To decide on the best TV for your college dorm room, you need to find the right option for your space. You need something smaller than you are accustomed to at home due to the small size of dorm rooms, and you need to balance quality and price, since accidents happen, especially in college dorms!
In this article, we’ll share with you our top five picks for the best TVs for college dorm rooms, all for under $200. We’ll also take you through exactly what to look for when choosing the right TV for your college setup.
Best Smart TVs For College Dorms – Product Quick Links
- Insignia 32-inch Class F20 Series Smart HD 720p Fire TV
- Toshiba 32-inch Class V35 Series LED HD Smart Fire TV
- Hisense A4 Series 40-inch Class FHD Smart Android TV
- TCL 40-inch Class 3-Series Full HD 1080P LED Smart Roku TV
- VIZIO 24-inch D-Series Full HD 1080p Smart TV
College Dorm TV Comparison Chart
Insignia 32-inch Class F20 Series Smart HD 720p Fire TV
Toshiba 32-inch Class V35 Series LED HD Smart TV
Hisense A4 Series 40-inch Class FHD Smart Android TV
TCL 40-inch Class 3-Series Full HD 1080P LED Smart Roku TV
VIZIO 24-inch D-Series Full HD 1080p Smart TV
Do You Need A TV In Your College Dorm Room?
When you’re thinking about what you might need to complete your college dorm, it’s natural to think of things you use regularly. A TV might make that list, but do you really need one in your college dorm? You will not be studying and partying all the time. There will be times when you just want to relax and unwind.
Many college students choose not to put a TV in their college dorm. They will be bringing a laptop with them to complete school work, and they can stream shows they want to watch on their laptop or smartphone. There will also be lounges with TVs in the building that will show things like major sporting events.
Regardless, there are some people who will want a TV. Maybe you are studying film and you intend to be watching a lot of content, or you are studying politics and it’s important to have the news on often. Maybe you just enjoy movies or gaming and you want to have your own TV. The choice is yours.
It is worth bearing in mind, though, that there probably won’t be an antenna, and possibly not a cable connection that you can link up to. You will need to stream the content you want, which means a smart TV or smartifying an older TV with an Android TV box. It is also worth noting that the internet connection you get in your college dorm might be limited, and may not be up to streaming your favorite shows in 4K.
5 Best TVs For College Students
This 32-inch TV from Insignia is probably the most popular college dorm TV right now, mostly thanks to its very affordable price tag and ideal size for a dorm room.
- 720p resolution
- Fire TV Operating System
- Alexa voice control
This is a smart TV that runs the Fire TV operating system, which is the same system as a Fire TV Stick. This is an intuitive and easy-to-use interface that is popular but also pushes sales of Amazon products, which does not appeal to everyone. You can jailbreak this TV if you want to install third-party apps such as Kodi. You won’t get full 4K, but you probably don’t have the internet bandwidth or the premium subscriptions for that anyway.
This is the most affordable TV on the market for students that want to keep up-to-date with their favorite shows or stream live TV and sports.
This is another Fire TV-powered smart TV. It should be no surprise that they dominate the list since Amazon specializes in affordable smart TV products.
- 720p resolution
- Fire TV Operating System
- Alexa voice control
This LED screen TV delivers 720p resolution, which is good enough that you probably won’t feel the absence of 4K resolution. The Fire TV interface is easy to use, and you can search for what you want with the Alexa voice control remote. It comes with foot stands, so you can get it set up in your dorm without a stand or wall mount.
This Toshiba TV ticks all the boxes when it comes to a college room TV: the right size, smart TV, that won’t break the bank.
This is one of the largest TVs on our list, and it also delivers full 4K but at a very affordable price that makes it perfect for a college dorm room.
- 1080p resolution
- Android TV OS
- Google voice command
This TV doesn’t cost much more than the previous budget options, but it has a larger screen and 4K resolution. The other positive is that it runs the Android operating system, which gives you a lot of freedom in terms of the apps you run and being able to personalize your viewing experience. If you want to download Kodi and get your entertainment on the shadow web, you can do that with this TV. What is Kodi and why do you want it? Find out here.
