LG 55 B4 vs TCL C7L

The HDR brightness performance of the LG B4 is impressive, even though it doesn't surpass 1000 nits. Its luminance stability is consistently strong across various scenarios, delivering a reliable viewing experience. The only instance where the TV shows slight weakness is in scenes with large areas of bright white, which has long been a challenge for OLED technology. However, perfect contrast, deep blacks, and excellent brightness ensure a fully immersive HDR experience. Furthermore, the TV’s remarkable 99% coverage of the DCI-P3 colour gamut enhances its colour vibrancy, making images appear rich and visually striking. This level of colour accuracy and brightness balance firmly places the LG B4 among the top choices for HDR content.

TCL C7L is undoubtedly an extremely bright television. In synthetic tests on static images, it can achieve peak brightness levels of around 2800 nits. This is an absolutely phenomenal result, considering the price range it falls into. Unfortunately, the tests with real film scenes are not as spectacular as the measurements of white squares. The brightness in actual HDR shots drops to around 1200 nits in the C7L model. This is still a very good result, as the vast majority of contemporary films are mastered at such a value. However, when small, pinpoint elements appear on the screen, the brightness of those details drastically drops – even to about 400 nits – which diminishes the HDR effect somewhat. The television does this intentionally to maintain a better level of black and prevent a huge glare of light. This is somewhat explainable, but it also shows that Mini LED technology is not completely uncompromising in this regard. As for the HDR effect itself – alongside brightness, colors are obviously key here. And these, thanks to the use of new, "super" quantum dots, are simply outstanding and among the best on the market. The television can achieve around 90% coverage of the ultra-wide color gamut BT.2020 and 99% of the DCI-P3 gamut, easily matching the best RGB MINI-LED screens. Best of all, the C7L can maintain such high color saturation regardless of the scene being displayed, which is often problematic in competing RGB Mini-LED televisions.

The best factory preset offered by LG B4 is the "Filmmaker" mode, which we used throughout our testing. Straight out of the box, the TV delivered fairly accurate colour reproduction. However, the most significant issue in both SDR and HDR content was the white balance. In SDR, there was a noticeable red dominance, giving the image a distinct yellow tint, particularly evident in skin tones and whites. In HDR, this red hue persisted, but the lack of blue also introduced a greenish tint in certain scenes. Additionally, we observed some inconsistencies in grayscale and colour accuracy. Despite these shortcomings, the overall picture quality was still solid for most viewing scenarios.

When it comes to colors straight out of the box, a new feature in TCL televisions – including the C7L model – is the presence of a new picture mode called Filmmaker Mode. This is significant news, as such a mode was previously unavailable from this manufacturer. By design, as the name itself suggests, the image in this setting is intended to be presented with the full intent of the film's creator. After our tests, we can confirm that it is undoubtedly the best built-in mode on this television if you care about faithful color reproduction straight out of the box. However, we definitely wouldn't say that it is perfect. Like most devices on the market, this C7L also had its factory flaws. The white balance in Filmmaker Mode strayed into a slightly greenish-yellow hue, mainly due to an excess of green component and a noticeable lack of blue color. Of course, for the average viewer, this may not be a drastic flaw, but if you care about perfect whites, natural skin tones, and fully unlocking the potential of these new "super" quantum dots, this television is in need of professional calibration.

LG B4 has long been known for offering advanced calibration tools, and it remains one of the few manufacturers that allows such in-depth image adjustments. Thanks to these tools, we calibrated the device to an exceptional standard. The result was incredibly low deltaE errors, considered at a reference level. Both SDR and HDR content now display exactly as the filmmaker intended. This level of precision is one of the reasons LG TVs are frequently used as preview monitors in graphic design and post-production studios.

After conducting a professional calibration, we managed to significantly improve the situation in the factory Filmmaker Mode. Following our adjustments, the errors in the ColorChecker test and across the entire wide color gamut dropped below the threshold of human perception – that is, below a value of 3, which is indeed a very good result. The TCL C7L definitely benefits from such an intervention in terms of color fidelity, and it's hard to dispute that. However, the management of brightness in HDR content post-calibration looks a bit worse. As I described earlier – even though we set up this model properly, when we turn on actual film scenes on the TV, it manages its brightness in a rather peculiar way. It often brightens certain elements on the screen contrary to the creator's intent, which is clearly visible in the EOTF graphs measured in specific films. Despite this defect – or rather a specific characteristic of this television – one cannot take away from it that after calibration, the C7L was able to reproduce the colors completely accurately.

In this section, we will revisit the smooth transition function while also examining how the TV handles lower-quality content. As we’ve found, the setting responsible for smooth gradation is generally effective, though it does have its drawbacks. While the function works well in SDR content, it becomes less useful in HDR content. Even at the lowest setting, it can blur important details, so we advise against using it in such cases.

