06 Nov
Blog

TCL Roku TV Alto R1 Wireless Soundbar Review: It’s So Easy

TCL Roku TV Alto R1 wireless soundbar

TCL Roku TV Alto R1 Wireless Soundba

RRP $ 179.00

"Roku and TCL are teaming up to make the sound of your Roku TV a simple plug-and-play experience."

advantages

  • Easy setup with just one cable

  • No additional remote controls required

  • Good audio quality

  • The voice enhancement and volume control features are nice

disadvantage

  • No Dolby Atmos

  • Only works with Roku-enabled TVs

  • No audio input connectors

When building a home theater, one of the first things you can do after choosing a TV is adding a sound system. One of the easiest ways to do this is to buy one of the best sound bars out there. Let's face it, the built-in speakers in TVs won't fill the space and will help you immerse yourself in your favorite movies. Roku knows this and is committed to enhancing your audio experience while keeping setup simple. At CES 2021 in January, Roku announced a partnership with TCL to launch a wireless soundbar for Roku-enabled TVs.

The new Alt R1 is the result.

This new soundbar is designed to work seamlessly with Roku TVs and is virtually effortless to set up. Where more home theater sound systems as a bare minimum require connecting a cable to your TV – the only cable needed to set up the Alto R1 is the one that supplies power. Part of the special sauce that makes this minimalist approach possible is Roku's proprietary Wi-Fi audio streaming technology. What sounds good in theory, how does it look in reality? Follow me and I will answer exactly that question.

Can it really be that simple?

The back and connections of a TCL Roku TV Alto R1 Wireless Soundbar.Chris Wedel / Digital Trends

Unpacking the Alto R1 Soundbar only includes the 31.5-inch speaker, wall-mounting hardware, papers, and a power cord. No additional cables are included as none are required as the only connector on the soundbar is for the power cable.

My skepticism grew when I began to think that pairing the soundbar with the TV couldn't be that easy. So I turned on my 65-inch TCL Roku TV and plugged the Alto R1 into the wall socket. To pair the soundbar with the TV, press and hold the Home button on your Roku remote for 5 seconds, select Set Up Devices, then select Wireless Soundbar. After that, the TV and Alto R1 recognized each other and the soundbar processed an over-the-air software update.

Adding the soundbar to my Roku TV couldn't have been easier. There is no need to manage additional cables or remote controls. The TV will automatically know the Alto R1 is paired, and if the volume is adjusted using the Roku remote, the changes will be made through the soundbar rather than the built-in TV speakers. I use a Caavo Control Center to manage my home theater and after making a few adjustments, I controlled the volume for the newly paired soundbar.

Features and sound quality

TCL Roku TV with an Alto R1 wireless soundbar.Chris Wedel / Digital Trends

In use, the Alto R1 is just as straightforward as the setup. It's a two-channel, 120-watt soundbar that is entirely controlled by the Roku remote and your TV. However, that is not a problem. If you just want to enhance the sound of your Roku TV or use it to play music from your phone via bluetooth, this soundbar can do it for you.

While you won't find fancy features like Dolby Atmos and virtual surround sound in options like the Sonos Beam (Gen 2), The Alto R1 has a couple of tricks like the ability to bring the dialogue of everything you see more into focus and automatically lower the volume of the commercials. There is also a bass boost feature and volume control options within the sound settings that can be accessed by pressing the star button on the Roku remote.

In addition to the skepticism I had about the simplicity of setting up the Alto R1, there were doubts about the audio quality and how in sync it would be with the content on the screen. Since the soundbar is completely wirelessly connected to my TV, I expected a delay in what I saw on the screen and when I would hear it. To my delight, I didn't notice it in the least.

Roku remote control. Chris Wedel / Digital Trends

Roku uses Wi-Fi instead of Bluetooth to handle connectivity, which greatly reduces latency and increases information capacity. I've seen 4K HDR movies, live soccer matches, and regular TV programs, and it all worked wonderfully. Of course, even with bass boost enabled, the Alto R1 won't compete with a dedicated subwoofer setup, but it won't try either.

I have a relatively large rectangular living room, so it's difficult to fill it with balanced audio. The sound setup I usually use is a Vizio soundbar with two wireless satellite speakers and a wireless subwoofer – and it works. When I first started using the Alto R1, I lowered my expectations for a full-fledged audio experience. But surprisingly, the wireless soundbar did a good job.

The sound was crisp and the voice enhancement features did a good job. There was no difference between day and night, but there was enough improvement when it was on that I can safely say it was worth it. The soundbar is designed for TVs 43 inches and larger, and I think in most situations the Alto R1 will make most users pretty happy.

Our opinion

TCL Roku TV Alto R1 soundbar under a television on a media stand. Chris Wedel / Digital Trends

I'd love to say that the Alto R1 is a great choice for anyone who just wants better sound for their home theater and doesn't want to mess with a lot of setup – and I almost can. I almost say because it's only true if you have a Roku TV. Now, you don't have to have the absolute best Roku TV, but you do need a TV with a Roku built in. So if you're using one of the many great Roku streaming devices that you plug into your TV, you won't be able to use the Alto R1.

Roku and TCL had a clear focus on what the Alto R1 would be good at – straightforward set-up process and ease of use. For those two points, the two companies did a fantastic job with this product. Moving from out-of-the-box to using the soundboard couldn't be much easier. The Alto R1 does not advertise cutting edge features or even those that are becoming commonplace among other products such as Dolby Atmos and virtual surround sound. By including options like these, the other by-product would be an increase in cost, and at $ 180 it's hard to argue what the Alto R1 brings to the living room.

Is there a better alternative?

There are many soundbars out there that offer a full feature set, but are overpriced. However, if you're willing to pay a little more but don't want too much more, then the Yamaha YAS-209 tops our list of the best sound bars under $ 500 at around $ 350. This soundbar not only offers a wider soundstage with support for DTS Virtual: X, a virtual 3D surround sound profile, but also brings a quiet rumble to your favorite programs thanks to a separate subwoofer. It won't be quite as easy to set up as the Alto R1, and it will cost you a few dollars more, but the Yamaha YAS-209 offers a more immersive home theater audio experience.

How long it will take?

TCL and Roku have both been in the home audio and video scene for a while and bring that experience to the Alto R1 soundbar. Both companies have also done a great job supporting their respective products, and thanks to the Alto R1's Wi-Fi connectivity, the soundbar can receive OTA software updates to ensure it has a long life.

Should you buy it?

Yes, if you're someone who wants to be engulfed by what you see from every angle, this is not the soundbar for you. While the Alto R1 does a solid job of producing good audio with virtually zero latency, it's not a surround sound device. This is because it is limited to 2 channels and does not have the ability to replicate 360 ​​degree audio. However, if your goal is to improve the sound well beyond what your TV has built in, aren't spending a lot of money on it, and have a Roku-enabled TV, then the Alto R1 is worth considering.

Editor's recommendations



06 Aug
Blog

TCL NXTWear G Review: An Almost Unwearable Wearable Display

Wearing the TCL NXTWear G.

TCL NXTWear G.

RRP $ 715.00

"I was excited to try the TCL NXTWear G portable display, but unfortunately the concept and technology are good, but the workmanship and portability are not."

advantages

  • Colorful screens show a lot of details

  • Easy connection and no setup

  • No battery to charge

disadvantage

  • Uncomfortable fit

  • No focus adjustment

  • Small icons that are used throughout the user interface

  • "Rounding" of the field of vision

When I first heard about the TCL NXTWear G portable display, I was very excited to try it out. Putting on high-tech glasses and then just using my phone and a pair of bluetooth headphones for a cinematic experience on the big screen really fit in with my recent endeavors to block out the sounds of the world.

My anticipation was short-lived when I tried them on, however, as I didn't expect the NXTWear G to attack my face. I found things I liked, but unfortunately this portable display is otherwise the definition of a first generation product.

design

The TCL NXTWear G is shaped like bulky sunglasses, but with oversized temples and two screens where you would normally look through the lenses. A thick rubber-sheathed cable is attached to one of the arms and extends to a length of 1.2 meters. The front is covered with reflective black plastic that extends along the arms. A speaker hole on each arm emerges near the ears.

TCL NXTWear G seen from the front.Andy Boxall / DigitalTrends

When they're not on your face, the NXTWear G's look pretty good, in a space age geeky way, but if you don't have a small face they aren't very well proportioned when you put them on. In contrast to real glasses, they are not worn directly on the eyes, which contributes to the unusual appearance. Obviously, they're not meant to be worn casually, but you should expect to get some strange sidelong glances at Starbucks or on a plane.

Wearing the TCL NXTWear G.Andy Boxall / DigitalTrends

The positioning of the NXTWear G on your face means you can see underneath, so you can control what is on the screen with your phone or avoid tripping over the cat if you stand up and move around while wearing it. Like a lot of wearable tech that goes on your face, the TCLWear G will never make you look cool. But that's not really the point here. They are designed to have a personal cinema screen right in front of your eyes, but that means wearing them for more than 10 minutes and that's where the pain begins.

wear glasses

I admit I was really looking forward to using the NXTWear G. I love the idea of ​​shutting the world off with a great screen right in front of my eyes and a good pair of headphones. Unfortunately, it seems to have been designed by people who have never worn glasses, or possibly anything on their face at all, and instead took inspiration for the design from an insidious torture device. It's okay TCL I'll tell you everything you want to know, just don't make me wear the NXTWear G for too long.

Remove the TCL NXTWear G.Andy Boxall / DigitalTrends

There are two main issues that make the NXTWear G so uncomfortable. The first is the grip of the arms. When they are open they are very inflexible, so they are really tight, and the tips dig into the place behind my ears so far that I could "feel" them for a while after taking off the glasses. Once wedged on my face, the NXTWear G will no doubt not fall off without someone tearing it off, but that security makes carrying an acid test even for the length of a music video on YouTube. Being compelled to wear them to watch a 120 minute movie sounds like a punishment you would threaten a particularly naughty child.

The second problem, and worse than the vice-like grip around my head, is how they sit on my nose. The scope of delivery includes three surprisingly stiff nose pads, each of which is apparently designed to pinch the bridge of the nose with increasing uncomfortable pressure and never give way. They also have the unpleasant side effect that you can feel every single one of the NXTWear 100 grams pressing directly on your conk. Limited breathing capacity and the increasing feeling of being in a headlock do not ensure a pleasant viewing experience.

TCL NXTWear G nose pads.

Andy Boxall / DigitalTrends

Close-up of TCL NXTWear G lens.

Andy Boxall / DigitalTrends

TCL NXTWear G seen from above when closed.

Andy Boxall / DigitalTrends

Perhaps it is the shape of my head and nose that is the problem, as other NXTWear covers have not always emphasized comfort overly negatively. Obviously, faces are not a uniform size, so to me it is like sticking my head in a vise, while to others it provides pillow-like comfort. The glasses may "give way" at some point, but after about 10 days of being used for this check-up, they have not stretched meaningfully. For me, the NXTWear G portable display is too inconvenient to use for any meaningful time.

Look at the screen

Very few design concessions appear to have been made to ensure the NXTWear G fits comfortably on as many different faces as possible. The nasal pads are locked in place with no back or forth motion to ease the fit, and this lack of adjustment makes it impossible to position the display in exactly the right place to see all of the images. Again, my head may be terribly deformed and no one else will have a problem, but I just couldn't get it in the right place to actually see the entire display.

