The 6 Best 55 Inch 4k TVs - Spring 2020
Reviews

The LG OLED55B9PUA is the best 55 inch TV we've tested so far. OLED TVs have gained popularity in recent years, largely due to OLED's capacity to turn each pixel on and off individually, resulting in pure blacks and an infinite contrast ratio. This TV is no exception and it delivers outstanding picture quality. It doesn't get any better if you like to watch TV in the dark, where black is black, period.

Unfortunately, like all OLED TVs, there's the possibility of permanent burn-in, though this is the result of cumulative exposure to static content and we don't expect it to occur with normal varied content. That said, it may not be as good a choice to use as a monitor or for long gaming sessions, as those usage scenarios often involve a lot of static user interface elements that are displayed for an extended period. LG has implemented some measures to prevent burn-in, such as screen savers and ABL (Auto Brightness Limiter), but some may find the latter a little too aggressive.

On the bright side, this TV performs great in a bright room thanks to its excellent reflection handling and decent peak brightness. Motion handling is also outstanding thanks to the nearly instantaneous response time, which, coupled with low input lag and support for variable refresh rate, makes it an excellent TV for gamers. Overall, this is an excellent TV for a wide variety of uses, making it the best 55 inch smart TV we've tested so far.

The best 55 inch TV for color accuracy that we've tested so far is the Sony XBR55X950G. This TV stands out not only for its outstanding out-of-the-box color accuracy, but also for its exceptional peak brightness, especially in HDR mode. Combined with its wide color gamut, it delivers HDR content with vibrant colors and bright highlights. It's able to display dark, saturated colors well due to its high contrast ratio, and it has a full-array local dimming that performs decently well.

This TV has a fast response time that results in clear images and very little motion blur. Most gamers should be satisfied with its 120Hz refresh rate and low input lag, but there's no support for FreeSync. If you want to use the TV as a monitor, it can display most common resolutions as well as chroma 4:4:4, which is great for text clarity. The main downside of this TV is its sub-par viewing angles, though this is expected of most VA panels, and while it has a decent gray uniformity, there's a bit of vignetting at all corners of the screen.

When it comes to streaming services, you should be able to find nearly anything you want from the Google Play Store. Since this TV runs on Android, you can also interact with it through the Google Assistant, allowing you to control the TV. If you don't plan on having the TV calibrated, then this is the best 55 inch TV for color accuracy.

The best budget 55 inch TV we've tested so far is the Hisense 55H9F. For its price, it offers great value with great picture quality and impressive gaming features, competing with some higher-end TVs.

This TV should please most people. It has a VA panel, so the contrast ratio is outstanding, producing deep blacks when viewed in the dark, and there's a local dimming feature to further deepen any blacks. It performs equally as well in bright rooms thanks to its excellent peak brightness and superb reflection handling, so you can place it even in rooms with direct sunlight. It also displays a very wide color gamut for HDR and it can get bright enough to make highlights pop. Additionally, gamers will appreciate the 120Hz refresh rate, resulting in outstanding response time and clear motion, and there's also a black frame insertion feature to help reduce any motion blur. It can also remove judder from any source, like Blu-Ray players, and can interpolate motion from lower frame rate content like cable boxes.

Unfortunately, as is the case with most VA panels, the viewing angles are poor, so you quickly lose image accuracy when viewing from the side. It also has some uniformity issues with mediocre gray uniformity as the edges of the screen are darker, and only decent black uniformity that may be distracting in dark scenes. Overall, you can't go wrong with this TV for its price, making it the best budget 55 inch TV we've tested so far.