Sony BRAVIA 5 (XR5) vs TCL C7L

Looking at similar results in terms of black levels and contrast, we expected the same stable performance as last year's model when it comes to HDR content. Unfortunately – and this must be said plainly – there has been a regression here that is hard to miss. The paradox is that the peak brightness of the Bravia 5 can be impressive: in our synthetic tests, the TV reached around 1000 nits in HDR. Sounds great, right? The problem is that this power doesn't always have a real impact on all movie scenes. When small, pinpoint elements appear on the screen, something that in Sony's case was usually fine-tuned with surgical precision, this time it clearly falters. The algorithms try to maintain deep blacks around small objects, but the side effect is that details can be dimmed to the point of becoming barely visible. One only needs to bring up the example of the movie Sicario 2 – there, in some scenes, small light sources practically vanished as if someone had covered them with dark film.

Of course, not everything looks so dramatic. In simpler, brighter scenes, where the image is filled with more light, the Bravia 5 shows that it can shine: literally and figuratively. At those times, the TV achieves values in the range of 600–800 nits, which we saw both in synthetic tests and during movie screenings. The impression is really positive; the brightness adds dynamism, and the colours look vibrant and fresh. However, there remains a certain dissonance. We feel a slight confusion because it is evident that something has gone in the wrong direction. Technological progress – more zones, more backlight power – has not been supported by the kind of refined image management that we usually associate with Sony. Fortunately, there are elements that have not been compromised and are actually at a very high level. We are talking about colour reproduction. Thanks to the use of the PFS filter, the colour palette coverage is excellent – about 97% DCI-P3 and 75% BT.2020. These values allow for a truly wide colour reproduction, giving films a natural and cinematic character.

TCL C7L is undoubtedly an extremely bright television. In synthetic tests on static patterns, it can achieve peak brightness of around 2800 nits. This is a phenomenal result, considering the price range it occupies. Unfortunately, tests with real movie scenes are not as spectacular as measurements of white squares. Brightness in real HDR footage drops in the C7L model to around 1200 nits. This is still a very good result, as this is the value at which the vast majority of contemporary films are mastered. However, when small, point-like elements appear on the screen, the brightness of these details drastically drops – even to around 400 nits – which somewhat diminishes the HDR effect. The television does this intentionally to maintain a better black level and to avoid a huge light bloom. This is somewhat explainable, but it also shows that Mini LED technology is not completely uncompromising in this regard. As for the HDR effect itself – alongside brightness, colours are of course key here. And these, thanks to the use of new, “super” quantum dots, are simply outstanding and among the best on the market. The television can achieve around 90% coverage of the ultra-wide colour gamut BT.2020 and 99% of the DCI-P3 gamut, easily matching the best RGB MINI-LED screens. Best of all, the C7L can maintain such high colour saturation regardless of the scene being displayed, which can often be problematic in competing RGB Mini-LED televisions.

Sony Bravia 5 was obviously tested in the best possible mode, which is the Movie mode. Right out of the box, it delivers the most natural colours, definitely better than anything offered by the "eco" or "dynamic" modes, which are more suited for a store display than a living room. However, the Movie mode alone does not guarantee that we can always expect cinematic picture quality. In SDR content, we had no significant complaints – the slightly warmed white balance gave the scenes a golden hue, but it was nothing that was glaring. However, a problem arose with HDR materials. Here, the colour reproduction simply looked bad. The white balance was heavily skewed – with an excess of blue and a clear lack of red. At times, it resembled the store mode of "super vivid picture," where everything is blown out and artificially boosted.

This situation made brightness management seem too aggressive as well. The EOTF graph clearly showed that the television has trouble with overexposing many scenes right out of the box. And while we know what Sony televisions are usually capable of, it was hard to remain indifferent here – that’s why we quickly decided to go for calibration.

