a great picture.
Conclusion
There are so many different options for Smart TVs, making it hard to choose one. We mentioned just the most important factors you need to think of when you are buying a new Smart TV, and if you keep them in mind, you will find a great fit that will be suitable for your budget as well. After that, you just need to find some great movies to enjoy.
