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Choosing the best 1080p TV could mean the difference between poor color reproduction and a vivid, captivating scene day in and day out. Our evaluation focused on display/performance, smart TV functions, refresh rate, and the number of inputs.
After more than 16 hours of research, our pick for the best 1080p TV goes to the Samsung UN32N5300AFXZA 1080p TV. It’s an all-around winner, starting with a Quad-Core Processor for accurate color reproduction, Micro Dimming Pro for deeper blacks, and built-in Amazon Alexa for easy voice control of TV functions and smart home devices. Keep reading to learn more about other incredible 1080p TVs available for purchase. And, after you are done, check out our guide to the best TVs.
Award: TOP PICK
WHY WE LIKE IT: This TV comes with crisp HD 1080p and a Quad-Core Processor, which offers rapid-fire menu response times for a smooth browsing experience – a great choice as a centerpiece TV for a large living room.
This 1080p TV display is loaded with features, including Ultra Clean View for a cleaner and less distorted picture, along with Micro Dimming Pro, which analyzes each video frame to optimize contrast for deeper blacks and purer whites. One knock is its lower native refresh rate (60Hz), which some noticeable blur detecting in high-action movie scenes. If this is a problem for you, then you might want to consider one of the best 90-inch TVs with high refresh rates.
Our favorite feature with this best 1080p TV for gaming is its smart TV capabilities. Users can easily stream content from Netflix. Hulu, Amazon Prime, and others, along with a Connect Hub, centralize all smart home devices. Amazon Alexa can even be integrated with voice command controls for easy channel flipping and playback.
Award: BEST INTERFACE
WHY WE LIKE IT: This 1080p TV comes with generous 3 HDMI ports and, based on the popular Roku TV platform, is an excellent choice for large households that consume tons of streaming content.
This 1080p TV is an awesome choice as a No. 1 TV. Its FULL HD resolution is sharp, albeit color contrasts and brightness are somewhat middling. In addition to 1080p Full HD capabilities, 3 HDMI ports and 1 USB port is enough to connect a Blu-ray player, PlayStation 4, and an Amazon Fire Stick.
An intuitive menu system with a navigation menu and thumbnail icons are beautifully displayed with a rapid-fire response rate between remote and screen prompts. The Roku TV remote with only 20 buttons is one of the simplest we’ve researched to date. It’s also great if you’re looking for the best TV for sports.
Award: BEST CONTENT SELECTION
WHY WE LIKE IT: This 1080p TV comes with VIZIO SmartCast App and Watch Free with more than 100 free linear TV channels, an excellent choice for people who want to cut the cord.
This 1080p TV offers Full HD resolution, good for roughly 2 million screen pixels for a crisp picture. Although not as much attention to detail as 4K Ultra HDs or contrast management of OLEDs and QLEDs, it’s a serviceable TV to the non-discerning eye.
Arguably this 1080p TV’s biggest strength is in its smart TV capabilities. The accompanying VIZIO SmartCast App allows users to use their phone as a TV remote, and the brand’s proprietary Watch Free service offers more than 100 channels and on-demand content on Vizio televisions. Kudos for a streamlined remote with dedicated buttons for Peacock, Netflix, Prime Video, Disney+, Crackle, and Tubi. You might also like our best HDR TV buying guide for additional options with high picture quality.
Award: HONORABLE MENTION
WHY WE LIKE IT: This 1080p TV comes with X-tended Dynamic Range Pro processing for contrast management and a blazing fast 120Hz native refresh rate, making it a great TV for gamers who appreciate smooth scenes with no blur or lag.
This best 4K TV is an all-around workhorse, starting with a clean, crisp display and X-tended Dynamic Range Pro processing for full-array local dimming, a process of boosting contrast depth and improved brightness. Integrated Motionflow XR also boosts the refresh rate with no lag or blur between high-moving scenes, which is especially important for gamers and sports game watchers.
One of our favorite features of this unit is its Android TV platform, which allows quick one-click access to all of the major streaming apps, including Amazon Instant Video, Hulu Plus, and YouTube. A whopping 4 HDMI ports and 2 USB ports make this an excellent choice as the main option for home theater TV or for anyone looking for the best smart TV for streaming.
Award: BEST COMPUTER MONITOR
WHY WE LIKE IT: This 1080p TV features a Triple XD Engine for smoother image processing and LED backlighting for optimized contrast ratios, making it an excellent choice for people who also want to use it as a computer monitor.
This 1080p best TV is pretty well rounded. A crisp HD IPS Display improves image processing times and optimizes color reproduction. Combined with its Triple XD Engine and LED backlighting for contrast management, it really works well in producing a true-to-life image. However, with a 60Hz native refresh rate, high-speed motion scenes may experience some lag. Compare this to 4K HD TV s with 120Hz native refresh rates as the standard.
Note, this 1080p TV only has one HDMI and one coax input, so it is not designed for home theater use. However, if you are looking for a serviceable and reliable No. 2 or No. 3 TV option in a larger household, this TV is a solid pick, especially if you’re looking for the best TV for your bedroom.
Award: BEST SOUND
WHY WE LIKE IT: This TV comes with excellent picture quality and Virtual Surround Sound, for exceptional sound quality, an excellent choice for people who prioritize sound over smart TV functions and screen performance.
This 1080p TV is pretty well rounded. Wider Color Enhancer technology helps optimize older, non-HD content to near 1080p clarity and uses Micro Dimming Pro technology to help improve contrasts by managing LED backlighting. This TV uses the Samsung Smart Hub as its centralized platform for easy access to movies, music, and apps. Kudos for two included HDMI ports, which can be used to connect external streaming devices like Blu-ray players and a Playstation 4.
