Looking to know how to buy a TV? Here’s our easy-to-understand TV buying guide to help you buy the best smart TV in India. We have mentioned all you need to know about buying TVs so you need not look anywhere else!
- TV Display
- Screen Size
- Resolution
- RAM & Storage
- Operating System
- Sound
- Refresh Rate
The display of the TV is one of the key factors to look for when buying a TV. Currently, there are many different TV Display technologies available in India. The most popular are LED, OLED and QLED. All these panel technologies come with different positives and negatives. Below is a detailed explanation of which TV display to choose. This can help you
decide which TV display is the best for you.
LED vs QLED vs OLED TV display Technologies Comparison | |||
Features | LED | QLED | OLED |
Viewing Angle | Good | Good | Excellent |
Black Levels | Poor | Good | Excellent |
Brightness | Good | Excellent | Good |
Motion Handling | Poor | Good | Excellent |
Color Accuracy | Good | Excellent | Very Good |
Contrast | Poor | Good | Excellent |
Discoloration/Screen Burn | Good | Excellent | Poor |
Price & Availability | Excellent | Good | Poor |
1) Who should buy a LED Display TV?
If you are looking for a TV under budget but with the best value for money features, you may consider buying a LED display TV. Many of us often believe that LED and LCD displays are two different ones. Though this is only partially true. LED display is just a better version of LCD display. A LED Display uses Light Emitting Diodes (LED) to power the
backlight of the TV panel as opposed to Cold Cathode Fluorescent Lamps (CCFL), most commonly used in LCD TVs. Because of the difference in technology between LED & LCD televisions, LED TVs consume 30% less energy and are thinner, and lighter in weight than LCD televisions.
Pro buying tip: When buying a LED TV, be sure to pay attention to the type of LED backlight technology used. Edge-lit LED
televisions are less expensive but because their LEDs are placed on the edge of the panel display, it may result in poor contrast levels as compared to full array LED TVs that have numerous LEDs spread out on the screen. Also, Full Array LED TVs use something called “local dimming” which basically means each LED can be individually illuminated depending on the content, providing more contrasting colors.
2) Who should buy a QLED Display TV?
Quantum Dot LED or QLED TV displays can be your best choice for buying a TV with a balanced TV display. Between LED TVs and OLED TVs, LED televisions are more balanced as they offer more color accuracy, brightness, and motion handling as compared to traditional LED tv displays. In comparison to OLED televisions, QLED TVs are also less likely to have discoloration or screen burn-in issues. Those who are looking for the best color display may consider buying a QLED Display.
Pro buying tip: When buying a TV with a QLED Display, be sure to buy a TV with the appropriate screen size and resolution as per your viewing distance because QLED TVs generally lack the “best viewing angle” feature that OLED TVs have a much easier time offering. Nevertheless, QLED TVs are a better choice if you are looking to purchase a TV as a PC monitor or watch a lot of static content due to them being less susceptible to screen burn-in.
3) Who should buy an OLED TV?
Organic Light Emitting Diodes or OLED TVs are currently among the top TV display technologies that offer a superior viewing experience. OLED TVs beat both LED & QLED televisions when it comes to providing the best viewing angles, contrast, and motion handling. While both OLED & QLED TVs offer 4K & 8K resolution, OLED TVs because of their
display technology can offer you a truly immersive experience.
The major drawback though of OLED TVs is that they are more susceptible to screen burn-in which basically happens when you leave your display on with static content for a long period of time, the print gets imprinted on the TV Panel. But as long as you are varying what is displayed, this problem should not arise. If you are looking for the best-in-class experience with excellent display quality, good color accuracy, amazing viewing angle, and motion blur, you may consider
buying an OLED TV.
Pro buying tip: When buying an OLED TV, be sure to check if the brightness nits are between 700 to 1000 nits for getting a well-lit viewing experience because older OLED TVs generally lack in brightness levels and a higher refresh rate of 120 Hz to eliminate stuttering if you wish to play Playstation or Xbox series. Also, it’s better to avoid OLED TVs if you are going to be watching a lot of static content or want to use your TV display as a PC monitor. Otherwise, they are one of the best TV display technologies currently.
