Budget 55-inch TVs

The best budget 55 inch TV in the UK for 2026 is the Hisense 55E78QTUK PRO. The Hisense 55E78QTUK PRO is a 4K QLED with a 144 Hz panel, VRR, HDMI 2.1, Dolby Vision, HDR10+, Dolby Atmos and Freely, and it cost £445 on Amazon UK at the time of writing (September 2026). The TCL 55C6K has the best picture under £500 at £489.99, the TCL 55T6C is the best under £400, and the Samsung U7020H is the best cheap Samsung.

This guide sets a hard budget cap of £500, and every pick sits under it at the Amazon UK price. Generic 55-inch round-ups mix £1,500 OLEDs with budget sets; this page ranks only what £299 to £490 buys, and shows exactly what each extra pound adds. For every size, see Best budget TV UK 2026.

What is the best budget 55-inch TV in the UK?

The Hisense 55E78QTUK PRO is the best budget 55-inch TV because the Hisense 55E78QTUK PRO is the cheapest pick in this guide with 144 Hz, Dolby Vision and HDR10+ together. Under £500, the real choices are between three upgrades over a basic 4K LED:

• Quantum dot colour (QLED): wider, richer colour. Starts at £379 with the TCL 55T6C.
• 144 Hz with HDMI 2.1: smoother console and PC gaming. Starts at £445 with the Hisense 55E78QTUK PRO.
• Mini LED local dimming: deeper blacks and brighter HDR. Available under £500 only on the TCL 55C6K at £489.99.

1. Hisense 55E78QTUK PRO - best budget 55-inch TV

The Hisense 55E78QTUK PRO is the best-value 55-inch TV Compare Electronic tracks in September 2026. Hisense rates the 55E78QTUK PRO at 144 Hz with VRR, ALLM and AMD FreeSync Premium Pro, so a PS5 or Xbox Series X runs 120 fps games without tearing. Dolby Vision, HDR10+ and HLG cover every HDR format UK streaming services use.

The Hisense 55E78QTUK PRO runs VIDAA with Freely, which puts BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5 live channels in one guide over broadband. The panel is direct-lit without local dimming, so blacks are greyer than on the TCL 55C6K. The non-PRO Hisense 55E78QTUK costs £349 but drops to 60 Hz; the £96 gap is worth paying for anyone with a console.

2. TCL 55C6K - best picture under £500

The TCL 55C6K has the best picture of any 55-inch TV under £500, at £489.99 on Amazon UK at the time of writing (September 2026). TCL pairs a QD-Mini LED backlight with local dimming, a 1,000-nit HDR rating and an HVA panel with up to 7,000:1 native contrast. Local dimming switches off zones behind dark parts of the picture, which no other set in this guide can do.

The TCL 55C6K runs at a native 144 Hz with AMD FreeSync Premium Pro and two 48 Gbps HDMI 2.1 ports, and the 40 W Onkyo 2.1 system includes a built-in woofer. Google TV carries every UK catch-up app. At £10.01 under the cap, the TCL 55C6K leaves no room for a soundbar, and it costs £44.99 more than the Hisense.

3. TCL 55T6C - best 55-inch TV under £400

The TCL 55T6C is the best 55-inch TV under £400 at £379 on Amazon UK (September 2026). The TCL 55T6C is the cheapest pick with quantum dot colour and both Dolby Vision and HDR10+, so Netflix and Disney+ play in Dolby Vision while Prime Video plays in HDR10+. Dolby Atmos and Fire TV with Alexa are built in.

The TCL 55T6C runs at 60 Hz without local dimming, which makes it a film and streaming TV rather than a gaming TV. It costs £6.89 per inch, only £30 more than the Samsung U7020H with a stronger HDR feature list.

4. Samsung U7020H 55" - best cheap Samsung

The Samsung U7020H is the best cheap 55-inch Samsung at £349 on Amazon UK (September 2026). The Samsung U7020H is a 2026 Crystal UHD 4K TV with HDR10+, Motion Xcelerator, Dynamic Sound Pack, Gaming Hub for cloud games and Tizen with SmartThings. Samsung does not support Dolby Vision on any TV, and the U7020H has no quantum dot layer, so the TCL 55T6C offers more picture features for £30 more. The Samsung U7020H suits a household already running SmartThings and Samsung phones.

