Sharp 55FQ5EG Review

The Sharp 55FQ5EG, priced at around $750, is an attractively priced 4K QLED TV that made its way to our test lab.

This 55-inch model (139 cm) is equipped with an LC display with Direct LED backlighting and offers HDMI 2.1 interfaces for smooth gaming, a single-triple tuner for TV reception via satellite, cable, and DVB-T2 HD, as well as a Google TV interface with various streaming apps. The Sharp supports HDR formats like HDR10, Hybrid Log-Gamma (HLG), and Dolby Vision IQ for extended contrast range and features an integrated 2.1 sound system from Harman/Kardon.

Did you know… that you can use the Sharp remote control to manage other HDMI-connected devices such as (4K) Blu-ray players or soundbars? The Sharp 55FQ5EG supports HDMI-CEC (Consumer Electronics Control) for cross-device control. The condition is that the connected devices are also CEC-compatible.

The Sharp FQ series is available in various sizes, including 50-inch (127 cm), 65-inch (164 cm), and 75-inch (189 cm) models. The recommended retail prices for the respective screen sizes can be found in the table on page 75.

Design and Connections

The Sharp 55FQ5EG comes with a slim trapezoidal aluminum stand, though it cannot be swiveled. Alternatively, wall mounting is an option, requiring a VESA standard 200 × 200 bracket (sold separately). The thin frame of the TV, like the speaker grille at the bottom, is also made of aluminum, giving it a high-quality appearance.

The rear connection panel includes two USB 2.0 ports, a LAN socket, a composite input, a digital optical S/PDIF output, and a headphone jack. Additionally, there are four HDMI ports, one of which supports eARC (enhanced Audio Return Channel), allowing uncompressed 3D audio signals like Dolby Atmos and DTS:X to be transmitted.

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Gaming and Connections

Gamers will be pleased to note that two HDMI ports fully support HDMI 2.1 specifications. In fact, they even go beyond that, as they can transmit 4K video content with refresh rates up to 144Hz. This is particularly useful when the TV adjusts its refresh rate in real-time via VRR (Variable Refresh Rate) to match the frame rate output by a compatible game console. Additionally, Auto Low Latency Mode (ALLM) is supported, allowing the TV to automatically switch to gaming mode as soon as a console is connected.

“Affordable 4K QLED TV for streaming and gaming”

Initial Setup and Operation

During the initial setup, a wizard assists users in configuring the network connection and selecting the primary input, followed by one or more channel scans. Depending on the TV reception method, the setup process takes between 15 and 30 minutes. For satellite reception, the DiSEqC 1.0 and 1.2 protocols are supported, enabling multi-feed reception. The device is also equipped with Unicable 1 (EN 50494) for single-cable systems. During setup, users are required to read several terms and conditions and privacy policies and can opt to activate services like location tracking.

Night Swim

When professional athlete Ray Waller is forced to retire due to illness, he moves with his wife Eve, daughter Izzy, and young son Elliot to a new house with a pool. Secretly, Ray dreams of returning to professional baseball, something he hides from his family. However, this harmless secret pales in comparison to the one hidden in the house: something evil lurks in the water of the swimming pool, waiting to drag the family into the depths of an unimaginable nightmare. This horror movie, based on a short film, premieres on February 8 in German theaters.

Specs

Technical Data

• Manufacturer: Sharp
• Model: 55FQ5EG
• Dimensions (W × H × D in mm): 1,228 × 736 × 61
• Weight (kg, without stand): 14.9
• Firmware Version: V1.15

Display

• Technology: LCD with Quantum Dots (QLED) and Direct-LED backlighting
• Hertz / Motion Smoothing: 144 Hz AQUOS Smooth Motion
• Size (inches/cm): 55 / 139
• Viewing Angle: Not specified
• Resolution: 3,840 × 2,160
• HD ready / Full HD / Ultra HD / 3D: Yes / Yes / Yes / No

Hardware

• Speakers / Subwoofer / Total Power (Watts): 2 / Yes / 30
• DiSEqC Support / Unicable / Unicable 2: 1.0, 1.2 / Yes / No
• Tuner Type (Number) / HDTV-capable: DVB-S2, DVB-C, DVB-T2 (x1) / Yes
• Smartcard Reader / CI: No / Yes (1 x CI+)
• On-Device Controls: Yes
• Power Switch: No
• Wall Mountable: Yes (VESA 200 × 200)

Special Features

• Recording Function: No
• Storage Capacity: No
• Smart TV: Yes (Google TV)
• Multi-Channel Sound: Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby Atmos, DTS, DTS Virtual
• Picture-in-Picture (PiP): No
• Bluetooth: Yes
• Headphone Volume Control: No

Software

• Favorite Lists / Editable: 4 / Yes
• Language Selection / Number of Languages: Yes / 43
• EPG / Days Supported: Yes / 8

Cost

• RRP in €: 699
• Average Market Price in €: 699

Front Besides its high-quality aluminum construction, the Sharp also impressed us with its modern design, featuring a frameless look. The aluminum grille at the bottom hides the front speakers of the Harman/Kardon sound system.

