Best 55-inch TVs: Four excellent 4K TVs

If you’re after the a 55-inch TV that’s capable not only in term of picture quality, but in delivering an audio performance that diminishes the need to purchase a sound system, then Panasonic’s flagship LZ2000 is here to makes its case as the TV for you.

Like Panasonic’s other flagship OLEDs it comes at an expensive, £2299 to be exact, and it’s not available in North American territories so this is a model for European and Asian customers. It once again boasts a custom-made OLED panel, but benefits from LG’s new OLED EX technology to maintain its high brightness, getting close to 1000 nits in its Standard picture mode. But it’s not just the brightest parts of the image that benefit from this increased brightness headroom but the average picture level is brighter, making this better suited to dealing with rooms that are brightly lit.

Once again it supports all the HDR formats, HDR10, HLG, Dolby Vision IQ and HDR10+ Adaptive, the latter two dynamically altering their performance so you can see as much detail possible in a bright or dimly lit room. The set’s low light performance impressed us too, digging up more detail the darkest parts of of an image that some OLEDs would leave untouched.

It’s not just about picture with the LZ2000. Our reviewer found that the 360° Soundscape Pro system delivered plenty of width and height with Atmos soundtracks, and decent levels of bass. Although the biggest upgrade to the Soundscape Pro system is not one that works with Dolby Atmos, you can direct sound out of either left or right speakers across zones if you’re sitting towards one end of the room.

Features have been improved over the JZ2000 with it My Home Screen interface one of the easiest interfaces to live with and bearing support for Disney+, Apple TV+, Netflix, Prime Video and the UK catch-up apps that come with Freeview Play. Gaming is also better with the likes of Dolby Vision Gaming, AMD FreeSync VRR and the new Game Control Board that allows for fine-tuning of gaming settings.

The JZ2000 OLED is still available and is a much cheaper option if you find that the LZ2000 is too expensive, but the improvements here make Panasonic’s latest flagship TV one of the most desirable OLEDs on the market.

Reviewer: Steve May
Full Review: Panasonic LZ2000

Philips 8-series OLEDs have made a mark delivering high quality features at not too expensive prices, much like LG’s C-series OLED. The 55OLED807 is arguably one of its best TVs to date.

Like the Panasonic LZ2000 listed above, this TV bears LG’s OLED EX panel for increased brightness. And also like the Panasonic TV it’s availability is limited to those who live in Europe.

The similarities keep coming in Philips’ admirable support for all the major HDR formats with HDR10, HLG, Dolby Vision and HDR10+ Adaptive. Philips doesn’t support Dolby Vision IQ that can adapt its performance based on the light levels within a room so you can every detail you’re meant to, but says its Dark Detail Optimisation feature performs the same effect when turned on.

As is customary with Philips TVs, contrasts are convincingly impressive with our reviewer finding the dark tones were deep and detailed while white tones were intensely bright, helping to make a very impactful image. Colours and skin tones were found to be more naturally judged than the previous gen model, intense when need to be but not as vividly realised as before for a more lifelike image.

The 2.1 sound system is quite decent by flatscreen TV standards with a midrange that’s distinct and detailed, bass that’s weightier than you might expect and a soundstage that’s widely deployed. Where there is an issue is the nature of its high frequency performance, we found treble sounds were a little vaguely defined.

Elsewhere Philips has made great strides with its gaming performance with its improved HDMI 2.1 and VRR credentials appealing to gamers looking to partner their games console with a TV. Android TV has virtually all the entertainment apps you’ll ever need, while Ambilight is arguably the true star of this set, mirroring the colours seen on screen and illuminating any room the TV is in. This is a captivating 55-inch 4K HDR that competes with the likes of LG, Panasonic and Sony.

Reviewer: Simon Lucas
Full Review: Philips 55OLED807

Sony’s TVs tend to carry a premium, so at its current price of $1999 / £1999, the A90J the most expensive 55-inch TV on this list. Unlike the Panasonic, its more widely available around the world, so if you’re in the market for a premium 55-inch OLED, this would work as an alternative if you couldn’t get the JZ2000.

It doesn’t go as bright as the JZ2000 in depicting HDR highlights and its support for HDR formats is limited to HDR10, HLG and Dolby Vision, but you could make the case that aside from Prime Video and a few other streaming services, HDR10+ support isn’t crucial – but its inclusion would be nice.

Nevertheless, the Sony produces profoundly impressive pictures with a striking colour palette and an excellent feel for depicting contrast between blacks and whites. Sony’s motion skills are class-leading, better than the JZ2000 or G1 that feature here by producing a smooth and entirely convincing performance with any type of motion, helpful for sports watchers.

The sound is provided by Sony’s Acoustic Surface Audio+ technology and it sounded more nuanced and more direct than other flatscreens we’ve tested, though arguably the size and the height of the JZ2000’s speakers produce a more immersive presentation.

The A90J is suited more to the home cinema enthusiast, its gaming support not as comprehensive as the LG G1. ALLM and VRR were added in update earlier in 2022, but there’s no Dolby Vision Gaming and aside from Google Stadia no integrated cloud streaming services. It is optimised to work with the PS5 if you’re one of the lucky ones to get the console.

Our reviewer found the Google TV interface a more welcoming affair than previous Android TV efforts with its curated content, and by the time you read this the Google TV profile update should be available, offering personalised viewing for each person that uses the TV. With the A90K OLED on its way, you may want to consider waiting for that model to come out to see whether the A90J receives another drop in price.

Reviewer: Simon Lucas
Full Review: Sony XR-55A90J

Roku sells its branded TVs in the USA and the UK, and each market has specific models. The TCL Roku 55RP620K is only available in the UK for purchase from Currys, and it’s a solid effort, the highlight being its breadth of smart features.

This 55-inch model offers very little fuss in terms of set-up, whether it’s assembling the TV (our reviewer found it took just a few minutes to piece things together) to going through the set-up of the TV itself, the Roku OS making it a breeze to fly through.

The interface mirrors what you’d find on other models with Freeview Play integration, lots of apps such as Netflix, Disney+, Apple TV and BT Sport, and a wide array of features. Apple’s AirPlay 2 offers the ability to cast video and audio from an iOS device, HomeKit places the TV within a smart home ecosystem for control over compatible devices and Chromecast allows for casting from any device that supports the feature. The feature set is pretty competitive with some of the more expensive models on this list, and in terms of apps this TV easily has more options than the JZ2000.

Picture quality is not where as good as the models we’ve listed here but that’s no surprise considering the price. We noted its upscaling performance was inconsistent and that its HDR performance wasn’t as colourful or as vibrant as we’ve seen on other cheaper TVs, and it can also have issues with maintaining black levels.

However, these are common faults with budget models, and if you aren’t too concerned with having the best HDR picture quality then we’d suggest giving this model a go as it puts in a good picture performance with standard def content thanks to its punchy, colourful presentation. There’s not much to say about its sound which is decent with dialogue but lacks punch and dynamism to make films and TV exciting.

Reviewer: Kob Monney
Full Review: TCL 55RP620K