Compare Philips The One (PUS8959 / PUS8919 / PUS8909 / PUS8949 vs TCL C655 Pro

Philips PUS8959, also known by other designations under the PUS89 abbreviation (depending on the sales network), is a model from the popular series The One. Its biggest distinguishing feature is the Ambilight system, which still makes a great impression. The three-sided backlighting adapts to the picture on the screen, making movies, series, or games literally extend beyond the edges of the TV. The One is also a good option for gamers. The 120 Hz panel and low input lag ensure that games run smoothly, and the motion on the screen is clear. On the console, we tested several dynamic titles, and the TV handled them without any problems – no stutters or delays. Additionally, HGiG support allows for better reproduction of HDR effects in games. This is a great solution if we care about the image matching what the creators intended. The picture quality is at a good level, especially during the day. With a brightness of 550 nits, The One performs well even in well-lit rooms, and Dolby Vision in HDR films delivers vivid colors and sharp details. However, the ADS panel has its limitations – the blacks in dark scenes resemble a gray shade more, which can be noticeable when watching in a dimly lit room. When we watched movies with the lights off, the lack of depth in the blacks was somewhat evident. The Titan OS operating system is something that still needs refinement. It is fast, but the limited number of applications, such as the lack of Spotify or TVN Player, can be frustrating for those used to more advanced platforms like GoogleTV. When daily using Netflix or YouTube, it works flawlessly, but if we expect more advanced features, the system may not meet expectations. Overall, Philips The One is a good choice in its price category. The Ambilight system impresses and significantly enhances the viewing experience, especially in the evening. It is also a solid option for gamers, thanks to smooth image and low input lag. Although the blacks are not perfect and the operating system needs refinement, the TV performs well in everyday use. For fans of unique solutions like Ambilight, this is a proposition that definitely deserves attention.

TCL C655 PRO is an extension of the basic model from this series, and although the name may suggest only minor differences, the "PRO" suffix actually means a lot. The biggest change compared to its less advanced sibling is the picture quality. The manufacturer opted for the implementation of local dimming technology, which significantly improves black levels and contrast. The television is capable of offering a more refined picture. Thus, TCL C655 PRO clearly outperforms the more budget version in this respect. The applied QLED panel further enhances the coverage of a wide color palette, delivering vibrant and saturated colors, which works great for both movies and dynamic content such as games. In terms of gaming, just like the basic version, TCL C655 PRO offers a range of useful features for gamers – including ALLM, VRR, and Game Bar – which greatly enhance the gaming experience. The television can also adjust the screen refresh rate to lower resolutions, meaning that despite supporting 4K at 60 Hz, in Full HD or 2K, one can enjoy a smoother image thanks to 120 Hz. In everyday use, the Google TV operating system performs excellently. The intuitive interface, personalized recommendations, and wide access to streaming applications such as Netflix, YouTube, or Disney+ make the TV enjoyable to use. This makes it easy to overlook the lack of recording features and picture-in-picture (PiP), which is not a major issue given the rich offering of applications. If we can afford that small difference in price, we definitely recommend the TCL C655 in the PRO version.

The television Philips PUS8959 is based on an ADS panel, which offers slightly different parameters compared to the popular VA panels. In the tested scenes, the contrast was around 2000:1, making the black level far from ideal. ADS panels are known for their weaker contrast compared to VA panels, which in practice means that instead of deep black, we see more navy or gray shades. However, the ADS panel is still better than the standard IPS panel, which cannot achieve such a level of contrast. Additionally, the Philips PUS8959 is not equipped with local dimming technology that could improve these parameters. The lack of this feature amplifies the effect of shallow black, particularly noticeable in dark scenes, like those in the movie "Sicario 2." Instead of intense black, the screen generates a silvery glow, which can be bothersome, especially when watching in darker conditions. All of this makes the visual experience lose depth, and details in dark scenes are not as well visible as one might expect from higher-class screens. Despite the lack of local dimming, the television is equipped with something called Global Dimming. The television is capable of completely dimming the panel to achieve higher contrast, but at the expense of details that may blend together, for example, lights in the test scene from the movie Oblivion. It is worth adding that the model we received for testing has quite large spots resulting from uneven backlighting, although this is not an exception, and one should take into account that we might also receive such a unit when purchasing.

