Big screens are everywhere. Walk into a Best Buy or browse Amazon, and you’re bombarded with 85-inch behemoths that require a structural engineer just to mount on your wall. It’s overwhelming. But honestly, for a lot of us, that’s just too much. Sometimes you just need a small 24 inch tv that fits on a cramped kitchen counter or tucks away in a guest room without dominating the entire aesthetic of the house.
It’s easy to think these "tiny" displays are relics of the past. They aren't. In fact, for students in dorms, RV travelers, or people who just want the morning news while they fry eggs, the 24-inch form factor is basically the "Goldilocks" zone of displays. It’s bigger than a tablet but smaller than a piece of furniture. It’s a specific tool for a specific job.
The Resolution Myth: Do You Really Need 4K?
Let's get real about pixels. You’ll see marketing for 4K everywhere, but on a small 24 inch tv, 4K is almost entirely pointless. Unless you’re sitting three inches away from the screen with a magnifying glass, your eyes literally cannot distinguish the difference between 1080p and 4K at this scale. Most budget models actually ship with 720p resolution. While that sounds "low-def" by modern standards, on a screen this size, the pixel density remains high enough that things still look sharp.
But here is the catch.
If you're using this as a dual-purpose device—say, a secondary computer monitor—you absolutely want 1080p (Full HD). Text on a 720p screen looks jagged and blurry when you’re reading emails or spreadsheets. Brands like Vizio and LG still produce 1080p units in this size, but they’re becoming harder to find as manufacturers race to the bottom on price. If you find a 1080p model from a reputable brand, grab it. It's becoming a unicorn.
Portability is the Killer Feature
Think about the weight. A modern 24-inch LED set usually weighs between five and eight pounds. You can pick it up with one hand. This makes it the ultimate "flex" device for a home.
Last summer, I saw someone at a tailgate party running a small 24 inch tv off a portable power station like a Jackery. Because these sets draw so little power—often less than 40 watts—you can run them for hours on a battery. Try doing that with a 65-inch OLED that sucks up power like a vacuum cleaner. It’s not happening.
Kitchens and Bathrooms: The Final Frontier
The kitchen is where these things shine. Mounting a massive screen over the stove is a disaster waiting to happen, but a 24-inch set tucked under a cabinet or sitting next to the toaster is perfect for following a YouTube recipe or catching the game while you do dishes.
You’ve gotta be careful about viewing angles, though.
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Cheaper TVs use TN (Twisted Nematic) panels. They’re fine if you’re looking straight at them. But the moment you move to the side to grab the salt, the colors wash out and the screen looks like a photographic negative. If you're putting this in a kitchen where you'll be moving around, look for an IPS (In-Plane Switching) panel. LG is particularly good at this. IPS ensures that the image stays consistent even if you’re looking at it from a 45-degree angle while chopping onions.
Smart Features vs. "Dumb" TVs
The "Smart" part of a small 24 inch tv is a bit of a double-edged sword. Most of these small sets come with platforms like Roku, Fire TV, or LG’s webOS built-in. This is convenient because it saves you from having to plug in extra boxes.
However.
The processors in these small sets are often underpowered compared to their big brothers. You might notice the menu feels sluggish or apps take forever to load. Honestly, sometimes it’s better to buy a "dumb" TV—if you can still find one—and just plug in a $30 4K streaming stick. The stick has a faster processor and will get updates longer than the TV’s built-in software.
- Vizio D-Series: Generally reliable, often has 1080p options.
- Insignia (Best Buy Brand): Dirt cheap, usually uses Fire TV, great for guest rooms.
- LG 24LQ510S-PU: One of the few "premium" small sets with decent color accuracy.
- Samsung M5 Series: Technically a monitor, but it has a remote and all the smart TV apps built-in. It’s probably the best-looking 24-inch screen on the market right now.
Sound Quality: The Elephant in the Room
We need to talk about the speakers. They’re bad. There is no way around it. Physics is a cruel mistress; you can't get deep, rich sound out of tiny, downward-firing speakers housed in a plastic frame that's only two inches thick.
If you’re watching the news, it’s fine. If you’re trying to watch an action movie, it’s going to sound like a tin can.
