Compare: Haier K85F vs TCL C7L

The debut of the Haier brand in the European television market with the K85F model feels hurried, and after thorough testing, it seems almost unfinished. Analyzing this product leads us to a fundamental conclusion: its biggest problem is not the quality of the panel used. This, considering the price segment, is simply average, with the typical advantages of VA technology in the form of high contrast and equally typical disadvantages, such as poor viewing angles. What truly disqualifies this model as a home entertainment centre is the glaring lack of engineering refinement and, above all, software development. The list of shortcomings is long and starts from the very first contact with the device. Sloppy assembly, which could have been avoided during quality control, a poorly optimised and badly translated Google TV system, or annoying issues with basic functions like pairing the remote – all contribute to the picture of a product that seems to have been released to market without due diligence. The catastrophic image quality in HDR mode, resulting not only from low brightness but also from a complete lack of intelligent adaptation to the signal, only adds to this disappointing picture. However, it turns out that this model has a surprising second face. One needs to look at it not through the lens of a home television, but rather as a large and inexpensive display for special tasks. Then its shortcomings become less important, and unexpected advantages come to the fore: a fantastically working media player with USB, remarkable font readability from a PC, and access to a vast application database. In this role – as a screen in a conference room, hotel lobby, or simple advertising player – the Haier K85F performs surprisingly well. For the typical user looking for a reliable and simply well-functioning television for the living room in 2025, however, the Haier K85F is a proposal that is incredibly difficult to recommend with a clear conscience. It is a product full of contradictions, which fails in its primary, intended function on too many fronts.

The TCL C7L is an incredibly successful Mini-LED television and a fully deserved successor to the hit model C7K. The list of advantages of this device is truly extensive. At the top is the extremely high brightness of the panel. Thanks to this, the television handles brightly lit living rooms without any problems, offering a fantastic and dynamic image in HDR format. Huge applause is also due for the use of the new Super QLED coating – after professional calibration, the colours can be not only natural but also incredibly saturated. The best part is that the screen achieves this regardless of the scene displayed, which is often not the case with all TVs featuring RGB backlighting. The C7L is also a brilliant piece of equipment for gamers; it could even be said that it is a true "multimedia powerhouse." We get full support for consoles and PCs, refresh rates of up to 288 Hz, G-Sync, and low input lag, which doesn’t increase even when activating the demanding Dolby Vision Gaming mode. Everything is tied together by a well-optimised Google TV system, which in this generation of TCL devices operates noticeably smoother and more efficiently (at least that's the impression we got during our testing). Of course, the C7L is not a perfect device, and the manufacturer had to make certain compromises in this model. The biggest drawback of the C7L is the use of a less powerful image processor. Unfortunately, this translates to rather average digital processing and other design limitations, such as only two HDMI 2.1 ports. A more powerful chip has been reserved this year for the higher series, such as the C8L. From a business point of view, this is entirely understandable. Why? Because if TCL had included a better processor here, most people would probably not see any point in paying extra for a higher model. So even if certain compromises exist, the C7L series is once again shaping up to be one of the most cost-effective Mini-LED televisions this year. If you are looking for a versatile, extremely bright screen for movies, series, television, or gaming – literally for everything – and at the same time do not want to overpay for top series, then yes... the C7L is a brilliant choice that we can definitely recommend to you.

Well then, let’s get to the point, which is how the Haier K85F handles black levels and contrast. The key information is that the television uses a VA panel, which has a significant impact on the image quality in dark scenes. It is precisely because of this that the contrast is really solid – our measurements showed values around 5000:1, which is much better than that of popular IPS panels.

However, one must remember that we are talking about equipment from the lower price range. Therefore, one cannot expect any advanced technologies, such as local dimming. The backlighting works across the entire surface of the screen all the time. How did this look during viewing? We took the film “Oblivion” with its cosmic landscapes for a test, and also checked classic black bars in other productions. The effect was quite decent. The black had good depth, but it was not perfectly pitch black – a subtle, navy blue glow could be seen, indicating that the panel's backlighting was still active.