With the smallest nose pad attached – the least uncomfortable for me – and the glasses in the center of my nose to maximize breathability, all four corners of the screen are obscured by a strange rounding of the viewing area. It's distracting and annoying, especially when using the PC-like desktop view as it hides the tiny icons in those corners from view. But Andy, do you say why not just adjust your glasses to see more? Sure, but the problem is when you move the glasses up to the tip of your nose the top of the display disappears, while squeezing the glasses against your face obscures the bottom of the screen.

Switch to the other nose pads and there is no improvement at all, it just upsets the problem based on the size and shape of your face and adds even more discomfort. The angled glass also plays a role in positioning as it will reflect your clothing in bright rooms when the lack of adaptability becomes even more of a problem. You can eat with the NXTWear G, but drinking is pretty messy as the glasses stick out quite a bit from your face. A regular glass will simply bump against them, forcing you to look up to try to get the fluid down your throat, but that mostly results in you spilling it in front. They are not comfortable.

The most likely approximation of the feel of the NXTWear G on your face is to imagine those massive, front-heavy, tangled metal devices that the optician uses to assess which lens combination you need during an eye exam, but with the screwed-on nose piece deliberately tightened. That's it, but marketed for pleasure.

Correction glass attachment attached to the TCL NXTWear G.Andy Boxall / DigitalTrends

That brings me to a different kind of limitation. If you don't have 20/20 eyesight, the NXTWear G is not for you. It's practically impossible to wear glasses underneath, unlike some VR headsets like PlayStation VR, and there's no focus adjustment like the Samsung Gear VR, so there is a high chance you won't see the screen at all. TCL's solution is to provide a lens attachment for your prescription glasses that attaches magnetically to the inside of the frame.

But fitting your own lenses will undoubtedly cost a lot more money and, depending on the strength of your eyesight, can also be impossible. I would also be careful if the attachment causes even more reflections, as it sits perpendicularly in front of your eyes, unlike the 45 degree angle of the glasses. I found some old glasses that squeezed under the NXTWear G to improve image quality, etc.

watching a video

Let's say it's my head shape that's the problem here and not the NXTWear G. What is it like when you wear it? I endured the discomfort and blinked like a champion to find out. I used them with the TCL 20 Pro 5G phone first. To put the glasses into operation, all you have to do is plug them into the USB Type-C port. There is no need to charge a battery or bluetooth pairing, so it's very easy.

Active screens in the TCL NXTWear G.Andy Boxall / DigitalTrends

You'll be presented with a desktop-style menu that sometimes reminds me of ChromeOS, but there's also the option to mirror your phone's display. While mirroring works very well – it's quick and very responsive – I don't really know why you should do it for general tasks like checking email or reading Twitter since your phone is still with the screen Have to keep active in front of you to control everything. You're just looking straight ahead and not a bit down.

What the NXTWear G's OLED screens are for is watching video. The image has an aspect ratio of 16: 9, a refresh rate of 60 Hz, and an equivalent size of 140 inches. In desktop mode, apps open and work just like they do on your phone, and I had no reliability issues. However, this means that there are a lot of very tiny buttons to deal with, such as: Even though the connected phone's screen turns into a touchpad, it's still a hassle to move the little cursor and tap those tiny buttons. The phone's trackpad doesn't turn into a keyboard either when you're looking for something, so you have to slowly type out each letter with the cursor on the glasses virtual keyboard.

Start by watching videos and those without a lot of fast movement are fine as the OLED screens show a lot of colors and detail but introduce a more action packed video and things are not always that good. Fast-paced action scenes in movies can be quite blurry, and there will be a stutter that will spoil your enjoyment. Watch the same video on your phone screen and none of it is obvious. It is better to watch video at 60 frames per second at 2160p, but this is not always possible.

Trackpad screen for the TCL NXTWear G on the TCL 20 Pro 5G phone.Andy Boxall / DigitalTrends

Then why do you even want to wear the glasses? The answer is definitely increased immersion in the video. It's a very cinematic experience and you are quickly drawn into what you see, much more than on your phone screen. The "size" of the screen before your eyes is impressive, and when you wear bluetooth headphones – in-ears work best because of the size of your arms – the world around you melts. There are also speakers in the temples of the glasses, which are sufficient for spoken word but have no bass.

Provided you can comfortably wear them, the NXTWear G has tremendous useful potential as a secondary display primarily used for watching videos provided by your phone, but the user interface, lens design, and display area definitely need improvement.

compatibility

The TCL 20 Pro 5G is designed to work well with the NXTWear G, but what about other phones? Connect to a Samsung S21 + or any other S21 phone and Samsung DeX will automatically activate, show the desktop view and turn the phone's screen into a touchpad. By default, however, the phone's speakers were used, not the NXTWear G's built-in audio.

The TCL NXTWear G with its travel case.Andy Boxall / DigitalTrends

Connect to the OnePlus 9 Pro and the display mirrors the phone's screen. Watching videos this way will make the screen size smaller unless you zoom in to fill the screen, which will result in some of the content being lost. The Google Pixel 4a didn't recognize the NXTWear G as a display and didn't work at all. You can't connect to an iPhone because the glasses require a USB Type-C port, but the NXTWear G will work with an iPad Pro, but like the OnePlus 9 Pro, the viewable screen when watching videos is slightly smaller than that of the using the TCL 20 Pro smartphone.

I used them with a Huawei MateBook X Windows 10 laptop and they immediately mirrored the screen, even though all of the text, buttons and icons are very small. The laptop's screen also stays on by default, so you'll have to browse the settings to try to switch it to the NXTWear G only for personal viewing. TCL lists a wide range of phones and laptops that are said to work with the glasses, with many new and old models, from the LG G5 to the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra. Be aware that the glasses use up your phone's battery and use a lot.

Price and availability

Availability is limited at the moment. The NXTWear G will be available in South Korea and Australia from July, with Europe to follow shortly thereafter. A release in the US is also planned, but a timeframe has not yet been given. In Europe, the price has been set at 599 euros, or around $ 715, and in some regions the portable display is sold as a bundle with a video service subscription.

Our opinion

I love the concept of the NXTWear G, but the finish is poor. If it had been comfortable to wear, this would be a very different review as the actual screen and its performance are fine. However, I cannot imagine wearing them for long as they become uncomfortable so quickly. In addition, if I wear glasses, I would have to pay for a set of glasses, which are probably expensive and risk disappointment.

The awkward, inaccurate positioning of the glasses on your face results in parts of the screen being obscured, and the lack of overall adjustment means that they never feel like one size fits all. Device compatibility is decent, but the experience will be different depending on the models I've tried.

It is a first generation product and I have no doubt if TCL continues with the line of products it will get better with each revision. Hope it holds up, which is really promising here, but all future versions urgently need to be designed to fit more face types and offer a significantly higher level of comfort. The TCL NXTWear G is a wearable tech product that I wanted to use, but while the tech part succeeds here, the wearable part really isn't.

Is there a better alternative?

The best alternative is not to wear them at all. Most mid- to high-end smartphones today have great screens and are often big enough to watch a movie on the go. If you really want a screen in front of your face, the TCL NXTWear G stands alone, only virtual reality headsets offer some kind of competition. This can change over time as NXTWear G is a whole new type of product.

How long it will take?

The NXTWear G is well made, very robust and keeps the valuable lenses and screens well protected in the headset itself. The chances of scratching or breaking the glass are small if you treat it well, and the arms will also feel very strong. Even the cord is twice as thick as you'd expect and should withstand some tough treatment. There is no software on board that needs to be updated, nor is a battery that degrades over time, so it should last for several years.

Should you buy it?

No, it will be a gamble whether you find them comfortable or not, and whether you can even see the entire screen while you dress them. It's best to wait for TCL to release the next version to try out this interesting new type of device.

Editor's recommendations



29 Jul
Blog

TCL 8K 6-Series (R648) HDR TV Review | It’s Not About 8K

Island / beach images on the screen of the TCL 6 series model R648.

TCL 8K 6 series (R648) TV test: Far more than 8K

RRP $ 3,000.00

"An absolutely stunning television for the price."

advantages

  • Excellent picture quality

  • Surprisingly good sound

  • Improved Roku TV remote control

  • Easy adjustment

  • Excellent for playing

disadvantage

  • Bad off-axis performance

Given the popularity of TCL's 6-series 4K TVs in recent years, it might be easy to dismiss the company's move of adding an 8K model as a trending wallet. Fortunately, that's not the case at all. The new 8K version of the 6 series from TCL (series model R648) offers significant upgrades in the right places compared to the 4K-based R635 version, which I rated quite positively.

That the R648 is the cheapest 2021 8K TV you can buy is just the icing on the cake. Read on to learn why this is one of the best TVs to buy this year, 8K or no 8K.

Video review

Out of the box

Beautiful sky and landscape on the TCL 6-Series model R648 Roku TV.Dan Baker / Digital Trends

The TCL 8K 6 series TV has a lot more than just an 8K resolution screen, and that was obvious at first glance on the packaging. A colorful graphic shows the TV with a central, brushed metal stand as opposed to the independent stands that we installed on the other sides of previous TCL TV models. This is great news for anyone interested in a big TV screen but short of media stand space.

The 75-inch model 75R648 that I received for review was very well packaged. Unpacking the TV was a bit more complicated than I'm used to, but the likelihood that the TV will be damaged in transit is extremely low.

In the box with the television I found the aforementioned TV stand, screws to attach the stand to the television, some product literature, two AAA batteries for the remote control and a completely redesigned Roku TV remote control.

Plastic cooking grids line the bottom of the TV.Dan Baker / Digital Trends

Consider the R648's audio system properly updated.

When I removed a protective plastic bag from the TV, I noticed another major design upgrade: the presence of a subwoofer driver on the back of the TV. The subwoofer is glossy, black, exposed (not covered by a plastic grille) and has a flat surface rather than a traditional conical shape.

When I saw the subwoofer above, I couldn't help but look over the plastic grids that lined the bottom of the TV while installing the stand (which took four screws, a screwdriver, and about 30 seconds of my time). To my surprise, TCL equipped the R648 with independent tweeters that mate with two oval, downward-facing mid-range speakers.

Completely redesigned Roku remote control for the TCL 6-Series model R648 Roku TV.Dan Baker / Digital Trends

Seeing an independent subwoofer on a television is rare enough, but one with stereo tweeters and mid-range speakers is virtually unknown. Consider the R648's audio system properly updated.

With the TV in place and plugged in, I clicked the power button on the remote and settled for a 20 minute setup routine.

TCL 8K 6 series (R648) TV details

While we tested the 75-inch model 75R648, our test also applies to the 65-inch model.

Screen size Model no RRP
65 inches 65R648 $ 2,200
75 in 75R648 $ 3,000

To install

I've complained extensively in previous TCL TV reviews that getting the TVs Roku TV operating system up and running was slow motion and that optimizing and applying the TV's picture settings to apps and all HDMI inputs was both a significant hassle and a hassle as well does not match Roku's historically user-friendly approach. To my delight, my complaints have been heard and the R648 now supports a remarkably quick Roku TV setup process along with one of the most intuitive picture adjustment applications I've seen in over 10 years of reviewing TVs.

