TCL C6K vs LG OLED G6 (G64LW, G66LS)

TCL C6K is a moderately bright television that can showcase its full potential under the best cinematic 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 is important to remember that when managing backlight zones, there are occasions where some elements are dimmed, and at times become barely visible. It is clear that there is a lack of proper algorithm optimisation here, although looking at the technical parameters in this price range, the overall construction performs exceedingly well.

The LG G6 is currently one of the brightest OLEDs on the market. Its peak brightness reaches nearly 2500 nits, and what’s best – this has a direct impact on real film scenes. The television flawlessly extracts details in the bright areas of the image. And this is regardless of whether we are talking about very small points like stars in the sky or slightly larger elements on the screen. Naturally, with full-screen, uniformly white scenes, the brightness of the G6 decreases due to the panel protection system (ABL). However, in real, varied cinematic shots, this value still hovers around 2000 nits, which can be considered an outstanding result. The coverage of the colour palette also deserves praise. The new second-generation Tandem OLED panel only brought a cosmetic change but still an improvement. The coverage of the DCI-P3 palette reaches nearly 99.5%, whereas for the ultra-wide BT.2020, it is around 84%. These are very good results, although it’s worth remembering one thing: at extremely high brightness levels, the colour volume will be lower than in Samsung Display’s QD-OLED panels due to the use of a white sub-pixel (WOLED). However, in everyday content and most films, catching this difference will be very difficult.

In this year's TCL televisions, the Filmmaker mode has appeared, and it must be admitted that it is definitely the best choice straight out of the box. This is the mode we recommend for daily watching of films 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 pronounced in the white balance. Conversely, with HDR content, we had the opposite impression – the image became cooler than it should have been due to an excess of blue. Additionally, the brightness characteristics sometimes led to overexposure. In practice, this resulted in quite noticeable errors in colour tests, which are difficult to accept in a mode advertised as "from the creators."

We tested the LG G6 in the best factory mode in terms of colour fidelity, namely FILMMAKER MODE. In the case of our test unit, this mode was quite well tuned straight out of the box. In SDR content, the only issue we could point out was the white balance, which tended to drift towards warmer tones. Consequently, the image could occasionally appear slightly yellowed; however, overall, this was not an bothersome problem. The G6 performed a bit worse with HDR content. There, we noted too much blue component in the white balance, which caused the image to take on cooler hues, resulting in fairly noticeable errors. As can be seen in our ColorChecker chart, the colours indeed drifted towards these cooler registers. Nevertheless, considering the factory settings, the television displayed a perfectly decent level. We do know, however, that OLED screens – particularly those from LG – respond excellently to professional calibration, which is why we immediately went ahead with it.

Thanks to the white balance adjustment, it was possible to significantly reduce the C6K's tendency to distort colours, which translated into a very good final result. After calibration, we will no longer observe the effect of excessive warmth in SDR scenes or overly cooling the image in HDR. However, it is worth taking a closer look at the brightness characteristics. In SDR content, it is difficult to have major objections – the image looks really good, especially in older films, television programmes, or materials from YouTube. It fares much worse in the case of HDR content. An analysis of the EOTF curve suggests that everything is fine, but in practice (EOTF in films), the limitations of the design become apparent. The television tends to over-brighten the smallest parts of the frame, and in other situations, it can dim an entire scene too much. The effect of calibration is therefore evident, and in terms of colour, the C6K has gained quite a lot, but certain limitations arising from local dimming and, in fact, from its management by the C6K simply cannot be overcome.

After professional calibration, we gained complete control over the panel, and we managed to align all parameters to nearly zero. We successfully calibrated the white balance perfectly, which eliminated the factory cool and warm tints from the screen. The effects are clear as day in the ColorChecker test – the average colour reproduction errors dropped below the critical value of 1-2. And what does that mean? PERFECT colours, without any distortion! However, as reviewers, we must point out here how the LG G6 arbitrarily manipulates brightness, for which the EOTF curve is responsible. When looking at the standard synthetic chart, it might seem that the line is quite straight. However, the situation changes when we turn on the measurement filter, which shows how the television interprets brightness in real, moving film scenes (EOTF in MOVIES). Then it becomes evident that some of the tiniest parts on the screen are slightly over-brightened by the algorithm. Of course, for the average viewer, such a deviation will be practically unnoticeable, but in the test of such an expensive screen, it is worth noting – especially since we are talking about a model that has huge aspirations to be named the best television of the year.

