The most productive 55-inch TVs deliver the perfect picture quality while still being large enough to show the benefits of 4K resolution. They are ideal for other people who need a medium-sized screen. Basic models can be had for less than $300, and many brands sell 55-inch versions of their high-end TVs with all the features you’d get with a giant size.
To find the right style for your needs, our experts have handpicked the five most productive 55-inch TVs you can buy. Our top tip is the Samsung S90D, which offers high contrast and deep black levels thanks to its OLED display. But if you need to spend less than $500, check out the Roku Plus series. It produces a wide range of colors and provides a forged shine for the price.
Below are our five picks for the most productive 55-inch TVs, which add a premium option for home theater enthusiasts and a reasonable basic style that’s ideal for casual shoppers.
Best overall: Samsung S90D OLED 4K TV – See at Amazon
Best under $500: QLED TV 4K Series Roku Plus – See on Amazon
Best premium option: Sony A95L OLED 4K TV – See at Amazon
Best anti-reflective display: Samsung S95D OLED 4K TV – See at Amazon
Best Base Model: TCL S5 LED 4K TV – View on Amazon
The competition is tough for the most productive 55-inch TV, with several great features available, but the Samsung S90D offers the most impressive price of any program tested.
The S90D uses a QD-OLED panel, allowing it to produce an infinite contrast ratio with deep black degrees that disappear in a dark room. High contrast is one of the maximum elements for the quality of smart symbols and the contrast cannot be higher than this. Additionally, the TV features quantum dot color technology. This is something LG’s competing OLEDs lack, and allows for a wider, brighter color gamut when watching Higher Dynamic Diversity (HDR) videos.
The TV’s maximum brightness is also impressive for a mid-range OLED. In our tests, we measured a maximum of around 1,240 nits, which is a decent improvement over the 1,000 nits that Samsung’s previous S90C model could produce. When watching 4K HDR content, the S90D offers very good picture functionality with colorful highlights that are almost on par with high-end TVs that charge $1,000 more. Even lower-quality assets like cable TV and HD YouTube streams look good, with processing and overall symbol enhancement rarely as subtle as competition from Sony or LG.
The S90D’s viewing angles are also excellent, so the image doesn’t noticeably fade or distort when you sit in front of the TV. The demo is also a great option for gamers, thanks to its low input lag and fast 120Hz refresh rate with a PS5 or Xbox Series X when paired with an Ultra High Speed HDMI cable. You can achieve an even faster 144Hz refresh rate with a compatible PC. And Samsung remains the only smart TV logo to come with the Xbox app, which allows Game Pass members to stream games without a console.
On the downside, like all Samsung TVs, the S90D is missing support for Dolby Vision. This HDR format can provide the most accurate image from streaming services like Disney Plus and Netflix. We don’t think Dolby Vision is a must-have, but it is a nice perk. Check out our HDR TV guide for more details on the differences between HDR formats.
We also found some issues with the S90D’s Smart TV interface. It offers tons of streaming apps and handy Alexa voice search, but navigation can be a little slow and isn’t as responsive as the most productive streaming devices we’ve reviewed. The TV also tended to show too many notifications similar to updates to Samsung’s policy agreements, even though we turned off notifications in the settings menu. These are all minor flaws that will likely persist through firmware, but they’re worth pointing out anyway.
When it comes down to it, the 55-inch S90D is surely an amazing TV. People who need a mid-sized TV that doesn’t skimp on picture quality and features deserve this style first and foremost.
The Roku Plus series is a QLED display powered through our favorite Smart TV interface. Roku’s operating system (OS) is undeniably convenient, and the TV offers excellent picture quality for its class. It is undoubtedly one of the most productive 55-inch televisions. You can buy it for less than $500.
The screen uses a QLED panel, which allows it to supply a wide colour gamut. It also has local dimming to brighten and darken express spaces on its screen. This feature is infrequent to locate on less expensive 55-inch TVs and gives a massive improvement in black point and brightness functionality over less expensive displays, like TCL’s S5.
