Overview
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Hisense 55U8N
Best Value - Jump To Details
LG 55-Inch Evo G4 OLED TV (OLED55G4SUB)
Best Premium OLED TV - Jump To Details
LG 55-Inch Evo C3 OLED TV (OLED55C3PUA)
Best Midrange OLED - Jump To Details
Hisense 55U6K
Best Budget TV - Jump To Details
SunBriteTV 55-Inch Veranda 3 Series (SB-V3-55-4KHDR-BL)
Best Outdoor TV - Jump To Details
Roku 55-Inch Pro Series TV
Best Roku TV - Jump To Details
Samsung 55-Inch QN90D 4K QLED TV (QN55QN90DAFXZA)
Best QLED TV - Jump To Details
Samsung 55-Inch Class The Frame QLED TV
Best for Wall Mounting
TVs keep getting bigger, and large screen sizes are becoming more affordable. This doesn't necessarily mean a 65-inch (or larger) TV is right for you, though. If you have a smaller space or a limited budget, a 55-inch TV might be in your personal Goldilocks zone. I'm a certified TV calibrator and THX home theater expert, and I've tested and evaluated every TV line mentioned on this list. I put TVs through a full battery of tests, including in-depth measurements of brightness, contrast, color accuracy, color range, and latency, using specialized equipment. If you're looking to get the most value for your money, the Hisense U8N is the best TV available in 55 inches, but this list includes a range of more premium and budget-friendly options to accommodate every buyer.
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Deeper Dive: Our Top Tested Picks
Hisense 55U8N
Best ValueWhy We Picked It
The Hisense U8N is the best value out of all the current TVs we've tested. It offers the brightest picture we've ever seen and a generous feature set including hands-free Google Assistant as well as Apple AirPlay and Google Cast support, all at a very reasonable price. You can get deeper and more detailed shadows with an OLED TV, but you'll be spending two to three times more.
Who It's For
This should be one of the first TVs you consider if you're looking for a quality television for a reasonable price. It's as simple as that.
Pros
- Incredibly bright picture with strong contrast
- Wide colors
- 144Hz native refresh rate with VRR and AMD FreeSync Premium Pro
- Supports Apple AirPlay, Google Assistant, Google Cast
Cons
- Blacks aren't as deep as they can be on OLED TVs
- Gaming mode can cause clipping in highlights
Learn MoreHisense 55U8N ReviewLG 55-Inch Evo G4 OLED TV (OLED55G4SUB)
Best Premium OLED TVWhy We Picked It
The LG Evo G4 is one of the best-looking TVs we've tested, with an incredibly bright picture and balanced, vivid, and natural colors. It's filled with features, shows sub-millisecond input lag for gamers, and has an attractive design.
Who It's For
If it's in your budget, the Evo G4 is worth the price. It's simply excellent on all fronts. It's also the first LG G-series TV to come with a table stand, so you don't have to mount it if you don't want to.
Pros
- Bright picture
- Vibrant, accurate color
- Excellent gaming performance
- WebOS smart TV platform is loaded with features
- Includes a table stand
Cons
- Expensive
- Slightly clunky remote
LG 55-Inch Evo C3 OLED TV (OLED55C3PUA)
Best Midrange OLEDWhy We Picked It
The LG C3 Evo is the latest entry in a long line of fantastic OLED TVs. It has excellent picture quality, top-notch gaming potential, and premium features such as Dolby Vision and Apple AirPlay.
Who It's For
If you want a TV with the kind of picture quality only an OLED panel can offer, the C3 Evo is one of your best options. It offers a dimmer picture than the G4 or Samsung's S95D, but is also significantly less expensive and just as gamer-friendly thanks to its sub-millisecond input lag. LG is replacing the C3 with the newer Evo C4, but until then you can probably find this model for a steep discount.
Pros
- Fantastic color and contrast
- Incredibly low input lag
- Slim, sleek design
Cons
- No ATSC 3.0 tuner
Hisense 55U6K
Best Budget TVWhy We Picked It
Our favorite TVs in terms of value are relatively inexpensive, but they aren't nearly as cheap as you can go. The Hisense U6K series can be found for much less than the same-size U8N models, and offers strong picture performance for the price (along with the same Google TV features). It makes compromises on contrast, but its color performance is excellent. If you're on a budget, it's the TV to get.
Who It's For
This is for shoppers who want a solid TV while spending as little as possible. You can go cheaper, but we don't recommend it; the U6K offers the best picture for the price, and the price is already low.
