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There's a lot riding on the Connect 55 for Loewe's new owners.
After a prolonged absence from a fast-paced TV market the German brand really needs to hit the ground running. Fortunately, for the most part the Connect 55 does exactly that.
Its design is both attractive and beautifully built, as well as offering Loewe's trademark customisation options. Its pictures meet the latest 4K UHD resolution requirement and are often first rate too, and its built-in HDD recorder is a great feature.
Some backlight clouding issues and a very limited number of video streaming services take a little shine off Loewe's big return, but the Connect 55 still does more than enough things right overall to convince me that Loewe is well positioned to re-establish itself as a vibrant if niche force in the UK TV marketplace.
We liked
The set is beautifully built and elegantly designed, and also supports a good range of customisation in its colour schemes and stand designs.
Loewe's video processing system is one of the best around too, and if you're not a Sky or Virgin subscriber you will likely get plenty of use out of its well-implemented built-in recording features.
We disliked
Dark scenes suffer a little backlight clouding, and the screen is also reflective of bright objects in your room.
The set also carries hardly any useful video streaming services and zero built-in 4K streaming options.
Finally, spending the same sort of money elsewhere could also get you a few other cutting edge features, such as HDR support.
Verdict
The Connect 55's picture quality is only very good rather than excellent, and it's a shame its smart TV platform doesn't include any of the most important video streaming platforms.
Overall, though, the new Connect 55 is a mostly very welcome return to the UK TV scene by Loewe, showing off a new, more forward thinking and price-sensitive approach by the German brand while still delivering plenty of the beloved old Loewe DNA.
