8 Best 50-55 Inch OLED TVs On The Market Right Now
OLED and QLED are two of the most popular types of TV screens on the market right now, but it's OLED screens that are generally unbeatable in terms of picture quality. Many major manufacturers offer at least one OLED TV in their lineup, but there are a handful of names that consistently come out on top when they're pitched head-to-head. The largest of those OLED screens are 80 inches or more, but they can reach eye-watering price tags and are simply too much for all but the largest living spaces.
In general, most people aren't going to want anything larger than a 70-75 inch screen, and there are plenty of excellent options on the market in that size bracket. Likewise, the 60-65 inch size bracket is stacked with options, but if you're looking for something to fit into smaller rooms, or you're simply not a fan of huge TVs, then a 50-55 inch screen might well be your best bet. These eight are our top picks from what's on the market right now, and they all offer excellent picture quality, lots of connectivity options, and solid value for money.
LG C2
The LG C2 might have been superseded by the C3, but it's the older TV that's still arguably the one to go for. The C3 offers a small increase in brightness and a revised LG WebOS interface, but it's considerably pricier — it retails for $1,899, whereas the C2 is frequently discounted to around $600 less. Both TVs use the same panel, so you aren't getting any hardware upgrades by going for the newer model. The C2 offers top-tier image quality, 120Hz VRR, and LG's Game Optimizer, all wrapped in a minimalist design that'll suit any space.
LG's α9 Gen 5 processor offers 4K upscaling so lower-resolution content will look sharper than ever, and there's Dolby Atmos support for more immersive sound. LG uses its own in-house smart TV OS, and it offers sleek integration for a plethora of streaming platforms, including Apple TV, Disney+, Netflix, and Hulu. Really, there's not much to dislike about the C2, especially since it can now be found for significantly less than its original retail price. At the time of writing, you can find it on Amazon for just under $1,299.
Samsung S95C
Samsung's latest and greatest 55-inch OLED TV aims to address one of the most common criticisms leveled at OLED — it can't match QLED for brightness, making it less than ideal for rooms with bright sunlight. The S95C uses Quantum Dot technology to boost brightness by a claimed 30% compared to standard OLED panels, and Samsung worked with Pantone to fine-tune its color accuracy. Samsung's Gaming Hub combines your favorite gaming platforms into one place, and VRR up to 144Hz is supported, with a native refresh rate of 120Hz.
The Neural Quantum processor provides intelligent 4K upscaling, while Dolby Atmos and Object Tracking Sound+ aim to give the effect of sound traveling around your room to match whatever's on screen. It's a generally very impressive TV all around, but its high level of capability does come at a suitably high price to match. It retails for $2,499.99 and you're unlikely to find any notable discounts for now, with the TV sitting on Amazon at just a few dollars under retail.
Sony Bravia A95K
Sony's Bravia range has a long-standing reputation for top-tier quality, and the A95K is no exception to the rule. Its QD-OLED panel delivers on both brightness and color accuracy, with XR Triluminos Max processing that highlights certain colors and hues for a more natural-looking effect. Like its rivals from LG and Samsung, the Sony features intelligent 4K upscaling, so even the lowest resolution content can be enjoyed at near 4K quality.
Aside from the panel itself, the Bravia A95K comes with an innovative dual-position stand that's designed to help it blend into your room seamlessly. The stand works in both a front-biased position and a rear-biased one, with the rear position helping to keep the TV more flush with the wall than a conventional stand. The 55-inch A95K is available on Amazon for just under $2,500 at the time of writing, but if you end up deciding you want a slightly bigger screen, it's also featured on our list of the best 60-65 inch OLED TVs on the market.
LG A2
If you're looking for a great 50-55 inch OLED TV but don't want to spend four figures on one, then the LG A2 is a solid budget option. It retails for $999.99, but can be found for even less, and is currently available on Amazon for $896.99. The A2 doesn't quite pack as much punch as its pricier siblings, with a less powerful α7 Gen 5 processor and only a 60Hz native refresh rate, but it still offers LG's stellar self-lit pixel technology with perfect blacks and over 1 billion colors — in other words, it's still a great entry point into the LG OLED line.
