When friends or family members tell me they're thinking about buying a new TV, they almost always have one goal in mind: the biggest TV they can get at the lowest possible price.

While that might sound great in theory, especially when enormous TVs are on sale alongside big sports events like the Super Bowl or the World Cup, it's rarely actually a good idea. You might be surprised at how uncomfortable it is to sit in front of a sprawling TV that's too big for your space, or that, in a lot of cases, you can get your hands on a much better-looking smaller mid-range or, in some cases, even a high-end TV with more modern tech, for far less money than that 85-inch TV you've been eyeing at Best Buy, Walmart, or Amazon.

Get the best size for the room you're putting your TV in

Calculating viewing distance is key

If you're aiming to get the best TV for the size of your space, you need to dial in on your "field of view," a measurement of how wide you can see from left to right when looking directly ahead at your television. In the context of TVs, this term refers to how much of your field of view the screen should take up.

According to The Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE), you should aim for a 30 to 40 degree field of vision for an optimal viewing experience, which means a TV should take up roughly 40 degrees of your field of view. I'd argue you don't really need to get that precise, though. The easiest thing to do is use an online calculator, especially if you're as bad at math as I am. Reputable TV review publication RTINGS has a great TV Size To Distance Calculator tool on its website that lets you set the distance you'll be sitting from your TV to get an optimal size recommendation.

For example, in my living room, my TV is roughly 6.8 feet away from my couch. The RTINGS tool suggests I buy a 50-inch TV for that distance. I ended up with a 55-inch Hisense U8H TV, and it works fine at that distance and looks like it belongs in that space. In the few years I've owned the TV, I haven't experienced neck pain because I've never had to crane my neck at an uncomfortable angle to watch movies and television shows. The key is not to go overboard and try to jam an 85-inch TV into a relatively small space. In a situation like that, you're wasting money on a larger TV that's actually way too big for your space, resulting in a poor viewing experience.

A great tip is to measure the distance from your couch to where you plan to place your TV, then head to your local TV store and check out a few demo televisions. You can then stand at that same distance to get a feel for what sort of field of view that size of television offers. Ultimately, what works for you will come down to personal preference. It's also worth noting that TV manufacturers' recommendations and in-store associates will often push you towards larger TVs, claiming that bigger is always better. Always remember that they want you to spend more money. It doesn't matter to Samsung, LG, Hisense, or TCL if the television you're looking at makes sense for your space.

Remember to calculate cost versus value

Don't waste money on a bigger TV you don't need

Another important factor to consider when buying a new TV is the cost-to-value ratio. TV prices tend to skyrocket the bigger you go. For example, I'm starting to consider buying a new TV, and I've decided I'll likely take the RGB Mini-LED route since OLED TVs are mostly out of my budget. The TV model I'm considering is Samsung's $1,600 Micro RGB 4K R85H, the company's mid-range 2026 Mini-LED TV. First off, it features a panel very similar to the far more expensive $3,200 R95H model, but it has a 144Hz refresh rate instead of 165Hz, lacks the Wireless One Connect setup, offers less advanced HDR, and doesn't include an anti-glare coating.

For the most part, I've determined that these features aren't important to me, so it isn't worth shelling out the extra cash for the higher-end model. Next, I took a look at the sizes, which come in 55, 65, 75, and 85-inches. I know the 55-inch and 65-inch are my only viable options given my living room space, but since I've already calculated that a 50-inch TV fits best, there's no way I'd spend the extra cash on the $2,100 65-inch.

You look at pretty much any TV model with this same critical lens, including LG's top-tier OLED Evo line. For example, you probably don't need that $5,200 83-inch LG OLED Evo AI (2026) because you only have 8-feet of space between your couch and your TV. Instead, you can opt for the far more reasonably priced $2,000 55-inch.

The same logic applies to other aspects of TV buying, too, including whether you should get a massive entry-level LED TV on sale for a low price or pay the same amount for a mid-range model with a superior RGB Mini-LED panel that's actually the right size for your living room. If you consider which TV size works best in your space, both your wallet and your neck will thank you.