The TCL 655 PRO television, equipped with a VA panel, provides solid contrast; however, the key role in improving image quality is played by local dimming technology. The tested 55-inch variant has 84 zones of backlighting, which significantly enhance contrast compared to the model without the "PRO" suffix, and this effect is clearly visible in the first three tested scenes. It is worth adding that larger versions of this television naturally have more zones, which translates into even better contrast. Of course, as with any LCD television, certain drawbacks remain—particularly noticeable in the tested scenes 4 and 5, where smaller bright elements lose quite a bit of quality. Nevertheless, considering the price of the device, the TCL 655 PRO makes a strong impression and stands out well in the category of black levels and contrast.

The luminance chart for Philips PUS8959 shows that the television can achieve around 550 nits of brightness, which can be considered a satisfactory level. This brightness allows the effects of HDR to be felt, particularly standing out in more demanding scenes. In the tested patterns, the television performed quite well, even in challenging sequences like those from "Sicario 2". Due to the lack of local dimming, the television does not dim small bright elements, and they shine with the full "power" of the television but at the cost of the silverish blacks we mentioned in the paragraph about blacks. It is also worth praising Philips PUS8959 for its good coverage of the DCI-P3 color palette, which amounts to around 94.5%. This makes the colors vivid and close to the creators' intentions, further enhancing the quality of HDR effects and the viewing experience of high dynamic range content.

In the HDR effect quality category, the TCL 655 PRO television shows decent capabilities, achieving 550 nits of peak brightness. This allows for enjoyment of HDR effects, which is clearly visible in scenes such as the first from the movie Life of Pi or the last frame from The Meg. However, the limited number of dimming zones causes some problems. While in bright scenes the television performs better than its lower model, in more demanding scenes, such as the second and fourth scenes from Sicario 2, it struggles. The dimming algorithm aims for deep blacks, but at the cost of brightness – which in these moments leads to a decrease in brightness by as much as half. In these more challenging scenes with small elements, it is hard to find any praise, and the HDR effect resembles rather SDR. Nonetheless, the coverage of the color palette deserves commendation, which, like in the version without the PRO suffix, is at a very good level.

The Philips PUS8959 television was tested in the best, theoretically most precise picture mode – Filmmaker. Although the name suggests cinematic quality, it unfortunately falls far short of the ideal. The biggest issue in this mode is white balance, both in HD and 4K content. It is characterized by a significant dominance of the red color and dips in the green level, resulting in an unnatural color reproduction. For example, white elements of the image have a distinctly pinkish hue, and the green is less intense, causing the overall image to lose its naturalness and color balance. The ColorChecker test confirms these errors – it is clearly visible how the color samples "deviate" from the correct values, which can be best observed on the sample squares that should accurately reproduce colors. The lack of accuracy in this regard affects the realism and fidelity of the image, which is particularly undesirable in Filmmaker mode.

Regarding brightness characteristics, the gamma chart resembles a real roller coaster – with small elements displayed on the screen, the brightness is excessive, causing details to become overly highlighted. Meanwhile, at higher gamma values, the image loses contrast and becomes too dark, making the overall appearance look less dynamic. Similar issues can be noticed in the EOTF characteristics – the television is unable to correctly reproduce the brightness level, negatively affecting the overall image quality.

Each of our TV tests is conducted in movie mode, which usually offers the best color reproduction. Nevertheless, even this mode is not free from problems, as we noted with the TCL 655 PRO model.

In the case of HD content, the white balance clearly shifts towards red, and this effect becomes particularly noticeable in a scene from Star Wars, where the white elements of the scenery take on a pink hue. For 4K HDR material, the situation looks better, but there is a tendency to excessively enhance the blue color. As a result, the image can appear artificially sharp, which proves to be uncomfortable for the eye over a longer period. The brightness characteristic also leaves much to be desired. The Gamma chart indicates serious difficulties with excessive brightening, causing the overall presentation to look washed out. Additionally, the EOTF curve reveals significant issues with the reproduction of very small elements - they are excessively dimmed, as we detailed in the paragraph regarding HDR effects.