Once the 75R648 was powered on and connected to the internet, it began running its own Roku TV software update. This only took a few minutes. From there, I was asked to enter the email address associated with my Roku account and received an activation link. After clicking the link, the TV asked if I would like to install a couple of apps (some of which are already part of my Roku profile) which felt a bit like a sponsored advertisement but was quickly over. Then when it came time for the TV to download apps or update pre-installed apps, I expected to go out and have lunch. Fortunately, this process only took a few minutes.

Roku home screen on the Roku TCL 6 series television, model R648.Dan Baker / Digital Trends

However, what I really enjoyed was how quickly I was able to apply my preferred image settings to multiple HDR formats and multiple inputs. After selecting the movie picture mode for its more accurate color temperature and lack of motion smoothing settings, I found that I could change the backlight intensity from normal to bright or brighter depending on how much ambient light was entering the room or how bright the overall picture looked target.

This is a good start, but I expected to repeat this process again for High Dynamic Range (HDR) and then again for Dolby Vision; and not just for every single app I wanted to use, but for every single HDMI input I wanted to use. As you can imagine, this is a lot of work.

But the R648 series figured out what I was up to and had already selected the appropriate HDR and Dolby Vision mode based on my preference for movie preset in SDR for the Netflix app. It also made similar settings for YouTube and all the other apps I like to use. It was similar with the HDMI inputs, where the settings for all inputs were globalized by default, but I could adjust them if I wanted. This is how it should be done folks.

In any case, it should be noted that as complicated as TV setup can be for those of us who love to peak and tweak our picture settings, the R648 made the process a breeze.

Specifications and dimensions

I knew immediately that this TV was something special. I check enough TVs that I can just spot before I start breaking out the target wheel or making calibration adjustments. The HDR images just popped off the screen, the colors were well saturated, bright lights popped up at me, and perhaps most importantly, the black levels and shadow detail looked really good.

Space images on the screen of the TCL 6 series model R648.Dan Baker / Digital Trends

Confusingly, however, if you look at the data sheet for the TCL R648, the TV looks very similar to the 4K R635 TV, but with an upgrade to 8K resolution. The processor looks the same, the mini LED backlight looks the same, the Roku OS looks the same. However, when I started measuring the TV's performance, it immediately became clear that the R648 runs with significantly more horsepower than its 4K cousin.

Using a C6 colorimeter profiled on an xRite I1Pro and Calman software, I measured the maximum brightness output of the R648 in film image mode with the backlight setting to normal, bright and brighter. Here is what i got.

In normal, I measured 256 nits in SDR and 910 nits in HDR. This is great for a dark or dark room. In Bright mode I have 346 cd / m² in SDR and 1,226 cd / m² in HDR. In Brighter, the TV hit 460 nits for SDR and 1,563 nits for HDR which, believe me, was more than enough in my test room with quite a bit of sunlight. These are very respectable numbers across the board, and they indicate that the TV is versatile enough to cover a wide variety of room environments.

For those interested in the number of backlight zones, the R648 offers 240 zones on the 75-inch model and 160 zones on the 65-inch model.

picture quality

Mountain landscape images on the screen of the TCL 6 series model R648.Dan Baker / Digital Trends

It's clear that although TCL uses the same backlight hardware, the R648 has been tuned for higher performance. The peak brightness measurements I took are significantly better than the ones I measured with the R635. However, the improvements are not limited to higher brightness.

I've observed that the R648 handles dark areas of the screen much better than the R635 and offers deeper blacks, even around light objects on a dark background – a difficult trick to pull off with higher brightness values ​​across the board.

The higher contrast performance of this combination extended to color performance as well, delivering better saturated colors at higher brightness levels than I saw with the 4K R635. However, other performance metrics remained more or less the same. The motion resolution was solid without motion smoothing, with little jerking or jerking at 30 frames per second and 60 fps content and no noticeable jerking at 24 fps film content. The handling of low bit depth content, such as YouTube videos, was handled like the R635, which means that it smooths out gradients pretty well, albeit not as smoothly as Sony TVs, for example.

Upscaling also seemed to be handled with the same skill, although upscaling 720p and 1080p content to 8K is significantly more difficult than upscaling to 4K. Overall, I'd say the R648 does a good job with 8K upscaling, delivering as sharp an image as can be expected with minimal artifacts. Even so, no TV is a miracle worker, and most cable / satellite content that comes in 720p saw higher definition content from streaming apps like Disney +, Hulu, Netflix, and HBO max significantly.

I really enjoyed watching this TV every second that I sat in front of it.

The upscaling of high quality 4K content was very good with no noticeable artifacts. Familiar scenes from 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray discs looked expertly rendered on the 8K screen. Even when I was only 2 meters from the 75-inch R648, I couldn't see any individual pixels. This made for a very immersive experience.

The Achilles heel of the R648 is its off-axis performance. Typically, TVs with a VA LCD panel have difficulty maintaining contrast and color saturation when moving sideways or significantly above / below the TV. While the R648's vertical axis performance is okay, the horizontal axis performance is limited to a very narrow window and off-axis performance is at the limit to be deplorable. If you have a large viewing area and people sit away from the TV a lot, they won't get the same great picture quality sitting right in front of the screen.

Aside from the strict performance analysis, I can say the following about the TCL R648: I really enjoyed watching this TV every second that I sat in front of it. As a huge fan of OLED televisions and their perfect black levels and the complete absence of backlight anomalies, I was amazed at how well the R648 could captivate me without triggering my inflated sense of backlighting and milky black levels. Is the R648 a replacement for OLED in a controlled lighting environment? No, not in terms of contrast and color. But in a brighter room, it performs significantly better than most OLEDs on the market, except maybe the Sony A90J or LG G1 OLED TVs.

Sound quality

Subwoofer on the back of the TCL 6 series.Dan Baker / Digital Trends

The R648 has a beefy sound system that only adds value to the television. The included subwoofer offers solid bass and a room-filling presence that few modern televisions have. Dialogue intelligibility is excellent, while stereo effects are present, if not entirely convincing. My only complaint is that the tweeters seem a bit pumped up, which adds a certain harshness to the highs that I could do without. Admittedly, this harshness was more noticeable when listening to music than when watching TV programs or films.

Games

Car video game played on a TCL 6 series television.Dan Baker / Digital Trends

If it wasn't clear yet that the R648 offers much more than just an 8K screen, I would like to add a little tidbit on top: The R648 offers two HDMI 2.1 ports and as a bonus they are independent of the TV's eARC port.

Using an Xbox Series X dashboard, I was able to confirm that the R648 can deliver 4K120 / Hz and 8K / 60Hz games with variable refresh rate (VRR), Auto Low Latency Mode (ALLM) and HDR at the same time. As with most TVs, 4K / 20Hz gaming is not available in Dolby Vision.

Combine those aspects of picture performance with the respectably low input lag and picture enhancements of the THX game mode and you have one of the best gaming TVs you can buy. Keeping the eARC port free to serve those who have a sophisticated home theater system without restricting any of those HDMI 2.1 ports is an absolute bonus. Only LG can claim to have more gaming-friendly TVs, as it offers four HDMI 2.1 ports in selected models.

Our opinion

The TCL R648 is a standout television and deserves flagship status in TCL's range of products. Its high brightness, solid black level, very good color performance ex works, smooth movements and excellent gaming characteristics make it one of the best televisions you can buy this year. The 8K resolution? That's a bonus. Like most TV manufacturers, TCL reserves its best TV performance for its 8K TV lineup, eliminating the question of whether 8K really matters.

Is there a better alternative?

Not at that price. Samsung's 8K Neo QLED TVs and LG's 8K QNED TVs may offer similar performance in some aspects, but at a significantly higher price. Since the R648 is well above its price, it makes the most sense for anyone who may or may not want to buy a high-end TV with 8K resolution.

How long it will take?

With its two HDMI 2.1 ports, mini-LED backlighting, quantum dot color, and broad support for various HDR formats, the R648 should continue to exist in the future. Future upgrades will likely be incremental. In terms of reliability, TCL's mainstay in TV is growing as TVs from previous years continue to work well.

guarantee

TCL offers a one-year parts and labor warranty on the R648. You can navigate to TCL's registration and warranty information here.

Should you buy it?

Yes. The TCL R648 offers tremendous value for money with excellent performance coupled with a competitive price. While the 8K resolution isn't really what sets this TV apart, it does offer a certain element of future-proofing. You pay a premium for this television but get every penny of performance back.

Editor's recommendations



16 Jul
Blog

TCL 20 Pro 5G Review: The Rollercoaster Smartphone

The TCL 20 Pro 5G seen from behind, hand-held.

TCL 20 Pro 5G

RRP $ 500.00

"TCL's screen expertise shines through in the TCL 20 Pro 5G, but the rest of the phone – from the camera to the software – does not meet the same standards and falls behind the competition."

advantages

  • Excellent screen for videos

  • Good gaming performance

disadvantage

  • Only 60Hz refresh rate

  • Unreliable software

  • No watertightness

The TCL 20 Pro 5G is designed like a phone that would have pushed a manufacturer's product range to the top a few years ago and would have cost four-digit numbers back then. While the 20 Pro 5G is also at the top of TCL's growing line of smartphones, it costs just $ 500.

That alone got me to try it out, and the more recommendations we can give at this price, the better. However, my weeks with the TCL 20 Pro 5G turned out to be a rollercoaster ride with a shaky start and persistent ups and downs, but it paid off enough to give it a try. The question is, did it completely do it? That's the way it is.

design

The TCL 20 Pro 5G is definitely a piece of smartphone nostalgia, as we've seen phones that look like this before. It's 8.8mm thin and tapers to a relatively sharp point on either side of the slim screen with an aspect ratio of 20: 9. A polished section on the matte black glass back gives it character and repeats a design we saw earlier on the Huawei P30 Pro, but here the camera lenses are flush with the case.

The TCL 20 Pro 5G from behind.Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

It is not only reminiscent of Huawei's phone, but also older devices like the OnePlus 7 Pro, Oppo Find X2 Pro and various Samsung Galaxy phones including the Galaxy S8. Although the design is very pretty and the width makes it easy to hold and use with one hand, it has the same problems as the phones a few years ago – it's delicate, it absolutely slips off and the sides do it uncomfortable to handle. However, at 190 grams, it's lighter than many modern large phones.

There is a clear TPU case in the box and I felt the need to use it due to the sharp sides and slipperiness of the phone. A 3.5mm headphone jack is a welcome addition, there's a USB Type-C charging port on the bottom of the phone and a single speaker too. The power and volume buttons are thin slivers of metal, plus there's a smart key on the left side of the phone that can be customized to perform actions like waking the Google Assistant, activating the camera, taking a screenshot, or the full Deactivate can perform. I was forced to disable it as I almost always accidentally pressed the button during normal use.

The TCL 20 Pro 5G charging port.

Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

The curve on the screen of the TCL 20 Pro 5G.

Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

The headphone jack of the TCL 20 Pro 5G.

Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

Smart key on the side of the TCL 20 Pro 5G.

Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

It's hard not to consider the TCL 20 Pro 5G "old" when placed next to the Samsung Galaxy S21 + as it shows how the design has changed since the time the 20 Pro 5G would have looked fresh. The Samsung cell phone is roughly the same size and weight, but is much more comfortable to hold, less slippery and arguably more stylish. Is old something bad? No, the TCL 20 Pro 5G is very pretty indeed, but it's a little frustrating that TCL failed to avoid the pitfalls of similar phones when the design was used in 2021.

software

My first experiences with the TCL 20 Pro 5G were unlike any other phone. I set up all of the test phones from scratch with my primary SIM card, but the first time with the 20 Pro 5G it was a disaster. I had problems with screen recognition of taps, auto brightness didn't work, I received almost no notifications, and my battery life was very poor. It got so bad I reset the phone and tried again, but nothing changed, so I stopped using it and asked TCL about incoming software updates.

I reset the phone a third time after waiting but didn't hear any software update news and, oddly enough, the phone has worked a lot better since then. I didn't apply any software updates outside of the reset / setup process. I test a lot of phones and have never come across them. I note because if you buy a TCL 20 Pro 5G and find that it isn't working properly, some resets can cure it.

My first experiences with the TCL 20 Pro 5G were unlike any other phone

The phone has Android 11 with the TCL v3.0 user interface which is relatively straightforward and is close to the vanilla Android experience you get with the Google Pixel series. However, the organization of apps in the app drawer is set to Category by default, which is less intuitive than alphabetical in my opinion, and there are various pre-installed apps as well as shortcut icons to services like setting up the smart key, locking the screen, and accessing the TCL support pages.

Notifications are more reliable than when you first started, but the phone tends to just stop showing them on the lock screen and not start again until you unlock the phone. I've also experienced some strange app instability with Outlook refusing to work on a cellular connection but apparently fine when connected to Wi-Fi.

Video playback on the TCL 20 Pro 5G.Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

Edge detection is not as good as it should be. For example, I still sometimes accidentally switch from one app to another when I swipe. On the positive side, the system is fast and I really like the different always-on-screen designs, especially the one with the time shown in red on the side of the display. It's so clear and legible, even from a distance. Although the TCL 20 Pro 5G is now working to the point that I can use it on a daily basis, it still has its problems, which, combined with my early experiences, doesn't give me much confidence in it.

Screen and performance

The TCL 20 Pro 5G has a 6.67-inch AMOLED screen with Full HD resolution and HDR10 certification, but only with a refresh rate of 60 Hz. Inside there is a Qualcomm Snapdragon 750G processor with 6 GB RAM and 256 GB of storage. TCL is a screen expert and we rate their TVs highly, so I had similarly high expectations for the TV on the 20 Pro 5G phone.

TCL 20 Pro 5G screen.Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

The phone's screen doesn't disappoint. TCL's NXTVISION display engine improves colors and contrasts very effectively. I put it next to the Samsung Galaxy S21 +, a phone that costs twice as much with a display that I think looks amazing, and the TCL 20 Pro 5G improves on it. When looking at Carfection's view of the Singer Porsche 911 DLS, the colors are richer and livelier and the shadows are dark, yet rich in detail. It's really beautiful, and it does really well with the iPhone 12 Pro's wonderfully natural palette too.

That's quite a feat for a $ 500 smartphone, so it's a real shame that TCL didn't choose a screen with a refresh rate of 90 Hz or higher. This is a feature we see even on the cheapest phones currently available and also on the TCL 20 Pro's main competitor, the Samsung Galaxy A52 5G. I missed the nice fluid scrolling when using Twitter or Chrome which adds a refresh rate of 90Hz. The screen's performance is also hurt by the single speaker, which is easily obscured by the hand and, unsurprisingly, lacks depth and bass.

Asphalt 9: Legends played on the TCL 20 Pro 5G.Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

I had no complaints about the speed of the Snapdragon 750G and enjoyed playing on the TCL 20 Pro 5G. I've played both Asphalt 9: Legends and Genshin Impact and found the phone very comfortable to hold in landscape mode. It didn't get hot either and the games ran smoothly. The nice contrast and colors of the screen make gaming one of the phone's strong points.

The 4,500 mAh battery offers two days of moderate use, but it doesn't like it when you squeeze the phone even a little harder, especially when you want to take advantage of the screen. After normal usage plus an hour of gameplay, some YouTube, and a video call, the battery would have dropped to 20% by the end of the first day. Charging is done with an included 18W charger, which takes a slow two hours to fully charge the phone.

The phone's screen doesn't disappoint

It has a sub-6-5G connection that works with T-Mobile, but compatibility with AT&T is limited to 4G LTE due to the bands supported by the phone. The WiFi connection has a shorter range than other phones, but the call quality was good.

camera

There are four cameras on the back of the TCL 20 Pro 5G. The 48 megapixel main camera has a f / 1.8 aperture and optical image stabilization and is supported by a 16 MP wide angle camera, a 2 MP depth camera and a 5 MP macro camera when you put the phone in the USA buy macro camera has 2 megapixels. You can shoot 4K video at 30 frames per second and take selfies with the 32 MP hole punch camera at the top of the screen.

TCL 20 Pro 5G camera lenses.Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

For general everyday use, the camera is acceptable, but don't expect it to compete with or be particularly inspired by the Google Pixel 4a or Samsung Galaxy A52 5G. What is clear is that if you want to take a decent sharable photo, stick with using the main camera for stills. The problem is an inconsistency between the main and wide-angle cameras, with the main camera remaining neutral in terms of colors and exposure, while the wide-angle camera over-saturates, especially in less than ideal lighting conditions.

Low-light indoor shots with the camera's night mode are average and don't expose a lot of details, the macro camera (here the 2MP version) is awkward to use as it doesn't have autofocus, and even if you set the distance just right, photos are still not very inspiring. The 2x zoom setting in the camera app accesses a digital zoom and videos look washed out in normal outdoor lighting.

Price and availability

You pay $ 500 for the TCL 20 Pro 5G and it can be purchased through Amazon. In the UK it costs £ 499 and is available through retailers such as Argos. There are two color options, Marine Blue or Moondust Gray (seen in our photos), but only a 256GB storage option is available.

Our opinion

This isn't TCL's first smartphone, but it still feels like TCL hasn't quite gotten going. The screen is the best part of the phone that is the company's specialty, but the rest is broken down into positives and negatives. It gets the design and usability of the software right, but mistakes and inconsistencies destroy my confidence in them. The main camera takes good photos, but wide-angle and video performance lag far behind the competition.

The battery is fine with light usage, but efficiency suffers as you use the phone more intensively, which suggests it needs improvement. While I like the overall design of the phone, many will not like the curved screen and its imprecise touch detection, as well as the sharp sides. This makes the TCL 20 Pro 5G difficult to recommend, especially since there is stiff competition at both higher and lower prices.

Is there a better alternative?

Yes. We recommend the $ 500 Samsung Galaxy A52 5G with a 90Hz screen, a pretty design that is more durable due to an IP water resistance rating, the same processor, an attractive screen, and longer software support. The $ 500 Google Pixel 4a 5G is another option with even better software and support, as well as a better camera.

When 5G isn't a necessity, you can spend less and still get a great phone. The $ 350 Google Pixel 4a is still a solid buy, albeit showing its age, as is the much newer OnePlus Nord CE for $ 420 / £ 299 if you live outside the US, and if you want an Apple phone, the $ 400 iPhone SE should be a top consideration too.

How long it will take?

TCL intends to provide two Android version updates and two year security updates for the 20 Pro 5G. That is sufficient, but it stands behind what Samsung offers with the Galaxy A52 5G and behind Apple's support for the iPhone series. The phone is made of glass and has no IP water resistance, so you need to be careful with it. The software update schedule and lack of durability mean that after two years you will likely be ready to upgrade.

Should you buy one?

No. While the screen on the TCL 20 Pro 5G is impressive, the battery life is not very long, it is slow to charge, it is less durable than some of its competitors, and I have concerns about the reliability of the software.

Editor's recommendations



14 Jul
Blog

TCL NXTWear G Review: An Almost Unwearable Wearable Display

Wearing the TCL NXTWear G.

TCL NXTWear G.

RRP $ 715.00

"I was excited to try the TCL NXTWear G portable display, but unfortunately the concept and technology are good, but the workmanship and portability are not."

advantages

  • Colorful screens show a lot of details

  • Easy connection and no setup

  • No battery to charge

disadvantage

  • Uncomfortable fit

  • No focus adjustment

  • Small icons that are used throughout the user interface

  • "Rounding" of the field of vision

When I first heard about the TCL NXTWear G portable display, I was very excited to try it out. Putting on high-tech glasses and then just using my phone and a pair of bluetooth headphones for a cinematic experience on the big screen really fit in with my recent efforts to block out the sounds of the world.

My anticipation was short-lived when I tried them on, however, as I didn't expect the NXTWear G to attack my face. I found things I liked, but unfortunately this portable display is otherwise the definition of a first generation product.

design

The TCL NXTWear G is shaped like bulky sunglasses, but with oversized temples and two screens where you would normally look through the lenses. A thick rubber-sheathed cable is attached to one of the arms and extends to a length of 1.2 meters. The front is covered with reflective black plastic that extends along the arms. There is a speaker opening on each arm near where they meet your ears.

TCL NXTWear G seen from the front.Andy Boxall / DigitalTrends

When they're not on your face, the NXTWear G's look pretty good, in a space age geeky way, but if you don't have a small face they aren't very well proportioned when you put them on. In contrast to real glasses, they are not worn directly on the eyes, which contributes to the unusual appearance. Obviously, they're not meant to be worn casually, but you should expect to get some strange sidelong glances at Starbucks or on a plane.

Wearing the TCL NXTWear G.Andy Boxall / DigitalTrends

The positioning of the NXTWear G on your face means you can see underneath so that you can control what is on the screen with your phone or avoid tripping over the cat if you stand up and move around while you carry it. Like a lot of wearable tech that goes on your face, the TCLWear G will never make you look cool. But that's not really the point here. They are designed to have a personal cinema screen right in front of your eyes, but that means wearing them for more than 10 minutes and that's where the pain begins.

wear glasses

I admit I was really looking forward to using the NXTWear G. I love the idea of ​​shutting the world off with a great screen right in front of my eyes and a good pair of headphones. Unfortunately, it seems to have been designed by people who have never worn glasses or possibly anything on their faces and instead took inspiration for the design from an insidious torture device. It's okay TCL I'll tell you everything you want to know, just don't make me wear the NXTWear G for too long.

Remove the TCL NXTWear G.Andy Boxall / DigitalTrends

There are two main issues that make the NXTWear G so uncomfortable. The first is the grip of the arms. Once they are unfolded there is very little flexibility, so they are really tight, and the tips dig into the place behind my ears until I could "feel" them for a while after taking the glasses off. Once wedged on my face, the NXTWear G will no doubt not fall off without someone tearing it off, but this security makes carrying an acid test even for the length of a music video on YouTube. Being compelled to wear them to watch a 120 minute movie sounds like a punishment you would threaten a particularly naughty child.

The second problem, and worse than the vise-like grip around my head, is how they sit on my nose. The scope of delivery includes three surprisingly stiff nose pads, each of which is apparently designed to pinch the bridge of the nose with more and more uncomfortable pressure and never give way. They also have the unpleasant side effect that you can feel every single one of the NXTWear 100 grams pressing directly on your conk. Limited breathing capacity and the increasing feeling of being in a headlock do not ensure a pleasant viewing experience.

TCL NXTWear G nose pads.

Andy Boxall / DigitalTrends

Close-up of TCL NXTWear G lens.

Andy Boxall / DigitalTrends

TCL NXTWear G seen from above when closed.

