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Ranking the best 55-inch TVs under 500 is a quick way to find a good bargain this sale season. Our ranking will look at five budget TV sets that have been on the market for a while. We’ll evaluate each model based on a couple of metrics, which we touch on in the next section.
Best 55-inch TVs under 500: What to look for in a solid budget TV
Buyers want maximum value for their money as they shop for their next TV set. Here is what the average shopper needs from a good widescreen display:
- First, the display should render crisp, clear pictures with smooth motion and minimal motion blur
- A good TV should have a selection of ports that cater to all kinds of devices
- The modern TV should have a reliable user interface that’s also fun and easy to use
The quality of internal and external hardware that goes into the display is just as important. You want a sturdy, durable TV that can give years of solid service. You also want a TV with enough processing power to deliver a smooth, responsive user interface. Lastly, a good screen will have high resolution and a refresh rate that allows for excellent motion handling.
With that, we move on to our list of great 55-inch television sets for under $500.
1. Amazon Fire TV Omni QLED series
This QLED display runs the Fire TV interface, which can be a good, bad, or both. Upcoming sections discuss how the Fire TV platform performs on the Omni QLED series.
Design
Amazon’s 55-inch Omni QLED series is thin enough for a wall-mount installation that hugs the wall. You’ll appreciate the placement of outward-facing ports at one end of the panel, which are easy to reach no matter where you choose to put the TV.
Connectivity
Four HDMI 2.0 ports allow you to connect all kinds of devices to the Omni QLED Fire TV. You also get an optical and 3.5mm port for your audio devices. These media ports support a range of high-definition video and audio formats.
Picture quality
QLED panels like the Fire TV Omni series are typically bright, with rich, realistic colors. The Fire TV Omni QLED fits this description; meaning that the display renders high-quality HDR picture. What you get is life-like images that showcase the effect of light and shadow on different surfaces.
It’s worth mentioning you need to sit directly in front of the TV to enjoy peak picture quality.
The Fire TV Omni QLED series also does a decent job of rendering fast-moving objects. Still, a keen eye will notice some motion blur with sports content. Luckily, motion blur is less of an issue when you use the TV for light gaming. Switching to game mode minimizes blurring and lowers the input lag to deliver smooth, responsive gameplay, even in HDR.
Fire TV interface
Fire TV is an interface that has its fans and its ardent haters. The system has plenty of streaming apps and useful tools for smart home integration. However, some buyers are unimpressed with the Fire TV platform. They complain of a slow, laggy UI that takes a few seconds to respond to user commands.
Who should get this TV?
Amazon’s Omni QLED series is a good fit for the budget-conscious shopper with simple needs. The TV is good for watching your favorite movies and TV shows. It also works for people who enjoy a little light gaming.
That said, you may have to buy a separate streaming device if the bloatware from Fire TV overwhelms the panel’s processor.
2. Best 55 Inch TV Under 500: INSIGNIA 55-inch Class F30 Series
This is yet another widescreen that comes with the Fire TV interface. The INSIGNIA F30 Series is a simple 4K LED panel that covers the basics. You get a smart TV with plenty of streaming apps and productivity tools. Thanks to the Fire TV system, you can also integrate the INSIGNIA F30 with compatible smart devices in the home.
First looks
The design of the 55-inch Insignia F30 has some good aspects and some puzzling choices. You’ll have an easy time reaching the column of outward facing media ports at the side of the TV. These are the ports that you’ll likely interact with on a regular basis. Older legacy ports are harder to reach because they sit at the rear of the TV. The F30 panel also has an old-school design that causes it to stick out when you mount it on your wall.
Picture quality
For starters, the Insignia F30 has wide viewing angles that keep the picture quality consistent no matter where you sit. This display also does a good job at rendering accurate, life-like color that imitates real-world lighting. However, the TV works best in a room that is neither too bright nor too dark. There’s also a bit of motion blur with fast-moving objects.
User interface
The Insignia F30 runs the Fire TV system to render a smooth, responsive interface. It’s worth mentioning that the bloatware that often comes with updates can weigh down the TV processor. If this happens, you may notice a few glitches and a little lag.
You deal with this by removing unwanted apps or switching to an external streaming device.
3. Best 55 Inch TV Under 500: Samsung DU7200 Series
This is a 4K TV that delivers real value for money. The Samsung DU7000 runs the Tizen platform, with additional support for Alexa. Tizen offers a smooth, responsive user interface that’s fun to navigate. The platform also has a decent selection of streaming apps and productivity tools.
Design
A sleek exterior makes the 55-inch DU7000 a great addition to your living space. Mounting the TV converts it into a large digital picture-frame. The ports on the TV are at the far end of the panel, making them easy to reach.
Picture quality
There’s little to complain about with the Samsung DU7000. The panel renders beautiful, life-like images that also mimic real-world lighting. You get to enjoy rich color with just the right amount of saturation.
This panel also does an excellent job of rendering fast-paced content, with little blurring to speak of. Low input lag allows the DU7000 to deliver smooth, responsive gameplay with most of your console games.
4. Best 55 Inch TV Under 500: TCL QM7 QLED Google TV
The TCL QM7 is a good deal that’s hard to resist, and we highly recommend this QLED TV. This is a high-performance display that does an excellent job of rendering movies, TV shows, sports content and video games.
Watching the TCL QM7 in a bright room is a great experience because the TV can handle sunlight and brilliant lights. The screen works just as well in dark rooms, thanks to a uniform panel that delivers dark, inky blacks. No matter the ambient light in your entertainment room, the TCL QM7 is sure to deliver:
- Vibrant colors that also mimic real-world lighting and real-world shadow on real-world surfaces
- Excellent contrast that allows the TV to render depth, texture, and fine detail
- Crisp picture with sharp outlines and lots of definition
It gets better because the QLED panel in the QM7 does a good job of handling fast-moving objects. The fast-paced action on your favorite console games will unfold with smooth, blur-free motion. As an added bonus, you enjoy the countless features of the panel’s built-in Google TV interface.
5. LG UR9000 Series
This 4K LED display offers decent picture quality and smart features that cover the basics. Let’s find out exactly what to expect with the LG UR9000.
Design
LG panels usually have sturdy, high-quality hardware and the UR9000 is no different. However, the placement of the ports at the back of the TV makes them hard to reach in a wall-mount setup.
Performance and picture quality
The LG UR9000 has a decent color space. Still, the panel manages to deliver accurate, life-like color with some nuance.
UR9000 displays are not the brightest TV sets in the world, but they can hold their own against a moderate amount of light. This means that they will handle reflections and manage to display bright images in a sunny room. Here’s how the TV performs, from the perspective of a viewer:
- TV shows look good on the LG UR9000, with crisp pictures that show a decent amount of detail and texture
- Movies look fine in moderately bright rooms, but you’ll notice a slight lack of detail with certain HD movie titles
- The LG UR9000 has wide viewing angles and passable motion handling, which makes it a good fit for sports content
- Low input lag makes the UR9000 a decent gaming screen for the casual gamer. You may notice a little blurring in games with lots of fast-action content
Best 55 Inch TV Under 500: Honoring the top performers in the rankings
The TCL QM7 takes the top spot in our ranking, with the LG UR9000 coming in at a (distant) second. Samsung’s 4K LED panel beats Amazon’s QLED TV to take third place. BestBuy’s Insignia also outperforms the Amazon Omni QLED FireTV on the strength of a more reliable smart TV system.
With that, we conclude our ranking of the Best 55 Inch TV Under 500. Click here to learn more about your budget options.
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