Navigating the interface, or the fairly brief set-up menus, is a job for the comprehensive, logical and unremarkable-feeling remote control handset. Or you may prefer to use voice control – but here, again, is where things differ based on your location. UK viewers are prompted to add the TCL skill to your Alexa app (there’s ‘Works with’ Google interaction too), the Google TV model has Google Assistant built in, naturally. Picture Quality The vintage charms of Gregory’s Girl in its Dolby Vision-remastered guise allow the TCL to reveal quite a few areas in which it knows exactly what’s what. It’s a stable and composed watch, handles even the sport-related on-screen motion well, and it keeps detail levels high at the same time. Patterns and textures get plenty of calm, stable expression, and edge-definition is good. TCL TVs use a mix of Roku OS and Google TV, so the app store and channel lineup vary depending on which model you get. Roku-powered TVs give you access to the Roku Channel Store, offering a good selection of streaming channels. The C635K also runs the AiPQ 2.0 processor and is able to hit a peak brightness of 500 nits, which is actually slightly higher than the 450 nits the C645K is rated at. Like the two 2022 models above, the C635K runs the Android TV operating system rather than Google TV. It ought to be clarified that this is a review of TCL 55C645K for the UK market, which differs from what you get on the continent, chiefly in terms of the interface. UK owners get Android TV while those not of these isles plug into Google TV as the smart interface.

The features of the TCL 55RP620K are largely set by the Roku system and that’s no bad thing, as Roku is an excellent platform. Step down to some 1080p content and this is a perfectly decent upscaler – as long as you don’t mind a little softness and rather less certainty with motion than before. Anything less information-rich than this, though, and the TCL isn’t comfortable in the slightest – it becomes quite coarse and noisy and loses its grip on movement quite badly. Sound Quality This part is simpler than it first seems. When it comes to the jumble of numbers and letters TCL has applied to its 2023 TVs, we can actually break each code down in just a few steps. Let’s take one of the big guns from this year’s bunch, the 65C845K: There are any number of apps in the Google Play store for streaming music, but also Bluetooth (and Chromecast and AirPlay) for streaming music to the TV. Setting up IMAX Enhanced comes from the same maker as DTS audio, and there is DTS Virtual:X here, available when listening to the TV’s own speakers. We gather it’s included partly because TCL finds Virtual:X better at virtualising from stereo on their speakers. Dolby content, however, will play in virtualised Atmos.

Lineup

Much like TCL’s US side, TCL UK offers up a slew of budget TVs with different features at different price points. From 720p TVs to 4K Mini-LED sets that cost thousands, UK TCL TVs run the gamut as well. As you make your way up TCL’s lines, TCL TVs will offer HDR10+, HLG, Dolby Vision, Dolby Atmos, gaming-focused features like ALLM and VRR, and even QLED panels. The 6-Series will even offer up Mini-LED support and 8K support, too. Unsurprisingly, the more features you want, the more money you’ll be spending.

TCL TVs may not be the best for gamers, largely opting out of supporting features like VRR or 120Hz, but this is often the case across brands at this price. High-end gaming features usually come with higher-end price tags, while TCL TVs will have no trouble with casual gaming, especially if you’re still playing on PS4 or Xbox One.Here we did experience a downside to handing setup over to Google Home: it rarely works perfectly. When it got to the Wi-Fi connection, for example, the TV announced it was connected. But the Google Home app said it had failed and we should try again. We had no choice – we had to keep using the app to get through the setup, so we had to do it again. Happily, the second time it worked and we could move on. There’s certainly a big enough performance gap for another TV to sit between the Hisense and the Samsung, and we’re pleased to report that the TCL 55RP620K fills it perfectly. Experience precision at its finest with TCL 55 Inch TVs. Our dedication to detail ensures that each image is a masterpiece of clarity, bringing out subtleties that were once hidden. Immerse yourself in content that's presented with astonishing realism and depth. But if you’re planning to use a soundbar in front of this TV, you might choose, as did we, to use the lower mountings to lift the TV a useful few extra centimetres above the desktop: only 3cm more, when we measured it, but that might make all the difference to get above a soundbar.

There is Apple AirPlay, and Apple HomeKit compatibility too. Some online specifications say it doesn’t have Chromecast built-in, but that would be mighty odd for a Google TV, and of course it does. You’ll be getting HDR10, Dolby Vision and HLG alongside HDMI eARC instead of just ARC; plus, you’ll get the Google TV platform and virtual assistant support, too. All told, this is about what you’d expect from a relatively basic, modern 4K TV in 2023, but you might not expect the 4-Series’ pricing.

Ai-Contrast

This chip helps improve contrast, clarity, colour and motion and also looks after the upscaling of lower-resolution content. HDR format support covers every base, with HDR10, HDR10+, HLG and Dolby Vision IQ as well as IMAX Enhanced all present and correct. TCL has some more experimental TV designs now and then, largely closer to its home market in China.