TCL MQLED85 / C765 vs LG QNED86A / QNED85A / QNED87A

The television TCL MQLED85/C765 handles HDR well. In the tested movie scenes where the screen is covered with 100% brightness, the model achieves impressive results of around 1000 nits, providing intense and realistic rendering of HDR content. However, similar to contrast, the dimming algorithm may exhibit certain 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 example, 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 on a dark background, the television did not reach maximum intensity. For users expecting perfect HDR performance in such extreme cases, the TCL MQLED may be slightly disappointing. However, in terms of colours, the television stands out with very high coverage of the DCI P3 colour palette 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 significant for cinema image enthusiasts. Although this model achieves brightness over 1000 nits, TCL MQLED85 may struggle to reflect details in very high-contrast scenes. For better HDR quality control, C765 is equipped with a dynamic tone mapping option, making the image more realistic and natural depending on the content.

Against a backdrop of contrast and black, the brightness of the QNED86A and the overall HDR effect perform much better. This is a television that can achieve around 700 nits under the best conditions, so in terms of luminance alone, there is nothing to be ashamed of. As a result, scenes with strong lights, explosions, flashes, or bright parts of the landscape look clear and can make an impression. Interestingly, even in more challenging moments with small, contrasting elements on the screen, the television manages well with their backlighting, and the details are quite visible. The problem arises when there are many dark tones. The lack of effective local dimming causes the black to practically disappear, and instead, we get a grey haze spreading across the entire screen. This kills the sense of depth and makes the image look flat, as if it lacks a cinematic character. In bright animations or colourful family films, this will not be a problem, as vibrant colours and bright light dominate. But in horrors or productions set in darkness, these limitations are very strongly felt. As a comfort, it is worth adding that the QNED86A is actually a QLED television with a PFS LED filter, which gives it very good coverage of a wide colour gamut. Both the DCI-P3 palette and the broader BT.2020 perform really well here. This makes the colours in HDR films saturated, juicy, and with the appropriate depth – even if the black itself disappoints, the colours can save the viewing experience and make the image look attractive.

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

In the case of 4K HDR image quality of the TCL MQLED85/C765, there is a noticeable excess of red in the analysis of white balance. This excess can significantly affect the viewer's experience, leading to several significant effects. Firstly, 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 "over-saturation," which detracts from the naturalness and authenticity of the image. As for contrast, the EOTF (Electro-Optical Transfer Function) graph indicates that most values are above the reference line, suggesting an intense boost in brightness in bright areas of the image. However, there is an exception at the beginning of the graph, where the EOTF line is below the reference line, which can 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 terms of image settings, so it is worth considering adjusting the settings to achieve better results.

We primarily tested the QNED86A in Filmmaker mode, which is designed to provide the most faithful picture. Unfortunately, right out of the box, there were quite a few shortcomings. The most noticeable was the poorly tuned white balance – there was a lack of blue, causing the overall image to take on a slightly yellowish, and at times even orange hue. An even bigger problem turned out to be the way the television manages brightness. Due to its technical limitations – specifically, local dimming that only works along the edges of the screen – the QNED86A tends to oversaturate entire scenes. This is where the flattening effect we mentioned earlier comes from. Instead of clear depth and contrast, we get something akin to “boosted brightness,” which can strain the eyes over time.

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

In terms of contrast, the gamma curve, responsible for HD quality, has been completely free of drops below the reference line, meaning better detail visibility in dark scenes. Nevertheless, 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 exhibits smaller errors, although certain issues with medium tone reproduction may still be noticeable. The EOTF curve measured on actual movie scenes still shows a significant brightness boost, making the image appear more intense but artificially brightened. This is a typical problem for TCL televisions, which may appeal to inexperienced viewers, but can be irritating for those more familiar with an ideal image.

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

What has been saved in the QNED86A6A is undoubtedly the colours. After calibration, the white balance was set with great precision, ensuring that deviations on the Colour Checker palette mostly did not exceed the visibility threshold for the human eye. In other words – the hues finally looked natural, without the strange yellow or orange tones that previously spoiled the perception. Unfortunately, even the best calibration cannot circumvent the structural limitations. The already very modest number of local dimming zones and their unfortunate placement mean that the analysis of the EOTF curve in films still showed clear over-brightening of scenes. The picture tended to flatten, lacking cinematic depth. Fortunately, this effect is not so noticeable in older productions or in SDR content. There, the calibration truly makes a difference and allows one to harness the QNED so that the image can be appealing. However, the specifics of this construction – especially the issues with contrast – cannot be completely bypassed.

