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TCL C6K review: Two minute review
The TCL C6K is a decent overall TV, though its picture quality is a mixed bag. It delivers vibrant colours, good detail and surprisingly strong black levels. It won’t beat the best OLED TVs when it comes to the latter, but blacks are better than I anticipated from an affordable mini-LED TV.
The TCL C6K’s sound is clear, and it has a good amount of power despite the modest 2.1-channel speaker array, but its soundstage is limited, and bass can be hit-and-miss. For those looking for a more cinematic audio experience, I’d recommend one of the best soundbars.
Much like its step-up sibling, the TCL C7K, the C6K plays it safe with a functional, lightweight yet sturdy design.
The C6K is a good, affordable option for gamers. Its list of features (4K 144Hz, VRR with AMD FreeSync Premium, ALLM and Dolby Vision gaming) puts it up there with the best gaming TVs, and it delivers very good gaming performance. It doesn’t have the complete list of gaming features we look for, but it has more than enough for the price.
The C6K is a very good value for money. It may not deliver the same level of performance as the best mini-LED TVs, but it has good overall picture quality and features for the price.
TCL C6K review: Prices & release date
- Release date: March 2025
- 55-inch: £599
- 65-inch: £799
- 75-inch: £1,099
- 85-inch: £1,499
The TCL C6K is the entry-level model in TCL’s 2025 C-series mini-LED TV range, sitting below the mid-range C7K and flagship C8K. There is also a C9K model that sits above the C8K, but TCL currently has no plans to bring this to the UK.
Prices for the C6K have already dropped since its launch in March 2025. The 55-inch model I tested has dropped from £799 to £599 and the lower price appears to be the standard now. The same is true for the 65, 75 and 85-inch models as well.
TCL C6K review: Benchmark results
TCL C6K review: Features
- Dolby Vision and HDR10+ support
- 4K 144Hz for gaming
- Google TV smart TV platform
The TCL C6K uses a mini-LED backlight with a varying number of local dimming zones depending on the model size. The 55-inch model I tested is equipped with 180 local dimming zones.
The C6K has full HDR support like its step-up siblings, with the Dolby Vision IQ, HDR10+, HDR10 and HLG formats all covered. The 2025 C-series models also have a Filmmaker Mode picture preset – a first for TCL TVs in the UK.
For audio, the C6K has a built-in 2.1 channel speaker array from Onkyo totalling 40W of power – a step-down from the 6.2.2-channel, 60W Bang & Olufsen system in the TCL C7K. There is support for Dolby Atmos and DTS:X audio formats, and a customizable surround sound virtualizer is also available in the sound settings.
For its price, the C6K is surprisingly well-equipped for gaming, with 4K 144Hz, VRR (AMD FreeSync Premium), ALLM and Dolby Vision gaming all supported. There is also a Game mode with customisable settings, including Dark Detail and Aim Assist.
Google TV is the C6K’s smart TV platform, and it supports popular streaming services such as Netflix, Prime Video and Disney Plus, as well as UK-based streaming apps like BBC iPlayer and ITVX.
TCL C6K review: Picture quality
- Natural, yet vibrant colours
- Strong black levels
- Black crush in some scenes
Starting with brightness measurements, the C6K hit 705 nits peak HDR brightness (measured on a white 10% window pattern) in Filmmaker Mode and 984 nits in Standard mode. Those results are slightly below the Amazon Fire TV Omni mini-LED, which hit 973 nits and 845 nits in Filmmaker and Standard modes, respectively, on the same test.
The C6K’s fullscreen brightness was higher than expected, with it hitting 586 nits and 706 nits in Filmmaker and Standard mode, respectively. Those are very good figures for a TV in this price range.
Watching an HD stream of Fight Club via Disney Plus, the C6K showcased decent upscaling, giving textures, contrast and colours an uplift, though I did find pictures had a too-sharp appearance at times. Details such as facial features looked mostly good and natural enough, but they did appear a little flat compared to what I’ve seen on more premium mini-LED TVs.
Colour is one of the C6K’s strong suits. A Disney Plus stream of Elemental, viewed in Dolby Vision Dark picture mode, demonstrated vibrant, punchy colours, particularly when Ember does glass-making. In Wicked, during the Wizard & I scene, Elphaba’s green skin, the pink flowers and the blue walls all looked as vivid as expected. I found the C6K’s colours overall lacked the same punch as the step-up C7K, but they were good for a TV of this price range.
When I measured the C6K’s HDR colour gamut coverage, it hit 71.9% of the BT.2020 colour space and 94.05% of the UHDA-P3 colour space. Again, these are solid results for a TV in this price range.
