Upgrading your TV helps you enjoy the latest in TV technology. The best 55 inch TVs now come with ultra HD 4K resolution and HDR picture so you can enjoy high end quality without needing to break the bank.

A 55 inch TV offers a happy middle ground between size, price and practicality making it an extremely popular screen size.

TV shopping can be confusing but the following reviews will help you find the best 55 inch TV for your home.

LG OLED55CXPTA Smart 55″ TV

The LG OLED55CXPTA is one of the best 55 inch TVs of the year and it’s clear to see why. This TV is an amazing all-rounder that brings a new level of clarity and performance to your home entertainment system. It’s not only great for film enthusiasts, it’s also one of the best if you’re a gamer.

This is a self-lit OLED meaning you can enjoy rich, balanced colours and perfect blacks. The image quality of this 55 inch screen is impressive and the Filmmaker Mode and Dolby Vision IQ mode help you to get the most out of the TV based on the content you are watching.

Something many people look for these days is streaming services and this LG delivers. You can easily access a range of services including Netflix, Disney+, Apple TV, Amazon Prime, Stan and so much more making this 55 inch TV a hub of entertainment.

What We Like:

• Best image quality
• Good value for money
• User friendly

What We Don’t Like:

• No HDR10+ support

Samsung UA55TU8000 55″ Crystal UHD 4K Smart TV

This crystal UHD 4K Smart TV from Samsung is user-friendly and offers access to a wide range of services. The TVs One Remote Control lets you control all compatible devices to give you fast access to your favourite apps and content.

This 55 inch TV offers amazing resolution and has dynamic tone mapping that delivers excellent colour, contrast and detail. The Game mode is ideal for fast action, delivering smooth images and reduced lagging. There is also an Ambient mode that turns the 55 inch screen into a photo display so you can showcase your favourite photos or memories when you’re not watching shows.

As with most of the best 55 inch TVs, you can even control this Samsung TV using voice commands or using compatible devices through Bluetooth. This sleek, stylish model has built-in cable management and will fit effortlessly into any home.

What We Like:

• User friendly
• Sleek and stylish design
• Excellent contrast ratio

What We Don’t Like:

• The screen may not be as bright as other options

Sony 55 inch Smart 4K TV

This is a sleek, durable and modern TV from Sony. You can enjoy 4K quality and vivid true-to-life colours with the Triluminos display. X-Reality Pro upscales the content to bring it closer to true 4K quality so you can always enjoy the best image possible.

You can watch content from Youtube and Netflix and the dedicated buttons on the remote control make it easy to go straight to the app you want. You can also plug your smartphone or a USB drive into your TV enabling you to watch a range of content with ease.

To give you the best viewing experience, Motionflow XR helps minimise blur seen in fast-moving scenes by adding extra frames. Not leaving anything behind, ClearAudio+ makes sure the audio is immersive, enriching and offers great clarity so you can hear the details of what is happening on the screen.

What We Like:

• Great picture quality
• Excellent colour depth
• HDR10

What We Don’t Like:

• Limited app compatibility (works with Youtube and Netflix only)

LG UHD 55 inch 4K TV w/ AI ThinQ

This LG UHD TV is great for all entertainment needs from TV shows to cinema and games and is available at a relatively low price. This is one of the best 55 inch TVs for those on a budget.

You can enjoy a selection of apps including Disney+, Netflix, Sports Alert and Apple TV. The ThinQ AI voice recognition makes it more convenient than ever to control your smart TV and smart home. You can speak to Alexa, Google Assistant or Siri and build routines turning your new TV into your personal assistant.

The 55 inch TV uses a quad core processor and offers a wide view angle, lifelike colour and a range of viewing modes such as Filmmaker Mode to give you the best experience for the content you are watching. As well as the large screen size and ultra high definition picture quality the speakers are designed to produce a more immersive sound experience too.

What We Like:

• Good viewing angles
• Low price
• Central hub with voice recognition

What We Don’t Like:

• No HDMI 2.1

Philips 55PUT7303 55″ Smart LED TV

This Android TV from Philips is ultra slim and offers 4K UHD quality. It has enhanced contrast, colour and sharpness so colours are vivid and look true to life without any missed details.

The Philips P5 Perfect Picture Engine makes sure motion is smooth even in fast action or sports scenes. You can access Free view Plus via aerial and broadband for TV services and catch up and you can watch your favourite content on internet apps such as Netflix or those found on Google Play.

One of the best features of this TV is Philips Ambilight. This is a 3 sided ambient light show that helps make movies and games feel more immersive by casting on-screen colours into the room and onto the walls in real-time. This model also boasts HDR+ to deliver advanced contrast and colour quality. For added convenience, this Smart Android TV has Google Assistant built-in too.

What We Like:

• Ambilight
• P5 Perfect Picture Engine
• Enhanced colour and contrast

What We Don’t Like:

• May not be as bright as other options

Samsung QA55Q70TAWXXY 55 Inch TV

This 55 inch Samsung TV offers a range of high-end features without the high price tag. It comes with Quantum Dot Technology meaning immersive colours and contrast from a spectrum of a billion shades.

The Ambient Mode + can be used for anything from displaying art, the weather/ time or even just a picture of the wall so the TV blends in seamlessly when you’re not watching it.