Let’s take another look at the tonal transitions in the TCL MQLED85/C765 television, but in the context of poorer image quality. Despite the presence of the "Gradual Smoothing" option, when set to "low," the effects are practically invisible, disappointing users expecting an improvement in image quality. On the other hand, the "high" setting produces minimal results, and worse still, it can blur significant details, negatively affecting the sharpness and clarity of the displayed image. However, in the context of image scaling, the television successfully displayed the image without overscan, meaning we do not lose any part of the view. The image looks rather decent, and details such as tree branches or the outlines of models do not exhibit significant jaggedness, which positively impacts the visual quality.

If someone is worried about potential "steps" when blending colours, there is a simple way in the QNED86A to address this. Just activate the feature called Smooth Gradation and set it to a medium level. Then the television really smooths out all those unwanted transitions quite well – especially in older productions – and it does so in a way that film grain doesn't disappear, nor do strange artefacts appear. In other words, it can be used without concern.

The upscaling itself also performs quite well. Of course, there are no miracles here – with lower quality sources, you can notice characteristic ringing. Fortunately, there is a sharpness slider in the menu, and if someone prefers a more "soft" image, it can be quickly adjusted to personal taste.

TCL MQLED85/C765 is equipped with a panel featuring a standard refresh rate of 120 Hz, with the capability to increase to 144 Hz when connected to a powerful computer. The television also offers a multi-level motion smoother, primarily aimed at users wishing to enhance motion fluidity in films. It allows for the adjustment of effect intensity on a scale from 0 to 10, enabling precise tuning of image smoothness to individual preferences. The response time of the panel is decent, but not perfect. We can observe blurring occurring behind both dark and medium objects.

The QNED86A is equipped with a panel boasting a refresh rate of 120 Hz, so it can be said from the outset that it is suitable for both sports and gaming. And indeed, it is – the image appears smooth, and motion blur is not particularly intrusive. IPS panels have always had some issues with this, and here too, slight blurring can sometimes be noticed, especially in very dynamic scenes, but it is not something that ruins the viewing of a match or a fast-paced game. For cinema and sports fans, LG has included the traditional TruMotion smoothness enhancer. In the menu, we have two sliders – one for movies (De-Judder) and the other for sports (De-Blur). The first adds missing frames and can be adjusted to modify the character of motion – from raw, cinematic to a smoother, more ‘theatrical’ look. The second improves sharpness during dynamic actions, so it's worth turning it up a bit if you watch a lot of sports.

TCL MQLED85/C765 has received 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), which automatically switches the TV to low-latency mode, minimising response time and ensuring smooth gameplay. VRR (Variable Refresh Rate) functioning in the range of 48 to 144 Hz eliminates stuttering and screen tearing in dynamic game scenes. Additionally, the TV supports Dolby Vision Game Mode, which provides better image quality in games with exceptional colour depth and contrast. TCL MQLED85/C765 also features a decent if not the best implementation of HGiG (HDR Gaming Interest Group), optimising HDR game display; however, for TCL, it causes detail in whites to be brightened, resulting in some elements merging into a white blob - we can read more about this in the colour reproduction section. It supports various resolutions, such as 1080p@120Hz, 1440p@120Hz, and 4K@120Hz, allowing players to enjoy higher image quality and better fluidity. The Game Bar feature allows easy switching between game settings and quick parameter control, greatly simplifying the adjustment of the television 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, thereby providing a smoother and more immersive gaming experience.

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

In terms of gaming, the LG QNED86A6A is a complete tool. It features four HDMI 2.1 ports with full bandwidth of 48 Gb/s, which means that whether you connect a PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, or a powerful PC, everything will run in full 4K at 120 Hz with support for all functions. This is a significant advantage, as some competitors still only offer two such ports, which can be troublesome with multiple devices. It also includes VRR, or variable refresh rate, which eliminates screen tearing, as well as ALLM, which automatically activates game mode when the console is turned on. Dolby Vision Gaming is also included, along with proper implementation of the HGiG format, so titles that support these formats look more vivid and detailed. On top of all this, there is the Game Optimizer – a sort of control centre for gamers. From this interface, you can view picture parameters in real-time, quickly change modes, activate additional features, or adjust image settings to your personal preferences. The LG QNED86A6A essentially has everything one could expect from a modern gaming television.