The TCL C7L is a Mini LED TV which, in the 65-inch model we tested, is equipped with over 1,000 local dimming zones. Combined with a proprietary VA panel (referred to by TCL CSOT as HVA 2.0), this delivers very respectable results for black levels and contrast. In most of the scenes we measured, black levels and contrast looked very good, and in the easiest shots the blacks were deep enough to even resemble those seen on OLED screens. This, of course, refers to the least demanding shots with large areas of black on screen. When more bright elements appear on screen and black no longer dominates, you can see that the TCL C7L, like most Mini LED TVs, has issues handling its local dimming zones.

This is particularly obvious on the black bars in films shot in the 2.35:1 widescreen format. A distinct halo effect, a bright glow, can appear on the black bars or around small bright objects. Contrast can then drop drastically, from lab-measured values of around 200,000:1 to about 10,000:1, which is quite noticeable in a completely dark room. It’s worth remembering that this should not be treated as a flaw of the TV but rather as a characteristic of Mini LED technology. Of course the effect becomes much less intrusive if you turn on even a small amount of diffuse light in the room, which I strongly recommend doing when watching any LCD TV.

Let’s now turn to one of the hottest topics in the world of televisions, namely the quality of HDR effect. In the case of the Haier K85F model, we must unfortunately make it clear: if you are looking for equipment to watch content in a wide dynamic range, you should avoid this model at all costs. The main problem is its very low peak brightness, which during our tests barely reached 250 nits. To give you a better idea of what that means – such a value is fine for watching standard SDR content, but it is absolutely insufficient to showcase any real benefits of HDR. The image simply lacks the "power" to generate bright, striking highlights. All our measurements and tests on specialist patterns only confirmed this. As if that weren't enough, the television also struggles with colour reproduction. In this budget build, we won't find any technologies to expand the colour palette, such as quantum dot layers (marketed as "QLED"). As a result, the coverage of the DCI-P3 colour space, which is crucial for HDR materials, is only around 80%. In practice, this means that the image will not only be dark but also devoid of the vibrant, saturated colours that the director wanted to show us.

The TCL C7L is, without doubt, an extremely bright TV. In synthetic tests using static test patterns it can reach peak brightness of around 2800 nits. That's a truly phenomenal result, given the price bracket it occupies. Unfortunately, measurements with real film scenes are not as spectacular as the white-square tests. Brightness in real HDR footage on the C7L falls to around 1200 nits. That's still very good, because the vast majority of modern films are graded to that level. However, when small, pinpoint elements appear on screen, the brightness of those details drops dramatically, even to around 400 nits, which reduces the HDR impact. The TV does this deliberately to preserve black levels and avoid excessive blooming. This is somewhat understandable, but it also shows that Mini LED technology is not completely without compromises in this respect. As for the HDR effect itself, alongside brightness the key factor is, of course, colour. Thanks to the use of new 'super' quantum dots, the colours are simply superb and among the best on the market. The TV is able to achieve very wide coverage of the BT.2020 and DCI-P3 colour gamuts, matching the best RGB Mini-LED screens with ease. Best of all, the C7L can maintain such high colour saturation regardless of the scene being displayed, which is often problematic in competing RGB Mini-LED TVs.

Well, how does the television perform with colours straight out of the box, without any interference from our side? The Haier K85F offers a full range of picture modes, such as Dynamic and Eco, but for anyone who wants to watch films according to the creators' intentions, only one really matters: Film mode. That is where we focused our tests, and unfortunately, its name has little to do with reality. The picture in the factory settings is very far from what we could call cinematic fidelity and requires numerous adjustments. Let's start with the white balance, which has a noticeable deficiency of red. In practice, this means that the entire image has a cool, bluish tint. The situation is even worse regarding brightness management, namely the gamma curve (for SDR) and EOTF (for HDR). Their graph resembles a real rollercoaster, which has a disastrous impact on the viewing experience. This results in unnatural dimming of SDR content, causing details in shadows to be lost, and in the case of HDR – excessive brightness, which further exacerbates the issue of clipping. Such a combination, namely too cool white combined with chaotic brightness and excessive blue saturation, results in significant errors in colour reproduction. Our measurements on the specialist ColorChecker chart revealed errors (Delta E) regularly reaching and exceeding values of 8-9. Put simply, errors above the threshold of 3 are already easily noticeable to the naked eye, so such a result means that the colours on the screen are simply heavily distorted.