TCL C6K performs quite well in terms of scaling. Lower quality materials look acceptable, and the absence of overscan issues means that the image is displayed in full, without cropping. However, one cannot expect miracles – very low-quality content will not gain a new life here, as the image processor has its limitations. On thin lines or details, there is a noticeable characteristic jerking, which reveals the lack of advanced image enhancement algorithms. It is also a pity that the C6K lacks the feature for smoothing tonal transitions – in older films or video materials, colour banding can be noticeable and can be distracting during longer viewing sessions.

Whatever one may say about the G6’s problems with near-black signal, it must be fairly acknowledged that it handles heavily compressed material and lower resolution content exceptionally well. All unwanted, unsightly tonal transitions are effectively reduced here by the "Smooth Gradation" feature. At the "Low" setting, the algorithm works flawlessly – effectively masking the artefacts resulting from strong compression without destroying the sharpness and details in the frame. Higher levels of this function do indeed smooth the image further, but they start to blur the real elements of object texture, which is why we recommend keeping this slider at a low setting. As for the upscaling to 4K, the processor does an excellent job – edge sharpness and detail reconstruction are at the highest level, and in this regard, the G6 does not fall behind the world leaders at all.

The TCL C6K utilises a 144 Hz panel, which is a significant advantage in this price range. This is an important step forward compared to the previous model, the C655 PRO, which only offered 60 Hz in 4K. The difference is especially noticeable when watching sports or gaming – the ball, players, or fast action in a game are shown more clearly and without losing details. Interestingly, the panel can also operate at 240 Hz, which the manufacturer does not mention in the official materials. We will return to this topic when discussing the PC gaming mode.

TCL has also added a feature for those watching films: "Motion Clarity", which allows users to adjust the image to their liking using two simple sliders. One can either keep the film frame visible or opt for a very smooth, almost theatrical effect. This way, everyone can find settings tailored to their taste.

LG G6 is an OLED television, so in the category of motion fluidity, it traditionally deserves the highest marks. The television supports very high refresh rates reaching up to 165 Hz in 4K resolution, but most importantly – on the screen, you will not notice any signs of blurring. The response time of the panel is almost instantaneous, ensuring that dynamic images remain perfectly sharp.

The TCL C6K is a television that can confidently be described as equipment designed with gamers in mind. Here we have 4K at 144 Hz, VRR support, automatic game mode (ALLM), and Dolby Vision Gaming. Additionally, there is a practical Game Bar, which is a panel with the most important settings easily accessible – useful when we want to quickly change something during gameplay (e.g. screen aspect ratio: Yes, it can be done!). The wide range of VRR is also noteworthy, reaching up to 240 Hz. However, this option is primarily for PC gamers who will drop the resolution below native 4K. At that point, the television can spread its wings and demonstrate extra fluidity, especially in fast-paced esports titles. In the case of consoles, we stick to the classic limit of 120 Hz, but the possibilities are still really broad. The only drawback might be slight ghosting, which can sometimes be seen in dynamic scenes. Apart from that, though, the C6K offers everything that gamers expect from a television.

The LG G6 is a true monster for gamers and one of the best-equipped televisions on the market in this regard. The manufacturer has not skimped on features, equipping this model with as many as four full HDMI 2.1 ports with a maximum bandwidth of 48 Gbps. This means that no matter which port you plug in your PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, or powerful PC, you will get the absolute maximum performance from them.

The television supports a full set of gaming technologies: from VRR (Variable Refresh Rate) to AMD FreeSync Premium Pro, and even Nvidia G-Sync Compatible. On top of that, it offers remarkably low, nearly imperceptible input lag and an exceptionally well-functioning Game Optimizer panel, which allows you to monitor signal parameters in real time. Gaming on this screen, with the perfect black of OLED and impressive refresh rates, is pure pleasure.