Next important factor to consider when buying a TV is to select an appropriate TV size as per your viewing distance. When buying a TV, people generally have this notion that the bigger, the better. However, this is not always true. If you buy a TV screen size much bigger than your viewing distance, you would not get the best clarity experience, not be able to see the whole picture, put strain on your eyes, or even get strain in your neck. On the other hand, if you buy the right TV
screen size, you are more likely to get a cinematic viewing experience with your TV.
So ditch the idea of “the bigger, the better” when buying a TV and choose the right TV size as your viewing distance. Below is a table that explains what size TV should you buy as per your viewing distance.
Guide for TV screen size as per viewing distance | |
Viewing Distance | Minimum Screen Size |
4 feet | 32 inches |
5 feet | 42 inches |
6 feet | 50 inches |
7 feet | 55 inches |
8 feet | 65 inches |
Resolution: The bigger the screen size, the more resolution you need.
The next important factor in our TV buying guide is the resolution of the TV you are purchasing. The resolution of the TV along with the screen size determines the quality of your viewing experience. Generally, the bigger the screen size of your TV, the more display resolution you need. For example, if you decide to get a television of 40 inches then an HD Ready resolution may be fine. However, if you are going for a larger screen size like 50 inches, it would be better if you buy a TV of a Full HD display. HD Ready TVs are among the cheapest ones that you can get and as the resolution goes up, so does the price. However, getting a Full HD display TV over an HDR can be a smart decision in the long run as FHD displays are only slightly higher priced over HDR resolution displays.
Below is a table that explains what TV resolution is good based on screen size & viewing clarity.
TV Display Resolutions available in | |||
TV Resolution | TV screen size Availability | Viewing Clarity | Good for |
480p (Standard) | Rare | Poor | Nothing. You don’t need it. |
720p HD Ready (HDR) | 24 inches | Okay | Watch basic cable TV channels |
32 inches | |||
39 inches | |||
1080p Full HD (FHD) | 32 inches | Good | Enjoy movies in a Blu-ray print, play games |
39 inches | |||
42 inches | |||
50 inches | |||
4K Ultra HD (UHD) | 32 inches | Very Good | Enjoy movies, gaming with a cinematic experience & great |
39 inches | |||
42 inches | |||
50 inches | |||
55 inches | |||
65 inches | |||
77 inches | |||
83 inches | |||
98 inches | |||
8K Ultra HD (UHD) | 55 inches | Excellent | Watch movies, TV shows, play games, use as PC monitor, all with |
65 inches | |||
77 inches | |||
85 inches | |||
RAM and Storage in smart TVs function similarly like in mobile smartphones. RAM in your smart TV powers your TV input as well as helps in processing certain functionalities. While the storage of your smart TV helps distribute the processing load. Hence, the higher your RAM & storage get, the more your television is likely to perform smoother, and have fewer lags. Our recommendation would be to avoid settling for 1GB RAM or even 1.5 GB RAM if you are looking to buy a smart TV as we progress to more modern smart TVs features, you’d require at least a RAM of 2GB or higher to still be able to enjoy your television to the most after 1 or 2 years. Below is a table that displays what RAM & storage in a smart tv is good and how much you need and the price range for each.
