Tcl 55 Inch 4k Tv Review 5 Vs 6
TCL has consistently impressed us with its vi-Serial TVs, which offering strong performance at reasonable prices. These TVs have all exclusively run on the Roku Boob tube platform, which is an accessible and simple interface, but not the most characteristic-heavy one. At present TCL offers an alternative in the form of its Google TV 4K 6-Series TVs. They're priced around same every bit the Roku TV 4K six-Series models (the 55-inch 55R646 we tested retails for $949.99), and offer strong app and service back up, Google Bandage screen mirroring, and easily-gratis Google Assistant (though they surrender the Apple AirPlay support included in Roku Telly). And they seem to pack a few engineering improvements over the Roku models, with stronger contrast performance and lower input lag. The Hisense U8G series is brighter, but otherwise TCL's Google Idiot box six-Serial packs the same excellent features for almost the same toll, earning our Editors' Choice award alongside the Hisense model.
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Before we continue, it'south worth noting that TCL temporarily pulled its Google Idiot box models from retail channels in response to reports of software instability. We didn't experience this event in testing, and at present that TCL has released a software update for the affected models, they're one time again available at retail.
Fashionable and Streamlined
Physically, the Google-based 55R646 is nearly identical to the Roku-based 55R635. The screen is framed by the same thin band of brushed metal that runs along the sides and top, with the same strip forth the bottom edge that holds a chrome TCL logo in the middle. It besides sits on very similar 5-shaped gunmetal legs, although they're slightly lower and have prominent rubber feet. The big indication that this is the Google Television receiver model and non the Roku model is the rectangular, night grey, textile-covered protrusion that sits on the underside of the Goggle box. This is the far-field mic array, which provides hands-gratuitous access to Google Assistant.
The power cablevision plugs into the left side of the back of the Television receiver, with all other connectors sitting on the right side, facing correct. They include four HDMI ports (2 4K120, one eARC), two USB ports, a three.5mm composite video input, a 3.5mm headphone jack, an optical sound output, an Ethernet port, and an antenna/cable connector. Beneath the ports sits a combination power/input button and a switch to turn off the far-field microphone.
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The remote is a long, thin, rectangular blackness wand with pleasantly rounded edges. A large, circular gray navigation pad is placed most the top, with power, settings, and Google Assistant buttons above it, forth with a pinhole microphone. Card buttons sit below the pad, with dedicated app buttons for Amazon Prime number Video, Netflix, TCL Channel, and YouTube below them. The right edge of the remote holds a book rocker and mute push button.
Powered by Google
While most of TCL'southward smart TVs use the Roku Idiot box platform, the 55R646 uses Google TV for its interface. Google Boob tube is a streamlined version of the Android Boob tube platform on Hisense TVs, retaining all of its features, with a menu system that's more content-focused than primarily driven past app choice. All of the large names in streaming are available, including Amazon Prime number Video, Apple TV, Disney+, HBO Max, Hulu, Netflix, Twitch, and YouTube. Google Tv set too supports Google Cast for mirroring your Android smartphone or tablet, or Chrome browser tab from a calculator, though it doesn't support Apple AirPlay like Roku TVs practise (Roku TVs don't back up Google Cast, however).
Google TV likewise provides full access to the Google Assistant voice assistant, which you lot can use by simply saying "Hey Google," thanks to the far-field microphone array built into the 55R646. This is a welcome tendency pushed by some Hisense and Sony TVs in the last few years, earlier which voice assistant integration almost exclusively required talking into the remote. And, if you're uncomfortable with a microphone always listening for the wake phrase, you lot can but disable the mic with the switch on the back.
Google Assistant remains a very capable phonation assistant, able to reply general questions like weather condition and sports scores, search for content to watch, and directly control both the Tv itself and any compatible smart domicile devices. It tin can exist extremely useful, peculiarly with hands-free vocalisation control.
Terrific Contrast and Color
The TCL 55R646 is a 4K Goggle box with a 120Hz refresh rate. It supports high dynamic range (HDR) content in HDR10, HDR10+, Dolby Vision, and hybrid log gamma (HLG).
Nosotros test TVs using a Klein K-80 colorimeter, a Murideo SIX-G signal generator, and Portrait Displays' Calman software using methodology based on Imaging Scientific discipline Foundation's scale techniques.
Similar many TVs, the 55R646 has an adaptive mode that attempts to automatically adapt picture settings based on what's being shown. This mode is automatically enabled and applies on top of whatever picture mode y'all're using. We recommend turning this feature off when watching movies, to get the most accurate picture based on the director's intent, and disable them ourselves when performing our tests.
The 55R646's mini LED backlight assortment seems superior to the 55R635'due south, able to get both brighter and darker. In Movie mode, using an SDR signal, we measured 750.469cd/grand^2 peak effulgence with a full-screen white field and 969.671cd/m^2 with an 18% white field, with a black level of simply 0.002cd/1000^2. An HDR signal can make the Goggle box get fifty-fifty brighter, showing 922.681cd/g^ii with a full-screen field and 1,189.194cd/g^ii with an 18% field while keeping the same 0.002cd/chiliad^two black level, for a contrast ratio of 594,597:one.
