TCL C6K vs Samsung QN80F 100"

TCL C6K is a moderately bright television that can showcase its full capabilities in the best movie conditions – the maximum brightness is around 600 nits. In scenes with large, intense light sources, the HDR effect can be truly satisfying, providing a sense of cinematic sparkle. However, it's important to remember that with local dimming management, there are situations where some elements become dimmed, and sometimes even barely visible. It is clear that there is a lack of proper optimization of the algorithms, although looking at the technical parameters in this price range, the build quality performs very well.

When it comes to HDR in Filmmaker mode, the QN80F can make a great first impression. Our lab tests showed that under the best conditions, the TV can achieve brightness exceeding 1200–1300 nits. These are truly remarkable results that make HDR effects in many films look incredible. The TV is simply bright enough that it doesn't have to artificially adapt the image – the bright parts of the scene have the right 'power' and actually look like a light source. Of course, the lab is one thing, and everyday viewing is another. In practice, during film scenes, brightness typically hovers around 700–1100 nits. These are still excellent values that, in most cases, provide a strong sense of realism and make the lights on the screen truly blinding. The problem arises in exceptionally difficult sequences, where, like almost every mini-LED, it reveals its limitations. A good example is Sicario 2: scenes with the helicopter in the night sky look much weaker, and the lights lose intensity, dropping to around 370 nits, making it hard to speak of serious awe. Additionally, there's the issue of colours. Although we are dealing with a QLED, the coverage of the DCI-P3 colour gamut is about 90%. This is a rather average result for a quantum dot TV. In practice, this means that some colours may appear less saturated than we would expect, especially in demanding HDR productions.

This year's TCL televisions have introduced the Filmmaker mode, and it must be said that it is definitely the best choice right out of the box. This is the mode we recommend for everyday viewing of movies and series. Unfortunately, as is often the case, the best does not mean perfect. In the case of SDR content, the image was too warm, as the red was quite prominent in the white balance. On the other hand, with HDR content, we had the opposite impression – the image became cooler than it should have been, due to an excess of blue. There is also the brightness characteristic, which at times led to overexposure. In practice, these issues combined resulted in quite noticeable errors in colour tests, which are hard to accept in a mode advertised as “by the creators”.

Samsung QN80F performs best in Filmmaker mode, which is designed to faithfully reproduce the creators' intentions. And indeed – this is the mode where the TV shows its potential. But let's not fool ourselves, it’s far from perfect. In SDR content, a significant issue emerged with white balance. Slight deficiencies in green and a clear excess of red caused the screen to take on a pinkish hue. You don't even need measuring tools to notice this – in everyday viewing, the subtly shifted colour palette could be quite noticeable, and in colour checker tests, the colours nearly "jumped" outside their reference fields. With HDR content, the situation looked a bit better, as the white balance was closer to ideal, but another problem emerged – brightness management. The EOTF curve often caused the image to become too bright, which spoiled the impression of contrast, and in dynamic scenes, it led to a slight "flicker" in perception. We've actually mentioned this before in the sections about black levels and HDR. The good news, however, is that Samsung provides plenty of tools for improvement. The QN80F allows for very detailed calibration, including a 20-point white balance. And since the manufacturer has left us with so many options, we decided to see how the TV would perform after a solid correction.

Thanks to the white balance adjustment, we were able to significantly reduce the C6K's tendency to distort colours, which resulted in a very good end result. After calibration, we won't observe the effect of excessive warming of scenes in SDR or overly cooling the image in HDR. However, it is worth taking a closer look at the brightness characteristics. In SDR content, it's hard to have major objections – the picture looks really good, especially in older movies, TV shows, or material from YouTube. It performs significantly worse with HDR content. An analysis of the EOTF curve suggests that everything is fine, but in practice (EOTF in movies), the limitations of the construction become apparent. The television tends to excessively brighten the smallest fragments of the frame, and in other situations, it can overly dim the entire scene. The effect of calibration is therefore noticeable, and regarding colourimetry, the C6K has really gained a lot, but certain limitations resulting from local dimming and actually from its management by the C6K simply cannot be overlooked.

After calibrating the QN80F, it immediately showed that it has much more to offer. The pink hue that used to spoil the viewing experience has disappeared, and the white balance finally looks as it should – natural and without excessive deviations. The colours have gained depth, and the image has become more saturated and coherent, making movies simply more enjoyable to watch. It's a bit like taking a light mist off the screen – suddenly everything appears sharper and clearer. Brightness management has also improved. The TV no longer gets lost so easily in dynamic changes, and the EOTF graph shows that the curve tracking is significantly more stable. Of course, there are no miracles – the limited number of zones still means that small, bright elements can be slightly washed out, but that's just a result of the design rather than the settings. After this adjustment, the QN80F feels like a more mature piece of equipment, and watching movies finally provides the satisfaction expected from even a higher-end television.

