Looking for the best 55-inch TVs? You've come to the right place. Although some might love the larger screen size that 65-inch, 55-inch TVs offer a great mix of usability features, performance and price. They are, for lack of a better term, the sweet spot for most TV buyers.
So where do you put one of the top 55-inch TVs? You already have a space in mind most likely, but we often recommend them as living room TVs for folks living in apartments or dorms, or a second set for a bedroom if you plan on laying in bed to watch TV at night. (Not sure which size is right for you? Our ‘what size TV should you buy’ guide can help.)
There are plenty of options to choose from, but whether you’re looking for a premium smart 55-inch TV with incredible picture quality, an outdoor TV that can survive the elements, or a budget set that will save you a bundle, we've got advice backed up by hours of in-house lab testing and in-depth evaluation.
The best 55-inch TVs in 2023
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By any standard, the Sony Bravia XR A95K OLED is a remarkable TV — and often, it’s far better than that. This set, which sits at the top of Sony’s expansive TV lineup, unites the industry’s defining technologies and Sony’s own groundbreaking processing and picture enhancements to deliver superlative performance in every area. And our own test results back this up.
The color and brightness on the Bravia XR A95K are dazzling. Unexpected but genuinely useful smart features transform everything from how you interact with the screen, how you make picture adjustments, and even what you do if you lose your remote control. Perhaps most important, this Sony OLED TV looks and sounds like a dream, no matter what you watch on it, making everything a transcendent viewing and listening experience.
The question with the A95K, then, isn’t whether it’s one of the best TVs you can buy. It’s whether it is the best TV you can buy. In our opinion? Yes, yes it is.
Read our full Sony Bravia XR A95K review.
The LG C2 OLED TV is this year’s set to beat. Not only is it the best OLED TV thanks to an impressive display panel, but a premium design, maximum versatility and great smart TV platform hit all the high marks, too. The panel itself is impossibly thin, measuring 0.1-inch thick across the top half of the TV. The component compartment extends out on the bottom half of the back chassis, but it’s still very sleek overall.
We can’t say our test results for this LG C2 OLED TV review showed significant improvement over last year's C1 OLED (found lower on the list) — but, to be fair, there wasn’t much room to improve. Instead, what makes this one of the best TVs of the year is that it offers fantastic picture quality for the price.
Read our full LG C2 OLED review.
With the Samsung QN95B Neo QLED TV, Samsung once again proves why it’s the QLED TV king. Thanks to best-in-class brightness, cable management convenience and impressive performance across most content genres, the QN95B is a tough TV to beat.
At a time when OLED TVs steal most of the hype, Samsung’s premium Neo QLED technology stands out in one big way: brightness. By introducing a Mini LED backlighting, the panel can achieve higher levels of brightness without sacrificing depth and gradations of luminance. Samsung pairs that image quality with a bounty of smart TV functions and genuinely intelligent features, like a solar-powered remote control that eliminates the need to swap out batteries — delivering eco-friendly design and unbeaten convenience at the same time.
The whole thing is packed into a gorgeous 1-inch-thick design that contains a huge array of smart features, potent Dolby Atmos sound and some of the best performance we've ever seen. HDMI 2.1 connectivity comes as standard, and it's also a great option for gamers thanks to plenty of dedicated features and an impressive 9.8-millisecond lag time in our testing.
Read our full Samsung QN95B Neo QLED TV review or browse our Samsung promo codes
The Sony Bravia XR A80K OLED has the singular mission of delivering a scintillating entertainment experience in almost every way. Luckily, that’s a goal it has little trouble achieving — and considering just how good it looks and sounds, it’s something of a minor miracle this TV doesn’t cost more than it does.
Why is it expensive? This 4K OLED is absolutely packed with futuristic technologies: HDR, a 120 Hz refresh rate, ATSC 3.0 tuner, Google TV streaming and Sony's own Bravia Core service, Acoustic Surface Audio+ technology… the list goes on. Sure, not everyone will need everything here, but it's nice to have the option.