Pros
- Excellent color
- Improved black levels and contrast from previous generation
- Google TV, Google Cast, and hands-free Google Assistant
- Apple AirPlay
- Low input lag
Cons
- Not particularly bright
- Colors in Theater Day mode are inaccurate
Learn MoreHisense 55U6K ReviewSunBriteTV 55-Inch Veranda 3 Series (SB-V3-55-4KHDR-BL)
Best Outdoor TVWhy We Picked It
You should never mount a regular TV outside because extreme temperatures or any amount of rain can destroy it. You need to get a TV designed for use outdoors, and SunBriteTV's Veranda 3 is one of the best. It's pricey, but that's what you can expect to pay for the necessary weatherproofing and still get a good-looking picture.
Who It's For
This is one of the best TVs to get if you want something to put in your backyard or on your deck. There are a few cheaper outdoor TVs available, but their pictures aren't nearly as good.
Pros
- Ruggedized for outdoor use
- Wide, accurate colors with Dolby Vision support
- Android TV provides phone mirroring, streaming media, and voice control
- Low input lag
Cons
- Expensive
- Doesn't include a stand
- High black levels
Roku 55-Inch Pro Series TV
Best Roku TVWhy We Picked It
Roku started making its own TVs last year, but it really found its groove with 2024's flagship Pro Series. The Pro Series represents a huge jump over the budget-priced Plus Series with a mini-LED backlight system that lets it get almost three times as bright, along with gamer-friendly features like 120Hz VRR and AMD FreeSync Premium Pro.
Who It's For
The Roku Pro Series is the best Roku-powered TV currently available, and should be appealing if you want a TV with a simple, accessible interface focused almost entirely on finding and watching what you want to watch. It doesn't have a full voice assistant (though you can control a limited selection of Roku smart home devices with it), but it's an uncluttered, easy-to-use experience.
Pros
- Bright, colorful picture
- Simple, accessible smart TV platform
- Hands-free voice search and TV control
- Works with Roku smart home devices
Cons
- No full voice assistant
- Remote no longer has a headphone jack
Learn MoreRoku 55-Inch Pro Series TV ReviewSamsung 55-Inch QN90D 4K QLED TV (QN55QN90DAFXZA)
Best QLED TVWhy We Picked It
The QN90D, Samsung's flagship QLED TV, offers impressive brightness, deep blacks, and very wide, accurate colors. It's also loaded with features such as hands-free Amazon Alexa (or Samsung Bixby), Apple AirPlay, and a whole toolbox of tricks for gamers. We have no problem recommending it, despite its high cost.
Who It's For
If you want a premium LED TV with an excellent picture and use the Alexa voice assistant, the Samsung QN90D could be an ideal match. Just prepare to pay a bit more for it than competing models, and consider the LG Evo G4 OLED if you can push your budget just a bit more.
Pros
- Strong contrast and color with effectively perfect blacks
- Lots of features
- Excellent gaming performance
- Multiple size options from 43 to 98 inches
Cons
- Tizen OS smart TV platform lags behind competitors
- No Dolby Vision or ATSC 3.0
Samsung 55-Inch Class The Frame QLED TV
Best for Wall MountingWhy We Picked It
The Frame is another Samsung lifestyle TV, with a drastically different concept from The Serif. This TV is designed to look like a hanging painting, with customizable bezels that give the impression of a picture frame. It doesn't have the brightest or most colorful picture out there, but it can blend in with your home decor, especially with its low-light ambient mode running.
Who It's For
This is a TV for any room where you don't want it to look like there's a TV in it. Put it on the wall, and when you aren't watching it you can enjoy some unobtrusive art instead of a big black box.
Pros
- Striking, customizable design that resembles a hanging painting
- Matte screen reduces glare and adds to the painting effect
- Strong color performance
Cons
- Poor contrast
- Very expensive for the picture quality
Buying Guide: The Best 55-Inch TVs for 2024
A note on the individual TV models above: We generally test one screen size of a given TV line and extrapolate its performance to other screen sizes barring any significant differences in specs. We expect similar performance between screen sizes, and for reference, we note which specific model is tested in the linked review. If there isn't an italicized statement below the first paragraph clarifying this, then the 55-inch screen size is the one that was tested.
Finally, if you aren't sure what size screen is right for you, our guide can help you determine which one is best. While you're at it, be sure to read up on the best cheap TVs, the best TVs for gaming, and the best TVs overall.