That said, the black grades of the Plus series don’t match the pixel-level precision of an OLED, like the Samsung S90D. And unlike the more expensive QLEDs, the Plus series uses full-size LEDs in its backlighting instead of Mini LEDs. This leads to lower contrast on the panel. During our review, we found the TV’s dimming to be a little clunky, with slightly delayed brightness adjustments.
The display also has poor viewing angles, which means colors and contrast fade when you sit to the side. And the panel is limited to 60Hz, so you can’t get 4K/120Hz support on consoles or gaming PCs. There’s no motion-smoothing feature, either. Though we typically prefer to keep settings like that off, motion smoothing can benefit certain sports broadcasts.
But the TV helps make up for those shortcomings with its intuitive Roku OS, which provides easy and snappy access to every popular streaming app. It also has some usability perks that you won’t find on many other smart TV systems, like the ability to pause live TV from a digital antenna when you have a USB stick plugged in. The remote is also great, with hands-free voice search, a rechargeable battery, and an audio chime you can activate if you misplace it.
Buyers looking for the best 55-inch TV on a budget should also buy the Hisense U6N and TCL QM7. Technically, all of those models have a retail value in excess of $500, but they rarely go on sale for less. All 3 sets use Mini LED backlighting, which produces greater dimming functionality and higher overall image quality. However, they use Google TV’s operating formula instead of Roku’s more simplified operating formula.
Read our Roku Plus Series 4K TV review.
Read our guides to the best TVs under $500 and the best budget TVs.
The Sony A95L is the most productive 55-inch TV for high-end performance. The high-end presentations from LG and Samsung come close, but the A95L has a slight advantage if you’re willing to spend the most reasonable money.
The TV uses a QD-OLED panel to offer pixel-level contrast and industry-leading color performance. The A95L is also one of the brightest OLEDs we’ve tested. We measured a peak of around 1,500 nits in a 5% brightness test pattern, a whopping 500 nits more than its predecessor, the A95K. The A95L can only hit that number when displaying small bright elements on the screen, but that’s still an impressive feat for an OLED.
This high brightness allows the A95L to deliver exceptional HDR images. Black levels disappear into a dark room, while specular highlights (like explosions) shine with pinpoint accuracy and no blooming. If you watch TV in a home theater setting, the A95L simply dazzles.
The 55-inch Samsung S95D and LG G4 can get even brighter, but Sony’s proprietary picture processing enables image accuracy that edges out rival brands. This processing also offers impressive upscaling that minimizes flaws in lower-quality sources, like HD feeds from streaming services, cable, and indoor TV antennas. Viewing angles are also top-notch, so you don’t have to worry about colors distorting when sitting off-center.
The A95L’s Google TV operating formula also works well. The included Google Assistant voice remote control provides a premium feel and a convenient backlight that turns on when you pick it up. A webcam is also included, supporting video calling and gesture controls. The TV stand can even be set to high or low mode depending on whether you need to place a sound bar in front of it.
The only notable feature missing is 144Hz support, which other brands offer on some of their higher-end TVs when paired with a gaming PC. But if you’re using a console, like a PS5 or Xbox Series X, you can rest easy knowing you’ll still get full 120Hz support.
Given its price, the A95L is aimed at home theater enthusiasts who are willing to pay more for optimal performance. Most buyers will be satisfied with one of the least expensive 55-inch TVs we recommend, but if money isn’t an object, the A95L is the display for you.
Samsung’s S95D OLED has a unique matte display that sets it apart from almost every 55-inch TV you can buy. Most competing displays use a glossy or semi-glossy panel, but the S95D’s matte screen allows you to particularly reduce reflections and reflections.
