Best budget 43-inch TV in 2022 - Starwind, Polarline or Hyundai?

Recently, even inexpensive TVs with a screen diagonal of 43 inches or so can boast of high-quality build. And they usually have a narrow display bezel. Especially if you decide to compare them with models that were relevant five or six years ago. This means that nothing will distract you from what is happening on the screen. Polar has the widest bezel, but even buyers complain about it in no way about this.

The most interesting, in our opinion, looks POLARLINE. This TV does not even want to be hung on the wall, as it received a silver D-shaped stand. Competitors have implemented this structural element worse. Basically they use two legs. However, this only affects the design. Do not be afraid that some of the models will be unstable.

Recall that we are considering only budget devices. The diagonal of their display is 43 inches (or the parameter is only slightly below this value). You have probably already guessed that the ideal LCD panel is not worth waiting for here. At best, you will be pleased with the screen made using MVA technology. This is exactly what Polar and POLARLINE can boast of. This means that when watching movies, you will not suffer from poor color reproduction. Deeper blacks are only seen on high-end TVs, which, by definition, couldn't make it into this comparison. As for the other three devices, they have a TFT screen. This suggests that such TVs will not please with high-quality color reproduction. And they upset modest viewing angles.

In 2022, we would like to see even inexpensive TVs get their hands on a 4K resolution screen. But the coronavirus pandemic and the crisis in the semiconductor market have done their job ... These and other reasons have led to the fact that we have to limit ourselves to Full HD resolution.If this does not suit you, then you need to pay 10-15 thousand rubles more.

Alas, a modern budget TV usually does not have Smart TV support at its disposal. This even applies to 43-inch models, which are usually placed in the living room. If you want to watch YouTube or an online movie theater, you will have to connect a smart set-top box. Video content playback by the TV is carried out only from a USB-drive - a flash drive or an external hard drive. Sadly. If you don’t want to bother with a smart set-top box, then again, you will have to spend a much larger amount.

Separately, we note the Hyundai FS5003. This TV was created in partnership with Yandex. As a result, a Russian operating system was installed on it. It provides access not only to YouTube, but also to Kinopoisk HD. And here the familiar to many "Alice" is used. There are also some other services. But it should be recognized that there are no competitors to Yandex products on this device.

Since four TVs do not have Smart TV, their manufacturers did not really think about the included remote control.A gyroscope, a microphone, a Bluetooth module, a solar panel are all expensive and also have limited availability. Therefore, in the box with TVs, the most common remotes are mainly found. This means that you will find a lot of all kinds of buttons on them. In particular, they allow you to quickly switch to a particular TV channel if you know its number. This is good, because many will use the purchase specifically for watching television. Interestingly, the number buttons are most often located in the upper part of the remote control, but the manufacturer Asano decided to place them in the lower half. Has it become more convenient? It is hard to say.

As you already know, Hyundai FS5003 has smart features. However, the manufacturer of this TV also did not become generous with the perfect remote control. The accessory works through the usual infrared transmitter, and therefore he did not get a microphone at his disposal. Of the unusual buttons, there is only one that is responsible for clicking the left mouse button. Also, there was a place for a button, with which you can instantly jump to the contents of the USB drive. If you want to communicate with Alice, you will have to purchase an additional Bluetooth remote control.

Alas, even in our time, an inexpensive TV is not able to boast of a lot of speakers, among which even just one subwoofer would be listed. Sophisticated acoustics are found only in top-end TVs.Cheap models suggest that in the future you will connect a home theater or at least a soundbar to them. However, we do not want to scare you. Yes, when using any of the TVs we reviewed, you will experience a lack of low frequencies. But absolutely mediocre sound should not be afraid.

POLARLINE sounds better than the others. The total power of its two speakers is 20 watts. As a result, you will definitely not suffer from insufficient volume. Alas, the rest of the models we are considering in this regard show themselves worse. Especially Asano, which only has 7-watt speakers. This is the case when you want to output sound to external acoustics.

We live in 2022, so when describing a set of interfaces, let's do without mentioning SCART and other outdated sockets. Let's just say that they are still not forgotten. This means that connecting a VCR or an old game console will not be difficult. But much more important is the availability of HDMI inputs. It is with their help that modern technology is connected. The same smart set-top box, for example.

Since we are not talking about monitors, the number of HDMI connectors is at least two. Usually this is enough. A rare person wants to connect an abundance of all kinds of equipment to a cheap TV.Since four out of five devices do not have Smart TVs, two USB ports may seem like overkill. Typically, this socket will be used to connect an external drive. It can also be used to provide power to a smart set-top box (but then the flash drive will already be connected to it). However, more is always better. Therefore, we cannot but note POLARLINE with its abundance of connectors. But the device under this brand suffers from the inability to recognize the satellite digital TV standard. So, if you have an appropriate "dish", then you will also need a receiver. By the way, Starwind does not suffer from such a problem.

As for wireless modules, they are simply not needed without smart functionality. Therefore, they are present only on the Hyundai TV, the screen size of which is equal to an honest 43 inches. Wi-Fi is used to connect to the router. Not the fastest standard is supported, but with Full HD resolution, there is nothing to worry about. The TV also received a Bluetooth module. It is used to output sound to wireless headphones or a speaker. This structural element also allows you to use a more expensive remote control equipped with a microphone.

This article is being written at a difficult time for Russia, when prices for foreign equipment have risen sharply. More recently, almost all the models included in this comparison could be purchased for only 20 thousand rubles or even cheaper. However, now it is necessary to lay out much more. Especially for Hyundai, which received both a more powerful processor and a full-fledged operating system. Is it worth it to overpay? We think so, but you may have a different opinion. Let's just say that a good smart set-top box is also a very expensive purchase.

POLARLINE and Polar TVs are sold for the lowest price. Oddly enough, they justify their cost. They can be safely bought for placement in a children's room or bedroom. Especially if you plan to acquire an additional device in the future that would provide the TV with access to the World Wide Web.

It may seem that the device distributed under the Hyundai brand is out of competition. But actually it is not. Yes, only this TV is able to independently access the Internet. But one cannot but admit that it has a significantly limited set of applications, which is connected with the policy of Yandex. And this model received by no means the best display. It suffers from insufficiently wide viewing angles, which is very important with such a diagonal. Some buyers will not like the depth of black.

If image quality is the most important parameter for you, then it is better to look towards Polar and POLARLINE. The screens of these two TVs are very similar, only the brightness of the backlight differs. High contrast cannot but rejoice, especially when watching a movie. But do not think that the viewing angles turned out to be maximum - in this regard, both TVs almost do not outperform their competitors.

In fact, we recommend focusing on your own needs. It is possible that the number of connectors is important for some of our readers. Others need to sound a large room - in this case, choose a model with 10-watt speakers. It is not for nothing that we have prepared for you a corresponding table indicating all the nominations in which victories were won.