Buying a TV today is no longer as easy as it was a few years ago. Today the TV market is flooded with brands fighting for your attention with their offering. TVs have become smarter today, running custom versions of Android to distinguish their smart features, working with devices like the Google Assistant or Alexa speakers, and boasting of features otherwise reserved for the premium category. The affordable price point has seen some interesting entries of TVs offering 4K HDR capabilities, a smart TV experience, voice controls and more. If you are in the market to pick up a new 55-inch TV for an affordable budget, you can take a look at the following options. Just to be clear, this list is in no particular order.
The Mi LED TV 4 Pro was launched back in 2018 and has since seen a few updates. For starters, it now comes with a voice-enabled remote control and runs on Android TV out of the box. The version that was launched back in 2018 ran on AOSP. However, the thing to note is that in the 2018 model you could only access the company’s own PatchWall OS. In the new version of the TV, you can access both PatchWall and Android TV OS. The striking thing about the Mi LED TV 4 Pro is its design. The TV is just 4.9mm thin, making it a showstopper in your living room. The trade-off for this design is that the audio output from the TV is restricted to two 8W speakers. The TV is also edge-lit only with the source of LED for the TV being at the bottom. This could be a problem for those finicky about picture quality.
Coming back to the UI, PatchWall does a good job of putting content before the source ensuring you get a UI that is filled with content that you'd like to consume. Sadly, there is no Netflix or Prime Videos natively in the TV with the workaround being that you can Chromecast Prime Videos to the TV thanks to Amazon allowing Chromecasting of its streaming platform and the Mi TV supporting Chromecast built-in.
The TV supports 4K resolution with support for HDR 10. It has a 64-bit Quad-core processor along with 2 GB of RAM and 8GB of storage to download your apps. Xiaomi claims there are 700,000+ hours of content through their partner streaming services on the TV. When it comes to connectivity, the TV has 3 HDMI ports and 2USB ports. (Buy it here)
German brand Metz has forayed into India with the launch of its range of smart TVs. We are yet to review the TV, so its placement on this list is based purely on the specifications and the features it offers to consumers. The TV boasts of a metallic design and comes with a voice-enabled remote control with a dedicated Netflix button. The TV runs on Android TV 8 out of the box and has 3 HDMI ports and 2 USB ports for your connectivity needs. It has a 4K resolution with support for HDR 10 and a sound output of 20W. The TV has a Quad-core processor coupled with 2.5GB RAM. According to the Amazon listing, the TV has 16GB storage, which is a lot more than what TVs offer in this price range. (Buy it here)
The Shinco 55-inch 4K HDR TV has a few things going for it and the biggest of which is the price. The 55-inch TV is quite affordable for a large-screen TV. It has a good panel for consuming 4K HDR content as the TV supports 4K resolution and HDR 10. The remote control has controls on both sides – one side has the traditional remote control and the other has a QWERTY keypad for your login. The TV also has two front-firing 10W speakers, making the 20W performance better than other competing TVs. However, where it loses out on is in its smart TV performance. It runs on AOSP, giving users a mobile Android experience and, considering how bright the panel can get, the picture quality from these mobile services look lacklustre on the TV. To make the most of this TV, we recommend investing in a device like the 4K Fire TV stick or a 4K-capable gaming console as the panel performance truly shines through with such devices. (Buy it here)
The TV has 1GB RAM, which does not work in its UIs favour but the TV comes with 8GB storage, which is enough to download and install apps. For your connectivity needs, the TV has 3 HDMI ports and 2 USB ports. You can read our review of the TV here.
The TCL 55P65US is an interesting offering in a price range dominated by Android TVs. The 55-inch TV comes with an interesting feature set. It comes with its own app store and not the Play Store found on the Android TV OS. It is a Netflix-certified TV and comes with Amazon Prime as well, so you have two streaming services at your fingertips. The remote control of the TV also comes with a dedicated Netflix button. A unique thing about this TV is that it has Alexa built-in. So you can use your voice to control Prime Videos on the TV. How this works with other functions of the TV is something we will tell you when we get the TV in for a review. This 4K TV also supports HDR and comes with micro-dimming technology as well. It has 3 HDMI ports and 2 USB ports for your connectivity needs. To cast content from your smartphone, the TV has its own T-cast app, which we have seen on other Android TVs. (Buy it here)
Another offering from Xiaomi, this 55-inch 4K HDR TV doesn't have the slim design found on its sibling. In fact, it has a simple design ensuring the case can fit two 10W speakers and a DLED backlighting. It comes with the same features found on the Mi TV 4 Pro, including the dual OS feature (Patchwall and Android TV), voice-enabled remote control and connectivity options of 3 HDMI ports and 2 USB ports. It is the design and backlighting along with speaker configuration that is different between the two, so if slim and sexy isn't what you are looking for, then you can consider this cheaper Mi option over the 4 Pro. You can read our review of the TV here.
If the size is important to you, then you can consider the models we mentioned above. You should enjoy the picture quality the offer. However, if you don't mind shrinking 5 inches from the TV, then here are 2 special mentions in the same price range for you to consider.
This 50-inch TV from LG is going a tad over the price range we have discussed. The TV has a resolution of 4K with support for HDR and it comes with 3 HDMI ports and 2 USB ports. It also has a 20W sound output. The unique thing about LG TV is that it runs on WebOS and has access to all the popular streaming apps. The TV comes with LG's magic remote, which is the best representation of a motion-controlled remote control on a TV that we have seen. It is also a Netflix Recommended TV. The TV has an IPS panel as well and supports Google Assistant out of the box. The 49UK6360PTE is a part of the company’s ThinQ AI series and has the ability to connect to an external sound system via Bluetooth. (Buy it here)
Another 2018 offering worth considering in the 50-inch screen size is the Panasonic 49FX650D. The TV comes with 3 HDMI ports and 2 USB ports. It has an IPS panel with support for 4K resolution as well as HDR. It has a 20W sound output and runs on the company’s own Home Screen 3.0. The TV brings with it an interesting set of features. For example, you can stream music from your smartphone to the TV to use the TVs speakers as output. You can also channel the TV's sound to a Bluetooth speaker. The swipe-share feature is interesting for those looking to share content with friends. With a simple swipe, one can share content to the TV and those that want the content can swipe down on their devices to download it. (Buy it here)