When it comes to out-of-the-box colours, a new feature in TCL TVs – including the C7L model – is the presence of a new picture mode called Filmmaker Mode. This is significant news, as such a mode was not previously available from this manufacturer. By design, as the name suggests, the picture in this setting is intended to be delivered with the full intent of the film's creator. After our tests, we can confirm that it is undeniably the best built-in mode in this TV if you value true-to-life colour reproduction straight out of the box. However, we certainly wouldn’t say it is perfect. Like most devices on the market, this C7L also had its factory faults. The white balance in Filmmaker Mode leaned towards a slightly greenish-yellow hue, mainly due to an excess of green component and a noticeable lack of blue. Of course, for the average viewer, this won’t be a drastic flaw, but if you value perfect whites, natural skin tones, and harnessing the full potential of these new "super" quantum dots from the structure, then the TV is begging for professional calibration.

After calibration, the situation changed dramatically. We managed to tune the white balance so that entire scenes began to look more natural, and the image gained coherence and elegance. In HDR, we finally got rid of that unwanted clipping effect that had previously spoiled some shots. Suddenly, it turned out that the Bravia 5 can extract much more from films than the first contact "straight out of the box" suggested. Indeed, if we look at the graphs and compare them with the standards, we can see that the beginning of the EOTF curve slightly strays beyond the reference line. However, this is not so much a calibration error as it is a natural limitation of the Mini-LED technology that cannot be bypassed. Sony, rather than clinging tightly to perfect black, prefers to prioritise the visibility of details – and in practice, it’s hard to disagree with that. We prefer to see the texture of the material on the screen rather than a pitch-black spot where all nuances disappear.

The calibration itself was really beneficial. After about an hour spent on settings, we felt that the image resembled that of the best cinema halls – of course on a home scale, but with the same sense of quality and refinement. And in such moments, we remember why we love Sony televisions: because once we fine-tune them, they reward us with a picture that captivates for long hours.

After conducting a professional calibration, we were able to greatly improve the situation in the factory Filmmaker Mode. Following our adjustments, the errors in the ColorChecker test and across the entire wide colour gamut dropped below the threshold of human perception – that is, below a value of 3, which is indeed a very good result. The TCL C7L definitely benefits from such a treatment in terms of colour fidelity, and it's hard to deny that. However, the management of brightness in HDR content after calibration appears to be a bit worse. As I described earlier – even though we set this model up properly, when we turn on real film scenes on the television, it can manage its brightness in quite a peculiar way. It often brightens certain elements on the screen in a manner inconsistent with the creator's intent, which is visibly apparent on the EOTF graphs measured in specific films. Despite this flaw – or rather, this specific characteristic of the television – one cannot take away from it: after calibration, the C7L was able to reproduce the colours flawlessly.

Bravia 5 carries the genes of Sony, which remain intact – and thank goodness for that, because we're talking about absolutely exceptional digital image processing. It's no coincidence that for years, it's been considered that TVs from this brand set the standard for how a screen should handle lower quality materials. If someone still watches classic television, old films, or YouTube in lower resolutions, here they get equipment that can turn such content into a surprisingly enjoyable experience. On board, we find several tools worth activating. The first of these is "digital noise reduction." Set to a medium level, it works superbly – smoothing out tonal transitions that usually cause the most trouble in low-quality materials while introducing no artificial artifacts. Importantly, it also doesn't remove the cinematic character, which is the natural grain that is intentionally present in many productions. Another advantage of the Bravia 5 is the upscaling capabilities of the XR processor. The image presented after scaling is soft, yet sharp and clear. The outlines of characters are well-defined, and backgrounds maintain their texture without excessive artificial sharpening. It's hard to find a better TV for watching lower quality materials – Bravia 5 only confirms why Sony is considered the benchmark in this area.

This point could be called in a sense the Achilles' heel of the C7L model. Unfortunately, this television uses an older chipset from MediaTek – the Pentonic 700 – which has never been known for outstanding digital image processing. This is clearly visible in the functioning of the gradual smoothing feature, which is responsible for reducing jagged edges and removing digital noise. It simply works very poorly – when set to a low level, its effectiveness is practically none. The only small plus here is that the algorithm doesn't mess up anything else in the image and doesn't forcefully blur details. The upscaling, that is, the scaling of the image from lower resolutions to 4K, performs a bit better. It is simply adequate and does not stand out in any particular way against the competition. However, it cannot be denied that the C7L would greatly benefit in this aspect if the manufacturer decided to use the newer Pentonic 800 processor, which is now being found in an increasing number of competitive models.