Classic IR Remote The IR remote has a traditional button layout, allowing control of various functions in the usual way. It features dedicated buttons for Netflix, Prime Video, and YouTube, with a fourth button labeled “Fav App” for quick access to any app of your choice. All buttons are rubberized and have a good tactile feel.

Home Screen The Google TV operating system’s home screen is sensibly organized, showing apps and recommendations for specific content. The top bar contains voice control and options for settings and inputs.

The Sharp comes with the Google TV interface, which is based on Android TV version 11. The setup process can be significantly shortened for Android smartphone users via the “Google Home” app, which automatically transfers settings for Google account sign-in and Wi-Fi connection to the TV, eliminating the need to manually enter passwords. Since the Google operating system requires a Google account for full functionality, it is recommended to create one if you do not already have one.

Smart Bluetooth Remote The TV also comes with a second remote, which is smaller in size and has an integrated microphone with a dedicated button for voice control via Google Assistant. However, it lacks a number pad and several other function buttons. Unlike the main remote, it transmits signals via Bluetooth.

EPG When the electronic program guide (EPG) is called up, it fills the entire screen, and the TV sound is muted. The guide provides a preview of the upcoming eight days, based on standard SI data supplied by broadcasters.

The Sharp comes with two remotes: the larger IR remote for traditional button-based control, and a smaller Bluetooth remote, which lacks the number pad but includes a microphone for voice commands via Google Assistant. The voice assistant worked well in most cases during our test, although there were occasional issues with it correctly understanding our commands. In such cases, using the on-screen keyboard for text input proved to be a good alternative.

Smart TV Features

The TV can connect to your home network wirelessly via Wi-Fi, supporting 5 GHz networks, or via a wired Ethernet connection. Using Chromecast, you can stream videos from mobile devices to the TV screen. The Google TV home screen is clean and shows installed apps alongside relevant content recommendations, making it easier to access the content you want. The order of apps can be customized to your preference. The app selection is excellent, with nearly all major streaming services such as Netflix, Prime Video, Disney+, Apple TV+, and DAZN available. The live TV streaming services Zattoo and Waipu.tv are also supported. Additionally, the Sharp supports HbbTV, allowing access to TV channels’ media libraries and other online services via the Red Button. If you find the HbbTV feature intrusive, it can be disabled entirely via the menu.

TV and More

The Sharp is equipped with a single-triple tuner for receiving TV programs via satellite, cable, and DVB-T2 HD, offering SD, HD, and Ultra HD picture quality. Encrypted channels can also be received using a CI+ module with a Smartcard, and the TV recognized all reference modules without issue in our practical test. The channel search results in a well-organized program list, which can be filtered by various criteria such as “free” or “encrypted.” Additionally, the list can be sorted alphabetically, and channels can be searched directly. While basic editing of the channel list is possible directly on the TV, the lack of a channel editor for more extensive customization is a drawback. The electronic program guide provides an overview of the upcoming eight days’ TV programs, but no preview image or sound is displayed while the guide is active.

Unfortunately, the 55FQ5EG lacks a recording function, and time-shifted television via Timeshift is also unavailable. As an alternative, you can connect an external receiver with PVR functionality. If IPTV is an option, you could also consider a subscription to one of the live TV streaming services mentioned earlier, such as Zattoo or Waipu.tv, which offer cloud recording capabilities.

Despite the lack of recording functionality, Sharp did not skimp on USB ports. These can be used to play video, music, and photo files stored on external drives. The supported formats can be found in the table on page 76. Multimedia playback is also possible via DLNA over the home network.

Picture and Sound Quality

The panel is an LC display, illuminated by Direct LED backlighting. Sharp uses QLED technology, meaning that between the LED backlight and the liquid crystals in the LCD panel, an additional layer with “Quantum Dots” is used. These nanocrystals emit a particularly pure color frequency, leading to improved color reproduction compared to conventional LCD TVs.