Our favorite feature with this 1080p TV is its Virtual Surround Sound using DTS Premium Sound 5.1, which creates increased perception depth by replicating what a surround sound system feels like. Paired with a soundbar, it can create some serious damage to any living room, which is why we’ve designated it the best sounding TV on our list.
Award: BEST VALUE
WHY WE LIKE IT: This 1080p TV comes with a bright, clear display and MEMC 120 technology for a smooth-flowing picture, an excellent choice for cost-conscious buyers looking for decent viewing quality and no extra frills like Smart TV functions.
For a value pick, this 1080p TV is pretty well stocked. A sharp LED picture delivers OK color accuracy with MEMC120 for a no-blur image. Although it is not a Smart TV, two HDMI ports allow a streaming device such as a Blu-ray player or an Amazon Fire Stick to be connected for smooth output.
This 1080p TV also comes with a USB port to connect a flash drive to show desktop content. If you are looking for a no-frills TV for occasional TV watching and no true Netflix marathons, then this unit comes highly recommended. It’s a great option for anyone looking for the best TV for seniors.
Award: BEST FOR AMAZON PRIME SUBSCRIBERS
WHY WE LIKE IT: Ths 1080p TV is based on the Fire TV platform, which is a great choice for Amazon Prime subscribers used to Amazon’s smooth menu interfaces and content ecosystem.
Overall picture quality with this 1080p TV is solid. A quad-core CPU/Multi-core GPU powers image processing for a smooth and fluid picture. A great feature is its three HDMI inputs and custom picture settings for each input, allowing multiple users within the same household to enjoy customized viewing preferences.
Our favorite feature with this 1080p TV is its Fire TV platform, which integrates content from several content providers (e.g. YouTube, Disney+, Hulu,) and integrated with Alexa via voice remote to control smart home devices, control TV functions, and enables over-the-air updates. All in all, this TV offers an excellent package of picture quality and a fast UI. If you need better picture quality, check out our best curved TV buying guide for more advanced options.
Award: BEST AESTHETICS
WHY WE LIKE IT: This 1080p TV comes with an ultra-slim display, gorgeous aesthetics, and FHD resolution up to 1920×1080 – an excellent choice for a third or fourth room in a large household.
At best, this 1080p TV is serviceable. Although not carrying the same cache as biog name brands like Samsung, LG, and Sony, this unit offers basic 1080p FHD DLED with up to 2.07 million pixels ( for perspective, compared to Samsung PurColor’s 1 billion+ colors on their flagship OLED TVs), along with a respectable viewing angle (178°) for group watching.
This 1080p TV’s no-frills persona continues with the lack of a UI interface with beautifully presented menus and thumbnail icons like Samsung’s SmartHub. However, it makes up for it with respectable 3 HDMI ports, which can be used for plugging in a PlayStation 4, Amazon Fire Stick, and other popular consoles. If you are looking for value with no respect for image quality or a complete UX experience, this 1080p is a solid choice. If you’re looking for the best outdoor TV, this is a solid option.
Award: BEST ON A BUDGET
WHY WE LIKE IT: This budget-friendly 1080p TV offers exceptional value with a 1920×1080 1080p resolution and less than 36 watts of power consumption, making it an excellent choice for smaller rooms such as kitchens and dorm rooms.
This 1080p TV is no-frills at best. A 1920×1080 max resolution delivers a respectable (albeit slightly pixelated picture) and comes in the choice of 13- inch, 15-inch, 19-inch, or 24-inch models. With a single HDMI slot, it’s also good for a PlayStation 4 or Blu-ray player hookup. Consider this a decent option for a smaller kitchen.
Kudos for this 1080p TV’s built-in speakers with 3-D video noise reduction, which helps limit video signal distortion by optimizing low light images and blur handling for a clearer picture. Although not at the level of Ultra 4K HD, this 1080p TV is more than capable of working in your kitchen. If you have a particularly bright room, you’ll also want to check out our best TV for bright rooms buying guide.
In determining the best 1080p TV to buy, we explored smart Tv functions, refresh rate, and the number of inputs. You may also be interested in the benefits you get over lower resolution options by checking out our comparison of 720p and 1080p. Smart TV functions start with built-in WiFi to support a slew of built-in streaming services, including Amazon Prime, Netflix, and Hulu. Our favorite 1080p has built-in Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant-enabled voice command of playback functions and controlling smart home devices.
Another important consideration with 1080p TVs is the refresh rate. The refresh rate is the number of times an image is refreshed per second. The higher the number, the smoother the picture. Look for 1080p with a minimum of 120 native refresh rates for super motion handling and no noticeable blur. Also, remember that if you are wanting a larger screen, like something over 50 inches, you may want to look into 4K instead, and you can check out our Samsung UN65RU7100FXZA review for a 65-inch model. While you probably won’t notice much of a difference in 1080p from 32-40 inch models, if you are looking at the top 80-inch TVs and it has a 1080p resolution, you will definitely notice the lack of quality compared to 4K.
With a 1080p TV, we are also big fans of many inputs. If you like 1080p TV, you can thank the digital transition partly for helping push higher-resolution content to consumers. You can read more about this with our page on when did TV go digital. The more HDMI and USB ports, the more external devices can be connected, such as Blu-ray players, Amazon Fire Sticks, and soundbars. If pairing with a home theater, then a minimum of 3 HDMI ports is a must. And if you feel your TV’s sound quality isn’t up to par, you can learn what is a sound bar and see if one will benefit you.
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