Panasonic Z95A vs TCL C6KS / C69KS / Q6CS

Panasonic Z95A demonstrates class when it comes to HDR performance. In brightness tests, it reaches a level of 1800 nits, which has a real impact on watching movies. Scenes from Life of Pi or Gemini Man look great – the television effortlessly reproduces details and the intensity of bright spots, impressing with its power. In more demanding moments, like the final scene from The Meg, one can see how bright light floods the screen. In such moments, brightness drops, which is typical for organic matrices. Nonetheless, a result around 1000 nits can still be considered excellent, still providing very good picture quality. Additionally, the television offers excellent coverage of wide color gamuts – up to 98.6% for DCI-P3 and 74.5% for BT.2020. This ensures that colors are not only vibrant but also deeply saturated, allowing full appreciation of the richness of details, especially in HDR scenes. Such coverage makes colors appear more realistic, and the HDR effect gains in intensity and accuracy. All this impressive HDR effect is thanks to MLA technology, which enables achieving such high luminance and excellent image detail. Thanks to this, the Panasonic Z95A offers HDR at a level that truly makes a difference.

And how does the issue of HDR look? Here the C6KS performs quite well and – as is becoming a recurring theme in this review – identically to the C6K model. The maximum brightness generated by this television is around 600 nits. In bright scenes, this translates to a really solid, cinematic effect, and generally, the video materials look good here. However, one must remember the specifics of the dimming algorithm in this model. When very small, bright points (e.g., stars) appear against a dark background, the television can dim them quite significantly. The goal is simple: to eliminate blooming and maintain the best possible black levels. It’s a reasonable compromise. Most viewers will definitely appreciate deep, “true black” more than additional micro-details that could cause grayness on the screen. Such is the nature of local dimming technology in this price range, and one must be aware of it. It’s also worth noting that the TCL C69KS (C6KS) has an additional PFS coating, which is marketed under the tagline of QLED technology. Thanks to this, the colors are saturated and vibrant – our measurements showed that the coverage of a wide color gamut reaches 92% here.

The best picture mode in the Panasonic Z95A is undoubtedly the Filmmaker mode. It is a mode that offers quite good image reproduction, but it is not free from certain errors that need improvement. First of all, the white balance, both for 4K and HD content, tends to show a dominance of red and blue colors. This causes a slight pinkish tint in the image, particularly noticeable in bright, white scenes. Such deviations can be seen in the comparative photo below, which illustrates this problem well. The Colour Checker test also confirms these discrepancies, showing slight shifts of the dots towards the mentioned hues.

In terms of gamma brightness characteristics, it performs very well, with only minor issues when lightening small details. The EOTF curve, which is responsible for controlling brightness in 4K HDR content, poses greater difficulty. Here, a slight boost in brightness above the reference value can be observed, making the image sometimes too bright, especially in more demanding scenes. Although the Filmmaker mode is definitely the best choice in the Z95A, these aspects require refinement to fully exploit the potential of the television.

Unlike the more expensive C6K model, the tested C6KS does not have an option labeled Filmmaker Mode in the menu. Is this a reason to cry? Absolutely not. Our tests have shown that in practice, in terms of color reproduction, the absence of this specific label makes virtually no difference. The best available Film/Cinema mode here offers nearly identical picture characteristics to the aforementioned Filmmaker mode in the more expensive model. So we get a very similar image, just under a different name. So if you were wondering whether paying extra for the C6K gives you better colors – the answer is: no, in both cases the base is the same and requires slight adjustments.

After calibration, Panasonic Z95A shows its full potential, offering an almost perfect image. The television provides great adjustment capabilities, which we have fully utilized. The white balance after calibration is presented almost perfectly, and errors in SDR content at the level of 0.5 fall within an absolutely reference standard. The same is true for 4K HDR content – any pink tint on the screen has been completely eliminated, and the white balance is now exemplary.

The color palette and Colour Checker test confirm the excellence of the calibration. Errors below 2 is a result that will satisfy both professional calibrators and enthusiasts of cinema-quality images. Significant changes have also occurred in brightness characteristics – the EOTF curve has been leveled, eliminating previous issues with excessive image brightness. And the small error in gamma has been reduced.

Before calibration, the image was acceptable, but now it is a completely different league. It is a true feast for the eyes, the quality of which is hard to compare to anything else. Panasonic Z95A, after fine-tuning the settings, becomes a true master of color reproduction.