Module Check

• Unitymedia HD Module
  Model: UM02
  ✅ Supported

• Freenet TV Module
  Cardless
  ✅ Supported

• HD+ Module
  Model: HD04
  ✅ Supported

• Sky CI Plus Module
  Model: V14
  ✅ Supported

• ORF CI Plus Module (Strong)
  Cardless
  ✅ Supported

• Deltacam Twin “Cobra” 2.01
  Model: UM02 / HD04
  ✅ Supported (with limitations)

• Unicam Evo “Troja” 4.60
  Model: UM02 / HD04
  ✅ Supported (with limitations)

• AlphaCrypt Light “One4All” 2.4
  Model: UM02 / HD04
  ✅ Supported (with limitations)

• AlphaCrypt Classic “One4All” 1.0
  Model: UM02 / HD04
  ✅ Supported / ❌ Not fully compatible

• TivuSat SmarCAM
  Model: TivuSat Smartcard
  ✅ Supported

Measured Data

• Power Consumption (in Watts):

  • Deep Standby: 0.5 W (average)
  • Standby: 17.1 W (average)
  • SDR: 113.0 W (average)
  • HDR: 154.2 W (average)

• Annual Cost: €44.11 (calculated based on 32.0 ct/kWh, with 365 days of mixed usage at an average of 195 minutes/day)

Boot Times (in seconds):

• Deep Standby: 4 seconds
• Standby: 2 seconds
• Power Off (from mains): 30 seconds

Switching Times (in seconds):

• DVB-S2 (SD/SD): 1.7 s
• DVB-S2 (SD/HD): 2.4 s
• DVB-S2 (HD/HD): 2.4 s
• DVB-C (SD/SD): 1.9 s
• DVB-C (SD/HD): 2.6 s
• DVB-C (HD/HD): 2.6 s
• DVB-T/T2 (HD/HD): 2.7 s

Picture Measurements

Connections The connection ports are located on the left side of the back panel. Since they all face downward or to the side, wall mounting should not be an issue. A CI+ slot for pay-TV modules is also available.

Our Picture Settings (SDR/HDR)

• Picture Mode: Film / Film (HDR)
• Automatic Brightness: Off
• Advanced Settings:
  • White Balance Adjustment (11 Points): Enabled
  • Gain: 5%
  • Red: 58 / 55
  • Green: 50 / 50
  • Blue: 45 / 44

(All other settings are on factory default.)

Connections

• Video:
  • HDMI 2.1 (2×), HDMI 2.0 (2×), Composite
• Audio:
  • S/PDIF (optical), Headphone Jack (3.5mm)
• Data:
  • USB 2.0 (2×), WLAN (b/g/n/ac), LAN

Supported Multimedia Formats

• Video: AVI, MKV, MOV, MP4, MPEG, TS, VOB
• Audio: MP3, FLAC, M4A, WAV
• Image: JPEG, BMP, GIF, PNG

Technical Check

• “Ultra HD Premium” Certification: ❌ No
• Dolby Vision: ✅ Yes
• High Dynamic Range (HDR10): ✅ Yes
• Hybrid Log-Gamma (HLG): ✅ Yes
• HDR10+: ❌ No
• HDMI Standard / 2160p @ 60Hz / 2160p @ 120Hz: 2.1 (Partially) / ✅ Yes / ✅ Yes
• HEVC (H. 265): ✅ Yes

(Note: Partial support for ALLM, eARC, HFR & VRR.)

Thermal Images

Thanks to the Direct LED backlighting, the panel heats up evenly after around three hours of use, reaching a temperature of 25.7°C. Our thermal camera recorded up to 44.3°C at the rear connection area.

Sharp collaborated with Harman/Kardon to develop a two-way audio system with front-facing midrange and tweeter speakers, as well as a downward-firing woofer. The bass reflects off the surface the TV is placed on, filling the room with powerful sound. The front speakers, located behind an aluminum grille at the bottom, deliver clear dialogues. The 30-watt internal sound system also provides virtual 3D sound for content with Dolby Atmos or DTS:X soundtracks. If the built-in speaker setup isn’t enough, you can expand it with additional Sharp speakers, as the TV supports “AQUOS Wireless Surround,” allowing wireless connection with compatible speakers around the room.

Conclusion

With a score of 88.3%, the Sharp 55FQ5EG earned a “Good” rating in our practical test. This 4K QLED TV offers excellent picture quality and impressive sound, thanks to the integrated Harman/Kardon sound system. The Google TV interface provides easy navigation and a wide range of apps. Standout features include full HDMI 2.1 support and Dolby Vision IQ. We did miss a recording function, though it’s a feature that many manufacturers are starting to omit even from their premium models. Considering the Sharp 55FQ5EG’s average market price of around $750, it offers great value for money, which is why we awarded it a “Very Good” in terms of price/performance ratio.

Package Contents: TV, User Manual, Stand, 2 Remote Controls with Batteries, Screws.

Ratings

Bonus

• +1.0% for Dolby Vision
• +0.5% for Dolby Atmos

Price/Performance Index: 7.92
Final Rating: Good – 88.3%

Average Market Price: €699

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