When it comes to out-of-the-box colours, what's new in TCL TVs, including the C7L model, is the addition of a picture mode called Filmmaker Mode. This is significant because such a mode was not previously available from this manufacturer. As the name suggests, this setting is meant to present the picture with the filmmaker's full intent. After our tests we can confirm that it is, without doubt, the best built-in mode on this TV if you want faithful colour reproduction straight out of the box. However, we certainly wouldn't say it's perfect. Like most devices on the market, this C7L also had some factory calibration errors. The white balance in Filmmaker mode drifted towards a slightly greenish-yellow tint, caused mainly by an excess of the green component and a noticeable shortfall in blue. Of course, this won't be a major drawback for the average viewer, but if you care about perfect whites, natural skin tones and getting the full potential out of the structure of those new "super" quantum dots, the TV really needs professional calibration.

Well, is there anything that can be done about this picture? Can professional calibration save the situation? The answer is both yes and no. It must be clearly stated that there are certain limitations we cannot overcome. The constraints of the design itself, meaning simply a poor panel and its narrow colour coverage, make it impossible to expect a reasonable HDR effect – we won't mislead you on that. The biggest beneficiary of our adjustments is undoubtedly the SDR mode, and it is indeed for watching such content, after calibration, that this television starts to make sense. We managed to somewhat tame the white balance. Although the television only offers basic 2-point adjustment (rather than precise 20-point), so it's not perfect, we successfully eliminated that unpleasant, cold "chill" in the picture. Above all, however, we noted a significant improvement in brightness management. The gamma curve, which previously resembled a rollercoaster, looks like an almost perfectly straight line after calibration. This is a sign that the television can finally display images without artificially dimming or brightening them. The conclusion is simple: even with such a cheap television, professional adjustment of the settings can achieve a lot and extract the maximum potential from it.

After professional calibration we managed to greatly improve the situation in the factory Filmmaker Mode. After our corrections, the errors in the ColorChecker test and across the wide colour gamut fell below the threshold of human perception, that is below a value of 3, which is a very good result. The TCL C7L definitely benefits from such a procedure in terms of colour fidelity, and it's hard to deny. Brightness management for HDR content looks a little worse after calibration, though. As I described earlier, even though we set this model up correctly, when you play real film scenes the TV can handle its brightness in a rather peculiar way. It often brightens some elements on screen contrary to the creator's intent, which is clearly visible in the EOTF traces measured from specific films. Despite this defect, or rather a specific characteristic of the television, one thing you can't fault is that after calibration the C7L was able to reproduce colours accurately.

It’s time to address a matter that goes unnoticed by many, but can be very irritating to the discerning (and not just) eye. We are talking about the fluidity of tonal transitions, or how smoothly the screen displays transitions between very similar shades of a single colour – for example, on a clear blue sky. We must admit that in this category, the Haier K85F performs quite decently considering its price. In bright scenes, such as the aforementioned sky or vast landscapes in the film "The Martian", there are no strong, distinct bands. Indeed, if you look closely, you will notice minimal imperfections, but generally, the effect is more than satisfactory. However, the situation changes when darker scenes appear on the screen, such as murky corridors in games or night landscapes. Here, banding, or the posterisation effect, becomes much more visible. Transitions in shadows and greys are no longer as smooth and can irritate the more sensitive eye. It’s not a level that would completely disqualify the television, but it’s clear that this is an area where costs have been cut.