Andy Boxall / DigitalTrends

Perhaps it is the shape of my head and nose that is the problem, as other NXTWear covers have not always emphasized comfort overly negatively. Obviously, faces are not a uniform size so to me it is like sticking my head in a vise, while to others it provides pillow-like comfort. The glasses may "give way" at some point, but after about 10 days of being used for this check-up, they have not stretched meaningfully. For me, the NXTWear G portable display is too inconvenient to use for any meaningful time.

Look at the screen

Very few design concessions appear to have been made to ensure the NXTWear G fits comfortably on as many different faces as possible. The nasal pads are locked in place with no back or forth movement to ease the fit, and this lack of adjustment makes it impossible to position the display in exactly the right place to see all of the images. Again, my head may be terribly deformed and no one else will have a problem, but I just couldn't get it in the right place to actually see the entire display.

With the smallest nose pad attached – the least uncomfortable for me – and the glasses in the center of my nose to maximize breathability, all four corners of the screen are obscured by a strange rounding of the viewing area. It's distracting and annoying, especially when using the PC-like desktop view as it hides the tiny icons in those corners from view. But Andy, do you say why not just adjust your glasses to see more? Sure, but the problem is when you move the glasses up to the tip of your nose the top of the display disappears, while squeezing the glasses against your face obscures the bottom of the screen.

Switch to the other nose pads and there is no improvement at all, it just upsets the problem based on the size and shape of your face and adds even more discomfort. The angled glass also helps in positioning, as it reflects your clothes in bright rooms when the lack of customization becomes even more problematic. You can eat with the NXTWear G, but drinking is pretty messy as the glasses stick out quite a bit from your face. A regular glass will simply bump against them, forcing you to look up to try to get the fluid down your throat, but that mostly results in you spilling it in front. They are not comfortable.

The most likely approximation of the feel of the NXTWear G on your face is to imagine those massive, front-heavy, tangled metal devices that the optician uses to assess which lens combination you need for an eye exam, but with the screwed-on nose piece deliberately tightened. That's it, but marketed for pleasure.

Correction glass attachment attached to the TCL NXTWear G.Andy Boxall / DigitalTrends

That brings me to a different kind of limitation. If you don't have 20/20 eyesight, the NXTWear G is not for you. It's practically impossible to wear glasses underneath, unlike some VR headsets like PlayStation VR, and there's no focus adjustment like the Samsung Gear VR, so there is a high chance you won't see the screen at all. TCL's solution is to provide a lens attachment for your prescription glasses that attaches magnetically to the inside of the frame.

But fitting your own lenses will undoubtedly cost a lot more money and, depending on the strength of your eyesight, can also be impossible. I would also be careful if the attachment causes any more reflections as it sits perpendicularly in front of your eyes, unlike the 45 degree angle the glasses make. I found some old glasses that squeezed under the NXTWear G so I can assess image quality, etc., but this is by no means a recommended action.

watching a video

Let's say it's my head shape that's the problem here and not the NXTWear G. What is it like when you wear it? I endured the discomfort and blinked like a champion to find out. I used them with the TCL 20 Pro 5G phone first. To put the glasses into operation, all you have to do is plug them into the USB Type-C port. There is no need to charge a battery or bluetooth pairing, so it's very easy.

Active screens in the TCL NXTWear G.Andy Boxall / DigitalTrends

You'll be presented with a desktop-style menu that sometimes reminds me of ChromeOS, but there's also the option to mirror your phone's display. While mirroring works very well – it's quick and very responsive – I don't really know why you should do it for general tasks like checking email or reading Twitter since your phone is still connected to the You have to actively hold the screen directly in front of you in order to control everything. You're just looking straight ahead and not a bit down.

What the NXTWear G's OLED screens are for is watching video. The image has an aspect ratio of 16: 9, a refresh rate of 60 Hz, and an equivalent size of 140 inches. In desktop mode, apps open and work just like they do on your phone, and I had no reliability issues. However, this means that there are a lot of very tiny buttons to deal with, such as: B. accessing the menu, creating videos in full screen mode or adjusting the resolution and subtitles. Even though the connected phone's screen turns into a touchpad, it's still a hassle to move the little cursor and tap those tiny buttons. The phone's trackpad doesn't turn into a keyboard either when looking for something, so you have to slowly type out each letter with the cursor on the glasses virtual keyboard.

Start by watching videos and those without a lot of fast movement are fine as the OLED screens show a lot of colors and detail, but introduce a more action-packed video and things aren't always that good. Fast-paced action scenes in movies can get quite blurry, and a jolt occurs that spoils your enjoyment. Watch the same video on your phone screen and none of it is obvious. It is better to watch video at 60 frames per second at 2160p, but this is not always possible.

Trackpad screen for the TCL NXTWear G on the TCL 20 Pro 5G phone.Andy Boxall / DigitalTrends

Then why do you even want to wear the glasses? The answer is definitely increased immersion in the video. It's a very cinematic experience and you are quickly drawn into what you see, much more than on your phone screen. The "size" of the screen before your eyes is impressive, and when you wear bluetooth headphones – in-ears work best because of the size of your arms – the world around you melts. There are also speakers in the temples of the glasses, which are sufficient for spoken word but have no bass.

Assuming you can wear them comfortably, the NXTWear G has a lot of useful potential as a secondary display, mostly used for watching videos provided by your phone, but the user interface, lens design, and display area definitely need improvement.

compatibility

The TCL 20 Pro 5G works fine with the NXTWear G, but what about other phones? Connect to a Samsung S21 + or any other S21 phone and Samsung DeX will automatically activate, show the desktop view and turn the phone's screen into a touchpad. By default, however, the phone's speakers were used, not the NXTWear G's built-in audio.

The TCL NXTWear G with its travel case.Andy Boxall / DigitalTrends

Connect to the OnePlus 9 Pro and the display mirrors the phone's screen. Watching videos this way will make the screen size smaller unless you zoom in to fill the screen, which will result in some of the content being lost. The Google Pixel 4a didn't recognize the NXTWear G as a display and didn't work at all. You can't connect to an iPhone because the glasses require a USB Type-C port, but the NXTWear G will work with an iPad Pro, but like the OnePlus 9 Pro, the viewable screen when watching videos is slightly smaller than that of the using the TCL 20 Pro smartphone.

I used them with a Huawei MateBook X Windows 10 laptop and they immediately mirrored the screen, even though all of the text, buttons and icons are very small. The laptop's screen also stays on by default, so you'll have to browse the settings to try to switch it to the NXTWear G only for personal viewing. TCL lists a wide range of phones and laptops that are said to work with the glasses, with many new and old models, from the LG G5 to the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra. Be aware that the glasses use up your phone's battery and use a lot.

Price and availability

Availability is limited at the moment. The NXTWear G will be available in South Korea and Australia from July, with Europe to follow shortly thereafter. A release in the US is also planned, but a timeframe has not yet been given. In Europe, the price has been set at 599 euros, or around $ 715, and in some regions the portable display is sold as a bundle with a video service subscription.

Our opinion

I love the concept of the NXTWear G, but the finish is poor. If it had been comfortable to wear it would be a whole different rating as the actual screen and its performance are fine. However, I cannot imagine wearing them for long as they become uncomfortable so quickly. In addition, as a spectacle wearer, I would have to pay for a set of glasses, which are probably expensive and risk disappointment.

The awkward, inaccurate positioning of the glasses on your face results in parts of the screen being obscured, and the lack of overall adjustment means that they never feel like one size fits all. Device compatibility is decent, but the experience will be different depending on the models I've tried.

It is a first generation product and I have no doubt if TCL continues with the line of products it will get better with each revision. I hope it does what is really promising here, but all future versions urgently need to be designed to fit more face types and offer significantly greater levels of comfort. The TCL NXTWear G is a wearable tech product that I wanted to use, but while the tech part succeeds here, the wearable part really isn't.

Is there a better alternative?

The best alternative is not to wear them at all. Most mid- to high-end smartphones today have great screens and are often big enough to watch a movie on the go. If you really want a screen in front of your face, the TCL NXTWear G stands alone, only virtual reality headsets offer some kind of competition. This can change over time as NXTWear G is a whole new type of product.

How long it will take?

The NXTWear G is well made, very robust and keeps the valuable lenses and screens well protected in the headset itself. The chances of scratching or breaking the glass are small if you treat it well, and the arms will also feel very strong. Even the cord is twice as thick as you'd expect and should withstand some tough treatment. There is no software on board that needs to be updated, nor is a battery that degrades over time, so it should last for several years.

Should you buy it?

No, it will be a gamble whether you find them comfortable or not, and whether you can even see the entire screen when you put them on. It's best to wait for TCL to release the next version to try out this interesting new type of device.

Editor's recommendations



12 May
Blog

TCL 85R745 4K HDR TV Review: A Huge Value

TCL 85R745 85-inch 4K HDR TV

"The R745 from TCL beats it."

  • Very high brightness

  • Great black levels

  • Impressive HDR performance

  • Good movement handling

  • Solid gaming performance

  • Wash out of the corner

  • Very broad stance

  • Doesn't clean up noisy videos

TCL has decided to make it big and has now launched its XL collection. You may have heard the news because they did a pretty big deal with it. Let me tell you, however, that "big deal" feels a bit of an understatement.

Welcome to my review of the Roku TCL 85R745 85 inch 4K HDR TV. TCL's XL collection includes three models, so I'll explain where this TV fits in the range. Then we'll go through everything from user experience to performance metrics to see if it's worth spending a few extra bucks to create a seriously big screen in your home.

Video review

Jump to: TCL XL list | Out of the box | Setup | First impression | Image quality | Sound quality | Play | Our opinion

TCL XL list explained

First, let's talk about the new TCL XL collection in general as I think the different models available can be a bit confusing for anyone familiar with TCL's model naming convention.

You may know that TCL has an entry-level 4-series, a slightly improved 5-series, and I think a lot of people are familiar with the 6-series as it has been very popular for a number of years. The XL collection moves a little away from that 4-5-6 range, but it's easy enough to understand the differences between the three models.

The base model of the XL collection has neither local dimming backlighting with full array nor Dolby Vision. The R745 tested here has local dimming with full array and supports Dolby Vision HDR. It also has THX Certified Game Mode. The step-up model of this TV will feature OD Zero technology with mini LED backlighting and will be an 8K model that rounds off the line with something very premium. As the name XL suggests, they are all 85-inch TVs.

Out of the box

Dan Baker / Digital Trends

As big as the 85R745 TV is, the TV box is even bigger. If the retailer you are buying this TV from offers a white glove delivery service with setup, consider adding this option. Not only is it difficult to navigate through the box, but some rooms are not large enough to allow the unboxing process.

This process starts by opening the main box like a giant book, revealing a box in a box surrounded by a large amount of padding – at least the TV is very well protected. Inside the inner box is the TV and its accessories, including two legs, screws, batteries, a Roku TV voice remote, and some product literature.

Dan Baker / Digital Trends

The inner box is designed so that it can be disassembled into parts with the TV standing upright on a cardboard floor. The legs provided can be installed while the TV is in this position. Then the television can be placed in a very wide media cabinet or sideboard.

The 85R745 also weighs a little over 100 pounds, so wall mounting needs to be handled with care. Again, this is likely a job best left for a professional. I encourage those who choose to do a DIY wall installation to anchor a wall mount that is rated for 100 pounds or more in studs. This is no time to trust drywall anchors.

