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Nov 2020
The TCL 6-Series Roku TV has big shoes to fill. For
two years running
it's been
my favorite TV for everyday buyers
, with excellent image quality, class-leading smarts and an affordable price. The 2020 version adds a new backlight system powered by
mini-LED
, improved
gaming features
and a 75-inch size, yet keeps the cost affordable. The result is the best picture quality for the money I've tested this year.
8.8
TCL 6-Series (Roku TV 2020)
$1,200 at Amazon
$1,300 at Best Buy
$1,300 at Walmart
How it stacks up
LG OLEDG1 series review
8.4
$2,797
Samsung Q60A series (2021)
7.2
$1,098
LG OLEDCX series review
8.6
$1,997
Like
Excellent overall image quality
Superior brightness for the price
Great game mode performance
Roku smart TV is simple, capable
Don't Like
Some issues with low-light dimming
Those mini-LEDs maximize brightness, leading to better images in bright rooms and with
HDR
.
Local dimming
, meanwhile, manages to keep black levels dark and overall contrast superb -- although it's not perfect. And gamers will appreciate the new THX Certified game mode, which serves up fast response time with minimal lag and excellent image quality.
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TCL 6-Series: Best TV for the money in 2020
4:21
Compared to the 2019 6-Series the 2020 version is better in pretty much every way. The new 6-Series isn't as good as the 2019
TCL 8-Series
, however, which has an even brighter image and better local dimming. Normally there's a big price gap between the two but when the 8-Series is on sale -- as it
often
seems
to be
-- video quality snobs who don't want to spring for
OLED
should probably choose the 8 instead.
You'll have to spend a lot more to get that improved image quality, however, and for most people it's just not worth it. Compared to other mainstream-priced TV's I've tested since this review first published, including the
Sony XBR-X900H
and the
Vizio M-Series
, the TCL 6-Series remains my overall favorite and earns CNET's Editors' Choice award.
Red Roku, metallic frame, impressive picture mark TCL 6-Series
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Gray metal body, adjustable feet
TCL's midrange TVs have a much more polished look than their budget sets and the new 6-Series is no exception. The slim frame around the image and thicker bottom edge are dark gray textured metal, with subtle TCL and Roku logos. Not-so-subtle is the big accent light below the central logo -- it turns off when you turn on the TV, thankfully, but I wish there was a way to disable it entirely. (
Update
: You can! Go to
Settings > System > Power
and turn off the
Standby LED
. Thanks to commenter chazzsubscribe.)
New for 2019 is a dual-position stand leg arrangement on the 65- and 75-inch sizes that lets you place the legs either out toward the edge of the panel, as seen in the images here, or more toward the center. Both also include a cable cozy in the legs that let you kinda hide HDMI, power and other connectors.
David Katzmaier/CNET
Hello, Roku (now with HBO Max)
I'm a fan of Roku TV, for reasons I've documented extensively in previous reviews. Here's the short list why:
Frequent updates and feature improvements
Simple menus with full customization, including input naming
Inputs on the same home page as TV apps
More apps (and 4K HDR apps) than any other smart TV system
Cross-platform search covers many services and allows price comparisons
Like other Roku devices, the TCL 6-Series now includes an
HBO Max app
, bringing its app selection up to the level of (and in most cases far exceeding) the competition. It also
supports
Apple's AirPlay system
, which is also available on competing TVs from Vizio, LG, Sony and Samsung.
David Katzmaier/CNET
The 6-Series includes the simple Roku remote with built-in voice control. Roku's voice function isn't nearly as robust as Amazon Alexa, found on Fire Edition TVs, for example, but it worked fine for searches, app launching, switching inputs and tuning to an antenna channel. If the TV is off, a voice command such as "Launch Netflix" will turn it on and launch the app.
Mini-LED leads a big list of features
Mini-LEDs are, as you might have guessed, smaller than standard LEDs, allowing them to be grouped into more local dimming zones.
Full-array local dimming
is the best way to improve picture quality on LCD TVs. It allows the backlight -- the part behind the LCD screen that provides illumination -- to dim and illuminate different areas simultaneously. Smaller areas, or more dimming zones, mean more precise illumination, which ultimately increases
contrast
, the most important ingredient in a good picture.
