Best 55-Inch TV for 2023: Top Features and Brands for Every Budget

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There’s a lot to consider when you’re trying to choose the best TV for the Super Bowl, including getting the right-sized TV to fit your space. For instance, a 55-inch TV sits in the sweet spot for smaller areas such as bedrooms or a gaming room.

A 55-inch television is a mainstream choice and can include some of the most cutting-edge features:  full-array local dimming, OLED screens, 120Hz refresh rate, 4K UHD resolution, high dynamic range and a bunch of HDMI ports. They come loaded with smart TV features, which let you stream the Super Bowl or your favorite shows and films on Amazon Prime Video, Hulu, Netflix, Disney Plus and more.

At CNET, we review TVs side by side in a state-of-the-art testing lab, taking hundreds of measurements with specialized equipment, comparing gaming, home theater and bright-room image quality. My 20 years of experience as a TV reviewer helps me determine not just the best 55-inch TV for the big game overall but also the best 55-inch TV in your price range. To help you pick the best one for you, we’ve put together the best 55-inch TVs to stream the 2025 Super Bowl below.

What is the best 55-inch TV for the 2025 Super Bowl?

The Hisense U8 Series appears on our list of best TVs for a number of reasons. It offers superb picture quality and an affordable price, plus gaming features like 4K/120Hz input and variable refresh rate that can get the most out of consoles like the PS5 and Xbox Series X. When friends ask me what TV to buy at 55 inches to watch the Super Bowl, and money is still an object, I tell them to get the Hisense U8N.

There are plenty of other excellent choices, so although the Hisense U8N is my current favorite for most people, it might not be right for your preferences or budget. 

Read more: How to watch the 2025 Super Bowl

Best 55-inch TVs for the 2025 Super Bowl

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If you’re looking for the best TV for the money and the 65-inch TCL QM8 is just too big, the Hisense U8N should be your go-to. We compared the two TVs side-by-side, and while we liked the QM8 just a bit better, the U8N has one medium-size advantage: a 55-inch screen option. If 65 inches is too large for your room, your budget or your tastes, the choice between the two is simple: Get the 55-inch Hisense U8N.

Both offer excellent image quality and affordable prices thanks to mini-LED backlights and full-array local dimming, as well as similar gaming features and the Google TV operating system. Both cost hundreds less than you’d have to pay to get similar image quality from a better-known brand.

Note that while we tested the 65-inch size in the U8K series, the prices shown here are for the 55-inch size.

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The C4 represents better picture quality than any non-OLED TV on this list at a higher price but is still not outrageously expensive. Its perfect black levels, unbeatable contrast and superb off-angle viewing kept it a notch above the mini-LED models in my comparison tests, and while its overall brightness isn’t quite as impressive, it’s still an incredible performer in all kinds of room lighting.

You can read our C4 review here, and while we previously recommended the earlier C3 the two TVs cost the same right now. Not much changed between the C3 and C4, however, so just get whichever model is cheaper.

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In 2023 we awarded the G3 the title of the best TV for picture quality, and this year’s version, the G4, is even better. In our side-by-side comparisons it beat its predecessor in brightness and overall image quality with the kind of jaw-dropping images you can only get from a topflight OLED TV.

In a bright room, the G4 fell short of the performance of its direct competitor, the Samsung S95D, which is the best TV for picture quality that we’ve seen this year. The Samsung uses an all-new matte screen finish, which in our tests did a better job fighting reflections than the more typical glossy screen of the LG. The S95D’s matte finish has its downside, namely a reduction in contrast, but overall we preferred its bright-room image quality over the G4’s.

The major caveat here is that both TVs performed well (and practically identically) in a dark room. So unless you routinely have a bright viewing environment, the G4 performs just as well as the S95D. The G4 also comes in significantly more sizes than the S95D, making it a more versatile option.

Glare-free or not, here’s where we mention that most TV viewers will be perfectly satisfied with something less expensive but still excellent, like the step-down LG C4 or a mini-LED model. The G4 is an excellent choice for anyone who wants a high-performance television and is willing to pay for it.

The Samsung S95D OLED TV in a bright room.

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The Samsung S95D’s matte finish does more than reduce reflections, it nearly eliminates them, improving image quality in bright rooms more than any OLED TV we’ve tested. Some non-OLED models have matte screens, but this is the first time they’ve been available in an OLED TV, a display technology that has always delivered the best picture available. That matte finish really works, reducing windows and other glare to dimmer blobs instead of super-bright, mirror-like distractions. The S95D also has an external box, allowing for a cleaner look with the option to store HDMI connections and the power cord out of sight.

Between its versatile matte screen and awesome picture overall, the Samsung S95D delivers the best image quality of any TV we’ve tested, beating both the G4 and last year’s winner, the G3, as well as any other non-OLED TV. It also costs a ton, and most people — even those with bright rooms — will be perfectly happy with a less expensive TV.

The price shown below is for the 55-inch TV.