Its 20W built-in speaker is one of the less impressive on this list, but with the money you save on the TV, you'll have some change left over to go and buy a quality soundbar if cinematic audio is high on your priorities list. The brand's WebOS smart TV platform offers all the streaming platforms you'd expect, with all the big names like Netflix and Hulu, and more niche offerings like YouTube TV and iHeartRadio. It's worth noting here that the C2 offers superior refresh rates and a more powerful upscaling processor for just a few hundred dollars more, but if that's out of budget, the A2 is a worthy alternative.
Samsung S95B
Last year's predecessor to the S95C was the S95B, which packs most of the same features for a significantly discounted price. It uses QD-OLED (Quantum Dot OLED) technology to achieve perfect blacks and rich colors while boosting brightness over a traditional OLED panel, and the Neural Quantum processor can upscale all kinds of lower-resolution content to near 4K quality. Dolby Atmos is also supported for room-filling sound, and HDR+ brings a broader, more vibrant array of colors to scenes.
There are a few key differences between the S95B and its successor, with the two biggest being the improved brightness of the S95C, and a higher refresh rate. The latest panel boasts a refresh rate up to 144Hz, while the S95B has to settle for a 120Hz refresh rate. The S95B also sports a slightly older, less sturdy design, although both TVs sport a barely noticeable bezel and are generally well-built. Really, picking between the two is a matter of deciding whether it's worth the extra cash for the upgraded features, but the heavy discounts that can be found on the S95B at the moment sway the balance in the older TV's favor. Its MSRP is listed at $2,199.99, but right now on Amazon, it's just $1,297.99, a discount of more than $900.
LG B3
Another great mid-range option from LG is the 55-inch B3, which boasts a α5 Gen 6 processor for 4K upscaling and a 120Hz native refresh rate. LG's Game Optimizer is included, alongside NVIDIA Geforce Now and Utomik, which makes this a great all-rounder if you're looking for something that's equally capable for gaming as it is for the latest movies and TV shows. LG's WebOS platforms all support Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, and Apple Home integration, but only Alexa is built-in as standard.
Like many of its rivals, the B3 boasts Dolby Atmos for spatial audio, and a dedicated Filmmaker Mode aims to let you see movies as close to the director's original vision as possible. It retails for $1,699.99, and since it's a freshly-released set, don't expect to see significant discounts for a while yet. Amazon offers just a few dollars discount off the original retail price, and that's about as good as you'll get for now.
Sony Bravia A80K
The Sony Bravia A80K was first released in 2022, but much like older TVs from Samsung and LG, it's been heavily discounted as newer Bravia models have come out. It misses out on Sony's latest updates, but it still boasts XR processing, which packs the unique ability to highlight parts of an image it thinks the viewer will most likely be drawn to. It's also great at upscaling content to near 4K, and sports a variable refresh rate up to 120Hz. Not only that, but it boasts dual subwoofers for a more bass-heavy audio output than most of its rivals, making it an excellent choice if you're looking for a cinematic soundtrack but don't want to shell out for a soundbar.
Dolby Atmos support is also included for audio that moves around the room, and a special Netflix Adaptive Calibrated Mode sees content from the leading streaming platform specifically optimized for the screen. Sony is also keen to point buyers to its Bravia Cam, which attaches to the top of the TV and means the whole family can make video calls and see their friends or relatives on the big screen. Bravia Cam is sold separately from the TV, but with discounts of over $400 available on Amazon for the A80K, you'll have enough cash left over to add in the Bravia Cam as an extra.
LG G3
LG's range-topping 55-inch OLED TV is the G3, and it's the one to get if you're looking for the very best TV of this size that the South Korean manufacturer offers. LG claims the Brightness Booster Max technology makes images up to 70% brighter than before, so you'll have no trouble seeing the screen clearly even in well-lit spaces. It also features a wall mount that's so flat there's barely any space between the TV and the wall, meaning it hangs more like a picture than a traditional TV.
Like all LG TVs, the G3 packs WebOS, so all the major streaming services are integrated and can be easily switched between. The screen runs a native 120Hz refresh rate, with 4K upscaling powered by LG's latest α9 Gen 6 processor. A response rate of just 0.1 ms guarantees an ultra-fast gaming experience, and four HDMI 2.1 inputs let you plug in multiple devices. Unlike the Samsung S95C, there's no 144Hz refresh rate here, though. Other than that, it's hard to fault LG's latest flagship 55-inch, although it's a considerable step up in price compared to many of the brand's older or cheaper models. It retails for $2,499.99, and given that it's the latest and greatest that LG offers, you'll struggle to find it much cheaper than that, even on Amazon.