TCL MQLED85 / C765 vs Haier M90E

The television TCL MQLED85/C765 performs well in handling HDR. In the tested movie scenes, where the screen is at 100% brightness, the model achieves impressive results around 1000 nits, providing intense and realistic rendering of HDR content. However, similar to contrast, the dimming algorithm may show some limitations. Despite a large number of Mini LED zones, the television does not always manage to "wow" the user with brightness in very challenging test scenes. For instance, in the scene from the film "Life of Pi," where a bright moon appears against a dark background, and in another scene from "Sicario 2," where a very bright light effect is visible against a dark background, the television did not reach maximum intensity. For users expecting a perfect HDR effect in such extreme cases, the TCL MQLED may come up a bit short. However, in terms of colours, the television stands out with a very high coverage of the DCI P3 colour gamut at 95%, which is an impressive result comparable to much more expensive models. TCL MQLED85 / C765 offers support for various HDR formats, including Dolby Vision and HDR10+, which is crucial for cinema image fans. Although this model achieves brightness over 1000 nits, the TCL MQLED85 may struggle to reflect details in very high-contrast scenes. For better HDR quality control, the C765 is equipped with dynamic tone mapping, making the image more realistic and natural depending on the content.

Haier M90E is a television that doesn’t lack brightness. In most film scenes, peak luminance exceeds 1000 nits, which gives the image a distinct "punch" and high dynamics. This performs really well with typical bright HDR material. However, one must take into account the previously mentioned dimming algorithm. In scenes that are not evenly flooded with light – for example, when displaying individual stars on a black sky – the high brightness highlights the shortcomings of zone control. Instead of a precise light point, we often see a distinct halo effect around bright objects. Despite these drawbacks, the overall presentation of the image can be pleasing, thanks in large part to the colour reproduction. The manufacturer has applied a PFS phosphor coating, which allows for wide coverage of the colour palette. In our measurements, the coverage of the DCI-P3 space reached a solid 95%.

The television TCL MQLED85/C765 was tested in movie mode, which, while seeming to be the best setting from the manufacturer, is not without its flaws. The colour reproduction in HD/SDR mode MQLED85 shows certain shortcomings. In the analysis of white balance, there is a significant lack of blue colour, which can affect the overall image quality, particularly in bright scenes where blue shades are crucial for natural representation. The overall image may then appear too warm. As for gamma contrast, the graph shows that there is a large jump above the reference line of level 2.4 at the beginning, which may suggest significant dimming of brightness in darker areas, leading to loss of detail in blacks. Then for most of the time, the values are below this line, which can lead to loss of detail in the brighter parts of the image. Such a distribution may negatively impact the perceived image quality, especially when watching regular TV in HD quality.

In the case of the 4K HDR image quality of the TCL MQLED85/C765 television, there is a noticeable excess of red colour in the analysis of white balance. This excess can significantly impact the viewer's experience, leading to several notable effects. First and foremost, an excessive amount of red can make other colours, such as green or blue, appear muted or unnatural. This distortion of colour balance can result in an overall impression of "oversaturation," which detracts from the image's naturalness and authenticity. In terms of contrast, the EOTF (Electro-Optical Transfer Function) graph indicates that most values are above the reference line, suggesting an intense boost in brightness in the bright areas of the image. However, the exception is the start of the graph, where the EOTF line is below the reference, which may lead to excessive dimming of small light elements.

Users should be aware that despite using the best mode, which is movie mode, the television is not free from flaws in the context of image settings, so it is worth considering adjusting the settings to achieve better results.

For the measurements, we chose the Film mode, which is supposed to provide an image closest to the intentions of the creators. Unfortunately, in the case of the M90E, its characteristics – besides the reduced brightness – differ little from the Dynamic mode. In both SDR and HDR materials, the image is noticeably tinged with a cool blue hue. The white balance is heavily skewed towards blue, reminiscent of typical, aggressive "store" settings. This results in unnatural skin tone reproduction and makes the image tiring to the eyes during longer viewing sessions. The way brightness is managed also negatively impacts colour fidelity. The TV struggles to maintain proper levels – small details are often too dim, while larger, bright areas of the image become overexposed. These deviations in the brightness curve, combined with the cool white balance, lead to very large colour reproduction errors (DeltaE) in the factory settings.

After professional calibration of the television TCL MQLED85/C765, its colour properties in film mode have significantly improved, resulting in much more satisfying visual experiences. Both in SDR and HDR modes, the white balance shows no serious errors, and the graph appears to be much better harmonised. Users can now enjoy natural colour reproduction, which is crucial for achieving an authentic experience while watching films. It is worth noting that in HDR content, there may be minor colour reproduction errors at the end of the graph, but these are significantly smaller than before calibration. As a result, characters and landscapes become more realistic, enhancing the depth of immersion in the story.

Regarding contrast, the gamma curve, responsible for HD quality, has been completely free of drops below the reference line, which means better visibility of details in dark scenes. However, there is still a slight boost at the beginning of the graph, which may affect the perception of bright elements. For HDR content, the EOTF curve also shows fewer errors, although some issues with reproducing mid-tones may still be noticeable. The EOTF curve measured on real film scenes still shows a significant brightness boost, so the image may appear more intense but artificially brightened. This is a typical problem for TCL brand televisions, which may appeal to untrained viewers but can frustrate those more familiar with an ideal image.

What benefits does professional calibration bring to film enthusiasts? Thanks to it, viewing becomes even more realistic and immersive, allowing every scene to be experienced fully, preserving details and natural colours.

