TCL C6K vs XIAOMI A PRO 2026

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.

If you're counting on the cinematic HDR experience in the new Xiaomi A Pro 2026, it's best to temper your expectations. This TV is simply too dim to fully realise the potential of contemporary films or series designed for the highest quality image. Our measurements showed brightness levels in the range of 200–300 nits, which are values that are more suited to SDR content than to ambitious HDR productions. In practice, this means that while most films look decent, they certainly won't evoke the 'wow' effect that other TVs do. Fortunately, not everything is lost – credit has to be given to the PFS LED filter used here, a solution similar to the quantum dot technology found in QLEDs. Thanks to this, the coverage of the DCI-P3 colour palette reaches about 94%, resulting in vibrant, saturated colours in the vast majority of materials.

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”.

What we saw in Filmmaker mode really surprised us – and unfortunately not in a good way. The mode advertised as the Hollywood standard resembled more of a display in a shop window. The white balance was shifted towards blue, which led to massive colour errors and the effect of blown-out scenes in SDR content. It was a bit better, though far from perfect, in HDR materials. There were also problems there – colour saturation and the entire palette consistently drifted towards cooler tones, resulting in an image that had an artificial, cold tint rather than a cinematic character. In other words: even in Filmmaker mode, which should be the showcase of this television, we got an effect far from expectations.

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.

Even though Xiaomi isn't a brand associated with top-tier televisions, it's fair to say that even in a budget model like the A Pro 2026, the manufacturer left plenty of calibration settings. After a few adjustments, the SDR picture took on a completely new look. The colours stopped veering into blue tones, the whites gained a sense of naturalness, and most errors dropped to a practically invisible level. As a result, SDR content looked very good, surprisingly so for this price range.

It was a slightly different story with HDR materials. Here, it was immediately noticeable what we had already mentioned – the overexposure of bright scenes and issues with balance control. Calibration helped only partially, as the limitations of the panel itself were at play. However, it must be emphasized that in the case of SDR, the television changed beyond recognition, and definitely for the better.

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.

Upscaling and digital image processing in the Xiaomi A Pro 2026 are not among the model's strong points. One might expect that since the television was not designed to achieve record brightness levels, the manufacturer would have opted for a more robust processor and a set of features that would "enhance" lower quality images. Unfortunately – we were also met with significant disappointment here. On the plus side, it has reasonably decent upscaling, which handles HD content and boosts it to 4K in an acceptable manner. However, that is where the list of advantages ends. The television does not offer any features to improve tonal transitions or smooth out digital imperfections, so in most cases, we receive a raw image, exactly as we deliver it from an external source. On a large screen, this lack of support makes lower quality content look simply bland. An additional problem is the phenomenon of overscan. When watching older material, it happens that part of the image is cut off, which only intensifies the impression that Xiaomi has quite a bit of catching up to do in this category.

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.

The motion fluidity in the Xiaomi A Pro 2026 is an interesting compromise that results from the hybrid matrix used here. At a native resolution of 4K, the maximum refresh rate is 60 Hz – sufficient for those who mainly watch movies and series. It is with them in mind that the manufacturer added a motion smoother, allowing users to adjust the image to their own preferences – one can opt for greater fluidity or leave it with more "cinematic" frames depending on the settings.

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.

No indeed – since Xiaomi has added the "Game Boost 120 Hz" feature here, one might expect that they'd follow up with a solid gaming package. Unfortunately, reality quickly dampens that enthusiasm. Aside from this mode (which, it must be said, is a great addition in a budget build), we only have a rather peculiar player panel. It's hard to call it a full-fledged "game bar" – it's more of a simple overlay on the TV's Menu with limited options. And that’s about it. There’s no ALLM, so the TV won’t switch to game mode automatically. There’s no VRR, so you can forget about smooth frame synchronisation. We also won’t find support for Dolby Vision in games or the HGiG format, which are increasingly becoming the standard on consoles. In short: apart from Game Boost 120 Hz, which indeed allows for a more enjoyable experience at 1080p or 1440p, Xiaomi A Pro 2026 offers nothing that particularly appeals to gamers.