After calibration, the Philips PUS8959 television shows a significant improvement in color reproduction, especially in HD content. The white balance is exceptionally even, and the Delta E error values are below 1, which can be considered an outstanding result. Additionally, the gamma, which is responsible for brightness in lower-quality materials, performs very well, maintaining a stable level at 2.4, leading to an appropriate balance between bright and dark areas of the image.

Regarding 4K HDR materials, a significant improvement is also noticeable. The white balance, although not as perfect as in HD content, no longer shows issues with excessive red exposure, making the image appear more natural and harmonious. Unfortunately, in the EOTF characteristics, it is difficult to speak of any significant improvement, due to the design limitations of the television that prevent significant enhancement in this aspect.

Nevertheless, the overall performance is much better after calibration, making the Philips PUS8959 one of those televisions where it is truly worth spending time on precise calibration to achieve satisfactory image quality.

After calibrating the TCL 655 PRO television, a noticeable improvement in white balance can be observed, having completely eliminated the tendency for the screen to have an excessive pink hue, which was previously visible in factory mode. The image has taken on more natural tones, especially in white and bright elements, positively affecting the overall perception of the picture. As for brightness characteristics, the Gamma chart has also improved – the screen is no longer excessively bright, which previously made the image look washed out. Nevertheless, there are still some issues with the EOTF curve that are difficult to eliminate due to the design of the television and its limited number of dimming zones. These limitations prevent achieving ideal results in this regard. However, despite this minor flaw, the overall effect after calibration is truly outstanding, providing high image quality and very good color reproduction.

The gradation on the Philips PUS8959 television looks very good, offering smooth tonal transitions in most scenes. Occasionally, minor issues can be noticed, especially during transitions between certain colors, where subtle unevenness is apparent. However, these imperfections are subtle enough that they do not significantly impact the overall viewing experience and can be considered completely acceptable. In everyday use, the television provides sufficiently good gradation quality to satisfy even more demanding users, maintaining the naturalness of the image and avoiding glaring tonal distortions.

Tonal transitions are really fine and would deserve a high rating (8), however, the rating was clearly lowered for another reason - the image is artificially sharpened despite the "sharpness" parameter being set to 0. As a result, the image is unpleasant to look at.

When it comes to smoothing tonal transitions, the "Distortion Reduction" function at the minimal setting performs quite well, effectively smoothing tonal transitions without excessive influence on other elements of the image. In tests, I did not notice that the reduction negatively affected the image structure, such as film grain or object details – everything remains in place, which is a big plus for users who appreciate the natural look of film materials.

On the other hand, regarding digital processing, the image looks quite good, although it is characterized by very softened contours, giving it an almost "misty" quality. This effect can evoke mixed feelings – some users may enjoy the fluidity and delicacy of this type of presentation, while others may find it too gentle, losing detail. It is a matter of individual preferences, but it must be admitted that the Philips PUS8959 provides quite subtle yet effective tools for improving tonal transitions without excessive interference in the natural character of the image.

The TCL 655 PRO television handles tonal transitions in lower-quality materials quite well. The "Gradual Smoothing" feature at a low setting effectively smooths out tonal transitions; however, this comes at the cost of losing some important details, such as the texture of objects. A positive aspect is that it does not negatively affect film grain, which helps maintain the natural look of the image.

In the context of digital processing, the television adds artificial sharpness. This may appeal to users who prefer a more vivid image. However, those who favor a softer, subtler look may find this to be a drawback. Additionally, a downside is the image cropping due to overscan, which limits the field of view and trims the edges of the frame. This can be problematic in certain scenes - e.g., news tickers.