Key TV features
Display technology
LED LCD (Mini-LED)
LED backlight
Full array with local dimming
Number of zones
55-inch: 128, 65-inch: 160, 75-inch: 240
Resolution
4K
HDR compatible
HDR10 and Dolby Vision
Smart TV
Roku TV
Remote
Voice
TCL is still the only TV maker to use mini-LED technology, first in the 8-Series and now in the 6-Series, but specs on the 6-Series aren't nearly as impressive. The cheaper 6 has around 1,000 LEDs and 240 zones on the 75-inch size, while the more expensive 8 has 10,000 mini-LEDs and 1,000 zones. That's likely the biggest reason the 6-Series didn't perform as well as the 8-Series in my tests.
Read more:
Mini-LED is here: How smaller lights could lead to big TV improvements
The 2020
Vizio P-Series
is probably the new 6-Series' closest competitor and it actually has more local dimming zones than the TCL -- 200 on the 65-inch size. The
Hisense H9G
matches the TCL with 160 zones on the 65-inch size, while other TV makers like Sony and Samsung don't specify number of zones.
Another improvement over the 2019 6-Series is a true
120Hz refresh rate
on all sizes in the series, which leads to better motion performance. Like most TVs in its class today the 6-Series uses quantum dots that help improve color compared to non-QD-equipped TVs. And of course it supports both
Dolby Vision and HDR10 high dynamic range formats
. These days basically the only manufacturer that doesn't is Samsung.
David Katzmaier/CNET
Inputs are ample:
4x
HDMI
inputs
1x analog (composite) video input
1x USB port (2.0)
Ethernet (wired internet)
1x headphone jack
1x optical digital audio output
1x RF (antenna) input
The 2020 6-Series supports Auto Game Mode that engages the new THX Certified game mode automatically when connected to a compatible device. New for this year it also has
variable refresh rate
and the ability to accept frame rates up to 120Hz. The latter are both
important capabilities of the upcoming PS5 and Xbox consoles
, but hardcore gamers should note that the 6-Series lacks the ability to do 4K resolution 120Hz with HDR, instead maxing out at 1440p resolution. The Vizio P-Series and Sony X900H, meanwhile, can handle 4K/120 with HDR. I'm not sure how big a difference it will make but I plan to test the new TVs with those consoles when they come out.
Picture quality comparisons
Click the image above to see CNET's picture settings.
David Katzmaier/CNET
While the TCL 6-Series put out an excellent image, I can't say yet how it competes against the 2020 Vizio and Hisense sets mentioned above, since I haven't reviewed them yet. Against the TVs I have reviewed, however, its overall picture is better than any other set that earned an 8 in this category -- yet not quite worthy of the 9 I gave the brighter and more expensive 8-Series and
Vizio PX
from last year, let alone OLED models like the
CX
that earned a 10. The new 6-Series nails the basics and looks great for gaming, but some issues with dimming in select scenes held it back a little.
Comparison models
Sony XBR-65X900H
TCL 65R625 (2019 6-Series)
TCL 65Q825 (2019 8-Series)
Dim lighting:
With standard Blu-ray and other SDR content calibrated for a dark room, the TVs looked very similar, and any differences would be tough to distinguish outside of a side-by-side comparison. Overall the Sony showed slightly lighter black levels than the TCLs, for a slightly less impactful and contrasty image, and between the three TCLs the 8-Series looked best by a nose.
Watching
1917
on Blu-ray, for example, after the soldier awakens in chapter 13 (1:06:38), the 635's letterbox bars and shadows looked truer and more inky than the Sony's, while I could discern more of the folds of his uniform and walls in the background than on the 625. Meanwhile the 635 and the 8-Series were closest of all, with the only real difference being slightly better shadow detail on the 8-Series.
During the extremely dark assault on Hogwarts from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, the 635 again looked best aside from the 8-Series. Compared to the 625 from 2019 its black levels were very slightly worse but shadow detail was significantly better, and all three TCLs maintained black levels better than the Sony.
In content prone to blooming, for example when I brought up the playback controls during a black screen, the TCLs all did a better job controlling the stray illumination than the Sony, which lit up larger portions of the image. The 635 did show blooming more with brighter content, however, including HDR (see below).
Bright lighting: The TCL 6-Series is the brightest TV I've ever measured at this price. Brighter TVs like the 8-Series and the Vizio PX cost a lot more -- as do numerous dimmer examples like the Sony X900H.