Black levels were another area where the C6K surprised me. Watching a 4K Blu-ray of Nosferatu, it demonstrated deep black shadows throughout the movie, especially in a scene where Hutler waits for the carriage to Count Orlock’s castle.
Contrast was also very good, with instances of bright light against dark surroundings, such as the torches in Nosferatu and the lamps on the walls in The Batman, displaying a good balance.
I did see of black crush in darker scenes on the C6K, however. In The Batman, some detail was lost in more shaded areas, both during the opening crime scene sequence and the first meeting between Catwoman and Batman. The same was true in Nosferatu: facial features were sometimes obscured in dark scenes, whereas these details were clearer on the step-up C7K.
Switching to black and white scenes in Oppenheimer, the C6K demonstrated a decent range of grey tones, though blacks did take on a grey hue in these scenes. I also noted a screen uniformity issue here where brown tones could be seen on the very edges of the screen, though the effect was not as severe as what I’d seen when I tested the TCL C7K.
The C6K’s viewing angles are an improvement over other budget mini-LED TVs I’ve tested, such as the Hisense U6N. Black levels and contrast still fade when the picture is viewed from off-centre seats, however.
For watching both sports and movies, I generally found the C6K best set to the Custom setting with Blur Reduction at 3-4 and Judder Reduction at 6-7. This created smoother motion during fast-paced scenes, but didn’t border into the dreaded soap opera effect. The Low preset also helped, making the motion in even a tricky, panning landscape shot of a rocky cliffside in No Time To Die look smooth but not fake.
- Picture quality score: 3.5/5
TCL C6K review: Sound quality
- Punchy, clear sound
- Lots of sound settings
- Narrow soundstage
The C6K’s 2.1-channel, 40W Onkyo speaker system is a step down from the 6.2.2-channel 60W Bang & Olufsen speaker system found in the C7K.
Watching the Batmobile/Penguin car chase from The Batman, the C6K delivered plenty of impact during car crashes and explosions. It also demonstrated good placement of effects like screeching tyres and swerving traffic. In Wicked, voices were clear, and there was a good balance between the soundtrack and dialogue.
Unfortunately, the C6K struggled with surround sound. Its virtual surround processing could be adjusted in the sound settings, but surround effects were limited by the TV’s 2.1-channel system, which created a cluttered sound with a narrow soundstage.
In Oppenheimer, the echoing of Strauss and Oppenheimer’s footsteps in the university lobby sounded unnatural with the virtual processing set to Auto. Turning it off resulted in a more direct, natural sound, but at the sacrifice of spaciousness.
Ultimately, I preferred the Movie mode with virtual surround processing off, but the C6K does give users a lot more virtual surround processing options than many other TVs I’ve tested. Still, I’d recommend a soundbar for those using the C6K for more than casual viewing.
TCL C6K review: Design
- Safe but dependable design
- Light but sturdy build
- Support feet may be too deep for some TV stands
The C6K’s design is nothing remarkable. The TV is light but feels sturdy when assembled. It has a bezel-less design with a metal-style frame, and though it’s slightly thicker than more premium TVs, it doesn’t feel super-cheap or cumbersome.
The C6K’s included support feet are set wide apart and are tall enough to accommodate a compact soundbar like the Sonos Beam, but some may find the feet too deep for their furniture.
The included remote is the same type that comes with the step-up C7K, and although a bit cheap-feeling, it is an improvement over last year’s TCL TV remotes. It has a black, metallic finish and plenty of buttons, including shortcuts to popular apps such as Netflix.
TCL C6K review: Smart TV & menus
- Google TV
- Good number of picture and sound settings
- Large, annoying banner ads on homescreen
Google TV serves as the C6K’s smart TV platform, and when signed in using a Google profile, you will get recommendations for TV shows based on your YouTube and watch history. It has a good number of apps on offer, including Netflix, Disney Plus and Prime Video, as well as UK-based services like BBC iPlayer and ITVX.
Banner ads for sponsored TV shows and movies regrettably take up a large chunk of the Google TV homescreen, pushing apps and recommendations further down the page.
The C6K offers a good range of picture settings for customising the picture, and there are even white balance and colour customisation controls for advanced picture calibration. The C6K also comes with a higher-than-usual number of sound settings, including its virtual surround customisation.