Philips TV PUS8959 is equipped with a 120 Hz panel, which should satisfy more demanding users, especially those who love watching dynamic sports broadcasts or playing games. Such a high refresh rate allows for a significantly smoother image, being a key aspect during dynamic scenes and fast actions.

For those who prefer watching movies, the TV offers an additional motion smoother that allows adjusting the frame rate of the film according to personal preferences. The Philips PUS8959 has a 10-step adjustment for the functions called "Smoothness" and "Motion Blur Reduction." The "Smoothness" function is responsible for increasing the number of frames through interpolation, making motion on the screen smoother, resembling the effect of so-called "soap opera." Meanwhile, "Motion Blur Reduction" focuses on minimizing blurring and improving motion sharpness, which is particularly noticeable in dynamic sequences, such as action scenes or fast sports shots.

The TCL C655 PRO TV is equipped with a 4K panel with a refresh rate of 60 Hz, making it ideal for watching movies. Additionally, the "Flicker Reduction" feature allows users to adjust the fluidity of the image, giving them the choice between smoother motion or a cinematic, choppy effect. Moreover, the TV handles lower resolution content well, such as Full HD and 2K, offering a refresh rate of 120 Hz, which will certainly appeal to gamers who can enjoy smoother images, albeit at the cost of lower resolution.

Philips PUS8959 is a television that will certainly satisfy gaming enthusiasts. It supports most modern technologies useful during gameplay, such as HGiG, allowing for better HDR effect reproduction in games. As a result, the image is closer to what the game developers intended to achieve.

The television also supports 120 Hz image display, ensuring smoothness and dynamism, which is particularly important during action games and sports broadcasts. The Game Bar feature provides quick access to game settings, making it easier to adjust the image according to user preferences without interrupting gameplay.

Unfortunately, the Dolby Vision mode does not offer low input lag, which may be noticeable during dynamic scenes. Nevertheless, thanks to the HGiG feature and high refresh rate, the Philips PUS8959 remains an attractive choice for gamers, offering good image quality and appropriate smoothness during gameplay.

The TCL C655 PRO television offers an almost perfect set of features for gamers, supporting all key technologies that significantly improve the gaming experience. The ALLM feature automatically switches the television to low latency mode, resulting in better responsiveness and minimized signal delays – particularly important in dynamic titles. VRR synchronizes the screen refresh rate with the number of frames generated by the console, eliminating screen tearing and thus guaranteeing smoother gameplay.

Support for Dolby Vision in game mode allows for more detailed color and contrast reproduction in games that support this format, while the Game Bar provides quick access to important settings such as response time or latency level. Unfortunately, this model does not support 4K resolution at 120 Hz, which may disappoint the most demanding gamers. However, for those who can forgo 4K, support for Full HD and 2K at 120 Hz offers exceptionally smooth visuals, making it an attractive alternative for enthusiasts of higher refresh rates.

Philips PUS8959 TV offers impressive results in terms of input lag, making it an excellent choice for gamers. For 120 Hz content, the lag is less than 6 ms, which is an absolutely outstanding result and allows for immediate reactions in games, especially in fast-paced titles. For 60 Hz content, the input lag is 15 ms, which is also a remarkable result and provides comfortable gameplay in most cases.

Unfortunately, the Dolby Vision mode does not perform as well, as the input lag increases to 31 ms. While this result may be acceptable for less dynamic content, it may prove insufficient for demanding gamers, affecting precision and reaction speed. Nevertheless, in standard modes, Philips PUS8959 still offers outstanding performance, making it a competitive choice in the gaming TV market.

The TCL C655 PRO TV offers an exceptional response time across all supported resolutions and frequencies. Particularly noteworthy is its support for Dolby Vision with a response time of 13 ms, which is rarely found among competitors. As a result, gamers can enjoy remarkable responsiveness even while using advanced HDR effects, significantly enhancing the gaming experience.

Philips PUS8959 performs excellently as a monitor for use with a PC. With support for chroma 4:4:4, it provides full color clarity, which is crucial for working with text – fonts are sharp and legible, regardless of the background they are on. This makes using office applications, browsing the internet, and graphic editing comfortable and precise.