The image scaling on the LG B4 is assessed moderately positively. While there is no noticeable edge doubling, the image tends to be somewhat "soft." This can be adjusted by tweaking the sharpness slider to improve the clarity.

This point can be, in a sense, called the Achilles' heel of the C7L model. Unfortunately, this TV uses an older MediaTek chipset – the Pentonic 700 – which has never been known for exceptional digital image processing. This is clearly evident in the operation of the gradual smoothing feature, which is responsible for reducing jagged edges and removing digital noise. It simply works very poorly – after setting it to low, its effectiveness is practically nonexistent. The only small plus here is that the algorithm doesn't spoil anything additional in the image and doesn’t forcibly blur details. The upscaling, that is, scaling the image from lower resolutions to 4K, performs a bit better. It is simply adequate and doesn’t stand out in any particular way compared to the competition. However, it cannot be denied that the C7L would gain significantly in this aspect if the manufacturer decided to use the newer Pentonic 800 processor, which is now increasingly found in many competitive models.

The maximum refresh rate on the LG B4 is 120 Hz, the bare minimum for those requiring high image fluidity. The manufacturer has equipped the TV with a multi-stage motion smoother called "TruMotion." This feature is split into two sliders: one controls the sharpness of moving images (De-Blur) and the other adjusts judder (De-Judder). Both sliders can be set between 0 and 10, with each level affecting the smoothness, so users can easily find their preferred setting.

The LG OLED B4 panel boasts an impressive average response time of 0.1 ms (based on our measurements), delivering an exceptionally clear image that surpasses the capabilities of LCD TVs, which often have response times of several milliseconds. This is particularly noticeable in the "UFO Test" images, where no trailing blur is visible behind moving objects.

TCL C7L features a native 4K panel with a refresh rate of 144 Hz, which can even ramp up to 288 Hz at lower resolutions when using a PC. These are, of course, very high values and commendable on paper, but in everyday life, it's worth remembering that nearly all dynamic content you display on this television will still be running around a maximum of 120 Hz. To harness this dynamics, we find a motion smoothing system in the TV's menu called “Motion Clarity.” It offers several predefined modes, including a user mode, which we definitely recommend setting manually using our tried-and-true guides on our YouTube channel. There we have two key sliders at our disposal. The first one, “Blur Reduction,” is responsible for reducing blurring and improving sharpness in dynamic 60fps materials, such as sports broadcasts. The second slider, “Flicker Reduction,” allows for the addition of artificial frames in movies and series recorded at cinematic 24 or 30 frames per second. This, of course, completely eliminates the irritating stutter effect during camera movement shots.

The LG B4 has four full HDMI 2.1 ports, each providing 48Gbps bandwidth. This ensures smooth activation of all relevant features without issues, making the television highly suitable for gaming. With its low input lag and extensive functionality, including well-implemented HGIG mode and Dolby Vision gaming with low latency, the B4 is a strong contender for gamers who demand high quality.

A standout feature is GameBar, which allows for on-the-fly adjustments without interrupting gameplay, as well as image adaptations for those with visual impairments. Another key point is that when VRR technology is enabled, the television maintains its contrast, thanks to the OLED panel's structure, though slight flickering in grey shades is to be expected.

In conclusion, the LG B4 is an ideal choice for gamers, seamlessly combining high performance with excellent gaming features. Its 120Hz panel and HDMI 2.1 ports make it a standout option for those seeking top-tier gaming experiences.

When it comes to gaming, the TCL C7L is simply an outstanding television for gamers. With the presence of two full-bandwidth HDMI 2.1 ports at 48 Gbps, we have access to all the key features that console owners and powerful PC users require. It offers a well-functioning ALLM mode with very low input lag and VRR frame synchronization that operates impressively from 48 up to 288 Hz. Importantly, unlike some competitors, TCL has ensured proper implementation of the console HDR10 HGIG profile and support for Dolby Vision in games. This is complemented by a well-designed gaming panel, the Game Bar, which even allows for customization of its appearance and theme to perfectly match the aesthetics of your console.

The only thing that can – and indeed must – be criticized here is the fact that the television offers only two full HDMI 2.1 ports, while the other two are older HDMI 2.0. This creates quite a significant logistical problem. Why? Because one of those fast ports also supports the eARC audio return channel. In practice, this means that if you connect a soundbar or home theater system to the television, you will only have one free HDMI 2.1 port left. If you have two consoles or a console and a powerful computer at home, unfortunately, you will have to give up something or constantly juggle the cables at the back of the unit while maintaining convenient audio system control.