Another aspect worth discussing is the smoothness of tonal transitions. Here it must be honestly admitted that on the TCL C7L it simply looks good. In most scenes, and especially in the brighter shots, there are absolutely no banding issues. In native 4K HDR content the image is clean and the transitions between shades are very smooth. It looks just as good in Dolby Vision, where during our tests we did not notice any digital artefacts or ugly colour posterisation. You could, if you wanted to be picky, point to very dark scenes where a heavily compressed signal is being displayed on screen. Under those conditions the C7L can sometimes reveal minor imperfections, but in this model that is not something that really catches the eye, especially during everyday film viewing.

Let's move on to digital processing and image scaling, specifically how the Haier K85F handles lower resolution signals, such as those from standard television. Right from the start, we encounter an extremely annoying and completely incomprehensible issue – overscan that is enabled by default. This means that the television artificially enlarges the image, cropping its edges, and this happens on every source, even 1080p. To see the full frame, you have to dig through the screen settings each time and manually switch the format to "expand to 16:9". It's a detail, but it's devilishly frustrating. The very act of scaling content to 4K resolution can be summed up in one word: acceptable. And that's about it. The image processor does not strip details from the picture, nor does it generate jagged edges or other artifacts. It simply does its job, without any fireworks. It's alright, but nothing more. However, the biggest and most noticeable shortcoming in the digital processing section is the absence of a smooth tonal transition feature. This is an algorithm that could significantly reduce the annoying banding effect we mentioned earlier. Unfortunately, the manufacturer did not provide such a solution, condemning us to watch the imperfections of the panel and low-quality materials in full view.

This can be seen as, to some extent, the Achilles' heel of the C7L. Unfortunately, this TV uses the older MediaTek Pentonic 700 chip, which has never been famed for outstanding digital image processing. You can clearly see that in the behaviour of the progressive smoothing function, the feature responsible for reducing jagged edges and removing digital noise. It simply performs very poorly. When set to low, its effectiveness is almost non-existent. The only small plus is that the algorithm does not further spoil the picture or blur details unnecessarily. Upscaling, that is scaling lower-resolution content to 4K, performs slightly better. It is simply adequate and does not stand out against the competition. There is no denying that the C7L would benefit greatly in this regard if the manufacturer opted for the newer Pentonic 800 processor, which is now appearing in an increasing number of rival models.

The matrix in the K85F model operates at a native refresh rate of 60 Hz, which right from the start sets certain expectations regarding image fluidity. However, we must admit that we were very positively surprised when we found two separate sliders for motion control in the settings menu: one labelled as "Motion Blur Reduction" and the other "De-Judder". Such generosity in this price segment is an absolute rarity, as typically manufacturers offer at most one shared option. Unfortunately, our enthusiasm waned as quickly as it appeared. It soon became clear why Haier was so "generous" – the slider responsible for motion blur reduction is simply a dummy. Its adjustment brings absolutely no visible effect on the screen, so only one of the two options works.

The TCL C7L uses a native 4K panel with a 144 Hz refresh rate, which at lower resolutions when connected to a PC can even reach up to 288 Hz. These are, of course, very high figures and impressive on paper, but bear in mind that almost all the dynamic content you’ll watch on this TV will still run at around a maximum of 120 Hz. To rein in that motion, the TV’s menu includes a motion-smoothing system called "Motion Clarity". It offers several preset modes, including a user mode that we strongly recommend you set manually using our tried-and-tested guides on our YouTube channel. There are two key sliders available. The first, "Blur Reduction", is responsible for cutting motion blur and improving sharpness in dynamic 60-fps material, such as sports broadcasts. The second slider, "Flicker Reduction", lets you add artificial frames to films and series shot in cinematic 24 or 30 frames per second. This, of course, can completely eliminate the irritating judder that appears during camera movement.

