Insignia NS-32F401CA26 32"

A $150 Fire TV that punches way above its weight in gaming response but faceplants on audio and movie quality. Grab it if you need a cheap, snappy secondary screen, and pair it with a soundbar.

The Insignia NS-32F401CA26 is a $150 32-inch smart TV that shouldn't exist, yet here we are. And we're kind of glad it does. It's got a crisp 1080p screen, Fire TV built right in, and a sneaky talent: it's one of the most responsive small TVs we've ever tested for gaming. But before you get too excited, the audio is basically a whispery afterthought and the HDR support is a paper-thin checkbox feature. If you need a cheap screen for a dorm, kitchen, or kid's room, this is a solid pick. Just don't expect it to replace your living room TV.

What surprised us most is how well this thing handles games. The 2.5ms response time and 60Hz panel deliver lag so low it rivals some gaming monitors. In our database, its input performance sits in the absolute best tier for this class, beating even much pricier sets. That's genuinely impressive. On the flip side, the picture quality is strictly middle-of-the-pack. It's fine for cartoons, YouTube, or background TV, but dark scenes in movies just look muddy and flat, and the HDR implementation is one of the weakest we've seen. Audio? Don't even bother. The 10W bottom speakers produce tinny, hollow sound that's only passable for casual news broadcasts. Budget a cheap soundbar if you want any kind of immersion.

For $150, you could do a lot worse. Heck, you could spend twice as much and still end up with worse gaming performance. The value is there if you know exactly what you're getting: a secondary screen that excels at casual use and console gaming. If you try to make it your main cinema display, you'll quickly realize you underpaid.

The real competition isn't other 32-inch TVs, it's slightly larger 4K models that cost just $100-200 more. The Hisense U6 Series (65-inch for around $450) offers real HDR, better audio, and a huge screen, though you'll sacrifice the Insignia's phenomenal input lag. The TCL QM6K delivers similar perks in a 55-inch form factor. If size and cash are your only constraints, this Insignia is the scrappy underdog. But if you can squeeze in a 43-inch or larger set, those alternatives will give you a massively better movie and HDR experience.

If you're looking for a main living-room TV to watch movies and stream in high quality, skip this. The weak HDR, poor audio, and mediocre picture will leave you feeling like you cut the wrong corner. Grab a TCL 4-Series or Hisense A6 in 43 inches instead, they're night and day better for just a bit more money.

The Insignia NS-32F401CA26 is a tiny TV with one giant superpower: low-lag gaming on a budget. It's not a cinematic marvel, and the built-in speakers are genuinely terrible, but for a bedroom, dorm, or kitchen screen, it's a steal at the right price. If you're a gamer who doesn't care about big-screen immersion, this is a no-brainer. Everyone else should save a little more for a bigger 4K set.