Best 55" for £700

buckybronco

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Hi, question for the hive mind. I'm looking for a good 55" TV for around £700. I've seen the discontinued Samsung QE55Q80BATXXU for this price with 1 year warranty but Costco have just promoted the Sony kd55x80lu for £708 (with 5 year warranty). Sony's own site sells this for £1049.
I can't find a review on either on What Hi Fi so can anyone help? Views on these or alternatives? Thanks in advance.
 

roaduck

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Have you considered a second-tier brand?
I`ve had 3 Hisense 50-55 4K televisions - all very good and less than £600.
One got damaged, one got stolen - on my third one now - only replacing it because I have poor eyesight and am getting a top of the range Panasonic LZ2000 77" for a song from a friend.
The new mini LED Hisense are supposed to be the dogs for a grand.Like the
55U6KQTUK
Even my cheapie 55 inch makes my eyes water - it`s so bright - my neighbour thinks it`s better than his 2 year old Samsung which was 3 times the price of mine.
 
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flashgordon1952

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For me that out of my personal price range . Personally i look at the LG Hisense TCL range , which is cheaper .£400 to £500 2022 models . Samsung own cheaper price bracket simply does not cut the mustard . But look at Hisense own 55 QLED
 
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roaduck

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Hisense sponsored the World cup and the European cup and the top ladies tournaments so they can`t be that bad.The Hisense mini LED`s are supposed to be excellent and the panel prices are coming down.The TCL tellys are excellent - my friend has had his TCL 55" for over five years with no problems whatsoever.

If you join alibaba and aliexpress you can get flash sales with up to 99% off - I got a bronze case divers watch for Christmas for a friend and I just got a sapphire case tourbillon for a retirement present.They are both superlative.


I ordered a high beat, 26 jewel - £65 Chinese automatic watch last year with 72 hour power reserve for a mate and he put it on a Swiss timing accuracy machine in a jewellers and it was more stable and accurate than his £4000 Rolex - he couldn`t believe it.

The Chinese high-end stuff - (£100`s - £1000`s) is in a different world - it`s World class now.That`s watches, Hi-Fi`s, jewelry, Televisions, computers - loads of things.
 
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Hisense sponsored the World cup and the European cup and the top ladies tournaments so they can`t be that bad.The Hisense mini LED`s are supposed to be excellent and the panel prices are coming down.The TCL tellys are excellent - my friend has had his TCL 55" for over five years with no problems whatsoever.

If you join alibaba and aliexpress you can get flash sales with up to 99% off - I got a bronze case divers watch for Christmas for a friend and I just got a sapphire case tourbillon for a retirement present.They are both superlative.


I ordered a high beat, 26 jewel - £65 Chinese automatic watch last year with 72 hour power reserve for a mate and he put it on a Swiss timing accuracy machine in a jewellers and it was more stable and accurate than his £4000 Rolex - he couldn`t believe it.

The Chinese high-end stuff - (£100`s - £1000`s) is in a different world - it`s World class now.That`s watches, Hi-Fi`s, jewelry, Televisions, computers - loads of things.
The thread is about TVs - I've deleted the links as they are not relevant. See forum rules about going off topic. Thanks.
 

roaduck

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You can't judge the quality of a company's products, by what they choose to sponsor...
I totally concur - the proof or the pudding... etc.
However if you want people to see a good match on a good telly - it helps when the sponsor has some back-up and kudos plus is also a pioneer manufacturer.
It is the No.1 television brand sold in China and it has a bit of competition there.
As an aside, the best Hi-Fi gear I ever owned or heard didn`t even advertise - they didn`t have to - quality speaks for itself.

I prefer gear in wooden crates compared to stereos in cardboard boxes.
 

flashgordon1952

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Hisense and TCL are the biggest in China now ( sorry to say) and can be compared with any other maker in the low and middle price bracket now and many say better. And the fact China supplies something like over 60% of all electronics in the world now ( car electronics too) Yes Sony are in a bracket of there own ie the high price bracket ie well over £1800 and more. But the main market now is the low to middle price , and in particular the low end below £500 . We say now that 55 inch is an average size for a rtv now . And maybe not the most popular size, as 50 inch is as that appears to have taken over from 43 inches . Screens will get bigger as the years go by . I remember the days when 28 inch CRT was a huge screen. But the bigger the screen the more you notice the quality of the signals reaching the TV ie Free sat and Sky . And until 4 k is out on all TV broadcasting .( that might not happen until all broadcasting is via the internet now There still be a problem for the big screens ie 70 inches or more . So i can see the attraction of the 55 inch screen
 
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roaduck

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Hisense and TCL are the biggest in China now ( sorry to say) and can be compared with any other maker in the low and middle price bracket now and many say better. And the fact China supplies something like over 60% of all electronics in the world now ( car electronics too) Yes Sony are in a bracket of there own ie the high price bracket ie well over £1800 and more. But the main market now is the low to middle price , and in particular the low end below £500 . We say now that 55 inch is an average size for a rtv now . And maybe not the most popular size, as 50 inch is as that appears to have taken over from 43 inches . Screens will get bigger as the years go by . I remember the days when 28 inch CRT was a huge screen. But the bigger the screen the more you notice the quality of the signals reaching the TV ie Free sat and Sky . And until 4 k is out on all TV broadcasting .( that might not happen until all broadcasting is via the internet now There still be a problem for the big screens ie 70 inches or more . So i can see the attraction of the 55 inch screen
I totally agree flashgordon1952 £500 quid is where the action is and not everybody has over a grand to spend on a telly when inflation is driving food, fuel, gas and electric, rent and mortgages up in these tumultuous times.

I have a Hisense 55" which I got for a bargain £550 but I have really bad eyesight and I`m struggling so a friend is getting me a Panasonic LZ2000 77" which will be a vision aid for me.

I didn`t get my first colour television until I was over 30 - I didn`t need or want one, I was never in and I had a bespoke Hi-Fi and a tenor sax. It was a Sony trinitron 14" and it looked big next to my second-hand Sony black and white 11 inch from the sixties.

As regards 4K programming - it might not be a priority in a global depression and/or a major war - God help us all.It might go the way of curved and 3D televisions.
I know a rich friend with a 8K telly and there`s not much to watch on it right now haha!
I have a 8K graphics card on my ASUS ROG gaming laptop and there is very little to watch anywhere - waste of money really.


I still have a Toshiba 28" widescreen CRT and it is still going strong.It was £650 in 1998 and looked like a cinema next to a Sony portable.
I wanted a Panasonic Quintrix 32" widescreen CRT at the time but couldn`t afford it - it was £3500 in 1998 ! It was a massive TV then and it weighed 69 KG.I know that because I bought a used one eventually before flat televisions really took off.


I have lived and worked in Hong Kong and Macau flogging serious kit in the 1990`s and I have family in China.I believe the World is shifting eastwards now.
I could get electronics direct from China with my accounts there and use my Chinese connections at the Manchester Chamber of Commerce which have a large influential community in my home town but I know the custom and excise man would want his pound of flesh; they even added 20% VAT on 1st January 2020.Before then mega bargains were to be had.
I might get my cousin in Guangzhou to send me some electrical goodies and declare it as non-working or a gift.I`m sick of rip-off Britain.
I got an Accuphase class "A" clone for a friend that way last year.
 
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