Let's move on to features for gamers, although we must emphasise at the outset that this is more of a proposal for the "casual" ones. The manufacturer boasts in the specifications about the presence of HDMI 2.1 ports, which looks impressive on paper, but in reality, it is largely a marketing ploy. What good is a modern port if the heart of the television is a panel with a refresh rate of 60 Hz? It physically cannot display a signal at 120 frames per second, even at lower resolutions, which deprives the HDMI 2.1 port of its most significant advantage. It's a shame. (That’s why we mark it as HDMI 2.0 in our tests). Another curious peculiarity is the television's reaction to attempts to calibrate HDR from the console level. Changes to brightness settings cause very unnatural image behaviour, which might suggest an incorrect implementation of the HGiG standard. To be honest, however, one shouldn't worry too much about this, because as we've mentioned numerous times, we simply do not recommend using any HDR content on this screen. However, to avoid being too negative, the Haier K85F also has two significant and unexpected advantages. The first is the presence of ALLM, or Auto Low Latency Mode, which switches the television to low latency mode as soon as it detects a connected console. The second, even bigger surprise, is support for VRR, or Variable Refresh Rate. While it works within a very modest range of 48-60 Hz, its mere presence is commendable. As a result, the image in games can experience less "tearing," which significantly improves the gaming experience.

When it comes to gaming, the TCL C7L is simply an outstanding TV for players. Thanks to two HDMI 2.1 ports with full 48 Gbps bandwidth, you get access to all the key features required by console owners and powerful PC rigs. There’s a well-working ALLM mode with very low input lag and VRR frame synchronisation that operates over an impressive range from 48 to 288 Hz. Importantly, unlike some rivals, TCL has properly implemented the console HDR10 HGIG profile and supports Dolby Vision in games. The package is completed by a very well designed gamer panel, the Game Bar, which even lets you edit its appearance and change the theme so it perfectly matches the style of your console.

The only thing you can, and even should, criticise is that the TV offers only two full-spec HDMI 2.1 ports, while the other two are older HDMI 2.0. That creates quite a logistical problem. Why? Because one of the fast ports also handles the return audio channel eARC. In practice this means that if you connect a soundbar or home cinema system to the TV, you’ll be left with just one free HDMI 2.1 socket. If you have two consoles at home, or a console and a powerful PC, unfortunately you’ll have to give something up or keep juggling cables at the back of the case while trying to maintain convenient control of the audio system.

We must, however, give Haier its due – there is one parameter in which this television absolutely shines and embarrasses many more expensive models. We are speaking about input lag, or signal delay. Our measurements showed an impressively low result of just 13 ms. This is a huge plus that makes gaming controls lightning-fast and incredibly responsive. In this regard, the K85F performs excellently.

It's worth taking a look at the raw numbers here, because in terms of signal latency the TCL C7L is right at the top of the market. Our measurements showed that the input lag is extremely low and for a 60 Hz signal it is only about 10 ms. When we step up and run a game at 120 Hz, the delay drops to an almost imperceptible 6 to 7 ms. More importantly, the TV maintains these figures even after enabling Dolby Vision in games.

And what if you tried using this Haier as a monitor for your computer? Here, to our great surprise, the television performs remarkably well. For office work – it is ideal. This is all thanks to its proper support for what is known as chroma subsampling 4:4:4. In plain terms: every, even the smallest letter on the screen is sharp, without annoying coloured outlines or blurring. Of course, let's be straightforward – this is not equipment for PC gamers. 60 Hz is too little for them. But if you simply need a large screen for text work, browsing the internet, coding, or displaying presentations, the K85F will excel in this role. This is one of its strongest and, to be honest, most unexpected applications.

As for gaming on PC, as I mentioned earlier, it's genuinely hassle-free. The TV handles high refresh rates without a hitch: full 4K at 144 Hz, and in Full HD it can even reach 288 Hz. On top of that, G-Sync and FreeSync work without any issues. For PC gamers, the C7L can therefore serve as an excellent, gigantic monitor.