In fact, the S95D is the most productive anti-glare TV we’ve tested. If you have a room where reflexes are a big problem, this team can be a game-changer. However, there is one notable drawback. While the S95D’s matte display combats glare, it provides greater visibility to black levels in bright rooms. This can give dark scenes a blurry, flat quality when you’re watching TV with the lights on. Therefore, there is a clear trade-off and whether you prioritise reducing glare or maintaining black levels depends on personal preference.
Thankfully, in a dark room, the S95D’s black grades are just as impressive as any OLED’s. The TV offers exceptional symbol functionality that is in no way inferior to the competition from Sony and LG. It’s also the brightest OLED we’ve measured, maxing out at 1700 nits. Sony’s A95L still has an edge in overall picture quality and accuracy, but the S95D is undoubtedly one of the most productive high-end TVs out there.
The TV’s design is also premium, with a uniformly thin profile and a One Connect Box to house its inputs instead of building them into the panel. Gamers get cool perks like a 144Hz mode when paired with a PC and access to the Xbox Game Pass app to stream games.
Samsung’s cheaper Frame TV uses a similar matte screen, but that model can’t match the S95D’s image quality. Though pricey, the S95D is the best 55-inch TV you can buy if you want the most effective anti-glare screen on the market.
Read our Samsung S95D 4K TV review and our Samsung TV Advisor.
Check out our comparison between S95D and S95C.
For a typical retail value of less than $300, the TCL S5 is the go-to 55-inch TV for buyers who prioritize affordability over complex picture quality features.
This style uses an LED panel without quantum dots or local dimming. As a result, its brightness and black point features are a notable step below QLED TVs like the Roku Plus and more expensive OLED styles.
Although the S5 can produce a wide range of colors, its limited contrast prevents the device from displaying HDR content as intended, and dark scenes look more washed out if you watch TV with the lights off. Colors and contrast also become distorted if you sit sideways to the screen, and the TV’s refresh rate is limited to 60Hz, so it can’t beat the frame rate of games. To be clear, those drawbacks aren’t unusual for any TV this cheap, but they’re vital to keep in mind.
We recommend you pay more for the Roku Plus Series if you want a budget-friendly TV with HDR in mind. However, the S5 is a solid option if you just want basic 4K playback for casual viewing. Integrated support for the Fire TV platform and an Alexa voice remote round out the package, offering reliable playback from all the best streaming services. An edition with the Google TV OS is also available for those who prefer Google’s platform.
For the best 55-inch TVs, our team of experts draws on a combination of practical tests and studies based on more than 10 years of experience comparing home entertainment products.
When we look at TVs, we focus on 65-inch units, as this length is considered the industry’s flagship offering. However, the overall functionality of a style of TV is comparable for lengths of 55 inches and greater. For example, a 65-inch Sony A95L OLED TV and a 55-inch A95L have the same specifications and capabilities. The only notable difference is the length of the screen.
However, some TVs that use local dimming, such as the Roku Plus series, use fewer zones on smaller screens than on larger screens. This would possibly result in differences in contrast functionality when comparing a 55-inch style to some other size , but not enough to replace our overall impressions of this style. There are larger differences between sizes, and we note those main points where appropriate.
To test 55-inch TVs, we look at picture clarity, contrast, peak brightness, color performance, viewing angles, gaming capabilities, smart TV navigation, and overall value. We measure HDR brightness with an X-Rite iDisplay Plus colorimeter and use test patterns on the Spears & Munsil UHD HDR Benchmark 4K Blu-ray disc to evaluate other objective display parameters.
But verification models can only reveal so much, which is why we watch a lot of videos and genuine screens to see how a TV plays genuine content in life, in dark and bright rooms. We reviewed other scenes on each TV we tested and chose in particular to look at black levels, shadow details, HDR toplights, and upscaling. Our demo content includes 4K, 1080p High Definition (HD), and Popular Definition (SD) streams from a variety of sources such as Blu-ray discs, streaming services, and cable TV.
You can learn more about our review process in our breakdown of how we test tech products.
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