If the current generation of Sony TVs has a weak point, it’s with input lag. We measured the A80K with a Leo Bodnar 4K Lag Tester and got a result of 16.2ms. Although that number, which is in line with what we’ve seen from other Sony TVs, isn’t bad (we give passing grades to anything under 20ms), it’s also not on par with the latest sets from, say, LG and Samsung, which have no trouble smashing the 10ms barrier we designate as the boundary for great gaming.
But if gaming wasn't your main concern, the Sony Bravia XR A80K is an outstanding overall package you’ll look forward to unwrapping every time you turn it on.
Read our full Sony Bravia XR A80K review.
The 2022 LG G2 is the best OLED TV you can buy right now, improving upon last year's G1 in almost every regard. Brightness, in particular, is far better than on the 2021 set: in our testing it hit 590.54 nits compared to the G1's 412.05. That's still below the Sony A80J's 713.65 result, and some way beneath what you'd get from a QLED such as the Samsung QN90A at number one in this list, but it's way above most OLEDs. Of course you also get the deep blacks this screen tech is famous for, while the G2's color accuracy and color gamut also fared well in our testing.
The G2's almost bezel-less design is in keeping with its status as one of LG's 'Gallery' series TVs, and it's also well equipped with ports; you get 4 HDMI 2.1 sockets here. LG's WebOS smart TV platform has most of the apps you'd look for, if not quite all of them, while it excels as a gaming TV thanks to its low lag times and specialized game mode.
Read our full LG G2 OLED TV review
The 55-inch TCL 6-Series Roku TV (R635) offers enormous value for it's affordable price, offering premium picture quality and a great smart TV experience for much less than the competition. The 2020 follow up to the 2019 TCL 6-Series, the R635 ups the ante with mini-LED backlighting in addition to QLED. The result is impressive color and brightness, with some of the best HDR performance we've seen on anything this side of an OLED display.
But TCL keeps delivering more, like THX Certified Game Mode, which makes the 6-Series one of the best gaming TVs available, even for yet-to-be-released consoles like the PS5 and the Xbox Series X. From the design's smart touches, like cable management in the stand, to the always-solid Roku TV platform, the TCL 6-Series R635 was the best TV value of 2020, and is still great now.
Read our full TCL 6-Series Roku TV (R635) review.
The TCL 5-Series Google TV (55S546) might be the smartest smart TV we've seen, with a combination of smart TV features, solid performance and great value for your dollar. Building on the foundation of the already-good 5-Series, the move to Google TV gives the affordable 4K smart TV a more premium smart TV platform, one that offers personalized and customizable suggestions, a huge assortment of smart features, and deep Google Assistant integration that makes it a viable center for the entire home of connected gadgets.
But it also offers a step up in other aspects of the TV. From color quality to lag times, the 5-Series Google TV is a more polished version of the 5-Series TV, delivering an excellent QLED 4K display, a slick remote control, and a surprisingly wide array of gaming features for a 60Hz TV. For a smart TV that sells for under $1,000 for most size options, it's easily one of the best TVs on the market.
Read our full TCL 5-Series Google TV (S546) review.
The Samsung 65-inch Class S95B OLED 4K Smart TV (QN65S95BAF or QE65S95B in the UK) is the company's first TV to combine OLED with quantum dots, resulting in a QD-OLED TV that promises the best of both technologies: superior color, brightness, and contrast in a single package.
That marriage is the tiniest bit rocky, though, thanks to its effects on the set’s blacks (which should be any OLED set’s crowning glory), and the superannuated Tizen operating system that leaves this brand-spanking-new set showing its age right out of the box.
That said, with top-tier picture quality, surprisingly good sound, a forward-thinking remote control, terrific gaming capabilities, and an eye-catching design, it's still an excellent option in 2023.
Read our full Samsung S95B OLED 4K TV review.
The Hisense U8H Mini-LED TV is all about bringing high-end features to a mid-level price bracket. To wit, it’s packing a light sensor for Dolby Vision IQ that can raise or lower the brightness to match the ambient light in the room and a Mini-LED panel that has up to 528 local dimming zones. Its peak brightness exceeds any TV around that price, and its color reproduction is as good as some of this year’s best TVs.