Typical office work involving text fares a bit worse, because the panel behaves rather oddly in those circumstances. When the highest refresh modes are enabled, namely 144 Hz and 288 Hz, the readability and sharpness of dark text on a light background are rather mediocre, with fonts becoming slightly blurred and jagged. Fortunately, this can be fixed very easily by changing the display refresh rate in your graphics card settings to a steady 120 Hz. Then the text becomes perfectly sharp again, which is definitely worth remembering if you plan to use the C7L as a work screen.

At almost the very end of the assessment of the panel itself, we left the viewing angles, which unfortunately are one of its biggest weaknesses. However, it must be honestly admitted that this is no surprise – it is simply a natural and commonly known characteristic of VA-type panels. In the specimen we tested, interestingly, the brightness of the image did not drop dramatically when we moved away from the centre of the screen. The real problem, however, lies in the colours, which start to fade instantly. A slight change in position on the sofa is enough for the colours to lose their saturation and become washed out. In this respect, the Haier K85F presents a rather mediocre level, typical for this technology.

Unfortunately, the strong native contrast of the HVA 2.0 panel comes at a price. It's the viewing angles, which on the C7L model are simply poor. That's all, of course, due to the use of the mentioned VA-type panel. It's an inherent characteristic of that technology and something you have to bear in mind when buying. If you sit directly in front of the screen, the picture will delight you with its depth, but just shift a few dozen degrees to the side on the sofa and the colours will immediately start to fade. By choosing this model, you accept a classic market compromise: you get deep blacks and superb contrast, but you sacrifice viewing angles.

And how does the television perform in confrontation with daylight, for example in a brightly sunlit living room? Unfortunately, we do not have good news here. As we have already established, it is a television with relatively low brightness, which becomes a serious drawback when faced with sunlight. The situation is further worsened by the screen coating used. Instead of effectively suppressing reflections, its satin structure tends to unfavourably scatter them. In practice, this means that the reflection of a window or lamp turns into a large, blurred, milky halo, which degrades contrast and effectively hinders viewing. The conclusion is therefore clear: if the television is to be placed in a bright room, the K85F model will not be a good choice.

It’s also worth mentioning how the TCL C7L performs during everyday viewing in a sunlit living room. As we’ve already established, it’s an extremely bright TV, and it’s precisely thanks to such a huge luminance headroom (up to 2400 nits in SDR!) that it can perform brilliantly in very bright rooms, the picture simply cuts through the light entering the room without any problems. The only thing to watch out for are direct reflections on the screen. The coating used on the panel this year is noticeably glossier than the one we saw on last year’s C7K. The screen suppresses point reflections much less effectively, which, in unfavourable conditions, for example when a window is directly opposite the TV, may be fairly irritating for some users. Even so, in terms of raw brightness the C7L is simply a beast for bright living rooms.

GoogleTV on Haier K85F

The heart of the television is the Google TV system, which in theory should be its huge advantage. Access to thousands of applications and a wealth of features are promises we are familiar with. Unfortunately, in Haier's execution, it is one of the worst implementations of this software we have encountered. The system runs painfully slowly, and the interface is notoriously unresponsive. However, the real nightmare is the incorrect and often downright comical translations of some menu options, making it difficult at times to understand what is even being referred to. To make matters worse, during our testing, we were unable to activate the AirPlay function, which simply did not work.

Classic features on Haier K85F

Let's move on to the classic features and connections, as this is where the story gets even more interesting. The rich array of ports is definitely a plus, including four HDMI ports and a rarely seen mini-jack headphone output. Unfortunately, the television does not offer either USB recording or PiP mode. However, the real ordeal begins with the remote control. Our first attempts to pair it via Bluetooth to activate radio frequency (RF) control and voice functions ended in total failure. After dozens of attempts, we were sure it was just a manufacturing defect. And here's the surprise: after a long struggle, we discovered that the remote could be paired, but it had to be done from the native Google TV settings, completely bypassing the non-functioning Haier overlay. This is a perfect example of how terrible software can ruin basic functionality. Oh, and one more thing. In the box... there weren't even any batteries for the remote.