5. TCL 55V6D - cheapest 55-inch TV worth buying

The TCL 55V6D is the cheapest 55-inch TV worth buying at £299 on Amazon UK (September 2026), or £5.44 per inch. The TCL 55V6D is a 2026 4K model with HDR10+, Dolby Atmos, DTS:X, AirPlay 2 and Game Master, which adds VRR and ALLM at 60 Hz. Fire TV with Alexa is built in. There is no Dolby Vision and no quantum dot layer.

6. LG 55NU800B6LA - best cheap LG

The LG 55NU800B6LA is the best cheap 55-inch LG at £349 on Amazon UK (September 2026). The LG 55NU800B6LA is a 2026 Nano UHD 4K set with the alpha7 Gen9 processor, HDR10, Filmmaker Mode, Google Cast, AirPlay 2 and webOS 26. It runs at 60 Hz with no Dolby Vision or HDR10+, so it earns its place through webOS rather than specs.

Best budget 55-inch TV UK 2026 spec sheet

Every TV in the table is 4K (3840 x 2160) and under £500 on Amazon UK. Only the TCL 55C6K has local dimming, and only the Hisense and the TCL 55C6K run at 144 Hz.

How much does a budget 55-inch TV cost per inch?

A good budget 55-inch 4K TV costs between £5.44 and £8.91 per inch on Amazon UK in September 2026. A 55-inch 16:9 screen measures 121.8 cm by 68.5 cm, or 1,293 square inches.

Compare Electronic's price-per-inch breakdown

What the extra money buys

The best-value step is the £30 from £349 to the TCL 55T6C, which adds quantum dot colour and Dolby Vision. The step with the biggest visible gain is the final £44.99 to the TCL 55C6K, because local dimming changes how every dark scene looks.

What is the best cheap 55-inch TV for gaming?

The Hisense 55E78QTUK PRO is the best cheap 55-inch TV for gaming at £445, and the TCL 55C6K is the best if the budget reaches £489.99. Both run at 144 Hz with HDMI 2.1, VRR and AMD FreeSync Premium Pro, so a PS5 or Xbox Series X can output 120 fps. The other four picks run at 60 Hz. The TCL 55V6D adds VRR and ALLM at 60 Hz, which helps with tearing but not with frame rate.

The full gaming shortlist across sizes is in Best TV for PS5 and Xbox Series X, and the Hisense range is compared in Best Hisense TV UK 2026.

Is it better to buy a cheap 65-inch TV instead?

A cheap 65-inch TV is better only for a seat more than 2.3 m away. A 65-inch screen has 40% more area than a 55-inch screen, and the TCL 65V6D fits under the same £500 cap at £429. The catch is features: £429 at 65 inches buys a 60 Hz LED, while £445 at 55 inches buys the 144 Hz Hisense 55E78QTUK PRO.

UK buying notes for budget 55-inch TVs

• Freely: the Hisense 55E78QTUK PRO has Freely built in for live channels over broadband. Every pick has a Freeview tuner for an aerial.
• Fit: a 55-inch TV is about 122 cm wide. Sets with edge feet need a unit roughly as wide as the screen.
• Returns: the Consumer Rights Act 2015 gives a 30-day right to reject a faulty TV.
• Black Friday: these prices are the baseline to judge November offers against; see Black Friday TV deals UK 2026.

Who should skip a budget 55-inch TV?

• Dark-room film fans: only the TCL 55C6K has local dimming under £500. For true blacks, an OLED is the answer; see OLED vs QLED.
• Bright-room viewers:direct-lit budget sets lose HDR impact in daylight. The TCL 55C6K's 1,000-nit rating is the minimum worth buying for a sunny lounge.
• Brand-first buyers: the Samsung and LG picks cost the same as better-specified TCL and Hisense sets. The brand trade-offs are in Best TV brands UK 2026.

Verdict

The Hisense 55E78QTUK PRO is the best budget 55 inch TV in the UK in September 2026: 144 Hz, HDMI 2.1, Dolby Vision, HDR10+ and Freely for £445. The TCL 55C6K has the best picture under £500 at £489.99, the TCL 55T6C is the best under £400 at £379, the Samsung U7020H is the cheap Samsung pick at £349, and the TCL 55V6D is the cheapest worth buying at £299.