The best 55-inch TVs 2025: superb screens for your living room

The best 55-inch TVs in 2025 are actually the most commonly purchased tellies for most people. While we've covered the best TVs in our other dedicated feature, here we're focused on those dream living room options that deliver a truly cinematic experience at home, without decimating your bank balance.

If you’re specifically wanting to go for one of the best OLED TVs then we've got another list for that too. Or if 55-inches feels too big for your home then take a look at our best 48- to 50-inch TVs guide instead, which will serve you much better. We have more information at the end of this article about what to look for, too.

Panel technologies, whether the brightest-of-bright Mini LED-backlit LCD panels, most saturated from QD-OLED new entries, or best with black-to-white contrast from traditional OLED, all make for fantastic viewing experiences, at all kinds of price points. You'll find suggestions across the technology spectrum in this guide, ensuring the best 55-inch TV option for your needs, taste and budget.

WRITTEN BY

WRITTEN BY

David Nield

Dave has spent two decades reviewing technology and writing about trends in the industry – and that wealth of experience has included sitting in front of many TVs, assessing them for audio and video quality.

T3 Top 3

The best 55-inch TVs in 2025

Best overall

If you want the very best 55-inch television there is, then our pick is the Samsung S95F. It's perhaps not the cheapest model out there at this size, but you're going to struggle to find a better television picture across different content sources and in different lighting conditions.

As mentioned in our Samsung S95F review, we described it as offering "super-bright" yet "beautifully controlled" images, with "stunning" results no matter what room you put it in or what time of day it is – thanks mainly to the anti-glare tech that Samsung has put in here.

With the four HDMI 2.1 ports built into this set, you've got support for 4K resolutions up to a refresh rate of 165Hz. To top it all off, the integrated sound is rather decent too, saving you any extra expense on one of the best soundbars. It's a real winner, and our top pick.

Best OLED

Here at T3 we like to think we know a fantastic TV when we see one, and that's certainly the case with the LG OLED G5 – perhaps one of the best TVs that LG has ever put out. If you've decided OLED is the TV panel tech for you, then you can't do better than this at 55 inches.

If you need any further convincing, head over to our LG OLED G5 review, where you'll come across phrases such as "one of 2025's most impressive TVs", "generational leap in brightness", and "unmatched black-level control" – which all combine to impressive effect.

It's one of the best possible viewing experiences you can get for your living room (or your home theatre hideaway), and it's absolutely a flagship TV worthy of the title. With four HDMI 2.1 ports offering 4K/165Hz pictures, there's a lot to like about the LG OLED G5.

Best affordable

If you want a brilliant budget TV buy at the 55-inch size, then may we recommend the Amazon Fire TV Omni Mini-LED 4K: it does everything you need from a top-tier TV, and doesn't charge you a whole lot of money in return, and it's likely to appeal to a broad range of users.

The Mini-LED technology used here ensures a picture that's consistently bright, sharp, detailed, and well-balanced, and whether you're streaming movies or playing games you'll get a lot out of this set – with HDMI 2.1 support available on two of the four HDMI ports.

Don't forget the on-board Fire OS TV software here, which means you've got access to all the streaming apps you need without having to plug in a separate box or dongle. If you're looking for bang for buck with your 55-inch television, then we'd strongly recommend this set.

Best for subscribers

The latest Sky Glass (2025) TV is a very interesting proposition indeed, and there's a lot to like here if you're looking for a TV subscription built right into it – and because it comes from Sky, you know you're going to have access to all the shows, movies, and sports you could ever want.

However, this is a newer way of doing Sky TV, one that doesn't require any dish to be installed on the outside of your property. Instead, everything is handled through Wi-Fi, which takes care of everything you want to watch on live TV as well as any on-demand offerings.

While the picture quality here doesn't compete at the very top (and most expensive) level, it's still a very decent TV in terms of audio and visuals – you're not likely to be disappointed. The real appeal though is the way that all of your necessary services are integrated into the TV.

Best for Ambilight

One of the key sells of Philips' TV range is the addition of Ambilight, and the Philips OLED 909 gives you access to the latest 4-sided version of the system: it syncs lights behind the television to what's happening on screen, making for a much more immersive viewing experience.

There's much more to recommend the TV besides the Ambilight feature though – it's not the only selling point. You're also getting one of the best OLED pictures we've ever seen on a Philips TV, and superb integrated sound that means you can do without an extra soundbar.

While only two of the four HDMI ports here support HDMI 2.1, with full 4K/120Hz capabilities, it's a set that's still going to appeal to gamers as well as those who enjoy their TV content. Add in a very reasonable price point, and it's definitely one of the best 55-inch televisions out there.

Best bargain

If you're wanting to spend as little money as possible when shopping for your next 55-inch TV, then the TCL C805 is an excellent choice: you can pick this up for not very much money at all, relative to other TVs at this size, and yet you still get a picture quality that really impresses.

There are some compromises here – including some less-than-stellar sound – but we think they're trade-offs that most people will be content with, considering the low price. After all, you can always put the money you're saving towards one of the best soundbars on the market.

If you're a gamer, then you'll definitely want to know that all four HDMI ports here support the HDMI 2.1 standard, with resolutions up to 4K and refresh rates up to 144Hz. There are quite a few other input and output options to play around with too, giving you even more value.

The right size?

A 55-inch TV may initially sound too big, but once you consider recent tech and design trends, you might change your mind. For a start modern TVs are much thinner, and not just the OLEDs.

A 55-inch HDR TV will only be 2-3 cm deep, and minimalist designs, shrinking bezels and hidden speakers mean both OLED and LCD TVs are primarily a screen with no extraneous design features, and less thick edges. As a result you may be able to fit a 55-inch 4K TV into a space previously occupied by a smaller but older model.

For small living rooms, 55 inches will likely be the upper limit of what will fit, and it is worth taking some measurements to be sure. But it can give you an epic cinema screen feel if you're sitting around 10 feet away.

In larger living rooms, where you may be sitting further away, it's basically the standard size you should be aiming for if you're sitting around 14 feet from the screen. Any more than that, and you should take a look at the best 65-inch TVs, though these do come with a price hike (and, of course, are notably bigger).

How to choose

The top-quality 55-inch 4K TV market is dominated by OLEDs and high-end QLED TVs (or equivalent LCD technology). As a result, you can expect the LCD screens to use a direct LED backlight with local dimming, which help them get closer to the deep black range that OLED offers.

If you go down the price ladder, you'll lose the OLED panels, and the LCD panels will become simpler, with fewer dimming zones in the backlight, before moving to edge-lit LED panels as you go more budget. These will still offer strong brightness and colours, but won't be as capable when it comes to dark scenes.

Both TV techs will offer extensive HDR support and AI-enhanced image processing on fancier models. You might also be looking for higher-end sound systems (though with more budget models, you'll still want to add one of the best soundbars), comprehensive smart systems, and plenty of cool gaming features – many of the best gaming TVs come in this size.

Reviewer Panel

Mike Lowe

At T3 I manage the TV testing, using the voices of experienced freelancers, in addition to our own in-house testing – which I've been undertaking here and at other outlets for the best part of a decade now. So when it comes to the best 55-inch TVs there's loads to consider, which is why we've presented a range of price options, technologies and brands to consider in this guide.

Steve May

Steve's expertise in TV and other kinds of related tech stretches across more than two decades, which means he's an authoritative voice when it comes to deciding what makes a good 55-inch television and what doesn't. His TV reviews are almost among the most thorough on the web, and he'll be honest about the drawbacks of a particular set as well as the benefits.