Additionally, the low input lag offered by the television guarantees smooth and responsive operation, which is important for both everyday tasks and more dynamic applications, such as gaming or multimedia editing. Philips PUS8959 is an excellent choice for users seeking a television that will also serve as a PC monitor, providing high image quality and user convenience.

Cooperation with the PC on the TCL C655 Pro television is quite good, especially due to the support for chroma 4:4:4, which ensures good readability of fonts. This is an important advantage if the television is to be used as a monitor for office work, where text display accuracy is crucial. Additionally, low input lag provides smooth operation, which will be appreciated by both gamers and users who require a quick response to mouse or keyboard movements.

One of the minor drawbacks that can be noticed is the fact that vertical lines sometimes exhibit a pixel dropout. This causes letters to appear slightly broken, which in certain situations may slightly reduce work comfort, although overall this issue should not be very bothersome for less demanding users. The television does not support 120Hz for its maximum resolution, hence the lower rating compared to higher models. However, TCL has ensured that users can enjoy smooth gameplay at 120Hz at lower resolutions such as 2K and Full HD.

Philips PUS8959, equipped with an ADS panel, offers quite good viewing angles, definitely better than those found in VA panels. The image retains its quality even when viewed from a greater angle – colors are vivid, and contrast does not deteriorate as much as in televisions with VA panels. As a result, when watching television from different spots in the room, one can still enjoy well-saturated colors and overall image quality, making Philips PUS8959 a perfect choice for larger spaces and for watching together with family or friends.

The viewing angles in the TCL C655 PRO, as with VA panels, are quite limited. Compared to IPS panels, which maintain image quality regardless of the viewing angle, the VA panel in this model quickly loses contrast and color saturation even with a slight deviation from the axis. Watching at an angle causes black to become more gray, and colors lose their depth and intensity. For this reason, the TV is better suited for rooms where viewing occurs mainly straight on. It is not a television that is an ideal choice for large spaces where viewers may be seated at different angles.

Philips PUS8959 has a satin coating on the screen that effectively reduces light reflections, which is advantageous when using the television in bright daylight conditions. However, such a coating causes blacks to take on shades of gray during the day, losing their depth and intensity, which affects the perception of the image in darker scenes.

A brightness level of 562 cd/m² allows for comfortable television viewing during the day, even in well-lit rooms. The image is bright enough to stand out against daylight, and the reduction of reflections ensures decent visibility of content, making Philips PUS8959 a good choice for rooms where lighting levels cannot always be controlled.

TCL C655 PRO offers quite decent brightness, reaching around 520 nits, which makes using the television during the day comfortable. This brightness allows for good image visibility even in rooms with more sunlight. Although the television performs well in such conditions, the satin finish of the display has only average capabilities in suppressing reflections. In very bright environments, reflections may appear, which slightly worsen the visibility of the image, especially in scenes with lower contrast.

Philips PUS8959 is equipped with a three-sided Ambilight system – the flagship patent of this brand, which has delighted a dedicated group of fans for years. Ambilight relies on dynamic backlighting of the wall behind the TV, matching the content displayed on the screen, which significantly enhances the viewing experience, especially in dimly lit rooms. This effect is unique and adds a certain kind of "magic" to watching, causing many users to choose Philips specifically for this feature.

As for the operating system, Philips PUS8959 uses Titan OS – a system that is still in its early stages of development. Here, you can see growing pains, especially since Philips has moved away from Android in most of its models. Titan OS has a limited number of available apps. This is frustrating for those accustomed to a broader ecosystem like GoogleTV. Additionally, the TV does not have AirPlay functionality, which limits its compatibility with Apple devices and may be a drawback for users looking for a flexible way to stream content.

The user features of Philips PUS8959 are a mix of pros and cons. The remote control included with the TV is quite annoying – it requires direct aiming at the screen, which can be inconvenient. On the other hand, the voice function works without the need to aim, but it only supports English. On the plus side, the remote is backlit, making it easier to use in the dark. The TV does not have PiP (Picture-in-Picture) functionality or the ability to record programs, which is a significant drawback. However, the TV is equipped with Bluetooth, allowing connection to headphones or a keyboard, which can be useful – especially due to the limited number of available apps, which may encourage the use of the built-in web browser.

