- TCL unveils new TV range for UK and Europe
- Next-gen backlight promises 23-bit depth and better efficiency
- 3 new mini-LED models in the UK
TCL has unveiled its new line-up of TVs for the UK and Europe, which are available to buy this week – and the company really wants to take the lead on being the mid-price mini-LED TV range to go for.
Half of the new range includes the company's latest '7th-gen' mini-LED backlight, which TCL says has been improved in a large number of ways on the spec sheet.
TCL says it has developed a new LED chip that can be 53% brighter but also 10% more efficient, which is paired with a new micro-lens to focus the light better and create less blooming – while also bringing the mini-LEDs closer to the screen, to reduce crossover and halo-ing effects between their light zones.
On top of that, the new LEDs have a 23-bit controller, meaning a claimed 65,000 different levels of light gradation control. For reference, the Sony Bravia 9 has a 22-bit controller, and we hailed it as an awesome new performance level for mini-LED worthy of its super-premium price. TCL will almost certainly undercut that price.
It also says that the new mini-LED backlight has a faster adaptation and refresh rate, meaning that it reacts faster than the refresh rate of the screen, so the backlight's contrast control will never lag what's supposed to be visible on screen, reducing the mismatch between what should be high and low brightness, and what actually is high and low brightness.
TCL also says that it's using a new type of quantum dot tech in the panel, meaning 98% coverage of the DCI-P3 color gamut – though we already measured the TCL C855 from last year at 97.5%, so this is just a small step forward.
That's all the theory, anyway – obviously, how well this works in practice will need to be tested in-depth, but I saw TCL's next-gen backlight demoed at CES, and it's certainly impressive.
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So, what will this mean for the TVs in practice? I'll take you through the full list of models, but the big question that remains open is just how big the difference between their different backlights will be.
TCL says they all use the 7th-gen panel, but depending on how it's classifying exactly what backlights count as 7th-gen, that could mean a lot of different things.
From my brief introduction to them so far, I can already tell you that there are clear differences in the panel beyond the backlight – the C8K has richer, deeper black tones compared to the C6K because it uses a 'CrystGlow WHVA' LCD panel that improves dark tones, and benefits from reduced reflections and haze on the screen, which washes out and raises black tones.
Here's the list of TVs, with the key differences between them. They all come with Google TV as their smart system, with two exceptions at the end.
TCL C8K
This is the flagship 4K TV in the UK, though based on our experience with the TCL C855 last year, the price may end up being temptingly mid-range.
It comes in 65-, 75-, 85- and 98-inch sizes, with up to 3,840 dimming zones and a quoted 5,000 nits of brightness. It has the CrystGlow panel, it's 144Hz, it has a Zeroborder design that reduces bezels to the absolute minimum, and 6.2.2-channel Bang & Olufsen Dolby Atmos speakers.
Pricing:
- 65C8K-UK: £1,599
- 75C8K-UK: £1,999
- 85C8K-UK: £2,799
- 98C8K-UK: £4,799
TCL C7K
Here's the big mid-range model, available in the biggest range of sizes. This comes in 50-, 55-, 65-, 75-, 85-, 98- and 115-inch sizes. It has a slightly different LCD panel to the C9K and C8K, and is claimed to hit up to 3,000 nits of brightness, with up to 2,880 dimming zones. It has a CrystGlow panel, but not the more advanced version.
This also has an audio system by B&O, except the 115-inch model, which has an Onkyo 4.2.2-channel system.
Pricing:
- 50C7K-UK: £799
- 55C7K-UK: £999
- 65C7K-UK: £1,399
- 75C7K-UK : £1,799
- 85C7K-UK: £2,199
- 98C7K-UK: £4,299
- 115C7K-UK: £12,999
TCL C6K
The budget mini-LED model comes in 50-, 55-, 65-, 75-, 85- and 98-inch sizes. It has up to 512 dimming zones, and TCL didn't specify the expected HDR brightness of this one, though we have tested the closest US model to this – the TCL QM6K – and it reached 700 nits of brightness in a 10% window in Standard model. There's no CrystalGlow panel here, too.
It's 144Hz, and still supports all HDR formats – but the B&O speakers have been dropped for an Onkyo Dolby Atmos sound system.
Pricing:
- 55C6K-UK: £799
- 65C6K-UK: £999
- 75C6K-UK: £1,499
- 85C6K-UK: £1,899
- 98C6K-UK: £3,199
The rest of the range
Beyond these, TCL also has two QLED models. The P8K is available from 55 inches to 98 inches, has a 144Hz refresh rate for gaming, and has full HDR support and Onkyo sound. It's basically the C6K without a mini-LED backlight, settling for regular LED instead.
The P7K comes in 43-inch to 85-inch sizes and drops multi-HDR support, 144Hz, and the Onkyo sound system. It uses a weaker image processor too – but it's still promoted as a QLED TV.
The P6K comes in 43-inch to 75-inch sizes and drops the QLED coating from the specs.
The S5K is a Full HD TV with QLED and comes in 32-inch, 40-inch and 43-inch sizes. And finally, the S4K is a 32-inch Full HD QLED TV, with unclear differences from the S5K. Both of these TVs come with Android TV, instead of Google TV.
We don't yet have prices for these models yet.
TCL also has two models of high-end TV that aren't coming to the UK but will be available in the rest of Europe.
TCL X11K
This is the flagship model, available only in 85- and 98-inch sizes – and not available in the UK, though let's take a look anyway. It has the most elaborate mini-LED construction of the group, offering up to 14,112 dimming zones, and up to 6,500 nits of brightness.
It has audio developed by Bang & Olufsen, with a 6.2.2-channel Dolby Atmos speaker array. As with all the mini-LEDs here, it supports 4K at 144Hz and both Dolby Vision IQ and HDR10+ HDR formats.
TCL C9K
This one also won't actually be available in the UK but will be available in the rest of Europe. This is available in 65-, 75- and 85-inch sizes, and also promises brightness of up to 6,500 nits, like the X11K. However, you'll have to slum it with a maximum number of dimming of zones reaching merely 5,184 – assuming this uses the 23-bit backlighting, which puts it right in line with the Sony Bravia 9 for specs, except a lot brighter. It has the CrystGlow panel.
Again, it's a 144Hz TV, with 6.2.2-channel B&O sound. It also has a 'Zeroborder' design, meaning that there's a new super-slim bezel.
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