If you don’t mind paying just a little bit more for the best option in terms of picture quality and OS, this Hisense TV is your best choice.
TCL 40-Inch Class 3-Series Full HD 1080P LED Smart Roku TV
Roku is one of the most popular smart TV operating systems in the United States, and if you are a fan you will like this affordable 4K 40-inch TV for your dorm room.
- 1080p resolution
- Roku TV OS
- Roku voice command
This TV is often on sale, which means that you can get a 4K 40-inch TV for less than $200, an ideal price for a dorm room setup. The Roku operating system is intuitive to use, but it is locked down. You cannot jailbreak a Roku TV. Most people will be fine with this, as all the best streaming apps are available for Roku, but you won’t be able to install additions such as Kodi.
Read about the difference between Android and Roku TV.
This TV is often available at an ideal sale price and supports 4K if your internet does. If you don’t need to customize your smart TV experience to be satisfied, this might be the right option for you.
This is a smallish TV at 24 inches, but you get 4K which will look great in your small dorm room. Plus you get Chromecast built-in, ideal for when you are watching on both your smartphone and your TV.
- 1080p resolution
- Smartcast OS
- Google or Alexa voice command
Vizio uses its own proprietary operating system, but it has been designed to be compatible with both Alexa and Google voice commands, and both Apple Airplay and Chromecast. This is ideal when you are watching on your phone and your TV. When you feel like switching, you can cast your phone content directly to your TV, and when you return to your phone, you can pick up where you left off.
This is probably the best quality TV on this list, but the small size will put some off. If you are looking for something for your dorm, remember that you will be sitting relatively close to it, and this is a good size for that.
What To Look For In TVs For College Dorms
The two main considerations when choosing a TV for your college room are size and streaming, but there are some other factors to consider that can help you save money too.
Size
College dorm rooms are small, typically about 12 feet by 19 feet for a shared room, so you will inevitably be sitting close to your TV when watching. For this reason, you don’t want anything too big as it will overwhelm your dorm room and hurt your eyes. Get a TV no more than 40 inches.
Smart TV
You might not have access to an antenna or be able to subscribe to cable from your college dorm, so you will need to get what you want via streaming. This means that you need a smart TV or a TV that you can smartify with an Android TV box.
4K Or 720P?
While we all love watching our favorite shows and movies in full 4K, the internet connection that you have access to in your college dorm will probably be quite limited. They might even throttle your access to prevent data-heavy activities such as streaming. This means you probably won’t have the speed to stream in 4K, so it is not worth prioritizing a 4K TV.
Cost
At college, things get lost, stolen, or broken, so you probably won’t want to take an expensive TV with you. Budget models these days are pretty good, and you won’t be too upset if something happens to it during a dorm room party.
FAQs
What is the average size of a college dorm room?
Most college dorm rooms are twin rooms for you and a roommate and are around 12 feet by 19 feet, which is approximately 228 square feet, or a one-car garage. If you get a single, you may find yourself in a much smaller room. The general rule is a minimum of 100 square feet per student.
What TV size should I get for my dorm?
Considering the size of your dorm room, you will probably be sitting between four and six feet away from your TV, which means you won’t want anything too large or it will be hard to watch. Don’t get anything larger than 40 inches.
Where should I mount the TV in a college dorm?
You won’t be allowed to drill a mount into your college dorm room wall, so you will need to put it on top of a piece of furniture, probably the cabinet for storing your personal belongings.
The Verdict
If you decide to get a TV for your college dorm, you will want something a bit different from your home TV. College dorms are small, so you will need a smaller screen to be watchable and not overwhelm the space. You also need a smart TV, since you are unlikely to be able to hook up to an antenna or cable. 4K functionality is less important since your dorm internet connection probably won’t support that level of streaming data.
With those considerations in mind, we have shared our five picks for the best college dorm TVs, all for under $200.