TCL C6K performs quite well in terms of upscaling. Lower quality materials appear acceptable, and the absence of overscan issues means the image is displayed in full, without cropping. However, one cannot expect miracles – very low quality content won't come to life here, as the image processor has its limitations. On thin lines or details, there is characteristic tearing visible, which indicates a lack of advanced image enhancement algorithms. It is also a shame that the C6K lacks the function of smoothing tonal transitions – in older films or video materials, colour banding can be noticeable and may be distracting during longer viewing sessions.

With lower quality materials, such as YouTube videos or older television recordings, the QN80F can show both its strengths and weaknesses. If strange colour transitions or artefacts start to appear on the screen, it's worth reaching for the noise reduction feature. The best setting is at the "medium" level – it smooths out problematic segments while not blurring the entire image. However, one compromise must be kept in mind: this feature always removes film grain. If someone enjoys its presence in older productions, it's better to leave the reduction off, as regardless of the setting, the grain simply disappears.

Resolution scaling, or upscaling, is another strong point for Samsung. The QN80F may not be the best television on the market, but it performs very well in its price class, which is crucial for such a large size as a 100-inch screen. Even low-quality materials can gain a second life – the image becomes sharper, more readable, and overall, much more pleasant to view. A weak point remains overscan, which is slight cropping of edges in very low resolutions (e.g., 576p), something that has been a longstanding issue for Samsung. Fortunately, in everyday viewing of HD and 4K content, this is practically of no significance anymore.

TCL C6K uses a 144 Hz panel, which is a significant advantage in this price range. It's an important step forward in comparison to the previous model C655 PRO, which only offered 60 Hz in 4K. The difference is especially noticeable when watching sports or playing games – the ball, players, or fast action in the game are displayed more clearly and without losing detail. An interesting fact is the panel's ability to operate at 240 Hz, which the manufacturer doesn't mention in official materials. We will return to this topic when discussing the PC gaming mode.

TCL has also added a feature for movie watchers: "Motion Clarity," which allows users to adjust the image according to their preferences with two simple sliders. You can either keep the visible film frame or opt for a very smooth, almost theatrical effect. This way, everyone can find settings that match their taste.

QN80F features a 144 Hz panel, and this is evident in practice – with full refresh, the image is incredibly smooth, and motion blur remains at an acceptable, barely noticeable level. However, this mode is mainly aimed at PC gamers. The most important point of reference in everyday use remains the 120 Hz refresh rate, and here a certain crunch arises. During the UFO test, we noticed ghosting of rapidly moving objects – it looked as if the television had the BFI (Black Frame Insertion) feature permanently enabled, which in practice led to an unpleasant effect of double edges. We still don't know if this is a software issue or a peculiarity of this model, but in its current state, it's hard to commend such behaviour.

The TCL C6K is a television that can confidently be called equipment designed for gamers. We have 4K at 144 Hz, VRR support, an automatic gaming mode (ALLM), and Dolby Vision Gaming. On top of that, there's a practical Game Bar, which is a panel with the most important settings handy – useful when we want to quickly change something during gameplay (e.g. screen ratio: Yes, you can!). Notably, it has a wide range of VRR, reaching up to 240 Hz. However, this option is mainly for PC gamers who drop below the native 4K resolution. In that case, the television can spread its wings and show additional smoothness, especially in fast e-sport titles. For consoles, we stick with the classic limit of 120 Hz, but the possibilities are still quite broad. The only slight drawback is some minor motion blur that can occasionally be seen in dynamic scenes. Other than that, the C6K offers everything gamers expect from a television.

Samsung QN80F gives the impression of a TV designed for gamers. On the list of advantages, we have a 144 Hz panel, four full-featured HDMI 2.1 ports, full support for VRR and ALLM, and one of the best-designed gamebars on the market. Additionally, there’s the Game Motion Plus motion smoother, which also works in games without actually increasing input lag, making the QN80F an absolute standout in this category. In practice, this means you can enjoy smoother visuals without losing responsiveness, which is a dream for many console gamers!

As is usual with Samsung, there’s no Dolby Vision in games, and that’s nothing new. However, we were much more surprised to find that in the models from 2025… the HGIG function has disappeared. This feature allowed consoles like the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X to perfectly match HDR tone mapping to the TV's capabilities. In the current firmware, the QN80F simply doesn't have this option – it seems more like an oversight than a conscious decision by the manufacturer, but as of the day of testing, HGIG is not available. Due to this one absence, the QN80F shifts from an almost perfect TV for gamers to a device that is only "nearly" ideal. It's quite a pity because apart from that, Samsung has created a model that truly raises the bar in the gaming hardware segment.