Best 55-inch TVs: Five great Mini-LED, OLED and 4K models

The Z95A from Panasonic represents a big change in the Japanese brand’s appeal to high-end TV customers.

The Z95A features LG Display’s Micro Lens Array technology, with Panasonic adding its own changes to improve the performance. We found it hit higher peak brightness than the LG G4 by hitting 1585 nits on a 5% HDR window.

HDR10, HLG, HDR10+ Adaptive and Dolby Vision IQ formats are supported. With the HCX Pro AI Processor MK II powering the picture with textures and skin tones looking sublime according to our reviewer. Issues with banding have all but disappeared, and specular highlights are bright and precise. The Z95A delivers stunning picture quality.

We found sound quality to be very impressive, with the Z95A delivering a powerful, clean and immersive sound.

It no longer uses its My Home Screen interface, which it has switched it out for Amazon’s Fire TV. It now offers buyers a much better selection of apps and adds in hands-free Alexa and support for Ring devices. Adding Apple Home and AirPlay support for iOS users, it certainly beefs up Panasonic’s performance in the smart area.

Freeview Play has been replaced by Freely, and Panasonic has upped its gaming performance with its Game Mode Extreme dashboard that introduces RPG and FPS audio presets. Input lag is 12ms, and there’s support for VRR, ALLM, 4K/120Hz available across its two HDMI inputs.

The LG G4 OLED is a very good alternative, but we find there’s a few issues with the picture quality, and the sound isn’t as expansive as the Panasonic Z95A is.

Reviewer: Steve May
Full Review: Panasonic Z95A

The Sony A95L is a premium QD-OLED TV, and while the asking price is steep compared to most other 55-inch screes on this best list, it boasts stellar picture and sound quality.

The Sony A95L offers fantastically fine shading of colours that look impressively pure, along with excellent levels of sharpness and detail. It’s not the brightest QD-OLED, as it’s beaten by the Samsung S95D, but in its favour is that the Sony is capable of a more cinematic-looking image.

Sony’s Acoustic Surface Audio system delivers an audio performance that’s big and accurate in terms of where effects and dialogue are placed, pushing sound into a room, the woofers add some punch to the low frequencies too.

The A95L’s smarts are delivered by Google TV, and unlike the Philips OLED908, it is covered for the UK’s catch up services which are available as separate apps.

Connectivity covers two HDMI 2.1 inputs with support for eARC, VRR, ALLM, and 4K/120Hz. For PS5 gamers there is the Auto Tone Mapping feature that optimises the HDR performance but with no support for AMD FreeSync or Nvidia G-Sync. Input lag is faster than the A95K at 16.7ms. The addition of Dolby Vision Game mode helps extract more contrast and brightness from supported games.

Reviewer: John Archer
Full Review: Sony XR-55A95L

The TCL 55RC630K Roku TV is one of the best cheap TVs we’ve reviewed in recent months and deserving of win in our 2023 awards. If you’re after a colourful and affordable 55-inch QLED TV, this is the model we’d spotlight above others.

It’s a very easy TV to live with, from its quick assembly easy to the Roku smart interface that puts the emphasis on simplicity and accessibility. The interface is fast to scroll through and easy to navigate, but even better is Roku mobile app is even better, and also features a few more advanced picture settings too, plus the TV supports AirPlay 2 casting and Apple HomeKit, for folding the TV into a smart home set-up.

And you won’t be left wanting for app options with this TV as all the big and small apps are available in the likes Disney+, Apple TV+, and Netflix, and UK catch-up apps through Freeview Play.

The TCL 55RC630K supports ALLM for putting the TV into its game mode mode, and with a latency of 11.5ms, that’s a speedy performance for any telly.

Its QLED screen puts iin a decent HDR performance (with HDR10+ and Dolby Vision support). It’s nowhere near the brghtest TV for HDR content, with a peak brightness of 386 nits on a 10% window, but we found the QLED screen presents good-looking colours and well-done skin-tones with HDR content.

Upscaling is an improvement over the discontinued 55RP620K with more colour and vibrancy to images, as well as a higher levels of sharpness and clarity.

The audio system is surprisingly good for a cheap model, with punchy bass and fine levels of detail and clarity. There’s also a Dialogue Enhancer to help boost what people are saying, and we found it worked effectively.

Reviewer: Kob Monney
Full Review: TCL 55RC630K Roku TV

If it’s a bright, colourful and feature-packed Mini LED you’re after for your living room, then our nomination is the 55-inch QN90D. It has its flaws but in terms of entertainment options, performance, and gaming, it’s one to consider especially as the price has dipped below £1000.

It’s well built and quick to assemble. The screen is thin and flat so it’s easy enough to haul it up into a wall and have it sit flush against it. In terms of aesthetics, the QN90D is a pretty looking TV.

Picture performance is very good, though not without its flaws. It’s easily brighter than most OLED TVs on the market at a peak of 2000 nits, but black levels suffer from blooming and a lack of depth thanks to a less-than precise local dimming system. Nevertheless, this TV boasts a bright and colouful image, with a wide range of subtle and vibrant colours showcased. The upscaling is strong with a few tweaks, though we found there are times where the TV could over-brighten a part of the image. Some might not noticed but we found it distracting.

With Samsung Tizen onboard there are plenty of entertainment options to enjoy, whether you love TV, watch films or play games. All the UK catch-up and on-demand apps are present, and with Samsung TV Plus, there’s plenty of free to watch programming on the service too.

Input lag is a speedy 10.1ms, which puts it among the quickest TVs on the market in terms of latency. ALLM, VRR, and 4K/144Hz are all supported for a higher quality gaming experience, and there’s Xbox Game Pass streaming, along with AMD compatibility for PC gamers.

We are disappointed by the sound, which is thin and lacks heft. A soundbar is really a must to improve this aspect of the QN90D.

Reviewer: Kob Monney
Full Review: Samsung QE55QN90D

The TCL C805K offers a ridiculous amount of value for its price. For £600 it’s a cracker of a TV.

Brightness is better than the TCL 55RC630K that features on this list, hitting 966 nits on a 5% window. Our reviewer found black levels to be reassuringly deep, with HDR content looking very good. Upscaling is solid, and motion processing is decent if you like to watch sports, althought viewing angles aren’t the best. In terms of audio, this TV is fine, but adding a sound system would be our recommendation.

Google TV features Disney+, Apple TV+, and Netflix, but the UK catch-up apps are mostly missing, with only My5 available at the time we reviewed the TCL. You’ll want to consider purchasing a streaming stick if you do want those apps, and TCL will send one if you request it.

For gamers we measured latency at 13.3ms, which is quick for a fast gaming performance. There’s also ALLM, VRR, high refresh support as well as AMD FreeSync Premium Pro for PC gamers. You get four HDMI inputs, one of which supports refresh rates up to 144Hz, and another up to 120Hz. The eARC input for sound systems is available on another port, especially useful if you’ve got plenty of gaming consoles at hand.

Reviewer: Steve May
Full Review: TCL 55C805K

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