Set up

Dan Baker / Digital Trends

As a Roku TV, the 85R745 goes through a typical Roku setup process that can take up to 10 minutes. Those who don't already have a Roku account will want to create one and have a mobile device or laptop handy to navigate to multiple questions along the way. When all questions are answered, the TV will download any necessary updates and install any requested apps as well as a number of unsolicited apps. From there, I suggest users move their favorite streaming apps to the top of the home screen for easy access. For example, YouTube installed seven lines down after my setup completed

After unpacking, you have a wide range of image settings options. Make sure to turn off power saving mode as it will reduce the brightness of the TV. For the most accurate picture in SDR, you should then select the "Movie" mode. For HDR, I chose "dark HDR". I choose these presets because they offer the most accurate color temperature. However, don't let the "dark" nomenclature fool you. The HDR image is not dark, as I'll explain in a moment. There are actually five settings for the backlight: Darker, Darker, Normal, Lighter, and Lighter – you can adjust the brightness level according to your preference or needs.

First impressions

Dan Baker / Digital Trends

Let's go straight to the brutally obvious: this television is huge. And yes, I know it's an 85-inch TV. So it stands to reason that he would be big. For reasons I can't be precise, the TCL 85R745 seems to be kind of bigger than other 85-inch TVs we tested. For example, we just had the Vizio P-Series Quantum X for review – an 85-inch TV too – and somehow the R745 seems bigger. Maybe it's the stand, which is slightly wider than the television and takes up more space in our media cabinet. It's also quite tall due to the height that the legs give. I think that's why it just seems so big in my test room.

But the point is big, right? The idea is to occupy more of your field of view so that you feel like you're in a small theater while watching TV. And this television definitely delivers that thought. Since it's 4K resolution, you can sit pretty close without seeing individual pixels, and when you look at it from the right distance the picture definitely feels cinematic. Now that debut films hit streaming services the same day as theaters, I think the really big screen argument makes more sense than ever.

Image quality and metrics

When it comes to brightness, the 85R745 is extremely powerful. Using the Calman software and a SpectraCal C6 colorimeter On a profile for an X-Rite i1 Pro, I measured 514 nits at the darkest settings in film mode, and that went over 800 when I went to the brightest setting for the backlight. In Dark HDR, the darkest setting for the backlight resulted in almost 900 nits and ran at the highest setting for the backlight up to 2,100 nits. This corresponds to the Hisense U8G and the Samsung QN90A, which I find very impressive.

Dan Baker / Digital Trends

Fortunately, this brightness doesn't come at the expense of the black levels, which are very good on this TV. You see a bit of halo and bloom around bright objects on a black background, but the backlight system manages to minimize that – that is, when you are sitting in the middle of the TV and looking directly at it. Stand up, move around, or turn the TV down when it's against the wall and the backlight will be much more noticeable. This is a given for most LCD-based televisions. Save the most advanced devices like the Samsung QN90A, which uses a slew of panel tricks to get better out-of-angle viewing.

One problem I noticed with the backlight, however, is that if you have a large, bright picture like this one with a moving object, there may be just a little flicker in the areas immediately next to the moving object. An example that I noted was a windmill centered on a bright blue sky. As the windmill turned, I noticed a small flicker in the sky to the left. The effect isn't particularly obvious – in fact, I think most people would miss it – but something I wanted to mention in order to be as comprehensive as possible.

If this TV has a weakness, it's in the processing department.

The color is immediately pretty accurate in Movie and Dark HDR modes as well as Dolby Vision. You'll need to use one of the higher backlight settings to get the highest color volume in HDR, but the TV is perfectly capable of delivering stunning HDR colors. This is what I expected from TCL: quality color performance instantly.

The movement is also very good even with the movement smoothing measures turned off. I've seen less stuttering with this TV than some of the OLED and other QLED TVs I've tested so far this year, although it has decent response time and high brightness (a recipe for picture stuttering). Jerking is not a problem here at all – film cadences with 24 frames per second look, as I had hoped, very similar to a cinema. All around the movement of the 85R745 is very good. However, I wouldn't use the black frame insert feature – it's called LED Motion Clarity – to try to reduce motion blur as it creates significant flicker.

Dan Baker / Digital Trends

If this TV has a weakness, it's in the processing department. I have a feeling the 85R745 is having trouble cleaning up images with shallow bit depth. And that's more important with a large TV like this because when you get a noisy picture it becomes more obvious due to the size of the screen. A fairly loud, compressed video that I use on YouTube to measure how well a TV is at removing noise and preventing color streaks turned out to be a little too much for this TV's processor. As the beach scene darkened from day to night in time-lapse, the night sky turned cobalt blue and I saw a few jumbled black and blue boxes as the TV tried to head or tail what the picture should look like.

Even so, most of the premium streaming apps like Netflix, Disney +, HBO Max, etc. look very clean. It's the more compressed content on YouTube and content in free streaming apps like Pluto that sometimes look a bit noisy. The other thing I noticed was the occasional moiré, but only in tight symmetrical patterns like the grilles in the buildings of a New York flyover shot, which I often use to rate how well televisions handle such patterns. Other areas rich in detail, such as the fine details in bird feathers, remained super clean.

Dan Baker / Digital Trends

The uniformity of the panel on the 85R745 TCL that was sent to me was… OK. Due to the large screen size of the TV, you are more likely to see a dirty screen effect (spots on the screen) if it is there and I observed some on the sample that I received. However, I haven't seen major vertical bands like the ones I've seen on many televisions over the years. So that's encouraging.

I think it's important to point out that screen uniformity will be a matter of what is known as the "panel lottery". So, there is not much you can do to predict what the TV you have bought will look like. All you have to do is take the TV home and out of the box to see with your own eyes. Hopefully TCL keeps quality control strict and the XL collection looks clean overall.

Sound quality

The sound quality on this TV is good – actually better than expected. I'm not particularly keen on the fidelity, but I'll say that the subwoofer on the back of the TV case delivers an excellent amount of bass so the sound is as big as the screen itself. However, if you have such a large screen, I recommend that you go for a soundbar. Even an inexpensive soundbar offers better clarity. And it just happens that way, and TCL does it too.

Play

The TCL 85R745 doesn't support HDMI 2.1, but it's still a great gaming TV. The input delay is low in the device's THX game mode and supports a variable refresh rate (VRR) and 4K resolution at 60 Hertz. However, to get 120Hz, the TV needs to drop down to a resolution of 1440p or 1080p. In addition, the solid movement handling and the powerful brightness of the television set deliver very satisfactory HDR images.

Our opinion

Overall, I think the TCL 85R745 offers excellent value for those looking for a big screen TV. Due to its impressive brightness and solid black levels, this model is, in my opinion, an increase in performance over the 6-series TVs that TCL praises. In this case, it is already impossible for me not to recommend this TV. I think the real bonus will be price as TCL offers pretty significant value given the performance of its televisions. To take the bow, this is the same high quality, high quality experience TCL is known for, only … bigger.

Is there a better alternative?

It will be hard to beat the TCL 85R745's image performance without spending much more. For example, the 85-inch Samsung QN90A is priced at $ 5,000 – that's a $ 2,000 premium over the 85R745's starting price of $ 3,000. The rundown Samsung Q80A is getting closer at $ 3,700 and is likely to offer similar performance, but that's still $ 700 more. Note that the 85R745's price is likely to drop over time as well.

How long it will take?

Given TCL's previous track record of the build quality and feature set of the 85R745, I think this TV should hold up well into the future.

warranty

TCL offers a one-year parts and labor warranty for non-commercial users from the date of purchase.

Should you buy it?

Yes. The TCL 85R745 offers tremendous value in a large screen television with impressive picture quality and a satisfying user experience.

Editor's recommendations




26 Jan
Blog

TCL 5-Series (S535) 4K HDR TV Review | The Price is Right

TCL 65 "5 series 4K UHD television

"The TCL 5 Series is well above its price"

  • Local dimming backlight with full array

  • Fixed black levels

  • Excellent backlight control

  • Extended color gamut

  • Low entry delay

  • Doesn't get particularly bright

  • HDR isn't impressive

  • Setup process involved

The TCL 6 series TVs get a lot of press, but what about the 5 series? Perhaps the reason it didn't get that much attention is because it was never really a remarkable television. Until now.

With the 5-series 4K HDR TV (S535) now packed with many of the 2019 6-series features, TCL offers similar performance to its 6-series predecessor at a much cheaper price. Let's see if it works.

TCL 5 Series 4K HDR TV Details (S535)

While we tested the 65-inch model S535, our test also applies to the 50-inch, 55-inch, and 75-inch models.

Screen size Model no RRP
50 inches 50S535 400 dollars
55 inches 55S535 $ 450
65 inches 65S535 $ 630
75 in 75S535 $ 1200

First impressions

Dan Baker / Digital Trends

This TV was much thinner than expected – especially for a TV with a local full array dimming backlight system. There are practically no bezels on the edge, just a thin aluminum strip on the bottom. While the TV's plastic feet feel a little light and cheap after unpacking, their slim appearance is quite nice, and the feet can be placed in two different positions: wider towards the edges of the TV or closer to the center for a smaller footprint. Additionally, the feet offer some cable management, although we found it difficult to get more than a few HDMI cables into each cable.

Entrances

TCM 5 Series HDMI Dan Baker / Digital Trends

The 5 series has four HDMI 2.0b inputs, ARC on the fourth input. The ports aren't HDMI 2.1 capable, so you won't get any next generation gaming features like variable refresh rate or 4K at 120Hz. But it can handle 4K up to 60Hz, which should be fine for most people. While this TV isn't a powerhouse for next-generation gaming, it is still a good TV for casual gaming, especially due to its low input delay of around 11 ms in game mode.

The remote control and the operating system

TCL 5 Series Roku remote controlDan Baker / Digital Trends

The biggest difference in remote control between the 6 and 5 series is that you lose voice control. In terms of user experience, the Roku operating system has a "slightly updated" feel and the system now includes AirPlay and HomeKit as well. Adjustments to the picture settings, sound and other settings must be selected and adjusted separately for each input. Hence, between these settings and other mandatory software and app updates, you'll need to be patient to get this Roku TV working.

picture quality

Let's get to the picture, which has some admirable properties. The 5 series has very good black levels for its price, partly because of its VA panel (which unfortunately means that viewing outside of the angle is not great), but also because of its local dimming backlighting system – you can't destroy the blacks, but still provide deep blacks and minimize all kinds of halo effects around light objects on a dark background that you may get from systems with lower backlighting.

TCL 5 seriesDan Baker / Digital Trends

Unfortunately, the backlight system of the 5 series does not offer a very high peak brightness. We hardly noticed any difference between SDR brightness and HDR peak brightness, regardless of whether we saw HDR 10 or Dolby Vision. In fact, it could be questioned whether this should actually be called an HDR TV, given that the brightness isn't enough to really give you the sparkling highlights of high-performance HDR. The contrast is there, but the peak brightness is not, so the HDR images don't pop as much as with other HDR TVs.

"It's an absolutely respectable television."

The color benefits from using quantum dots, so you get a wider gamut. However, due to the lower brightness potential, you will not get a significantly increased color volume.

Overall, I think the picture quality will be an improvement over what someone could get from a midsize TV about four years ago. It's a completely legitimate TV, and we'd even say it beats its price.