Light output in nits
TV
Brightest (SDR)
Accurate color (SDR)
Brightest (HDR)
Accurate color (HDR)
Vizio PX65-G1
1,990
1,120
2,908
2,106
TCL 65Q825
1,653
904
1,818
982
TCL 65R635
1,114
792
1,292
1,102
Sony XBR-65X900H
841
673
989
795
TCL 65R625
653
578
881
813
Vizio M658-G1
633
400
608
531
LG OLED65CX
377
290
690
634
The TCL's brightest settings, "TV Brightness: brighter" and "Picture mode: Vivid," (or "Bright HDR" for HDR content) are terribly inaccurate. An accurate bright-room picture is laudably easy to achieve, however. Just switch the mode to "Movie" or "Dark HDR" mode, which reduces light output but delivers a much better image.
Under bright lighting the 2020 6-Series' TCL's screen performed a bit better than last year's model, as well as the Sony, at mitigating reflections and preserving black levels and contrast. Overall its bright-room image is just as impressive for the price as its home theater picture.
Color accuracy:
According to my measurements the TCL 635's color was excellent before calibration in Movie mode and even better afterward. Watching 1917, for the most part I'd call its color excellent as well, as indicated by the numbers. It did appear slightly less saturated than the other three at times, for example, in the faces of the soldiers or the reddish glow of the firelight. In general the difference was minimal, however, and in other scenes it was much less visible.
Video processing:
The 6-Series is a 120Hz native TV with plenty of options for handling motion. The most obvious is Action Smoothing which has four settings. In Off the TV delivers correct
1080p/24
film cadence but in the other settings, Low and higher, it causes the TV to have the buttery smoothness of the
soap opera effect
.
Those other settings, "Action Clarity" and "LED Motion Clarity," affect motion resolution and interact with one another. The good news is that achieving maximum motion resolution doesn't require SOE. When I toggled LED Motion Clarity on, engaging black frame insertion, and cranked Action Clarity to High, I measured a healthy 1,080 lines of resolution -- very good, albeit not as good as the Sony or some other 120Hz TVs I've tested. Turning LED Motion Clarity off reduces resolution out at 600 lines. I preferred to leave AC on High and turn LED Motion Clarity off because the latter dims the image slightly and introduced some flicker. Viewers very averse to blur might want to leave it on, however.
Compared to last year the 2020 6-Series added a couple milliseconds of gaming input lag, clocking in at around 18/19ms for both 1080p and 4K HDR in game mode. Twitch gamers might notice, but nobody else will. That said, the chances of noticing lag go way up for anybody who doesn't use game mode in 4K HDR: I measured 134ms (!) in 4K with game mode turned off.
"Game mode" is actually another confusing setting on the 2020 6-Series. You can apply it to any picture mode (such as Movie) or choose the actual "Gaming" / "Gaming HDR" picture mode, which invokes THX's special sauce. In both cases input lag was basically the same.
Uniformity:
With test patterns the 2020 6-Series was solid without too much brightness variation across the screen: slightly better along the edges than the 2019 6-Series and better in the middle than the Sony. One blemish on my review sample was a pair of very slightly darker spots in the middle right. They were quite subtle: I only noticed them on test patterns and demanding material like hockey. From off-angle the 65R635 preserved more black level fidelity than the 625 and the Sony, while off-angle color was similar to the other TCLs and worse than the Sony.
Best 4K Blu-rays
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+31 More
HDR and 4K video:
As usual with bright, contrasty HDR material I saw more differences than with SDR. To get a baseline I started with the video montage from the Spears and Munsil 4K HDR benchmark disc, and the 635's advantages stood out over the Sony and the 2019 6-Series. In the cityscape scenes like the Ferris wheel at night (4:49), the 635's highlights looked brighter than the other TCL, while the black levels of the sky and shadows were significantly darker than the Sony. Meanwhile the 8-series looked best of all, with blacks as dark as the 635 and brighter highlights.
In difficult scenes with objects against black backgrounds all three TCLs showed similar inky black levels but the highlights were quite visibly different. The 635 was consistently brighter than either the Sony or the 625 (the pen at 4:12 was a good example) and dimmer than the 8-Series. In mostly white scenes, like the mountains and the horses grazing in the snowfield, the 2020 635 again measured the brightest aside from the 8-Series.
