Panasonic Z95B vs TCL C69K / Q6C

The HDR effect quality in the Panasonic Z95B is among the absolute best. Thanks to the latest generation panel, named Primary RGB Tandem OLED by the manufacturer, the television can achieve over 2000 nits of brightness in movie scenes. The effect is impressive and can amaze with its intensity of light, giving a sense of contact with the screen that goes beyond previous experiences. Similar feelings were only experienced during tests of the LG G5, Samsung S95F, or Philips OLED910. Of course, there are moments when the device's algorithms decide to limit luminance – this especially applies to full-screen bright sequences, such as the ending credits in the movie The Meg. Even then, the Z95B maintains a level of around 1500 nits, which is still an extremely impressive result. Thus, it can be said that HDR in this model has been brought to a masterful form. A significant step forward is also visible in the reproduction of the colour palette. The new tandem OLED panel does not yet match the best QD-OLED screens in terms of gamut coverage, but the gap between these solutions has significantly decreased. When watching films, the differences are subtle enough that under normal conditions it's hard to notice them, and the colours remain vibrant and saturated.

In terms of brightness, TCL C69K / Q6C is a moderate model. In optimal movie conditions, it shows its full potential, reaching a maximum of around 600 nits. In scenes with large, intense light sources, the HDR effect can be truly satisfying, giving a cinematic glow. However, it's important to keep in mind that when managing the backlight zones, there are situations where parts of the image are dimmed, and at times become barely visible. This suggests that there is still a lack of proper optimization of the algorithms, although considering the technical parameters in this price range, the overall construction still looks very good.

The factory colour reproduction in Filmmaker mode, my dear friends, is a true phenomenon in the case of the Panasonic Z95B. I'm talking about our test sample, but the results were so good that it's hard to believe. The only detail that one could nitpick is a slight lack of blue in the white balance, but apart from that, the television straight out of the box presented an image like we have never seen in factory mode. Colour palette tests, Color Checker – everything indicated values below Delta 2. This is a much lower result than the threshold of human eye perception, which means, to put it simply, that the viewer has no chance of noticing serious deviations. It looks as if Panasonic actually calibrated this model at the factory stage. Of course, we cannot exclude the possibility that we got an exceptionally well-set specimen, but the result still makes a stunning impression. We are very strict when it comes to assessing factory calibration, and here our jaws simply dropped.

The Filmmaker Mode, which has been introduced in this year's TCL TVs (including the C69K / Q6C), is definitely the best choice "to start with". This is the mode we recommend for everyday movie and series viewing. Unfortunately, as is often the case, best does not mean perfect. In SDR materials, the image turned out to be too warm, with a strong red tint in the white balance. The opposite impression was had with HDR content – here the image became cooler than it should have been, due to an excess of blue. Additionally, there is the brightness characteristic, which at times resulted in overexposures. In practice, this translated to fairly noticeable errors in color tests, which is difficult to accept in a mode branded as "by the creators".

The colour reproduction after calibration on the Z95B is a topic that’s hard to elaborate on, as there wasn’t much to do here. A slight adjustment of the white balance was enough to eliminate the lack of blue, and at that moment, the picture jumped to an almost reference level. It must be said that we haven’t had such a small range of adjustments in a long time. If any of you are particularly perceptive, you might notice minimal deviations in the EOTF curve, but this is more related to the functioning of the dynamic tone mapping feature we mentioned earlier. In reality, this isn’t a flaw, but a characteristic of this solution, which intentionally alters the brightness profile depending on the scene. In summary, we are extremely impressed. The Panasonic Z95B is a television that looks great right out of the box, and after calibration, it reaches a level where we really struggle to find anything to improve.

Through white balance adjustment, we were able to significantly reduce the tendency of ChooseTV C69K / Q6C to distort colours, which resulted in a very good final outcome. After calibration, the problem of excessive warming of scenes in SDR and over-cooling of the image in HDR disappeared. However, it's worth analysing the brightness characteristics more closely. While in SDR content there are few complaints – the picture looks really good, especially in older films, TV programmes, or on YouTube – it performs much worse with HDR content. Analysis of the EOTF curve suggests that everything is fine, but in practice (EOTF in films), the limitations of the actual construction become evident. This model tends to excessively brighten small parts of the frame, while in other situations, it darkens the entire scene too much. The effect of calibration is therefore undeniable, and in terms of colourimetry, ChooseTV C69K / Q6C gains a lot. Unfortunately, certain limitations arising from local dimming management simply cannot be bypassed.