Move

The 5 Series is also good with movement. There's still a tiny bit of motion blur on fast-moving objects, but it's not very easy to spot, so it works well enough for sports content. The 5 series has a native 60 Hz panel, so that a more even movement can be achieved without avoiding the so-called “soap opera effect”.

For movie content, 24 fps content looks very smooth and there is no stuttering, which is fantastic for a TV at this price point.

Sound quality

As for sound quality, let's put it this way: get a soundbar. It lacks depth and not a lot of bass, resulting in thin sound quality. Dialogue clarity also suffers, so a soundbar would be a good idea for most people.

Play

TCL 5 Series GamingDan Baker / Digital Trends

As mentioned earlier, this TV does not have HDMI 2.1 ports and therefore does not support variable refresh rate or other high-end features such as automatic low latency mode. At 4K 60 Hz with a small input delay of 11 ms in game mode, however, casual gaming works great. The only problem – back to what we said about image quality – is that if you want to get something out of the HDR gaming experience, you'll need a slightly brighter TV.

Our opinion

TCL 5 Series Roku TvDan Baker / Digital Trends

The TCL 5-Series is a great all-purpose TV that caters to those who aren't very picky about HDR performance. The TV's use of quantum dots expands the gamut of color for a rich picture, while the solid full array backlight controls provide better black levels and better reduced halo effects than almost any other TV in its price range. While it won't get bright enough to do HDR impressively, most people who just want a solid TV at a reasonable price probably won't find this deal-breaker.

Is there a better alternative?

There is only one TV that competes with the TCL 5 series in its price range and that is the Hisense H8G Quantum, which sells for roughly the same price, runs Android TV instead of Roku TV, and can get significantly brighter. The TCL, while not as bright, has better color accuracy. Otherwise, competing LG and Samsung televisions will not offer quantum dots or full array backlights and will not be able to compete in terms of black levels and backlight control.

How long it will take?

So far, TCL's track record in terms of build quality looks pretty good. We expect the 5 Series to serve owners for many years to come.

guarantee

TCL offers a one year limited warranty. You can find more information about TCL's TV warranty here.

Should you buy it?

Yes. For those looking for a quality TV that performs better than what is usually expected for the price, the TCL 5 series is one of the best budget-friendly options out there.

If you want cheaper TV options, you can also consider the best 4K TV deals currently available.

Editor's recommendations




02 Sep
Blog

TCL 6-Series (R635) 4K HDR TV Review | Best Value in 2020?

"The 6 series from TCL offers the masses an amazingly good picture quality."

  • Very good brightness

  • Excellent black levels

  • Sharp mini LED backlight

  • Excellent HDR color

  • THX certified game mode

  • Complicated picture settings

  • Limited to 1440p for 120 Hz gaming

  • SDR color off somewhat

The 2020 6-series (R635) from TCL offers astonishingly good image quality and undercuts the price competition considerably. But you will have to work for it.

The 2020 TCL 6 series is the latest in three years, offering the best value for 4K HDR TVs. It features mini-LED backlight technology, player-friendly features, and Roku TVs that together deliver performance seen in an unprecedented 65-inch TV for $ 900 or a 55-inch model for $ 650 -Dollar. In fact, I'd say the new 6 Series is the best case yet because of its performance alone, that you don't have to spend a dime over $ 1,000 to get a great TV.

The only problem is that the 6 Series, just like the 2019 5 Series TV, requires skipping through enough picture adjustment frames so I'm afraid that many people may not experience the best it has to offer. Year after year, TV manufacturers point out research that suggests that most people don't change the picture settings of their TVs after they buy them. In the case of the 6 Series, many users could get a fraction of the power that TV is capable of.

However, if you're willing to invest some time and play around in the sandpit, so to speak, the TCL 6 series can be a remarkably rewarding TV.

TCL 6 Series 4K HDR TV Details (R635)

While we tested the 65-inch model 65R635, our test also applies to the 55-inch and 75-inch models.

Screen size Model number RRP
55 inches 55R635 $ 650
65 inches 65R635 $ 900
75 in 75R635 $ 1400

Out of the box

Nowadays I'm more of a surprise when a television isn't ready to use right away. It seems that virtually invisible frames and attractive building materials are now the default for everyone but the cheapest TVs. To be completely honest, I wasn't surprised that the 6 Series, despite the old wisdom that affordable TVs look a little cheap compared to their more expensive cousins.

Dan Baker / Digital Trends

Indeed, the 2020 6 Series is a smart-looking smart TV with near-invisible bezels on the top and sides and a modest edge of brushed metal on the bottom. Perhaps the smallest but most significant design change was that the typical circular power switch next to the Roku logo was banned and replaced by a less easily accessible power switch on the back. I'll make the trade off for the cleaner look.

The TV came with a few paper items, two AAA batteries, a Roku voice remote, two legs, four screws, and a composite video breakout cable.

configuration

If you want to stand on a bracket, installing the 6 Series legs is a breeze. Align the three small knobs on each leg with the ones on the bottom of the TV, screw in the included Phillips head screws, and you're done.

Before the final stand placement or wall mounting is complete, some clear protective plastic must be removed. Once that's done, you can start the long road to television readiness.

My memory may be failing me, but it seems to me that Roku TVs used to take less time to set up than they do today. I also feel like the Roku setup is generally ready for some improvement. Here you can find out what you're looking for and how I would like it to be improved.

When connected to Ethernet, it took a total of about 12 minutes for Roku to run the Roku Setup Wizard. You need a computer or mobile device with internet access and either an ethernet or Wi-Fi connection to the internet to continue.

Dan Baker / Digital Trends

After accessing a Roku setup link on your computer or mobile device, enter a code that will appear on the TV screen. The TV will then download and install the latest Roku operating system update. It is shut down and then backed up.

You will be taken through a series of setup questions, presumably aimed at getting the necessary apps installed on the TV. From there, you have the option to let Roku know what kind of content genres you like and presumably re-adjust which apps are installed on the TV. After entering all of this information, the TV will download and install. Don't be shocked if the screen says it is downloading and installing 92 apps like I experienced.

Here's the thing: I don't need to pre-install all of the apps, and I don't want to wait for them to be installed either. After you've answered all of these setup questions, it's like the TV just installs what it wants. It is confusing.

What's even more frustrating is that the apps aren't arranged in an order that makes sense to me. You should take some time to put the apps in the order you want. I would love if Roku could reference my existing account and app arrangement and implement it on every new Roku device I set up – or at least make an option out of it.

In addition to the time it takes to get set up, it takes a while to go through all of the apps I subscribe to and enter usernames and passwords. It would be okay for Roku to access this information from previous setups and implement it in every new Roku device I set up, saving me a lot of time and frustration.

Dan Baker / Digital Trends

With the Roku operating system, you can label your entrances and call them "cable box", "game console", "Blu-Ray" etc. However, unlike many Samsung and LG TVs, it is not smart enough to identify and label them automatically.

Once Roku TV is up and running, it's very easy to use. It's just that it can be a nuisance to get started.

Picture settings

While these earlier complaints are directly the responsibility of Roku TV OS, the problem I have with the TCL 6 series picture settings appears to be a shared responsibility of both TCL and Roku.

I usually don't dig too deeply into picture settings in my TV reviews as the process is traditionally straightforward. On almost every other platform – for example Android TV, LG's WebOS, Samsung & # 39; s Tizen – the picture presetting for film, cinema, ISF or Technicolor is by far the most precise and therefore the most pleasant for me. Choosing one of these presets and then turning off motion smoothing features is usually all that is required.

Surprisingly, it turns out that this is not the case with the last TCL TVs I tested. In contrast, the movie preset for SDR content feels dull and overly warm – this includes cable, satellite, standard Blu-ray discs, and any non-HDR content available through streaming services. There is a lack of powerful contrast and the colors appear muted and excessively warm.

Instead of talking any further about how weird this is, I just want to explain what settings I chose to get the best results.

For SDR, enter the picture settings menu by pressing the asterisk button while viewing SDR content. Again, this is a cable / satellite channel, standard Blu-ray or DVD, or streaming content not marked as HDR or Dolby Vision on the title screen. Scroll down to the picture settings and note that the TV is in low power mode. Turn this off by selecting the Normal Image preset. From there, scroll down and select Warm for the color temperature. Then turn Action Smoothing and Action Clarity. The last two add the "soap opera effect" which I don't like.

Dan Baker / Digital Trends

The process is similar for HDR and Dolby Vision. Start an HDR content on YouTube or with an Ultra HD Blu-ray Disc, then select the normal HDR picture mode, the color temperature to be heated and deactivate Action Smoothing and Action Clarity.

For Dolby Vision, go to Netflix and start a track with Dolby Vision that appears on the title screen. Select either Normal Dolby Vision or Bright Dolby Vision, Color Temperature for Warming, and Action Smoothing and Action Clarity. Remember that you'll need to repeat this for each input that is fed an HDR or Dolby Vision signal.

Since the menu navigation is difficult to describe here, I recommend watching the video at the top of this post. There I go through the whole process.

Note that you will need to do this process for every input, including apps, as well as for SDR, HDR and possibly Dolby Vision in every input. It's a complicated process that I don't think most people will have patience for.

That is the riddle. I'm sure that choosing a picture preset that looks good for a particular viewer will be enough for many people, but given that this TV is a favorite among TV enthusiasts and many buyers who research and find It's high on the radar It's high on many best-of lists. I worry that some will bring it home wondering why the image quality won't overwhelm them.

picture quality

With the correct image settings, the TCL 6 series works very well, although with a little more user control I think it could look even better. I've reached out to TCL to clarify what's happening in terms of the under-hood image settings and I'll update this section accordingly.

For now, I can only report on the results of what I believe to be the most achievable consumer's image settings, which I have described above.

First, some brief specs for those who enjoy them. With a SpectraCal C6 measuring device that was created by a Xrite i1 Pro 2 and CalMAN software, I measured the peak brightness of the 6 series of the TCL in SDR mode at 700 nits and in HDR10 at almost 1000 nits (using the Standard window of 10%). .

For me, this is enough brightness for most viewing scenarios. Only in the brightest rooms I might want more. If you want a brighter TV for roughly the same price, I'd point you straight to the Hisense H9G Quantum.

I think the black levels on this TV are excellent, preserving the shadow detail that the Hisense H9G struggled with in my tests. In addition, with the settings I chose, I got very little light around light objects on a dark background. This helps maintain impressive contrast, especially when there are mailbox bars.

Dan Baker / Digital Trends

The brightness, black levels and general backlight control are due to TCL's pioneering work in mini-LED technology, which will be used in the 6 series this year but was reserved for the 8K 8 series last year. For the stranger, the mini LED backlight is a much more precise version of the standard LED backlight technology that has been around for years. In short, while a standard LED-backlit TV might only contain hundreds of LEDs, mini-LED uses tens of thousands of much smaller LED lights.

It's not enough to just have a lot more little lights at work. They need to be well controlled to enhance the viewing experience and I've found that they are actually well controlled by the TCL 6 series processing. I didn't see sluggish response times as the scenes got lighter and darker. In some very challenging fade-in tests, the 6 Series even performed exceptionally well.