Bravia 5 has a 120 Hz panel, which in itself sounds like an invitation to watch sports, fast matches or spectacular action films. However, the real magic begins when MotionFlow – Sony's proprietary motion smoother – comes into play. Thanks to this feature, we can adjust the character of the picture to our own preferences. The "smoothness" slider allows us to transition from a cinematic feel with a slight "judder" to a theatrical fluidity, where every ball in the match glides across the screen as if on a string. The higher the value, the smoother and more fluid it is; the lower it is, the more film-like and natural it becomes. In the options, we also find an additional setting that Sony calls "clarity". This is nothing more than the BFI function (which inserts black frames) aimed at improving motion sharpness. It sounds great in theory, but in practice, it must be used with caution. Why? Because all higher settings cause brightness drops of up to half, and in some cases, contour doubling also appears. So if we want to use it, we recommend setting it to the lowest level – "1" out of the available ten. That way, we gain a bit better motion sharpness without risking losing half the brightness of the picture.

TCL C7L features a native 4K panel with a refresh rate of 144 Hz, which can even ramp up to 288 Hz at lower resolutions when using a PC. These are certainly very high and commendable figures on paper, but in everyday life, it's worth remembering that almost all dynamic content you display on this television will still revolve around a maximum of 120 Hz. To tame this dynamism, the TV menu includes a motion smoothing system called "Motion Clarity." It offers several predefined modes, including a user mode, which we highly recommend setting manually using our tried-and-true guides on our YouTube channel. You’ll find two key sliders available. The first one, "Motion Blur Reduction," is responsible for reducing blurring and improving sharpness in 60fps dynamic content, such as sports broadcasts. The second slider, "Flicker Reduction," allows for the addition of artificial frames in movies and shows recorded at cinematic 24 or 30 frames per second. This naturally allows for the complete elimination of the annoying stutter effect during camera movement shots.

In the Bravia 5, there is a significant improvement compared to the X90L model from two years ago. The television offers literally everything its predecessor had, but this time the issues that could frustrate gamers have been addressed. Problems with setting the variable refresh rate (VRR) have disappeared, and there are no longer issues with configuring HDR content in HGiG mode. In short: we get a device that simply works as it should, without any hassles. So, the Bravia 5 has everything you can expect from a modern gaming TV – and it can be confidently advertised with the slogan "ready for PS5." That's something we couldn't say about the X90L model. Well done, Sony!

It's just a shame that this relatively high-priced model lacks a full set of four HDMI 2.1 ports. In everyday use, this won’t be an issue for most people, but if someone has a console, soundbar, and additional equipment connected via HDMI, at some point they'll have to choose or juggle cables.

When it comes to gaming, the TCL C7L is simply an outstanding television for gamers. With the presence of two full-bandwidth HDMI 2.1 ports at 48 Gbps, it provides access to all the key features that console and high-end PC owners require. We have a well-functioning ALLM mode with very low input lag and VRR frame synchronization, which operates within an impressive range from 48 to 288 Hz. Importantly, unlike some competitors, TCL has ensured a proper implementation of the console HDR10 HGIG profile and support for Dolby Vision in games. This is complemented by a very well-designed gamer panel, known as Game Bar, which even allows for editing its appearance and changing the theme to perfectly match the style of your console.

The only thing that can – and should – be critiqued here is the fact that the television only offers two full HDMI 2.1 ports, while the other two are older HDMI 2.0. This creates quite a significant logistical problem. Why? Because one of those fast ports also supports the eARC audio return channel. In practice, this means that if you connect a soundbar or home theatre system to the television, you’ll only have one available HDMI 2.1 port left. If you have two consoles or a console and a powerful computer at home, unfortunately, you’ll have to give something up or constantly juggle cables at the back of the unit while maintaining comfortable audio system control.