Products at a Glance
How we picked
We’ve selected the following TVs based on our own expertise in what makes a great TV for the price, specs, customer reviews, and more. We’re constantly reviewing the market, and have our eye out for the latest releases, which means our selection will be updated constantly. Since TVs under $300 tend to be on the small side, if you’re looking for some of the best 43-inch TVs on the market, they may drop to this price range in the sales. Be sure to check out our list so you’re ahead of the game!
Product Reviews
- Roku TV known for easy to use interface
- HDR
- Voice control
- Excellent value for money
- No specific gaming features
Powered by Roku, the 43S455 is a 43-inch budget 4K TV that delivers great picture quality and includes nice features to enhance your home entertainment. The 43-inch screen size makes for a more immersive and cinematic viewing experience, especially with HDR and the 4K resolution, which allows for extremely detailed images. At the same time, the screen size is not too large and makes the TV more suitable in a small room with limited space for furniture.
With plenty of free content and access to popular streaming services like Netflix, HBO Max, and Hulu, this Roku TV offers hours of entertainment right out of the box. The user interface is easy to navigate and you have the option to customize the home screen, making it easier to access your favorite apps.
The included remote is simple and easy to use. But if you want a more convenient way of navigation, you can use voice assistants for hands-free control. Siri, Alexa, and Google Assistant are all supported, giving you flexibility.
Although it lacks advanced gaming features, the 43S455 is a great TV for gaming if picture quality is more important to you than high-performance gaming. It has a dedicated gaming mode that optimizes the settings for smoother gameplay with low input lag. You also get four HDMI ports, allowing you to connect multiple consoles.
If you want the best overall TV under $300, get this TCL product. It’s great for playing video games and watching movies, TV shows, and sports, making it an all-around TV. It’s easy to use and has good build quality for an entry-level product. We highly recommend it if you want to buy a 4K TV without spending too much.
- Dedicated gaming features
- Stylish, thin-bezel design
- Chromecast built in and voice control
- Not optimal for Xbox Series X and PS5 gaming
- LCD panel isn't the best type available at the moment
If you’re looking for a good gaming TV under $300, then we think this Hisense 43a6H is one of the best you can get. This TV is great for all kinds of usage and includes dedicated game and sports modes for a more enjoyable experience when watching fast-paced content. Game Mode offers variable refresh rate technology and low input lag, with the latter being one of the most important for gaming.
Sports Mode adjusts the colors and makes motion smoother, meaning that fast-paced action isn’t blurry or stuttery. On top of that, with Google TV, you get a generous selection of apps to watch hundreds of content right away. The user interface is fast, responsive, and very easy to navigate, with the option to use Google Assistant for convenient voice control. You can also use the built-in Chromecast to access your favorite content from your mobile device.
All in all, the 43A6H is one of the best 4K TVs under $300, especially if you also have other devices within the Google ecosystem. It’s an all-around TV that works great for playing video games on consoles and watching movies and TV shows. Do note, however, that this TV still won’t hold a candle to some of the best gaming TVs on the market, which all feature HDMI 2.1 compatibility for 4K, 120hz gaming.
- Super affordable
- Great size for a kitchen or smaller room
- From a leading brand
- Chunky design may not be for everyone
- 1080p resolution okay at this size, but go larger for 4K
Although Samsung is best known for its premium TVs, it also has older models that are still great purchases even today, such as this LED 40-inch smart TV originally released in 2019.
This TV is actually 1080p, which may throw you off initially, but it’s worth remembering that due to pixel density the smaller the screen the better lower resolution looks to the human eye. The reality is that if you’re looking for a TV lower than 43 inches, you’ll likely only find FHD resolution nowadays.
As usual, at this price range, you can easily access popular streaming services on the user-friendly interface. The standard remote included in the package is basic and gets the job done, but if you want a more convenient control method, you can use either Google Assistant or Amazon Alexa for hands-free control.
