Podcast #1222: Five Highly Rated 55 Inch TVs Under $500

Podcast #1222: Five Highly Rated 55 Inch TVs Under $500

40:53 Oct 10, 2025
About this episode
On this week's show we recommend five 55" TVs for less than $500 that will give you the best bang for your buck! We also read your emails and take a look at some of the week's news. News: Anker opens pre-orders for its Nebula X1 Pro projector system Amazon unveils a new Fire TV lineup, including the $40 Fire TV Stick 4K Select TiVo Exiting Legacy DVR Business Walmart's Onn 4K Pro Google TV Streaming Device is On Sale At Its Lowest Price Ever Other: DIY Surround Sound... USING LASERS! Signal GH Highly Rated 55 Inch TVs Under $500 This week we scoured the Internet for best bang for the buck TVs that would work in a typical family room. For this criteria we landed on 55" as it is, in our opinion, the Goldilocks size. We read reviews from sites like RTINGS, CNET, Tom's Guide, and What Hi-Fi? To select five models that have something for everyone. All the TVs are 4K smart TVs with good picture quality, HDR support, and gaming features. All Models Available at Amazon Here's a comparison of the top-rated options: TCL QM6K (QLED Mini-LED) 55-inch ~$445 at Amazon CNET: 8.6 out of 10 RTINGS: 7.1 out of 10 overall Tom's Guide: 4 out 5 144Hz refresh rate, local dimming for deep blacks, Google TV OS, VRR/AMD FreeSync for gaming, Dolby Vision HDR. Best all-around budget TV; excels in brightness, color vibrancy, and motion handling for movies/gaming—rivals pricier models without blooming issues. Hisense QD7QF (QLED) 55-inch ~$350 at Amazon CNET: 8 out of 10
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