What RAM & Storage in a smart TV is best? | |||
RAM | Storage | Performance | Price availability |
1 GB | 4 GB | Poor | Under ₹ 10,000 |
1.5 GB | 8 GB | Okay | Under ₹ 20,000 |
2 GB | 16 GB | Good | Under ₹ 30,000 |
2.5 GB | 16 GB | Good | Starting ₹ 70,000 approx |
3 GB | 32 GB | Very Good | Starting ₹ 100,000 approx |
4 GB RAM | 64 GB | Excellent | Rare |
The next factor to consider in our TV buying guide is the Operating System (OS) in the TV. The OS in smart TV is the operating system based on which the tv operates. Different Operating Systems in TVs include Android TV, Google TV, WebOS & Tizen OS. While Android and Google TV OS are owned by Google, WebOS is owned by LG and TizenOS is an
operating system by Samsung. You’d want to choose the right operating system for you depending on your usage. If watching a lot of OTT content is your main requirement, you may want to get a TV with Android or Google OS. But if you wish to connect your TV to your PS5, you may want to consider buying a TV with Tizen OS. Similarly, buying a WebOS smart TV can also be considered if you do not care much about having the most access to android apps or games.
Below is a list of Operating Systems (OS) in TV in India and which one is the best for you depending on your usage.
Android TV OS vs Google TV OS vs WebOS vs Tizen OS Comparison | ||||
Operating System (OS) | Android TV | Google TV | WebOS | TizenOS |
Apps Access | Excellent | Excellent | Good | Okay |
Speed | Okay | Good | Good | Excellent |
Interface | Good | Excellent | Good | Okay |
Connectivity | Excellent | Excellent | Good | Good |
Voice Recognition | Good | Excellent | Good | Okay |
Games Access | Excellent | Excellent | Okay | Okay |
Brand | LG | Samsung | ||
While deciding on the audio output of your TV, generally you want to look for higher audio output wattage. The higher the audio wattage of your TV is, the louder sound your TV speakers can produce. Depending on the kind of TV you are buying and the price range, the audio wattage may differ. But try not to settle for anything less than 30 Watts sound output when buying a TV. Below is a table that can help you get an approximate idea of the sound output of your TV that you can expect to get depending on your budget.
Audio outputs for TV available in India | Price range (approx) |
10 Watts | Under ₹10,000 |
20 Watts | Under ₹15,000 |
30 Watts | Under ₹30,000 |
40 Watts | Under ₹35,000 |
50 Watts | Under ₹60,000 |
60 Watts | Starting ₹75,000 |
80 Watts | Starting ₹90,000 |
104 Watts | Starting ₹130,000 |
However, it is important for you to note that the wattage of the sound output of your TV is not the only deciding factor of the sound quality of your smart TV. Here are some other things to look for to get a TV with the best sound quality:
- Consider the audio technology used. For example, Dolby Atmos, X Symphony, etc.
- Consider the number of in-built speakers your TV has. The more, the better.
- Don’t forget to check the type of speaker your TV has. For example, stereo speakers, sub-woofers, etc)
Lastly, keep in mind that the brand of the TV you are purchasing also influences the sound quality that you may receive. We can’t compare Sony TVs’ sound outputs with Toshiba TVs, can we?
important to eliminate possible lags. Our recommendation would be not to settle for anything less than a 60 Hz refresh rate which is what most TVs today come with. A 60 Hz refresh rate in TV is good enough for most people, especially for watching movies and TV shows seamlessly. However, for gaming purposes, you’d have a better experience with a TV
having a 120 Hz refresh rate.
Refresh Rate of TVs in India | Price Range (approx) |
50 Hz | Under ₹15,000 |
60 Hz | Under ₹20,000 |
120 Hz | Starting ₹70,000 |
240 Hz | Rare |
So this was all about the factors to consider while buying a TV in India. Apart from what we have mentioned above, be sure to also look for features in your TV such as
- The number of HDMI ports & USB ports your TV has
- Does it support extra functionalities like voice control, parental control, built-in Chromecast, screen mirroring, etc?
- Does it support features like Wi-fi, Ethernet, and Bluetooth?
- Is your screen display IPS or VA?
- Lastly, be sure to also check the version of the operating system you are getting
Buying a TV can be costly especially if you are going for OLED TVs. You want to make sure that the TV you are buying is the best and actually worth what you are paying for right? So, be sure to keep these factors in mind while making your TV purchase and we hope our TV buying guides will help you make that decision a little easier. Do feel free to share with us any questions you may have or if you think we missed adding something here.