Most people don't want to buy a massive soundbar for a tiny TV. It looks ridiculous. A better move? Use the 3.5mm headphone jack or Bluetooth to connect a pair of decent computer speakers or a small Bluetooth speaker. It’ll triple the audio quality instantly for about twenty bucks. Some people even use the "optical out" port to run sound into an old stereo system.
The Connectivity Gap
One thing that catches people off guard is the lack of ports. On a 55-inch TV, you expect four HDMI ports. On a 24-inch set, you usually get two. Maybe one if the manufacturer is being really stingy.
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If you plan on hooking up a cable box, a gaming console, and a streaming stick, you’re going to be playing musical chairs with the cables. Check the back of the set before you buy. Also, look for "ARC" (Audio Return Channel) on at least one HDMI port. This is vital if you ever want the TV to control an external speaker’s volume with its own remote.
Why Gamers Love Them
It sounds counterintuitive, but competitive gamers—specifically people playing Call of Duty or Apex Legends—often prefer a small 24 inch tv or monitor. Why? Because your eyes don't have to travel as far to see the mini-map or the ammo count.
On a giant screen, you have to physically move your head to see what’s happening in the corners. On a 24-inch screen, the entire battlefield is within your primary field of vision. This reduces eye strain and speeds up reaction times. Plus, these smaller sets often have lower "input lag" than massive TVs, meaning the time between pressing a button and seeing the action on screen is almost instantaneous.
What Most People Get Wrong
People often buy these based on price alone. "It's just for the laundry room," they say. But then they realize the remote is clunky, the Wi-Fi chip is weak, and the screen is so dim it can't handle the afternoon sun.
Don't just look at the price tag. Look at the nits (brightness). Most small sets hover around 200-250 nits. That’s okay for a dark bedroom, but in a bright sunlit kitchen, it’ll look like a mirror. If you can find a set that lists 300 nits or higher, it’s worth the extra $20.
Also, check the VESA mount compatibility. Most 24-inch TVs use a 75x75mm or 100x100mm pattern. If you’re planning to put this on a wall arm so you can swing it around, make sure the TV actually has holes in the back. Some ultra-cheap models are "stand-only," which is a nightmare if you have zero counter space.
Real World Usage: The RV and Van Life Factor
The van-life community has kept the 24-inch TV market alive. For them, it's not just about size; it's about voltage. Many 24-inch sets actually run on 12V DC power internally, and they just use a "power brick" to convert the wall's AC power.
If you're an RVer, you can often bypass the brick and wire the TV directly into your vehicle’s battery system. This is way more efficient than using an inverter. Brands like Jensen specialize in this, but you can often find "regular" sets from brands like Sylvox or even certain Insignia models that use a 12V barrel jack.
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Practical Steps for Choosing the Right One
Stop looking at the spec sheets for a second and think about where the TV is actually going to live.
If it’s for a dark bedroom, prioritize a "VA panel." These have much deeper blacks, so the screen won't look like a glowing gray rectangle when the lights are off.
If it’s for a bright kitchen or office, prioritize an "IPS panel" and a matte screen finish. You don't want to see your own reflection while you're trying to watch the morning headlines.
Before you pull the trigger, measure your space twice. A "24-inch TV" refers to the diagonal length of the screen itself, not the width of the frame. Including the bezels, the TV is usually about 22 inches wide. If you’re trying to fit it inside a specific cabinet or between shelves, that extra inch of plastic frame can make or break the fit.
Lastly, check the remote. It sounds stupid, but many small TVs come with tiny, "credit card" style remotes that are easy to lose and feel terrible to use. If the TV uses Roku or Fire TV, you can at least use your phone as a remote via an app, which is a lifesaver when the physical remote disappears into the couch cushions.
Check the return policy too. Quality control on small panels is notoriously hit-or-miss. Dead pixels are more common on these budget-friendly lines than on the flagship models. Plug it in, run a "dead pixel test" on YouTube, and if you see any black or bright green dots, send it back immediately.
The small 24 inch tv isn't a "downgrade." It’s a tool for specific spaces where a bigger screen would just be an eyesore. Choose the panel type based on your room's light, ensure it has the ports you need, and don't be afraid to add a small pair of speakers to fix the audio. You’ll end up with a setup that’s way more functional than a tablet and way more versatile than a massive wall-mounted display.