This is one of the best 55 inch TVs for sports and action thanks to the motion rate of 200Hz ensuring smooth motion in fast-paced scenes. The Intelligent Mode adapts the image, sound and volume to give you the best experience for the surroundings and program you are watching.

This is also one of the best choices for gamers as the Real Game Enhancer lowers input lag times and enhances the picture quality for a better experience. All compatible devices can be controlled with Samsung’s One Remote Control and you can connect devices to the TV via Bluetooth too.

What We Like:

• Great image quality
• Ambient mode
• Lower price for high end features

What We Don’t Like:

• Heavy

Devanti Smart LED TV 55″ Inch 4K TV

This 55 inch TV from Devanti is ultra-slim, offers a wide viewing angle and has Dolby Digital Surround Sound for ultimate viewing pleasure.

The 4K UHD resolution works with HDR to produce the best, most realistic images. The frame response time is 8ms so every frame is seen in perfect clarity. You can access a range of streaming services including Netflix and Youtube as well as a host of other smart features.

Another advantage of this TV is the 6-star energy rating that offers excellent energy efficiency meaning you can binge-watch your favourite shows without worrying about energy bills.

What We Like:

• Dolby Digital Surround Sound
• Rapid frame response time
• 178-degree viewing angle

What We Don’t Like:

• Not as many input ports as other TVs

55 Inch TV Buyer’s Guide

The best 55 inch TV brings an immersive, impactful and high performance entertainment system into the comfort of your home. There are options to suit all budgets and this guide will help you find the right TV for your needs.

Why 55 Inch?

For many homes, a 55 inch TV is the best option as it is an immersive screen size without being too large for the room it is placed in. The best 55 inch TVs offer all the latest tech developments, excellent image quality and true to life colours so you can enjoy everything a larger TV offers but in a smaller package with a lower price tag.

Technology Types

Below are the common types of TVs you’ll currently find in the market.

LCD

A Liquid Crystal Display screen lights up every inch of your screen all at once, rather than pixel by pixel. It uses a massive backlight to get the job done, and then the crystals in the display act as a valve for the backlight so we see the screen in the correct colours.

These screens are lower contrast and less bright than the below alternatives. However, LCD TVs have been around for a long time now, so they are a cheaper alternative to newer TV technologies.

LED

LEDs are light-emitting diodes, which are placed either in the back or at the sides of your TV to provide the light for it. If they are at the back behind the panel, this is known as full-array local dimming. Placing them at the sides is a more popular option, which is called ‘edge-lit’.

In either case, this makes a TV chunkier as LEDs take up a fair amount of space, particularly on big screen TVs. Also, LEDs can create some blotches and uneven light on the display, but this would only be noticeable in a dark room.

QLED

QLED stands for Quantum dot LED. This is known as a variant of LED LCD TVs as it relies on the use of an LED backlight. The quantum dots are minute molecules that emit their own light when hit by a light source. In a QLED tv, they are located in a film behind the screen and the LED backlight shines on them, causing them to release their light.

With QLED, the quality of the TV is very important. Depending on the TV model, you will find the QLED picture varies a great deal. The higher-end QLED model you get, the better picture quality you will experience. OLED, by contrast, is much less variable.

QLED TVs offer superior viewing in bright environments because they offer peak brightness that’s much better than counterparts.

OLED

OLED refers to organic light-emitting diode. OLED TVs have pixels that are self-lighting, so they bypasses the need for using LCD technology altogether. An OLED TV has better black levels and contrast than other technology types.

OLED TVs also offer some of the best viewing angles. If you’ve ever tried to watch TV from the side and had an issue seeing the screen clearly, this is the type of TV you need to rectify that problem.

RELATED: The Best 65 Inch TVs

4k And HDR

4k

A TV must contain at least 8 million pixels to be able to claim it is 4K, which is the same as Ultra HD. So, if you see 4k Ultra HD TVs for sale and wonder how they are different from just a 4k TV, they aren’t.

The standard image resolution for 4k TVs is 3,840 by 2,160 pixels, but this can vary as long as there are more than the required 8 million. This is 23 times the resolution of regular TVs.

The main benefit of a 4k television is that the image will be much clearer. Be aware, however, that the higher your resolution is, the more capacity it needs for transmission. For this reason, HDMI 2.0 was created – to be compatible with 4k TVs.

You will also need to have a fast internet connection to stream TV and movies in 4k resolution. Netflix recommends a downstream speed of at least 25Mbps to stream its content on a 4k TV.

HDR

HDR stands for high dynamic range. This is used by many 4k televisions to make sure that colours remain true to real life. It turns images that would be dulled by other TVs into realistic landscapes with bright, vivid colours that look just as they would in real life.

Many cinematographers insist on using HDR for their movies so that the audience can truly see the picture as it was intended to be seen. If you are into movies, it’s worth spending the extra money to get 4k HDR. Many media streaming apps now offer movies and even TV shows in HDR. iTunes, HBO GO, Netflix, and Hulu all offer some of their offerings in HDR.

If you’re considering a 4k television, you may as well find one that also has HDR, as many do, and you don’t want to miss out on the best TV viewing experience! If you were wondering where Dolby Vision fits into this, this is just one brand of 4k HDR video format that enhances images. There are other brands, so you don’t need to get too hung up on this.