Haier M90E clearly improves after undergoing professional calibration, especially for SDR content. The television's menu offers a sufficient number of tools to effectively correct factory errors. We managed to "tame" the white balance and eliminate the dominant blue glow. We also adjusted, albeit to a lesser extent, the gamma curve, which allowed us to recover some details in the shadows that were too heavily dimmed in the factory settings. The final effect in SDR is a significantly more natural and pleasing image. In HDR mode, the success is only partial. While we managed to improve the white balance here too, color reproduction errors (Color Checker) remained at a high level. Analysis of the EOTF curve (responsible for brightness in HDR) points to the cause of the problem: the television imposes its own interpretation of the signal and does not provide tools to modify this curve. The source of high errors is not the calibration itself, but the specificity of the device – aggressive and imprecise zone dimming interferes with measurements and is "stiffly" embedded in the characteristics of this model.

We will now take another look at the tonal transitions on the TCL MQLED85/C765 TV, but in the context of lower image quality. Despite the presence of the "Gradual Smoothing" option, when set to "low", the effects are practically invisible, disappointing users who expect an improvement in image quality. On the other hand, the "high" setting yields minimal results, and worse still, it can blur important details, negatively impacting the sharpness and clarity of the displayed image. However, in the context of image scaling, the TV successfully displayed the image without overscan, meaning we do not lose any part of the view. The image looks quite decent, and details such as tree branches or the outlines of models do not show significant jaggedness, which positively affects the visual quality.

The evaluation of the image processor must be divided into two distinct aspects, as the Haier M90E behaves inconsistently here. The first issue is the upscaling itself, which is the process of scaling lower resolution content to 4K. In this task, the television performs quite decently. The algorithms effectively enhance detail, making the final image relatively sharp, clear, and readable. In this respect, it’s hard to have major complaints about the device.

The situation is completely different with materials that have a high degree of compression, which we encounter in older recordings or on platforms like YouTube with a lower bitrate. Here, the processor struggles with smoothing tonal transitions and masking the imperfections of the source. The television fails to hide compression blocks, resulting in a very harsh, "digital" character of the image. The lack of effective artifact reduction can certainly deter viewers from watching lower quality content on this screen.

TCL MQLED85/C765 is equipped with a standard refresh rate panel of 120 Hz, with the possibility of increasing it to 144 Hz when connected to a powerful computer. The television also offers a multi-level motion smoother, which is mainly aimed at users wanting to improve the fluidity of motion in films. It allows for adjusting the intensity of the effect on a scale from 0 to 10, enabling precise tailoring of the image smoothness to individual preferences. The response time of the panel is decent, but not perfect. We can observe motion blur occurring behind both dark and medium objects.

Haier M90E is equipped with a simple yet functional motion smoothing system (MEMC). In the settings menu, users will find a three-level adjustment scale: low, medium, and high. This allows for adjusting the level of intervention in the image to personal preferences – from gentle smoothing of 24p films to maximum fluidity (soap opera effect). The system operates stably and fulfills its purpose in typical applications.

TCL MQLED85/C765 has achieved an impressive rating in the gaming features category, making it an excellent choice for gaming enthusiasts. The television supports all the latest technologies that significantly enhance the gaming experience. Among the key gaming features is ALLM (Auto Low Latency Mode), allowing the TV to automatically switch to low latency mode, minimising response time and ensuring smooth gameplay. VRR (Variable Refresh Rate) supported from 48 to 144 Hz eliminates stuttering and screen tearing in dynamic game scenes. Additionally, the TV supports the Dolby Vision Game Mode, which provides better image quality in games with exceptional depth of colour and contrast. TCL MQLED85/C765 also features a decent but not the best implementation of HGiG (HDR Gaming Interest Group), optimising the display of HDR games, however, in the case of TCL, it causes bright details to wash out, resulting in some elements merging into a white blob - more on this can be read in the colour reproduction section. It supports various resolutions such as 1080p@120Hz, 1440p@120Hz, and 4K@120Hz, allowing gamers to enjoy higher image quality and better fluidity. The Game Bar feature allows for easy switching between game settings and quick control of parameters, which significantly simplifies adjusting the TV to individual needs. With support for G-Sync and FreeSync technologies, users of NVIDIA and AMD graphics cards will be pleased with the refresh rate synchronisation capabilities, eliminating tearing and stuttering issues, ensuring smoother and more immersive gameplay.

MQLED85/C765 is a television that combines advanced technologies and excellent support for gamers, making it the ideal choice for those looking to maximise their gaming experiences.

From a hardware perspective, the Haier M90E is a solid offering. The television is equipped with two full-bandwidth HDMI 2.1 ports, which ensure support for key technologies: VRR (variable refresh rate) and ALLM (auto low latency mode). Another plus is the correct implementation of Dolby Vision for gaming, which maintains a relatively low input lag. Problems arise with the software configuration. The biggest drawback is the forced, continuous dynamic tone mapping by the television's processor. This prevents proper HDR calibration from the console using system panels (HGiG) – the television ignores source settings and processes the image in its own way. We also noted deficiencies in the interface: the M90E does not have a typical "Game Bar" (overlay with parameters), which is standard among competitors. Cooperation with Xbox consoles has also proven problematic with atypical parameters – the device struggles to properly display 1440p resolution at 120 Hz refresh rate. Despite the aforementioned software shortcomings, the Haier M90E remains a very attractive screen for gamers. The final reception is saved by a solid hardware foundation. Native refresh rate of 144 Hz and the presence of full-featured HDMI 2.1 ports are advantages that are crucial in everyday use. If we are looking for a television that provides high fluency and supports 4K signal, this model will do its job.