The Hisense 55-inch QLED Smart TV has dropped to £379, down from around £549 at launch, making this one of the sharpest mid-size TV deals currently available in the UK. With the 2026 FIFA World Cup on the horizon, the timing is deliberate. Whether the discount is worth acting on depends on what you’re comparing it to.

The Hisense 55-inch QLED Smart TV is a mid-range 4K television from Hisense, the Chinese manufacturer that has steadily built a reputation in the UK for undercutting Samsung and LG on price without sacrificing the core picture spec. This model sits in Hisense’s mainstream QLED range, above their basic LED sets but below the premium U8 and U9 series.

At £379, it’s aimed squarely at buyers who want a 55-inch screen with quantum dot colour technology and 4K resolution without paying the £500-£700 that Samsung and Sony typically charge for comparable panel sizes. It runs VIDAA, Hisense’s own smart TV platform, which supports Netflix, Disney+, Prime Video and BBC iPlayer out of the box.

This is a TV for living rooms, not dedicated home cinema setups. If you’re replacing a 40-something-inch set ahead of a major sporting event and want the biggest screen your budget will allow, this is a serious option. Videophiles who want OLED-level contrast or Dolby Vision gaming at 4K/144Hz will need to look higher up the range.

QLED at £379 for a 55-inch set is competitive. Quantum dot technology improves colour volume over standard LED — you get wider colour gamut coverage, which matters for HDR content and sports broadcasts where pitch greens and kit colours need to look accurate.

Hisense quotes peak brightness figures for this model that put it ahead of basic LED competitors at the same price. For daytime viewing in a bright living room, that brightness headroom is useful. The 4K panel handles upscaled HD content reasonably well, which matters because most live football is still broadcast in 1080p or lower.

The VIDAA platform is less polished than Google TV or Samsung’s Tizen, but it loads quickly and covers all the major UK streaming apps. One honest limitation: VIDAA’s app library is narrower than Google TV, so if you rely on niche streaming services, check compatibility before buying.

HDR support includes HDR10 and HLG, which covers the main broadcast and streaming formats. Dolby Vision is absent on this model, which is a trade-off worth knowing about if you watch a lot of Apple TV+ or Disney+ content that’s mastered specifically for Dolby Vision.

The Hisense QLED Smart TV 55-inch is priced at £379 at time of writing. We’re currently tracking it across six UK retailers: AO.com, Marks Electrical, Amazon, Appliances Direct, Laptops Direct, and Very.co.uk. Prices across these retailers sit at £379, so the competition is tight and no single retailer is significantly undercutting the others right now.

AO.com and Marks Electrical are worth checking first if delivery reliability matters to you. Both have strong reputations for large appliance delivery and tend to offer specific time slots rather than vague windows. Amazon is the obvious choice if you have Prime and want next-day delivery. Very.co.uk is worth a look if you want to spread the cost, as they offer buy-now-pay-later options that the others don’t always match.

Compare current offers on Shopping.co.uk , we update prices across all six retailers in real time, so you can see if any retailer has moved since this article was published.

At £379 for a 55-inch QLED, Hisense is cheaper than any comparable Samsung, LG or Sony. That’s the headline fact, and it’s a real one.

Samsung’s closest equivalent, the 55-inch QE55Q60D, typically sits around £499-£549 new. You get Tizen (a more polished smart platform) and Samsung’s wider service network, but the panel spec at that price tier is comparable to what Hisense is offering here. You’re paying roughly £120-£170 extra for the brand and the ecosystem.

LG’s 55-inch QNED range starts around £449-£499. LG’s webOS platform is excellent and Dolby Vision support is standard, which gives it a real advantage for streaming content. If Dolby Vision matters to you, the LG at £70-£120 more is worth considering seriously.

Sony’s entry-level Bravia 55-inch sets start around £499. Sony’s image processing (particularly for motion handling and upscaling) is widely regarded as the best in class at this tier. The £120 premium buys you noticeably better picture processing for sport and films , but only if you’re the kind of viewer who notices the difference.

For buyers who want maximum screen size for a fixed budget, Hisense wins on pure value. For buyers who want the best overall package and can stretch their budget, LG’s QNED at around £449 is the next logical step.

At £379, this Hisense 55-inch QLED undercuts Samsung’s nearest 55-inch QLED by around £120-£170 and represents one of the better value-per-inch propositions we’ve tracked in this size category this year.

Best place to buy: AO.com , competitive on price at £379 with reliable large-item delivery slots and a straightforward returns process for TVs.

vs. the previous model: Hisense’s earlier entry-level 55-inch QLED sets sold for similar prices but without the same peak brightness spec; the current model is the better buy if you can find both, which at time of writing you largely can’t , this is the active stock.

Our take: Buy now if your budget is firmly £400 or under and you want a 55-inch QLED before the World Cup. If you can stretch to £449-£499, the LG QNED or Samsung Q60 give you a more complete package , but you won’t get this much screen for less.

Does the Hisense QLED Smart TV 55-inch support 4K?
Yes. The panel runs at 3840 x 2160 (4K Ultra HD) and supports HDR10 and HLG for compatible streaming and broadcast content.

What smart TV platform does it use?
It runs VIDAA, Hisense’s own smart platform. Netflix, Prime Video, Disney+, BBC iPlayer and YouTube are all supported. The app library is smaller than Google TV, so check your preferred services are available before purchasing.

Does it support Dolby Vision?
No. This model supports HDR10 and HLG but not Dolby Vision. If you watch a lot of Apple TV+ or Disney+ content, an LG set at a similar price point would be a better fit.

Is 55 inches the right size for my room?
For a viewing distance of roughly 2-4 metres, 55 inches is the standard recommendation. Closer than 2 metres and a 50-inch set may be more comfortable; beyond 4 metres and a 65-inch screen would serve you better.

Will prices drop further before the World Cup?
Retailer promotions around major sporting events tend to bring short-term discounts, but the current price of £379 is already close to the floor we’ve seen for this model. Waiting risks stock availability rather than securing a better price.