TCL C655 Pro vs Panasonic Z95A

In the HDR effect quality category, the television TCL 655 PRO shows decent capabilities, achieving 550 nits of peak brightness. This allows for enjoying HDR effects, which can be clearly seen in scenes such as the first one from the movie Life of Pi or the final shot from The Meg. However, the limited number of dimming zones causes some issues. While in bright scenes the television performs better than its lower model, in more demanding scenes, such as the second and fourth scenes from Sicario 2, it struggles more. The dimming algorithm aims for deep blacks, but at the cost of brightness – which at those moments can cause a drop in brightness of even half. In these more challenging scenes with small elements, it's hard to find any praise, and the HDR effect resembles SDR. Nevertheless, the coverage of the colour palette deserves recognition, which, like in the version without the PRO suffix, is at a very good level.

Panasonic Z95A shows class when it comes to HDR performance. In luminance tests, it achieves a level of 1800 nits, which has a real impact on movie watching. Scenes from Life of Pi or Gemini Man look fantastic – the television effortlessly reproduces details and the intensity of bright spots, making a strong impression with its power. In more demanding moments, like the final scene from The Meg, you can see how bright light floods the screen. In such moments, brightness drops, which is typical for organic panels. Nevertheless, a result around 1000 nits can still be considered excellent, still providing very good picture quality. Additionally, the television offers great coverage of wide colour gamuts – up to 98.6% for DCI-P3 and 74.5% for BT.2020. This means that colours are not only vibrant but also deeply saturated, allowing full appreciation of the richness of details, especially in HDR scenes. Such coverage makes colours look more realistic, and the HDR effect gains intensity and accuracy. All this impressive HDR effect is thanks to MLA technology, which enables such high luminance and excellent image detail. With it, the Panasonic Z95A offers HDR at a level that truly makes a difference.

Each of our TV tests is conducted in movie mode, which usually offers the best colour reproduction. However, even this mode is not free from issues, as we noted in the TCL 655 PRO model.

In the case of HD content, the white balance clearly shifts towards red, and this effect becomes particularly noticeable in a scene from Star Wars, where the white elements of the scenery take on a pink hue. For 4K HDR material, the situation looks better, but there is a tendency to overly emphasise the colour blue. As a result, the image can give a sense of artificial sharpness, which proves to be uncomfortable for the eyes over a longer period. The brightness characteristics also leave much to be desired. The Gamma chart indicates serious difficulties with excessive brightening, making the overall presentation appear washed out. Additionally, the EOTF curve reveals significant problems with reproducing very small elements – they are overly dimmed, as we have detailed in the paragraph regarding HDR effects.

The best picture mode on the Panasonic Z95A is undoubtedly the Filmmaker mode. This mode offers quite good image reproduction, but it is not without certain flaws that need addressing. Primarily, the white balance, for both 4K and HD content, tends to be dominated by red and blue hues. This leads to a slight pink tint in the image, particularly noticeable in bright, white scenes. Such discrepancies can be seen in the comparative image below, which illustrates the issue well. The Colour Checker test also confirms these inaccuracies, showing slight shifts of dots towards the mentioned shades.

In terms of gamma brightness characteristics, it performs very well, with only minor issues when brightening small details. A greater challenge arises with the EOTF curve, which is responsible for controlling brightness in 4K HDR content. Here, there is a slight boost in brightness above the reference value, which sometimes makes the image overly bright, especially in more demanding scenes. While the Filmmaker mode is definitely the best choice on the Z95A, these aspects require refinement to fully harness the television's potential.

After calibrating the TCL 655 PRO television, there is a noticeable improvement in white balance, where the tendency for the screen to be overly pink has been completely eliminated, which was previously noticeable in factory mode. The picture has taken on more natural tones, especially in white and bright elements, which positively affects the overall image perception. Regarding brightness characteristics, the Gamma chart has also improved – the screen is no longer excessively bright, which previously made the image appear washed out. Nevertheless, there are still some issues with the EOTF curve, which are difficult to eliminate due to the television's construction and its limited number of backlight zones. These limitations prevent achieving perfect results in this regard. However, despite this minor fault, the overall effect after calibration is truly outstanding, providing high picture quality and very good colour reproduction.

After calibration, Panasonic Z95A showcases its full potential, delivering an almost perfect image. The television offers extensive adjustment capabilities, which we have fully utilised. The white balance post-calibration is absolutely flawless, and the errors in SDR content at 0.5 are at an exceptionally reference standard. The same goes for 4K HDR content – the screen tint has been completely eliminated, and the white balance is now exemplary.

