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This TinyTV 2 review has to begin with the obvious question: why would anybody want to watch video on a one-inch screen in 2026?
The answer is that practicality is completely beside the point.
TinyCircuits’ TinyTV 2 is a miniature working television designed to look like the portable sets of decades past.
It has physical channel and volume knobs, a front-facing speaker, a rechargeable battery and even a tiny infrared remote.
You can load your own videos onto its 8GB internal storage and flick between them as though you were changing television channels.
It is ridiculous.
It is also extremely charming.
TinyTV 2 specifications
| Display | 1-inch IPS TFT |
| Resolution | 216 × 135 |
| Colours | 65K |
| Processor | Raspberry Pi RP2040 |
| Storage | 8GB built-in |
| Approx. video capacity | Around 10 hours |
| Battery | 150mAh |
| Claimed playback | Around 2 hours |
| Audio | Front-facing speaker |
| Connectivity | USB-C |
| Controls | Power, volume and channel controls |
| Remote | Infrared Tiny Remote |
| Size | 47.6 × 36.6 × 25.9mm |
First, understand what the TinyTV 2 is not
The TinyTV 2 does not receive normal television broadcasts.
It also does not stream Netflix, YouTube or other services wirelessly.
Instead, you connect it through USB-C and load compatible video onto its built-in storage.
That distinction is important.
Someone buying this because they expect a microscopic smart TV is going to be disappointed.
Someone buying it because they want a tiny retro display full of favourite clips, old cartoons, music videos or family footage will understand the appeal immediately.
The design is the whole point
The TinyTV 2 measures less than 5cm tall.
That is small enough to sit comfortably on a desk without taking up meaningful space.
The brown model leans heavily into the retro aesthetic, while TinyCircuits also sells a clear version that exposes more of the gadget’s electronics.
The physical controls are a particularly nice touch.
There is a power control alongside rotary knobs for channel selection and volume.
Instead of tapping an invisible interface on a touchscreen, you physically turn a tiny knob to change what is playing.
That interaction is unnecessary from a purely functional perspective.
It is also the reason the product has personality.
A one-inch screen sounds absurd because it is
The IPS display measures just 26mm, or approximately one inch, diagonally.
Resolution is 216 × 135 pixels.
That would be hopeless for a normal television.
On a screen this physically small, however, raw resolution matters differently.
You are not buying the TinyTV 2 to inspect fine details in a film.
You are buying it because seeing a recognisable video playing on something barely larger than a matchbox is entertaining in itself.
The IPS panel also helps maintain usable viewing angles, which matters because positioning your head directly in front of a screen this small every time would become tedious.
Loading your own videos
This is where the TinyTV 2 becomes more than a static desk ornament.
The 8GB internal storage can hold roughly ten hours of converted video according to TinyCircuits.
Content is transferred through USB-C.
The need to prepare and load files introduces some friction compared with simply opening a streaming app.
But that friction also encourages a different type of use.
You can curate a miniature set of “channels” rather than endlessly scrolling through a streaming catalogue.
One channel might contain old cartoons.
Another might play music videos.
Another could contain family clips, holiday footage, pixel art or an animation designed specifically for the tiny screen.
That makes the TinyTV 2 as much a customisable display as a miniature television.
The Raspberry Pi RP2040 at its centre
TinyCircuits uses the Raspberry Pi RP2040 microcontroller.
This is not a general-purpose processor designed to compete with a smartphone.
It is a compact, efficient chip well suited to the relatively simple job the TinyTV 2 needs to perform.
Video files are prepared for the device rather than asking the RP2040 to decode whatever random high-resolution format you throw at it.
That is an important distinction.
The hardware is modest because the product’s workload is deliberately controlled.
The tiny remote is wonderfully unnecessary
TinyCircuits bundles the Tiny Remote with the current TinyTV 2 package.
The remote communicates over infrared and works best from a short distance.
You could simply reach over and turn the channel knob.
The television is, after all, probably sitting less than an arm’s length away.
That is exactly why the remote is funny.
It recreates the ritual of sitting back and changing channels, only now both the television and remote look like somebody shrank them in a cartoon.
This is a product built around those little moments.
Battery life
The internal lithium-polymer battery has a capacity of 150mAh.
TinyCircuits rates it for approximately two hours of video playback.
Two hours would be terrible for a tablet.
For something primarily intended to sit on a desk, it is perfectly understandable.
You can also power and charge it over USB-C.
One detail worth knowing is that a USB-C cable may not be included, depending on the package.
Most buyers probably own several already, but it is still worth checking.
Sound quality is not the attraction
There is a tiny front-facing speaker built into the set.
Expectations should remain proportional to the size of the product.
Nobody should buy a television measuring less than 5cm tall and expect cinematic audio.
The speaker’s purpose is simply to make the miniature television experience complete.
For a novelty device, that is enough.
What could you actually use it for?
The obvious use is decoration.
It fits neatly into gaming setups, home offices, display shelves and retro-themed desks.
But there are more creative possibilities.
You could turn it into a looping digital photo or video display.
You could load old game footage onto it.
You could use it to play animated pixel art.
A content creator could even use it as a tiny prop in a video.
The more personal the content you load onto it, the more interesting the TinyTV 2 becomes.
Price and value
TinyCircuits has generally positioned the TinyTV 2 around the price of a premium novelty gadget rather than a serious display.
That is too expensive if you judge it purely by screen size.
A phone you already own is obviously better at playing video.
But comparing the TinyTV 2 with a phone misses the point.
You are paying for the miniature engineering, design and novelty.
The correct comparison is closer to a desk ornament, collectible or unusual gift that happens to be programmable.
Viewed that way, the price makes considerably more sense.
TinyTV 2 pros and cons
Pros
- Brilliant retro design
- Fully working one-inch display
- Physical volume and channel knobs
- Tiny infrared remote
- 8GB internal storage
- Around ten hours of converted video capacity
- USB-C charging and transfers
- Easy conversation piece
- Highly customisable for desk setups
Cons
- No Wi-Fi streaming
- Does not receive TV broadcasts
- Approximately two-hour battery life
- Requires converted local video files
- Clearly a novelty rather than a practical screen
Who should buy the TinyTV 2?
Buy it for somebody who already has everything.
Buy it if you love miniature electronics.
Buy it if your desk setup matters almost as much to you as the computer sitting on it.
Buy it if the thought of loading an old episode of a cartoon onto a one-inch television makes you smile.
Do not buy it because you need another way to watch Netflix.
Final verdict
The TinyTV 2 is a terrible television and a brilliant TinyTV.
That distinction matters.
Measured as practical consumer electronics, almost every screen you already own is larger, sharper, louder and more convenient.
Measured as a piece of miniature engineering with genuine functionality, it becomes far more compelling.
TinyCircuits understands that absurdity is the attraction.
The TinyTV 2 does one very small thing and does it with enough charm that you may find yourself inventing excuses to keep it running on your desk.