The TCL C655 PRO TV operates on the Google TV system, which is an extension of the popular Android TV. Google TV offers personalized content recommendations based on viewed materials and user preferences, providing easy access to movies, series, and apps. Thanks to its clear interface, navigation is simple, and access to popular streaming apps such as Netflix, YouTube, Prime Video, and Disney+ allows enjoying a wide range of content. The system also supports integration with the Google ecosystem, enabling control of the TV using voice commands with Google Assistant and synchronization with other smart home devices.

The TCL C655 PRO offers additional features that enhance usability, such as support for Apple AirPlay, allowing for quick content streaming from Apple devices directly to the TV screen. Additionally, the ability to connect peripherals via Bluetooth – e.g., keyboards, mice, or headphones – makes usage even more convenient. Unfortunately, this model does not have the functionality to record content to USB or the picture-in-picture (PiP) option, which may be a disappointment for those accustomed to these conveniences in traditional television. Nevertheless, the TCL C655 PRO offers many modern solutions that facilitate daily entertainment.

The design of the TCL C655 PRO TV appears modern, with elegant and slim metallic bezels that add sturdiness and aesthetic appeal to the device. Overall, it looks very good and will certainly fit into most interiors. Although the bezels are minimalist, the TV itself is not among the thinnest on the market, especially compared to Korean competitors who often offer even slimmer designs.

Although the Titan OS system on the Philips PUS8959 TV is still in its infancy, it deserves praise for supporting Polish subtitles embedded in movies, which is a significant convenience for users dealing with external files. If we want to play a movie from a connected USB device, the TV will do so without major issues, providing comfortable viewing without the need for additional subtitle configuration.

When it comes to photos, the TV should have no significant difficulties in playing them. It supports most popular formats, although it lacks support for less common standards such as HEIC used in Apple devices. This means that some photos, especially from newer Apple devices, may require prior conversion to a more standard format in order to be played on the Philips screen.

Thanks to the built-in player, the television is capable of playing most file formats available on external storage, making it a versatile tool for consuming multimedia. However, there may be certain limitations in supporting some formats, which can be inconvenient for more demanding users. Fortunately, the Google TV system allows the installation of other media players from Google Play, enabling the elimination of compatibility issues. This gives users the opportunity to choose applications that best meet their needs, significantly enhancing the functionality of the television.

The sound of the Philips PUS8959 unfortunately leaves a lot to be desired. Although the low frequencies can be heard in the playback, the bass is very weak, which results in an overall unsatisfactory sound quality. The TV plays average, especially when compared to more advanced audio systems available on the market.

Despite the average quality of the speakers, the TV supports all the essential audio codecs, which may please users using external home theater systems. Thanks to compatibility with various audio formats, the Philips PUS8959 can offer good audio experiences when connected to appropriate external speakers or a receiver, providing a fuller, more cinematic sound.

The sound on the TCL C655 PRO television is quite good, thanks to the 2x15W audio system supported by a 20W subwoofer branded by Onkyo. As a result, the sound is fuller, and the bass is deeper, positively impacting the overall sound quality. However, one should not get overly enthusiastic – the television cannot replace a dedicated soundbar, especially for more demanding users expecting cinema-quality audio.

Philips The One (PUS8959 / PUS8919 / PUS8909 / PUS8949 vs TCL C655 Pro

Advantages

Disadvantages

Our verdict

TV appearance

Where to buy

Contrast and black detail

HDR effect quality

Factory color reproduction

Color reproduction after calibration

Smoothness of tonal transitions

Image scaling and smoothness of tonal transitions

Blur and motion smoothness

Console compatibility and gaming features

Input lag

Compatibility with PC

Viewing angles

TV efficiency during daytime

Details about the matrix

TV features

Playing files from USB

Apps

Sound