I really doubt that , unless the shop owner lets you calibrate both of the TV for a side by side comparison . Beside that , any difference you see might as well be the result of different TV settings . TV shops are usually well-lit , which makes it really difficult to judge on picture quality as well.
That's why all these IPS TV look really incredible good in shop .
So in conclusion , despite of what most people telling you go to the shop , trust your eyes , blah blah blah .... what we can actually see in the shop is very limited . It is crucial to keep your expectation in check , have the basic knowledge so you don't swayed by the salesman and end up buying an entirely different TV when it is sent to you home .
You are looking for a living room TV , so getting an IPS TV seems more ideal .
In your case , only the LG & Sony models are of IPS screen , since you have already eliminated the LG out of the two it is only logical to get the Sony one.
***I am 95% sure the Philips model of this size has a VA panel but I can still be wrong
As a ex - plasma owner , I find it really hard to adapt to the LED-LCD TV .
Most modern LED-LCDs simply can't compete with the black levels , the viewing angles and the motion clarity of Plasma .
That's why long after the death of Plasmas , some AV enthusiast are still holding onto their trustworthy Kuro :thumbsup:
Theoretically , only the OLEDs can provide meaningful upgrades to your previous plasma but it is far more expensive than your budget allows and not available in the smaller size (<55")
On the bright side ( literally ) , modern TVs are far brighter than Plasmas and provide massive resolution upgrade to 4k and upcoming 8k , along with HDR & accessibility with most of the basic 4k streaming platforms such as Youtube , Amazon prime videos, Netflix . The HDR is also the hot topic in town so you should spend some times reading onto that .
Start by learning the pro & cons from LED-LCD types ( VA vs IPS ) and learn how practical these advantages can apply to your room.
For eg , if you are buying a fairly large TV for smaller personal room , the wider viewing angles will be very useful to you.
Then look for the prices of the models and see which brands can suit your personal need best.
The shop promoter move the tv and let me compare side by side...he open YouTube and Astro, but not use demo video for me to compare. I am not sure what setting in TV, but i can come out my result from what I see at there. The service really good in this shop , haha