Not only does it have some smart-looking specs under its belt, it has some killer additional features — there’s two HDMI 2.1 ports that support 4K@120Hz and on-board Google TV 11 with Chromecast Built-in. Around back you’ll find a hefty sound system that delivers bass in spades, though it could be a bit stronger in the mid-range. Of course, there's also an ATSC 3.0 tuner inside, too.
The bad news? As powerful as a TV as this is, Hisense’s upscaling and motion processing skills aren’t on par with that of LG, Samsung or Sony’s, which means some scenes you’re going to notice poor motion smoothing and color banding. If those terms don’t mean much to you, these issues won’t ruin your experience — but videophiles might notice them and they can turn an otherwise positive experience into a sub-par one.
Read our full Hisense U8H review.
The TCL 5 Series Roku TV does what TCL does best, delivering a surprisingly great mix of features and performance at an excellent affordable price. With the 65-inch model selling for less than $700, it offers the superb color and brightness of QLED, as well as Roku's user-friendly smart TV interface, which puts thousands of apps right at your fingertips.
In addition to the excellent color accuracy and full-colour gamut offered by the QLED display, we love that it offers top-of-the-line HDR support, with Dolby Vision in addition to basic HDR10 and HLG formats. Our testing also found it has an input lag of 13.1 milliseconds, making it great for gaming too. Add in that it's roughly half the price of Samsung's equivalent QLED TV, and this is one of the best value 4K TVs you can buy.
Read our full TCL 5-Series Roku TV (S535) review.
How to choose the best 55-inch TVs for you
Our TV buying guide breaks down the key factors that should go into purchasing a new set, as getting a TV is an investment. It’s a piece of tech you’re likely to own for several years, which is why you want to make sure you’re picking the best 55-inch TV for you.
Size: First figure out whether you’re locked into a 55-inch set. Just because it’s the biggest size that fits on your wall or TV stand doesn’t mean that it’s right for the room. Similarly, consider if a 65-inch TV would better suit your space.
Price: Expect to pay about $500 for a good 55-inch 4K TV. The Insignia 55-inch 4K Fire TV Edition above is the absolute cheapest we’d recommend based on our catalog of TV testing. But if you have a tighter budget, check out our best TV deals for some alternatives. Keep in mind performance will take a hit in lower price ranges, though.
HDR: If you want the most colors, get one of the HDR sets with Dolby Vision compatibility above. This technology is able to deliver more colors, more contrast levels and increased brightness. It could make a set a bit more costly, but it guarantees you’ll still be satisfied with TV as the Dolby Vision format seems to be gaining momentum.
Ports: Another thing to consider is port offerings. Some of the sets above sport 3 HDMI ports, while some have 4. In general, more ports is better, especially if you have a collection of input devices like soundbars or game consoles.
If you've narrowed down your TV shopping by brand, price range or screen size, check out our picks for the best TVs in each.
Best TVs | Best 4K TVs | Best smart TVs for streaming | Best TVs for gaming
The best TVs under $1000 | The best TVs under $500
Best TV brands | Best Samsung TVs | Best TCL TVs | Best LG TVs | Best Roku TVs | Best Google TVs | Best OLED TVs | Best QLED TVs | Best 8K TVs | Best HDMI 2.1 TV | Best TVs with ATSC 3.0 | Best TVs with Chromecast
The smallest smart TVs | Best 43-inch TVs | Best 50-inch TVs | Best 55-inch TVs | Best 65-inch TVs | Best 70-inch TVs | Best 75-inch TVs | Best 85-inch TVs
And don't forget to watch out for the latest TV reviews.
How we test the best 55-inch TVs
Testing the best 55-inch TVs is a thorough process. We put every TV through our custom lab test, measuring color gamut, color accuracy and brightness to objectively see which sets are the best for these key indicators. We also test for lag time, measuring to the millisecond how long it takes for content to travel from the original source to the screen. We use these results to make numbers-based comparisons about color and display quality.
We spend hours with each set to see how our lab results translate into anecdotal performance. We also compare competing sets using a range of content across several sources. With that information, we can tell you which TVs look best, sound best and offer the best viewing experience.
Of course, we also consider the smart TV functions and apps for each TV, looking at everything from the remote control design to the voice interaction.
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