If you’re sticking to a budget of $300 or less, this could be a good option to go for if you’re not fussed about 4K and would prefer to stick with one of the most popular brands in the space.
- 43-inch QLED display
- 4K resolution
- VRR support
- No local dimming
If you want a 4K QLED TV within the budget, then you can check out this model from the Vizio M-Series. Considering the price tag, we think this TV deserves to be one of the best Vizio TVs.
To start with, the TV sports a 43-inch QLED display that has over eight million pixels, so you can expect the TV to deliver better picture quality than an LED display. Plus, you get a 4K resolution, which should deliver high-resolution visuals.
Further, the TV has a Dolby Vision Bright Mode, which should give you good levels of color accuracy, black detail, and brightness levels. And with HDR support, the TV should be able to produce life-like visuals.
On the inside, the TV comes equipped with an IQ Active Processor, which promises to deliver good picture quality and upscale HD content to 4K.
As far as controls are concerned, this is a smart TV that comes with a voice remote and support for Alexa, which should give you intuitive controls. Also, it should blend in easily with your smart home system.
- 43-inch LED display
- 4K resolution
- DTS Studio Sound
- Mediocre brightness
If you want a 4K smart TV within the $300 budget, then you should check out this model from the Insignia F30 series. In fact, we think it should be a budget option in our best Insignia TV guide.
The TV sports a 43-inch display, which should be suitable for medium-sized bedrooms and even small lounges and living rooms. As mentioned earlier, this is a 4K TV, which should deliver high-resolution visuals.
Along with the high picture quality, the TV also offers DTS Studio Sound with two-speaker playback, which promises to create immersive audio to give you a cinematic experience.
Coming to smart features, this TV runs on the Fire TV platform, so you should be able to get quick and easy access to content for streaming. Plus, the TV comes with a voice remote that supports Alexa, which should give you intuitive controls.
How to pick the best TV for under $300
When it comes to getting great value for money, there are a few things you’ll want to look out for and some expectations you’ll need to manage when it comes to getting a TV for under $300.
Display Size
First off, as we mentioned, they will be smaller on the whole. If you can find a 65-inch TV for under $300, well done…but it’s far more likely you’ll find 43-inch to maybe 50-inch TVs instead.
Now if you’re going for a bigger TV, we’d massively recommend checking out Black Friday sales or other major sales events coming up in the future. Expect TVs just over 55 inches to potentially be reduced below $300.
Display Technology
But what about features? Well, TVs for under 300 dollars aren’t exactly cutting edge in the way that the top-of-the-line sets are, as they reduce the cost by going for older technology. This is quite apparent in their choice of panels, which are usually LED or LCD. For reference, more premium models have OLED, QLED, Mini-LED, or QD-OLED panels – all of which are excellent for color, contrast, and reducing screen bleed.
Gaming Features
You’ll also find that these TVs lack any punchy chipset, so the content you see isn’t going through any complex process to refine color, contrast, and definition further. The same goes for audio. You also won’t find HDMI 2.1 compatibility or 120hz refresh rates at this price range – so look elsewhere if you own a PS5 or Xbox Series X.
But does all that matter? Pfft…no. Especially if you’re looking for a TV for everyday usage that works great, looks good, and can be used for gaming at 60hz too. We’d even argue that there’s not a whole lot in it between the best TVs for under $300 and the best TVs for under $500 aside from the size…
Can I get a 4K TV for under $300?
Yes, you can definitely find a good 4K TV with a $300 budget. You can find small and medium-sized TVs from the likes of TCL, Hisense, Amazon, Vizio, and Insignia. For reference, you can check out the products listed in this guide.
Our Verdict
We’d say that the best TV under $300 is the TCL 43″ Class 4-series, which boasts the super easy-to-use Roku TV interface, 4K resolution, and surprisingly stylish design. Granted it may not have all the bells and whistles you’d expect from a more premium TV, but we think it delivers excellent bang for your buck. Grab this TV for a spare room, bedroom, or even for your main living space, and we think you won’t be disappointed.