At this point, blackness levels effectually 0.002cd/grand^2 and below tin can exist seen as registering whatever ambience light nearby more than the black section of screen existence measured, which means LED TVs capable of these numbers are effectively getting nearly as night every bit OLED TVs like the LG C1P. This is mostly due to advances in LED backlight arrays that use more than and more LED zones that tin be individually dimmed and brightened, providing high contrast levels and getting much brighter than OLED panels in the process. This doesn't mean the technology completely surpasses OLED, though; since LED zones calorie-free upwards sections of the screen and non individual pixels, calorie-free flower tin appear when very bright objects are shown right adjacent to very dark ones. We noticed lilliputian lite bloom on the 55R646, just it'south still a gene that OLED TVs will win on as long as the pixels on a screen significantly outnumber the individual LEDs lighting them.
The Hisense U8G series gets much brighter at 1,763.368cd/m^2 with an HDR signal and an 18% white field, just its contrast level is lower at (a nonetheless very impressive) 88,168:1 because of its 0.02cd/grand^2 black level. And the TCL Roku TV half-dozen-Series lags backside both with a one,114.897cd/thousand^ii elevation brightness, a 0.015cd/m^2 black level, and a 74,326:ane contrast ratio. OLED TVs like the LG C1P don't have a technically measurable contrast ratio because of the perfect black levels their console technology can display.
Squares represent ideal color levels. Dots correspond measured color levels. The closer each dot is to its nearest square, the more accurate the tv set's color is.
The above chart shows the 55R646's color levels in Movie style with an SDR signal compared against Rec.709 circulate standards and with an HDR indicate compared confronting DCI-P3 digital cinema standards. The 55R646 performs fantastically here, with accurate whites and balanced colors in both SDR and HDR. The SDR picture show is nearly perfect out of the box, with slightly undersaturated greens, and yellows and magentas being merely a touch on warm, as the only (very small) complaints. The HDR picture is also fantabulous, covering nearly the entire DCI-P3 color infinite despite somewhat undersaturated greens and yellows. The colors are all properly balanced and non significantly skewed in whatever direction besides cyans running just a tad light-green, with blues, magentas, reds, and yellows all spot-on.
BBC'southward Planet World Ii looks fantabulous on the 55R646. The greens of plants and blues of h2o both look vivid and natural, with plenty of subtle variety in the colors. Fine details like fur and bark wait sharp, both when brightly lit past straight sunlight and in shade.
Deadpool is similarly impressive on the 55R646, with the red of Deadpool'south costume looking vibrant and authentic in the overcast early scenes of the motion-picture show. The flames in the burning lab fight appear bright and stand out, while shadow details in the aforementioned frame are notwithstanding visible without looking washed out.
The party scenes in The Dandy Gatsby show off the 55R646's excellent contrast. The cuts and contours of blackness suits tin be clearly seen and still wait dark even with the brilliant whites of balloons, lights, and shirts in the same frame. Skin tones look natural against the stark blacks and whites, and diverse splashes of color in the scenes pop out nicely.
Strong Gaming Performance, Light on Gaming Features
The 55R646 is a 120Hz TV that supports variable refresh rate (VRR) and auto depression latency style (ALLM), which should delight gamers. Still, it doesn't have AMD FreeSync like the Hisense U7G and U8G, or Nvidia M-Sync like the LG C1P has (along with FreeSync), which is something to keep in mind if yous desire to connect a PC to information technology.
Using an HDFury Diva HDMI matrix, we measured an input lag of 8.1 milliseconds in Game mode. This means the 55R646 is faster than our 10ms threshold to consider a Goggle box to be amid the best for gaming. The TCL Roku Idiot box 4K 6-Series is slower at 21.4ms, while the Hisense U8G is a tiny bit faster at seven.9ms. Brand sure the Telly is in Game mode when you desire to play anything, even so; in Film mode input lag jumps to 119.1ms.
One of the Best TV Values
The TCL 4K Google Idiot box six-Serial is a fantastic Television set line that offers more features and slightly improved performance over the well-established 4K Roku TV half dozen-Series, with higher dissimilarity, lower input lag, and hands-gratis Google Assistant. The only matter you lot're really giving upwardly is Apple AirPlay. The Hisense U8G has an even brighter panel, but ultimately, all of these TVs are excellent values that offer incredible operation for the price, with the TCL 55R646 sharing our Editors' Choice accolade with the Hisense U8G. And if you desire to save a fleck more than, the Hisense U7G offers more than small-scale (only yet stiff) performance with the same Android TV features every bit the U8G.
TCL 55-Inch vi-Series 4K Google TV 55R646
The Bottom Line
The TCL 4K 6-Series with Google TV offers more features and meliorate performance than the Roku-based 6-Series, and all you lot're giving up is Apple AirPlay.
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Source: https://www.pcmag.com/reviews/tcl-55-inch-6-series-4k-google-tv-55r646
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