Google TV i Smart TV

The multimedia heart of the TCL C7L is, of course, the Google TV operating system, which provides access to a vast app library and all the most popular streaming platforms on the market. The Smart TV in this model runs smoothly, offering full support for useful network features such as Apple AirPlay and Chromecast. A huge and very pleasant surprise, however, is the software's overall polish. We noticed that Google's system on the new C7L runs considerably smoother and faster than on last year's TCL models. This is largely thanks to better optimisation for the launch. Unnecessary pauses and minor interface stutters known from older models seem to be a thing of the past.

Funkcje telewizyjne

As far as traditional over-the-air or cable TV is concerned, the TCL C7L does not offer many additional advanced features. It's simply a basic receiver. The manufacturer has not attempted any revolutionary solutions here, so apart from the traditional programme guide you won't find anything special. A big nod to traditional viewers is the classic remote control. Contrary to the prevailing trend for minimalism, it still features a full numeric keypad, which makes switching channels much quicker.

After all our complaints about the unfinished software, the moment came when we experienced absolute shock. It turns out that in this buggy and slow-operating system there is a function hidden that works almost perfectly and puts industry veterans to shame. We are talking about the built-in media player for files from USB drives. It is a true multimedia powerhouse that played virtually every video format we threw at it – from the most popular to the completely niche. Haier, a newcomer in the TV market, has achieved something that many manufacturers with decades of experience have struggled with for years. Who knows, perhaps it was originally intended to be a reliable player for conference rooms? Regardless of its origin, the result is excellent!

Finally, in the multimedia section it is worth mentioning playback from external USB drives. During our tests we did not encounter any unpleasant surprises; the built-in player handles all common video and audio formats exactly as it should. Interestingly, the TCL C7L also had no problem playing photos saved in Apple's native HEIC format. This is an extremely rare feature in manufacturers' built-in TV apps. And although Google TV of course lets you install external media player apps, in the case of the C7L the built-in tool is so well polished that installing additional software is unlikely to be necessary.

When it comes to sound, the review will unfortunately be very brief. The biggest advantage of the built-in speakers of the K85F is really just that they are there and produce sound. Other than that, the sound is completely flat, devoid of any bass, and simply anemic. Yes, on the TV's box, we will find the Dolby Atmos logo, but when faced with the physical capabilities of these drivers, it is a feature that exists only on paper. The verdict can, therefore, only be one: when planning to purchase this television, you should immediately add a soundbar to your budget.

The TCL C7L simply sounds fairly good and does the job competently. In terms of sound quality itself, practically nothing has changed compared with last year's C7K model. The manufacturer still uses a Bang & Olufsen-branded speaker system in a 2.2 configuration. The only thing that can be quite irritating during viewing is that when you raise the volume to higher levels, roughly above 50% on the scale, the volume no longer corresponds to the on-screen indicator. The B&O audio system works well for everyday viewing of current affairs or series at moderate volume, but if you're looking for better sound it's worth buying at least a basic soundbar for the C7L.

Haier K85F vs TCL C7L

Advantages

Disadvantages

Our verdict

TV appearance

Where to buy

Contrast and black detail

HDR effect quality

Factory color reproduction

Color reproduction after calibration

Smoothness of tonal transitions

Image scaling and smoothness of tonal transitions

Blur and motion smoothness

Console compatibility and gaming features

Input lag

Compatibility with PC

Viewing angles

Daytime performance

Panel details

TV features

Classic features:

Smart features:

Sound connection options

Supported audio formats (external HDMI eARC audio):

Senior accessibility

GoogleTV on Haier K85F

Classic features on Haier K85F

Google TV i Smart TV

Funkcje telewizyjne

Apps

Playing files from USB

Sound

Sound Quality Test

Acoustic Measurements