Hisense A6N vs TCL C655 / C69B (43" - 50")

The HDR performance of the A6N is unfortunately underwhelming. A peak brightness of 250 nits does not allow for spectacular effects, and HDR comes across as rather lacklustre, more like ordinary SDR. This will not satisfy more demanding users who want to enjoy high-quality cinematic content. In addition, colour gamut coverage is not very impressive either: an 82% DCI-P3 result is average and does not allow viewers to fully enjoy vivid colours in HDR content.

The quality of the HDR effect in the TCL C69B / C655 television is quite average. With a brightness level of 350 nits, although not the worst, it still doesn't allow for a full enjoyment of HDR effects, which require higher luminance to showcase their power. Additionally, despite the application of a quantum dot coating (QLED), the television offers an average coverage of the wide DCI-P3 colour gamut at 91%, which may limit its richness of colours in HDR content.

In terms of colour reproduction, the Hisense A6N in Filmmaker Mode leaves much to be desired. Although the mode's name suggests we should expect faithful rendering of cinematic colours, the reality is different, and the TV has significant problems with picture quality. The white balance issue is particularly noticeable for both HD and 4K material, being severely skewed by a dominance of blue. This results in artificial, cool tints, which are clearly visible in the comparison photo below. The Colour Checker test further confirms these errors, which are compounded by low colour gamut coverage.

The gamma luminance characteristic reveals a serious problem with maintaining the 2.4 level, the curve sitting well below the reference value and causing the image to be overly bright with washed-out blacks. The EOTF curve for 4K material also points to brightness issues, with a pronounced rise at the low end caused by the TV's excessive brightening, which negatively affects picture quality. Such image behaviour prevents fully enjoying films and requires manual calibration.

The television TCL C69B / C655, tested in movie mode, unfortunately does not meet expectations in terms of colour accuracy. Although movie mode suggests better representation, it has almost nothing in common with film. There are many errors evident, particularly in white balance – for both HD and 4K HDR content – where the dominance of the blue colour is very noticeable. For the viewer, this means that the image becomes unnaturally cool, affecting the overall perception of colours and the visual impression. The colour checker confirms these errors, showing that colours shift towards cooler shades.

As for brightness characteristics and the related contrast, gamma is very unstable for the material, which can make the image slightly darker. The EOTF curve for the 4K material shows some errors, with significant deviations towards the end of the graph, which negatively impacts the reception of darker parts of the image.

Hisense A6N offers options and tools in its settings to adjust many image parameters that we have utilized. When it comes to white balance, we managed to eliminate the excess blue colour – this effect is clearly visible in the comparison photo below, where the boy in the image seemingly "comes to life". A significant improvement can also be noticed in the gamma brightness characteristics – the television no longer has serious issues with excessively brightening the entire image. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for 4K content, where the EOTF curve could not be fully corrected due to the exceptionally low brightness of this model. For HDR materials, we apply dynamic tone mapping, which allows for the recovery of many details despite the boosting of mid-tones in the image. For this television, this provides more benefits than drawbacks. The errors that are still visible in the colour palette test and Colour Checker for 4K materials stem from the low colour gamut coverage and are difficult to eliminate due to the characteristics of the television. Nevertheless, the tonal quality of the image is significantly better, which is why we recommend calibrating the factory settings, which are far from ideal.

After calibration, the movie mode on the TCL C69B / C655 television improves in quality. The greatest improvement can be seen in tonal quality, and the white balance presents itself much better – with no major errors. We will no longer see an excessive dominance of cool tones. Gamma has also been improved, leading to a more stable representation of brightness and contrast. However, due to limitations in the form of the television's average colour palette, Colour Checker tests for 4K materials did not achieve remarkable results. Despite these technological limitations, the image has become more authentic, positively affecting the reception of film content.

Let's check how A6N performs with low-quality materials. When it comes to smoothing tonal transitions, the lack of posterisation reduction or smoothing of tonal transitions in low-quality materials such as television or DVD can be noticeable for more demanding viewers. In terms of digital processing, the model is presented correctly, and the branches are devoid of characteristic jaggedness – the image is very plastic and soft, which may appeal to those who prefer this style of image.

The "Gradual Smoothing" function works very well on the TCL C69B television and, surprisingly, does not remove desirable effects such as film grain – unlike some solutions from other manufacturers. When it comes to image scaling, unfortunately, it looks poor. The television artificially sharpens the image, causing the edges of objects to be quite jagged. This state of affairs may appeal to some users who prefer a more "hard" look to the image, but it is not an ideal solution for those who value naturalness and fluidity of details.

The 60 Hz panel in Hisense A6N will probably satisfy people who enjoy watching films, because the TV offers an "ultra motion smoothing" feature, which lets you adjust the image's choppiness, making it either more staccato or more fluid and cinematic. When it comes to motion blur, performance is fairly average, with quite noticeable smearing, especially on dark backgrounds, which is a fairly typical characteristic for this class of TVs.

The TCL C69B / C655 television in its smallest variants offers decent, though not perfect, results in terms of motion smoothness. For films, the television features a "Flicker Reduction" function that allows adjustment of motion smoothness on a scale from 1 to 10. With this option, we can tailor the appearance of the image to our cinematic or more theatrical preferences (with either lower or higher speed).

Hisense A6N is a television that will probably appeal to casual gamers, mainly because of its 60 Hz panel, which may not satisfy more demanding users. Despite that, it offers a few conveniences that can make gaming more enjoyable. The TV supports features such as ALLM (automatic low-latency mode), VRR (variable refresh rate) and Dolby Vision, allowing you to enjoy better image quality and smoother motion in games that support these technologies. Moreover, the low input lag means in-game reactions are quick, which is crucial, especially in fast-paced titles. Thanks to these features, although the TV is not the ideal choice for demanding gamers, it provides solid support for those who value comfortable gaming without complicated settings. It is an ideal solution for people who want to enjoy gaming without high hardware demands while having access to modern technologies that enhance the gaming experience.

The TCL C69B / C655 television in its smallest variants offers a range of features dedicated to gamers, such as ALLM (Auto Low Latency Mode), VRR (Variable Refresh Rate), Dolby Vision for gamers, and Game Bar. ALLM automatically switches the television to low latency mode, improving responsiveness and minimising delays in control. VRR allows the screen refresh rate to synchronise with the number of frames generated by the console, eliminating screen tearing and providing smoother gameplay. Dolby Vision for gamers ensures better colour and contrast reproduction in games that support this format, resulting in enhanced picture quality. Meanwhile, Game Bar provides quick access to game settings and monitors key parameters such as input lag.

However, the television has certain limitations that may affect gaming comfort. The 60 Hz panel does not allow for displaying signals with higher refresh rates, which may impact the smoothness of the image in fast-paced games. The lack of support for G-Sync technology for PCs may also be noticeable when gaming on a computer, especially in demanding, fast-paced titles.