All about Technology: Buying Guide: 6 best 32-inch TVs of 2015

Thursday, 26 November 2015

Buying Guide: 6 best 32-inch TVs of 2015

5 best 32-inch TVs of 2015

Most of the tele talk these days is about Ultra HD / 4K TVs, and generally the super-sized ones too. Companies, like Samsung, are even talking about how 55-inch screens have become their biggest selling TV size.

That's fine for your main living room if you've got the space, but what about that second screen? You don't want to have some vast black mirror dominating your bedroom after all, which makes the 32-inch TV the perfect choice for alternative panel.

A 32-inch 1080p television can be picked up for a little over £300 these days and that doesn't preclude having some fancy catch-up services or smart TV applications either.

Whether it's some lazy Blu-ray watching, catching up on your missed TV or a little light gaming without taking over the living room, we've got a selection of the best value TVs you can buy today.

Samsung UE32J6300

1. Samsung UE32J6300

"Samsung has created the finest 32-inch TV at a canter."

4 HDMI inputs

Sharp HD images

Plasticky build quality

Slow to navigate

What are curved TVs for, exactly? They might be 'curved like your eyes', but lend a bend to a flat-panel TV and a more immersive image isn't the result. In fact, it actually makes very little difference.

Stylistically though this feature-packed 32-incher just about gets away with it, but a plasticky build quality detracts from an otherwise thoroughly polished performance. Add awesome Full HD pictures and unexpectedly excellent audio though and the UE32J6300 is quite a package for a bedroom or second room.

Read the full review: Samsung UE32J6300

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Panasonic TX-32CS510

2. Panasonic TX-32CS510

"One of the best connected and best value 32-inchers available."

Clean, contrasty images

Freetime

HD-ready resolution

Only two HDMI inputs

Should you buy a 32-inch HD-ready TV for your second room? The 1366 x 768 resolution is an old-school one but isn't as outdated as you might think - Netflix usually comes down the pipe at 480p.

That well-matched resolution is one reason why the 32CS510's images are so clean as well as so technically impressive. It may lack ultimate detail on Blu-ray discs, but that's about it.

Gaming, Freeview HD channels, DVDs and Netflix all get a polished, colourful and contrasty treatment that's retained even at extreme viewing angles. Though the 32CS510 lacks Panasonic's latest Firefox-based smart TV platform, the myHomeScreen platform it does have is thorough and impressive.

Read the full review: Panasonic TX-32CS510

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Samsung UE32H6400

3. Samsung UE32H6400

"One of the best value 32-inchers so far."

Great all-round picture quality

Fast user interface

Poor speakers

No 3D specs

That a 32-incher has every UK terrestrial TV app is one thing, but when they're accompanied by Netflix and Amazon Instant AND powered by a quad core processor? Samsung, you have our attention, and anyone after a future-proof 32-incher for all-round duties has just got to test-drive the UE32H6400.

Loaded with both ins and outs and apps, the UE32H6400 boasts versatile picture quality across both standard and high definition discs and TV.

The only drawbacks are the UE32H6400's lack of 3D specs and some poor speakers, neither of which should bother most buyers of what has to be one of the best value 32-inchers so far.

Read the full review: Samsung UE32H6400

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Samsung UE32H5000

4. Samsung UE32EH5000

"It's main attraction isn't a complicated one: it's all about the price."

Strong picture quality

Narrow bezel

No online features

No DLNA network support

It's hard to understand how Samsung can sell the UE32EH5000 for so little. From the outside the only hint that it's a cheap set comes from its startlingly chunky rear end; from the front it looks a match for many mid-range sets.

The realisation that the TV doesn't support online features or streaming from a DLNA PC is a slight disappointment, perhaps, but you only have to watch the TV for a few minutes to realise that Samsung has deliberately sacrificed such features in order to give you the best 32-inch picture quality this little cash can buy.

Read the full review: Samsung UE32EH5000

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Toshiba 32D3454DB

5. Toshiba 32D3454DB

"Ticks most of the feature boxes sought after by the 'second room' TV market."

Plenty of content options

Pictures look sharp

Limited viewing angles

Some backlight clouding

At a time when we're obsessing about Ultra HD TVs, curved TVs and all manner of fancy new smart TV technologies, there's something reassuringly 'mainstream' about this Toshiba.

It's clearly been created with laser-like precision to target a specific, relatively undemanding 'second room' market, focussing on utility features like DLNA streaming, its built-in DVD player, built-in Wi-Fi and a few online video streaming services.

The 32D3454DB's focus on providing more content options as easily as possible to second rooms is welcome, and will be enough in itself to win the set many fans.

Read the full review: Toshiba 32D3454DB

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Panasonic TX-32AS600

6. Panasonic TX-32AS600

"There are few small TVs as smart as this."

All UK catch-up TV apps

Swipe and Share

Lacks processing power

Average contrast

Any TV with the excellent Panasonic exclusives Freetime and My Home Screen is hard not to like. That both are on offer in a mid-range TV is quite something, while the Swipe and Share antics (and general digital file-savviness) are hard to turn down for the money, too.

Every UK catch-up TV app is here, as well as Netflix. While colours are sparkling, HD fare looks great, and SD upscaling is also well judged. There is a lack of processing power, like the Toshiba, stops it from being a must-have.

But is there a small TV out there any more versatile and ambitious than the TX-32AS600? Surely not.

Read the full review: Panasonic TX-32AS600