The colour palette and Colour Checker test confirm the excellence of the calibration. Errors below 2 are a result that will satisfy both professional calibrators and cinema-quality image enthusiasts. Significant changes have also occurred in the brightness characteristics – the EOTF curve has been aligned, eliminating previous issues with excessive brightness. Additionally, a small error in gamma has been reduced.

Before calibration, the image was acceptable, but now it's in a completely different league. It's a true feast for the eyes, and the quality is hard to compare to anything else. Once fine-tuned, the Panasonic Z95A becomes a true master of colour reproduction.

The TCL 655 PRO television handles tonal transitions quite well in lower-quality material. The "Gradual Smoothing" feature at low settings effectively smooths tonal transitions, but this comes at the cost of losing some essential details, such as the texture of objects. On the plus side, it doesn't negatively affect film grain, which helps maintain a natural look to the image.

In the context of digital processing, the television adds artificial sharpness. This may appeal to users who prefer a bolder image. However, individuals who favour a softer, more subtle look may find this a drawback. Additionally, a downside is the image cropping due to overscan, which limits the field of view and cuts off the edges of the frame. This can be problematic in certain scenes - for example, news tickers.

In the case of lower quality materials, the "Gradation Smoothing" function is responsible for smoothing tonal transitions. The best results are achieved with an intermediate setting – while they are not spectacular, the function works correctly and does not introduce unwanted effects into the image. It can be evaluated as average, but sufficient for improving the quality of tonal transitions.

As for digital processing, or upscaling, the picture looks surprisingly good. It is flexible and pleasant to the eye, which makes lower quality content, such as standard television or YouTube, look quite decent. However, minor issues can be observed, such as "aliasing" on edges, e.g. branches in the background. Nevertheless, this does not significantly affect the overall viewing experience, and the television handles these materials in an acceptable manner.

The TCL C655 PRO television is equipped with a 4K display with a refresh rate of 60 Hz, making it ideal for watching movies. Additionally, the "Flicker Reduction" feature allows for adjusting the smoothness of the picture, giving the user the choice between smoother motion and a cinematic, frame-by-frame effect. Furthermore, the television performs well with lower resolution content, such as Full HD and 2K, offering a refresh rate of 120 Hz, which will surely appeal to gamers who can enjoy a smoother image, albeit at the cost of lower resolution.

Panasonic Z95A, with a 144 Hz panel, offers excellent image smoothness. For movies, there is an "Intelligent Frame Creation" feature that allows for improved smoothness and reduction of blurring. Users have two sliders at their disposal: "Motion Blur Reduction" – responsible for clearer and sharper details in fast-moving scenes. "Film Smoothness" – adds smoothness by creating additional frames between the originals, making motion appear more fluid and natural with the effect of "soap opera"

As a result, viewers can adjust the settings to their own preferences. Movies and less dynamic content look smooth and natural, which should satisfy most users.

The TCL C655 PRO TV offers an almost perfect set of features for gamers, supporting all key technologies that significantly enhance gameplay comfort. The ALLM feature automatically switches the TV to low-latency mode, improving responsiveness and minimising signal delay – particularly important in fast-paced titles. VRR synchronises the screen refresh rate with the frame rate generated by the console, eliminating screen tearing and ensuring smoother gameplay.

Support for Dolby Vision in game mode enables more detailed colour and contrast representation in games that support this format, while the Game Bar provides quick access to essential settings, such as response time and latency level. Unfortunately, the model does not support 4K resolution at 120 Hz, which may disappoint the most demanding gamers. However, for those willing to forgo 4K, support for Full HD and 2K at 120 Hz offers exceptionally smooth visuals, making it an attractive alternative for high refresh rate enthusiasts.

Panasonic Z95A this year shows that the manufacturer has made a huge leap forward in support for gamers. The television offers practically everything you can expect from a device in this range. Support for ALLM (Auto Low Latency Mode) and VRR (Variable Refresh Rate) ensures smoothness and no tearing in dynamic games. The 144 Hz panel allows for incredible fluidity, and the additional support for resolutions other than 4K provides greater flexibility, which is a big plus for gamers using various configurations.

Also noteworthy is the unique and rather specific "Game Bar." Its bubble interface stands out from the competition and allows quick adjustment of key settings such as VRR, brightness level, or picture mode, without the need to interrupt gameplay.

However, in this class of devices, there has been a slight disappointment – Panasonic Z95A only offers two HDMI 2.1 ports instead of four. This is definitely too few for a premium television, especially in times when many people have more than one device requiring full HDMI 2.1 support, such as a next-gen console or a high-end computer. In this category, it's hard to accept, especially given the high aspirations of this model. Despite this, the television is an excellent choice for gamers, offering versatility and functionality at the highest level.