Let's start with what works well. The upscaling in the Z95B is at a very high level – the image in lower resolutions is clear and sharp, and the only minor shortcomings are slight banding in some areas of the picture. It's also important that the television doesn't crop the material in any way and maintains its proportions, which is not always an obvious fact even in 2025.

The situation looks worse when it comes to digital processing. Features like "gradation smoothing" or "block noise reduction" essentially do not work – the tested material looked identical regardless of the settings. We might as well say that this feature simply doesn't exist. It's a bit disappointing, especially since Panasonic heavily promotes its HCX Pro AI II processor, boasting the presence of artificial intelligence improving image quality. Meanwhile, in such a basic matter, the television does not deliver a real effect and it looks weaker than one would expect from top-tier equipment.

In terms of image scaling, TCL C69K / Q6C performs quite well. Lower quality content is presented acceptably, and due to the lack of overscan issues, the image is displayed in full without any cropping. However, don’t expect miracles – materials of very low quality won’t gain a second life here, as the image processor has its limitations.

On thin lines and details, there is noticeable jaggedness, which reveals the lack of more advanced image enhancement algorithms. It's also a shame that the C69K / Q6C lacks a feature for smoothing tonal transitions. As a result, in older films or video materials, color banding can be visible and may become distracting during extended viewing.

The OLED panel with very high refresh rates already provides an incredibly sharp image even in dynamic sports scenes, such as football or basketball matches, and the Z95B is no exception. It's also very important that the television is equipped with the proprietary motion smoothing system 'Intelligent Frame Creation'. Among the available sliders, the most crucial one turns out to be the one called 'film smoothness', as it allows for adjusting the motion to personal preferences with 24-frame content, meaning films – from a more 'choppy' appearance to a smooth, almost theatrical effect. It's a bit disappointing that Panasonic didn't opt to push the latest OLED panel to 165 Hz, as Samsung did with the S95F or LG with the G5, because we know that the panel is technically capable of it. On the other hand, it mainly benefits PC gamers, so in everyday viewing, it's not a significant drawback as we are limited to 120Hz.

The use of a 144 Hz panel in TCL C69K / Q6C is a significant advantage in this price range. This represents an important step forward compared to its predecessor (C655 PRO), which only offered 60 Hz at 4K. The difference is particularly noticeable when watching sports or gaming – the ball, players, and dynamic action in games are displayed more clearly and without losing detail. An interesting feature is also the panel's ability to operate at 240 Hz (which the manufacturer does not officially mention) – we will revisit this topic in relation to the PC gaming mode. TCL has also added a feature for movie fans: “Motion Clarity.” This allows users to adjust the picture to their own preferences using two simple sliders. We can either leave the visible film frame or opt for a very smooth one, "

The Panasonic Z95B is fully equipped for gaming. Two HDMI 2.1 ports with a full bandwidth of 48 Gb/s guarantee support for everything you can expect from a modern screen. It features VRR frame syncing, an automatic game mode (ALLM), and full compatibility with HDR formats used in gaming. The TV supports both Dolby Vision for Xbox and the popular HGiG, which in this case has been implemented correctly, so it actually works as it should.

Although the brand is mainly associated with home cinema and equipment for filmmakers, there’s also space for gamer conveniences here. Onboard is the Game Bar (or rather Game Circles) – it looks a bit unusual visually, but it does its job and allows you to quickly check the most important image parameters. The only thing missing for complete satisfaction is actually having four HDMI 2.1 ports instead of two. It’s a minor detail, but with a TV of this class, one could expect a full set.

TCL C69K / Q6C is a television that can confidently be called equipment designed for gamers. Here we have 4K at 144 Hz, VRR support, automatic game mode (ALLM), and Dolby Vision Gaming. Additionally, there's a practical Game Bar, which is a panel with the most important settings within easy reach – handy when we want to change something quickly during gameplay (e.g., aspect ratio: Yes, it can be done!). The wide range of VRR, reaching up to 240 Hz, is noteworthy. However, this option is mainly for PC gamers looking to go below native 4K resolution. In this case, the television can spread its wings and show additional smoothness, particularly in fast e-sport titles. For consoles, we stick to the standard limit of 120 Hz, but even so, the possibilities are truly extensive. The only minor criticism is slight ghosting that can sometimes be seen in dynamic scenes. Other than that, C69K / Q6C offers everything gamers expect from a television.