Thanks to the white balance adjustment, the tendency of the C69KS to distort colors has been effectively reduced, leading to a very good final effect. After calibration, we won't see excessive warmth in SDR scenes or overly cool tones in HDR. However, it's worth noting the brightness characteristic. In SDR content, there are hardly any objections – the image looks very good, especially in older films, television programs, or materials from YouTube. It is much more difficult to evaluate the performance of the television in HDR. Analysis of the EOTF curve suggests correct behavior, but its practical variant shows certain limitations. The C69KS can overly brighten the smallest elements of the frame, while at other times it can dim the entire scene. Calibration has therefore brought clear benefits in terms of color reproduction, but certain limitations arising from the operation of local dimming and the way it is controlled by the C69KS cannot be avoided, as we also saw in the C6K test.

In the case of lower quality materials, the "Gradient Smoothing" function is responsible for smoothing tonal transitions. The best results are achieved with an intermediate setting – although they are not spectacular, the function works correctly and does not introduce unwanted effects into the image. It can be rated as average, but sufficient to improve the quality of tonal transitions.

As for digital processing, or upscaling, the image looks surprisingly good. It is vibrant and pleasant to the eye, making lower quality content, such as standard television or YouTube, look quite decent. However, minor issues can be noticed, such as "jaggies" on edges, e.g. branches in the background. Nevertheless, this does not significantly impact the overall viewing experience, and the television handles this material in an acceptable manner.

C69KS handles upscaling quite well. The tested 576p material looks surprisingly decent – a significant amount of detail is preserved, and the algorithm adds a subtle "rounding" effect to sharp edges, making the image appear more cohesive. However, the smoothing of tonal transitions is lacking. The television practically cannot improve them, leaving the image in a somewhat raw state. With older materials, this can be simply exhausting, as the lack of additional processing highlights all imperfections.

Panasonic Z95A, with its 144 Hz panel, offers excellent image smoothness. For films, there is the "Intelligent Frame Creation" feature, which enhances fluidity and reduces motion blur. The user has two sliders at their disposal: "Motion Blur Reduction" – responsible for clearer and sharper details in fast-moving scenes. "Film Smoothness" – adds smoothness by creating additional frames between the originals, making the motion look smoother and more natural with a "soap opera" effect.

As a result, viewers can adjust the settings to their own preferences. Films and less dynamic materials appear smooth and natural, which should satisfy most users.

C69KS offers a simplified motion improvement panel in movies, allowing you to adjust the intensity of the effect using a slider. This makes it easy to match the smoothness to your own preferences. The possibility of using higher refresh rates is also a plus – even though the panel operates natively at 4K at 60 Hz, lowering the resolution to 1440p allows you to enable 120 and 144 Hz modes, both on consoles and PC. This sounds like great news, but in practice, the image at these settings suffers from significant motion blur. The effect is noticeable enough that the overall experience feels simply mediocre and loses its appeal in everyday use.

Panasonic Z95A this year shows that the manufacturer has made a huge leap forward in terms of support for gamers. The television offers practically everything one could expect from a device in this category. Support for ALLM (Auto Low Latency Mode) and VRR (Variable Refresh Rate) ensures smoothness and no tearing in dynamic games. The 144 Hz panel allows for incredible fluidity, and the additional support for resolutions other than 4K provides greater flexibility, which is a significant plus for gamers using various setups.

Attention should also be paid to the unique and somewhat specific "Game Bar." Its intuitive interface stands out from the competition and allows quick adjustments to key settings such as VRR, brightness level, or picture mode without interrupting gameplay.

However, in this class of device, there is a slight disappointment – the Panasonic Z95A offers only two HDMI 2.1 ports, instead of four. This is definitely insufficient for a premium television, especially at a time when many people have more than one device requiring full HDMI 2.1 support, such as a next-gen console or a high-end computer. In this category, it is hard to accept, especially given the high aspirations of this model. Despite this, the television is an excellent choice for gamers, offering versatility and functionality at the highest level.

If we overlook the smearing and lack of native 4K at 120 Hz, the C69KS impresses with how well it performs during gaming. We get everything you can expect from a gaming television: variable refresh rate (VRR), automatic switching to game mode (ALLM), Dolby Vision Gaming mode, and a reasonably functioning HGiG. The TV can also operate at 120 and even 144 Hz at lower resolutions, allowing for smoother gameplay on console or PC. Additionally, there is a clear Game Bar that lets you quickly glance at key settings during gaming. As a result — despite a few limitations — the C69KS can be a truly successful screen for gamers.