As with SDR the 635's color did appear slightly less impactful and saturated at times, particularly orange like the sunsets or the wings of a monarch butterfly at 3:51. And just like with SDR the difference was subtle and the kind of thing I wouldn't notice outside of a side-by-side comparison. And in other scenes, like the red, green and yellow of the tulip field, the 635 looked just as vibrant and punchy as the other three.
Moving on to the 1917 4K Blu-ray disc it was mostly the same story, but in a couple of mixed bright and dark scenes that really test local dimming, the 635 stumbled. When
the soldiers meet the general in the bunker (5:20), the 635 showed more blooming and stray illumination in the soldiers silhouettes, the shadows and letterbox bars than the others. I tried reducing the brightness setting from Brighter (which I recommend for HDR on this TV in general) to Normal (which put it at roughly the same overall light output as the 2019 TCL) and or Darker (the dimmest option and much dimmer than either one). If I had to choose between the Sony's lighter black levels and the 635's blooming, I'd still take the 635, but both of the other TCLs handled this scene better.
And as usual the effect varied quite a bit. In the next dark bunker scene, around 25:45, the 635's blooming was much less noticeable, perhaps because of the way the flashlights and camera moved through the rooms. On the other hand in the Chapter 13 awakening scene the TCL 635 was basically unwatchable: its dimming kicked in aggressively to crush almost all the shadow detail in the scene, the uniform and background were invisible and blooming rampant. Changing the picture mode to Bright HDR reclaimed most of the detail but made other aspects of the image look worse, especially in brighter scenes. The 625 looked a bit better (but not great) during this scene, the 8-Series looked significantly better, while the Sony looked the best despite its lighter black levels, showing minimal local dimming effects.
HDR color during 1917 showed the Sony as the palest and least saturated of the three in this pale and unsaturated movie, and to my eye the 635 and 8-Series looked the most balanced. HDR color accuracy measurements gave the Sony the advantage over the 635.
4K HDR gaming:
For this test I played
The Last of Us Part 2
on a
PS4 Pro
in the TVs' various Game modes: Gaming HDR (aka THX-certified Game Mode) for the 635, Dark HDR/Brighter/"Game mode" toggle on for the other two TCLs and Game mode on the Sony. In my comparison THX Game mode did an excellent job of balancing image quality and low input lag.
In those settings the 635 had the best contrast, brightest highlights and most punch of the bunch -- the other three looked more washed-out. When you're crawling around a dark building hunting zombies, however, shadow detail is more important than black level and contrast, because it allows you to peer into dark recesses to spot enemies. By that measure the Sony was better than the 635, delivering every ounce of detail in the darkest shadows while the 635 was a bit more shrouded, albeit still better than the other two. If I wanted maximum zombie-spot potential on I'd set the game's Contrast slider a bit lower.
Moving out into the day-lit Seattle streets the 635 again looked best overall thanks to superior contrast, which as usual helped colors pop. Of course you can reclaim the native contrast of the other TCLs by turning off the Game mode toggle but the trade-off is extreme input lag -- which was intolerable as I played the game.
Geek Box
Test
Result
Score
Black luminance (0%)
0.005
Good
Peak white luminance (SDR)
1114
Good
Avg. gamma (10-100%)
2.2
Good
Avg. grayscale error (10-100%)
0.44
Good
Dark gray error (30%)
0.40
Good
Bright gray error (80%)
0.54
Good
Avg. color checker error
1.60
Good
Avg. saturation sweeps error
1.56
Good
Avg. color error
1.39
Good
Red error
1.36
Good
Green error
2.16
Good
Blue error
1.61
Good
Cyan error
1.29
Good
Magenta error
1.17
Good
Yellow error
0.72
Good
1080p/24 Cadence (IAL)
Pass
Good
Motion resolution (max)
1080
Good
Motion resolution (dejudder off)
600
Average
Input lag (Game mode)
19ms
Average
HDR10
Black luminance (0%)
0.011
Good
Peak white luminance (10% win)
1292
Good
Gamut % UHDA/P3 (CIE 1976)
96.51
Good
ColorMatch HDR error
10.91
Poor
Avg. color checker error
4.96
Average
Input lag (Game mode, 4K HDR)
18.27ms
Average
TCL 65R635 CNET review calibration results
by
David Katzmaier
on Scribd
Update, Nov. 6
: Adds Editors' Choice award.First published Sept. 11.