- Smart TV & menus score: 4/5
TCL C6K review: Gaming
- Well-equipped for the price level
- 4K 144Hz support
- 13.6ms input lag time
The C6K is well-equipped for gaming, with a surprising number of features for its price range. It supports 4K 144Hz, VRR (AMD FreeSync Premium included), Dolby Vision gaming and ALLM. I measured its input lag time at 13.6ms, a respectable result that many gamers will be pleased with. It has a Game Master mode where additional settings such as Dark Detail can be customised, though it only features two HDMI 2.1 ports.
The C6K performs well with fast-paced games. Playing Battlefield V on Xbox Series X, action and battles felt well-controlled, with the C6K putting in a responsive and snappy showing.
Picture quality in games fared somewhat better than movies, with the bright, vibrant colours in the deserts in Battlefield V and accurate-looking textures on weapons making the game feel that much more engaging.
TCL C6K review: Value
- Good overall performance for the price
- Great gaming features for the money
- Affordable for a mini-LED TV
The C6K boasts an impressive list of features and delivers solid performance for its price. The 55-inch model I tested launched for £799, but appears to have already dropped to £599 as standard. This puts it at £100 cheaper than the Amazon Omni Mini-LED (£699 discounted, £849 full price) and at the same price level as the 55-inch Hisense U7N mini-LED TV.
The C6K’s performance isn’t perfect. Textures and colours can occasionally look flat, contrast could be better, and the built-in sound isn’t the best. But it does punch above its price tag, especially when it comes to gaming.
Should you buy the TCL C6K?
|
Attributes |
Notes |
Rating |
|
Features |
Full HDR support, plenty of gaming features |
4/5 |
|
Picture quality |
Vibrant colours and good black levels but doesn’t look as compelling as step-up TCL C7K |
3.5/5 |
|
Sound quality |
Clear speech and direct sound, but overprocessed surround sound affects sound clarity |
3/5 |
|
Design |
Practical, lightweight but sturdy design |
4/5 |
|
Smart TV & menus |
Google TV has good picture and sound settings and plenty of apps, but is hampered by banner ads |
4/5 |
|
Gaming |
Strong list of gaming features and good performance, especially at this price range |
4.5/5 |
|
Value |
Great features for a budget-friendly price tag |
4.5/5 |
Buy it if…
Don’t buy it if…
Also consider
| Header Cell – Column 0 |
TCL C6K (2025) |
TCL C7K (2025) |
Amazon Fire TV Omni Mini-LED |
Hisense U7N (2024) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Price (55-inch) |
£799 |
£999 |
£849.99 |
£1,299 (launch)/£599 |
|
Screen type |
Mini-LED |
Mini-LED |
Mini-LED |
Mini-LED |
|
Refresh rate |
Up to 144Hz |
Up to 144Hz |
Up to 144Hz |
Up to 144Hz |
|
HDR support |
Dolby Vision/HDR10+/HDR10/HLG |
Dolby Vision IQ/HDR10+/HDR10/HLG |
Dolby Vision IQ/HDR10+/HDR10HLG |
Dolby Vision IQ/HDR10+/HDR10/HLG |
|
Smart TV |
Google TV |
Google TV |
Google TV |
VIDAA |
|
HDMI ports |
4 (2x HDMI 2.1) |
4 (2x HDMI 2.1) |
4 (2x HDMI 2.1) |
4 (2x HDMI 2.1) |
How I tested the TCL C6K
Image 1 of 2
- Tested using SDR and HDR sources
- Tested over a week
- Measurements taken using Portrait Displays’ Calman Color calibration software
Before conducting official testing, I first did some causal viewing of the TCL C6K to determine its most accurate picture modes: Filmmaker and Dolby Vision Dark. Movie and Dolby Vision IQ are also good alternatives.
I tested the C6K’s picture quality using standard dynamic range (SDR) sources, such as HD streaming, and high dynamic range sources (HDR) such as 4K Blu-ray and streaming.
I tested the C6K’s colour, contrast, textures, upscaling, motion, black levels and screen uniformity using reference scenes.
I made measurements using a Klein K10A colorimeter, a Murideo Six-G Metal test pattern generator, and recorded the measurements using Portrait Displays’ Calman color calibration software.
I measured the C6K’s SDR and HDR brightness using test window patterns sized 1-100% of the screen (the main ones being peak 10% and fullscreen 100%).
I also measured the C6K’s greyscale and colour accuracy and averaged their Delta-E values (the margin for error between the test pattern on what was shown on screen).
Finally, I tested the C6K’s HDR colour gamut coverage for the BT.2020 and UHDA-P3 colour spaces.
I also used a Leo Bodnar 4K HDMI input lag tester to test the C6K’s input lag time for gaming.
For more on how we test TVs at TechRadar, check out the link.
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james.davidson@futurenet.com (James Davidson)