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The picture quality of the TCL 4-Series Roku TV was a step behind the Vizio V-Series in our 2022 budget TV test, but the differences between the two were slight enough that you’d really have to have them set up side by side to notice anything at all. The Roku 4-Series lacks Dolby Vision, Bluetooth connectivity and AMD FreeSync with a variable refresh rate, all of which the Vizio offers. 

The 4-Series’ advantage over the Vizio is that it comes with the excellent Roku Smart TV system built in. That makes it a great choice for those looking for a one-stop smart TV solution, without having to add an external streaming device.

Note that TCL has been selling the 4-Series for the last few years with little to no change in image quality although it has recently added some larger screen sizes, including an 85-inch option, plus Google TV in the 2024 version.

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Competition among TVs in the middle pricing band is heating up and the Plus Series is the latest entrant, which came out in 2023. It adds a couple of step-up extras, including QLED and full-array local dimming, which help deliver a better picture than the TCL 4-Series, for example. It’s not as impressive as the Vizio MQX, since it lacks 120Hz for gaming and has worse picture quality overall. If you value those extras, the Vizio is worth saving for, but if not the Roku Plus Series is a very good value.

This is the first TV Roku has produced under its own brand, as opposed to partnering with a brand like TCL, Sharp, Pioneer or Hisense. The company also released a version with fewer features and no local dimming, called the Roku Select Series.

With all the TVs available today, and all the technical terms and jargon associated with television technology, it can be tough to figure out what’s important. Here’s a quick guide to help you cut through the confusion and pick the best Super Bowl TV.

Price: TVs range in price from $100 to more than $2,000. Smaller screens are cheaper, well-known brands are more expensive and spending more money can also get you better image quality. Most entry-level TVs have a good enough picture for most people, but TVs last a long time, so it might be worth spending more to get a better picture. It’s also best to shop for a TV in the fall when prices are lower.

Screen size: Bigger is better in our book. We recommend a size of at least 43 inches for a bedroom TV and at least 55 inches for a living room or main TV — and 65 inches or larger is best. More than any other “feature,” stepping up in TV screen size is the best use of your money. One of the most common post-TV-purchase complaints we’ve heard is from people who didn’t go big enough. We almost never hear people complain that their TV is too large.

Capability: Among entry-level TVs the most important feature is what kind of smart TV system the TV uses. Among midrange models, look for a feature including full-array local dimming, mini-LED and 120Hz refresh rate, which (unlike some other extras) do help improve the picture, in our experience. Among high-end TVs, OLED technology is your best bet.

For more TV buying advice check out How to Buy a TV.

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Our TV reviews follow a rigorous, unbiased evaluation process honed over nearly two decades of TV reviews. Our primary TV test lab has specialized equipment for measuring light and color, including a Konica Minolta CS-2000 spectroradiometer, a Murideo Sig-G 4K HDR signal generator and an AVPro Connect 8×8 4K HDR distribution matrix. We use Portrait Displays CalMan Ultimate software to evaluate each TV we review. In every CNET TV review, three or more similar TVs are compared side by side in various lighting conditions playing different media, including movies, TV shows and games, across a variety of test categories, from color to video processing to gaming to HDR. Our reviews also account for design, features, smart TV performance, HDMI input and gaming compatibility and other factors.

One important aspect of image quality we test is overall brightness. Here’s how it compares in nits across select TVs listed above.

Check out How We Test TVs for more details.

Is a 55-inch TV big enough?

It depends on your room size, seating distance and personal taste. For a standard master bedroom or smaller living room, a 55-inch TV is fine, but for bigger rooms, we recommend a larger TV, say a 65- or even a 75-inch model, if you can afford it. If you sit closer to the screen, you don’t need as large a TV for the best experience. For maximum theatrical impact, according to THX and SMPTE, you should be between 5.5 and 7 feet from a 55-inch screen, which is relatively close. Nearly every 55-inch TV has 4K resolution, and if you have 20/20 vision you can sit as close as about 4 feet and still not discern individual pixels. 


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How wide is a 55-inch TV?

Most 55-inch TVs measure between 48 and 49 inches wide. Because the frames around newer TV screens are typically narrow, 55-inch TV widths don’t vary much. Models with slim frames are on the lower end — the 55-inch LG C2 measures 48.1 inches wide, for example, while the slightly thicker-framed 55-inch TCL 4-Series is 48.7 inches wide. If you’re not planning to wall-mount the TV, you generally want the piece of furniture supporting the TV to measure at least as wide as the TV itself, and preferably a few inches wider. Refer to the manufacturer’s website for the exact dimensions of a particular 55-inch TV.


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How much does a 55-inch TV weigh?

A 55-inch TV weighs between 25 and 50 pounds with its stand, but this varies significantly depending on the type of TV. Removing the stand — which often consists of a pair of little legs under the panel — allows you to wall-mount the TV and reduces its weight slightly (stands weigh between 1 and 8 pounds). Shipping weight (box, accessories and so on) of 55-inch TVs ranges from 35 to 63 pounds. Refer to the manufacturer’s website for the exact weights of a particular 55-inch TV.


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