A smart TV has built-in internet and an app platform, so it runs Netflix, JioHotstar, YouTube and more without any extra box. Almost every TV sold today is smart, so the real questions aren't "smart or not" but which platform it uses, how good the panel is, and the right size. And you don't strictly need a smart TV at all — if you have a good "dumb" TV with an HDMI port, a streaming device turns it smart for a fraction of the cost of replacing it.

Match size to how far you sit. As a rough guide for 4K TVs: around 32–40" for a bedroom or a viewing distance of ~1.5m; 43–50" for a typical living room at ~2–2.5m; and 55–65" when you sit 3m or more away, as in a large hall or home-theatre setup. Bigger isn't automatically better — sit too close to a very large screen and it's tiring and you notice imperfections; too small from far away and you lose the detail you paid for. Tell us your room and seating distance and we'll suggest the sweet spot.

They're all capable; the differences are in app selection, speed, interface and update support. Google TV (on Sony, Xiaomi, TCL, OnePlus and others) has the widest app library and good recommendations. Fire TV (on some TCL, Hisense and Toshiba sets) suits heavy Amazon users. LG's WebOS and Samsung's Tizen are their own polished systems with strong app support and long update track records. What matters most is that the platform runs the specific apps you use and keeps getting updates — we check that for each shortlisted model.

If your current TV has a good panel and an HDMI port and you're happy with the picture, a streaming device — a Fire TV Stick, Google Chromecast or Apple TV, from roughly ₹2,500 upward — is usually the smarter buy. It adds a fast, up-to-date app platform for a fraction of a new TV's price. Buy a new TV instead when your panel is genuinely old or low-resolution, too small or too large for the room, or you want a jump to 4K/OLED picture quality. We'll always tell you honestly which one makes sense rather than defaulting to the pricier option.

4K is the sensible default on any TV 43" and above — the detail is clearly better and most content now supports it. HDR (HDR10+, Dolby Vision) often makes a bigger visible difference than resolution alone, improving contrast and colour, so it's worth looking for. A high refresh rate (120Hz) mainly benefits gamers and fast sport. 8K, on the other hand, is hard to justify today — there's very little 8K content and the price premium is steep. Remember too that streaming in 4K needs a solid broadband connection — see our Home Internet pages — and your DTH, IPTV or OTT source (see those pages) has to provide the quality your panel can show. Prices and specs here are illustrative and change often; this is general guidance, and we confirm the current model and price before you buy.