The ready-to-use color reproduction is a little different in SDR, a bit oversaturated with reds and oranges. A professional TV calibrator can correct this, but hiring someone to do color correction will degrade the value of the TV. Aside from the SDR color, I immediately found HDR10 and Dolby Vision colors to be outstanding. If you want a more accurate, out-of-the-box color experience, you'll have to pay $ 500 more for the Sony X900H and be willing to sacrifice some brightness.

The movement of the 6 series is excellent without any jerking or jerking being noticed in content with 24, 30 or 60 frames per second (fps). The 6 series also avoids moiré, screen door and other common image processing errors. Fortunately, I also got a very uniform panel, with no spots or dark areas that cause the so-called dirty screen effect. Overall, the picture was exceptionally clean.

For upscaling lower resolution 720p and 1080p content to 4K, the 6 series is fine. As I often say, this upscaling can't work miracles, but it neatly captures cable / satellite and DVD content and makes it look great on screen. However, native 4K content is rendered very well.

Overall, the TCL 6 series has remarkable image quality, especially for the price. I just wish it was easier to achieve without all of the hyper-specific image settings required.

Play

When it comes to the game potential of the 6 Series, I have good news and somewhat disappointing news. The good news is that the TV's THX certified game mode looks amazing. Aside from the Sony X900H and X900G, no other TV comes close in terms of color accuracy and color temperature regardless of the smooth movement and generally clean finish.

Another feather in the 6 Series gaming cap is the way the micro-LED backlight delivers deep blacks while preserving shadow detail in low-light areas, which is especially handy for competitive first-person shooter games.

Yooo, the official TV for #callofduty, is also the first TV with THX certified game mode. https://t.co/OZrKi0igYQ

– THX (@THX) August 26, 2020

The TV also supports AMD FreeSync's variable refresh rate, up to 120 Hz. However, the 6-series HDMI ports do not support enough bandwidth to achieve both a 120 Hz refresh rate and 4K resolution. So if you want to play with next generation game consoles at 120Hz, the resolution is limited to 1440p. With many competitors like the Samsung Q80T and all LG OLEDs offering 4K at 120Hz, this seems like a missed opportunity.

Our opinion

Honestly, it breaks my heart not to give this TV 4.5 or even 5 stars out of 5. It comes so close, and if TCL can address what I consider to be an extremely complex process of image adjustment, I'll adjust my score. Otherwise, the TCL 6 series is an exceptional television that seriously undercuts the competition and offers top-notch picture quality to those who otherwise might not be able to afford it.

Is there a better alternative?

The only TV that can touch the TCL 6 series in its price bracket is the Hisense H9G for just $ 50 more (at the time of writing this review). The Hisense is a much bolder TV with higher brightness and a slightly more punchy HDR experience. However, the H9G lacks the solid gaming features of the 6-series, so gamers will want to stick with TCL.

How long it will take?

If the 6 Series has 4K 120Hz gaming, I'd say it would last longer than you need it to be. Without full support for everything the upcoming Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5 can do, I can't say it's perfectly future proof, but that's a very specific gripe. For the vast majority of users, the TCL 6 series should bring years of pleasure.

warranty

TCL warrants parts and labor for one year from the date of purchase for non-commercial use. More information can be found here.

You should buy it

Yes. The TCL 6-Series is an excellent television, especially considering its price. It takes a little work to get the best image quality, but with our guidance and a little time, great performance can be achieved.

Editor's recommendations




22 Jul
Blog

TCL 5-Series (S525) 4K HDR TV Review | Lots Of Work

TCL 5-Series (S525) 4K HDR TV test: A lot of work

"A good basic TV that's just not great."

  • Ideal for playing

  • Decent contrast

  • Attractive design

  • Roku app access

  • The out-of-box image needs to be edited

  • Frustrating image presets

  • Not particularly bright

My relationship with TCL TVs started two years ago when I checked the company's 6-TV for 2018. This model put TCL on the map among TV enthusiasts who had never considered the brand before.

Today TCL is the affordable brand to beat. Several models are just as powerful, if not better than the much more expensive competition. I think TCL can be thanked for a shift in the TV industry towards more powerful televisions with lower prices.

Where does the 5 Series 2019 stand in the TCL product range, and is it worth buying one with the 2020 product range from TCL, which is expected to hit the shelves in August? After all, a 65-inch model only costs $ 600, while the 55-inch variant only costs $ 400. These prices are hard to beat. But what can you expect from a TV at this price? Let's dive in.

Out of the box

The TCL 5 Series is a much better looking TV than I expected for the price. The top and side bezels are extremely thin, the profile of the TV is also quite thin, and the "feet" of the TV are also attractive, if not a little light and cheap.

I'm not a fan of the round button next to the TV's Roku logo, and the bottom is a bit big, but overall, the TV looks like it should cost more than it does.

TCL 5-Series Roku remote controlDigital trends Caleb Denison

The TV comes with an increasingly elusive composite video breakout cable, a set of AAA batteries, and a Roku remote control. This special Roku remote control has neither an integrated headphone jack nor a voice remote control, although private listening and voice control are available via the Roku app for iOS and Android. We'll be talking quite a bit about this app review in this article.

properties

TCL 5 seriesDan Baker / Digital Trends

The 5 Series is not a high-end television, at least not in the price. This TV does not offer local dimming zones for direct backlighting. This means that the TV on the screen has a much more uniform brightness than an edge-lit TV. However, since none of these backlights can dim, it can be difficult to offer deep black, especially in scenes with bright objects on a dark background.

Other than omitting local dimming, it is not apparent that corners have been cut. TCL does not speak often with its video processing, so there is no clear indication that the 5 Series is less powerful than its 6 or 8 Series cousins.

Like all TCL TVs, the 5 Series is a Roku TV. This means that you not only get a Roku home screen with customizable input names and apps, but also the interface through which you can make settings. I'm usually a fan of the Roku TV interface, but not so much with this TV.

configuration

TCL 5 seriesDan Baker / Digital Trends

Before I go on, I want to make it clear that I am not blaming TCL or Roku for the issues I want to highlight. I think it's a question of partnership and I hope that a firmware update will fix these problems in the future. That's the beauty of smart TVs: you can update them.

It is difficult to get the best picture quality because there is so much work to do.

In the past, my praise for the Roku TV operating system was due to the simplicity and ease of use of Roku. It is an accessible experience, even for people who are not technically inclined. Unfortunately, I lack the simplicity to get the best picture quality that concerns me.

The first thing to tell people when they get a new TV is to go into the picture settings and switch the TV to film mode (cinema, custom, etc.) and then adjust the backlight setting to match the to achieve the desired brightness. By default, the film preset (or an equivalent image) reliably takes on a warmer, more accurate color temperature and often eliminates motion smoothing, which can create the dreaded “soap opera effect”.

With the 5 series, the TV assumes a warm color temperature, but motion smoothing must still be switched off. No big deal, it happens.

This movie preset is now active for every input you have just been set to. Let's say you saw cable or satellite at that point. The movie preset is now activated and probably set up correctly. Now the user has to go to every other input he uses, e.g. B. HDMI 2 for a game console, HDMI 3 for a Blu-ray player, and select the film mode for each of them.

This also applies to streaming apps, which are not easily recognizable for most users. In addition, just opening an app like Netflix and choosing film mode is not enough. You need to start streaming a show to adjust the image settings. A bit of trouble, but forgivable.

But what if you accidentally chose a show or film to be presented in HDR (in the case of Netflix, this would actually be Dolby Vision)? You would now choose one of three Dolby Vision image modes: Dolby Vision Dark, Normal or Bright. OK, well, we can choose the Dolby Vision mode we like, but what about SDR content – what most people see most – on other apps like Amazon or Hulu? To customize film mode for SDR apps, you need to play some SDR content on one of these apps.

Sounds frustrating? I'm just getting started. We haven't talked about the regular HDR10 mode that you get with lots of YouTube content and lots of Amazon shows. There are also three modes for HDR10. If we add them all up, there are a total of seven different options between SDR, HDR and Dolby Vision that other image modes like game or standard do not include.

This is far too much work to find the right image preset. In addition, the backlight settings between the dark, normal, and light HDR modes (including Dolby Vision) are maximum, and yet something is happening in the background to brighten the screen.

There's also the question of whether the color temperature and amount of motion smoothing change between Dolby Vision modes, which doesn't make sense to me, and the anomalous "micro-contrast" setting that has something to do with contrast, but is unreliable and is puzzling. It also looks like the TV is dimmed locally if it isn't.

For any of you who is just lost, that's my point. The person who buys this TV will set it up, turn it on and may not touch any of the settings. This is a shame because the ready-to-use image preset with low power consumption is nowhere near the full performance of this TV and frankly doesn't look good.

And if the buyer dares to venture into the picture settings, it is difficult to get the best picture quality because so much work has to be done. I just don't see that in most people.

I suppose we should talk about this image quality now.

picture quality

TCL 5 seriesDan Baker / Digital Trends

As I just explained, the ready-to-use picture quality of the TCL 5 series TV is not particularly good. It's not poor, but a little overwhelming. This is particularly troublesome when this television can deliver fairly impressive images to the inexperienced eye.

It is an ace for games because of its low latency automatic mode, low input delay, and high refresh rate.

If you jump through the tires and optimize the settings for a better picture, you will be rewarded with seemingly very rich colors and impressive contrast. The last bit surprised me. The contrast of this TV is remarkably good considering that there is no local dimming. Since there are no dimming zones to be controlled, there are no annoying fluctuations in the backlight that have to be managed when viewing in a darkened room.

I was also pleasantly surprised at the diminution of halos around bright objects on a black background. Although the screen never turns pitch black, it gets dark enough to provide adequate contrast.

What does it all add up? An above average TV. It's good. Not very good. Definitely not great. But a solid good. It is an ace for games because of its low latency automatic mode, low input delay, and high refresh rate. The variable update rate is not supported, but this is not to be expected here. It's okay for general television. However, higher content like 4K HDR material deserves better.

Here's the thing: you can do better for not much more money, and I think you should. I'm a fan of TCL, but I can't recommend this TV if the company's 6 Series is so much better for a little bit more money. In addition, the Hisense H8G is a more impressive TV for just $ 100 more at 65 inches.

Do not get me wrong. A lot of people will bring this TV home and get along with it. There is nothing wrong with that. I just don't want people to bring this TV home and learn later that there is something much more pleasant that can be watched for just $ 100 more. Regret is an ugly thing.

Our opinion

At $ 600, the TCL 5 series offers great value for money with good picture performance and a mostly friendly Roku TV experience. Immediately ready-to-use image performance leaves something to be desired and it can be difficult to optimize the image settings for all content. Once adjusted, however, it can offer slightly above-average picture quality that most viewers will enjoy.

Is there a better alternative?

Yes. The TCL 6 series (R625) and Hisense H8G are both better televisions and cost only slightly more. In both cases, the upgrade is worthwhile. It is also worth noting that the Hisense is an Android TV. With this option, you lose Roku.

How long it will take?

So far I have had no problems with the longevity of TCL TVs. However, I only started testing it two years ago. Therefore, it is difficult to say that this TV should have a long lifespan in terms of hardware functionality. In terms of functions, it will lag behind very quickly.

warranty

TCL grants a one-year warranty on parts and labor when the TV is used for non-commercial purchases. More information about TCL's TV guarantees can be found here.

Should you buy it

It's okay to buy this TV if the value for money is appealing. Otherwise, you should spend a little more money to get a much better picture quality.

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