PHILPS PUS9060 vs TCL C7K / QM7K 50"

The One is bright enough to enjoy movies recorded in HDR format. The average brightness of this model is about 500 nits, so we can count on a pleasant viewing experience for movies from streaming platforms without any issues. Of course, it could always be better, because when it comes to brightness, there is never too much for this type of content. Unfortunately, a disappointing surprise may be the DCI-P3 color gamut coverage offered by the PUS9060. Although the manufacturer boasts about using a QLED filter here (it’s actually PFS LED), it's hard to talk about any positive effects of its operation. 85% DCI-P3 color gamut coverage is definitely not a level to brag about in 2025 – especially in a television advertised as QLED.

TCL C7K is one of the brightest MiniLED televisions in its price range. Under the best test conditions, the screen was able to achieve over 1200 nits, resulting in impressive, and at times blindingly bright scenes. And most importantly – this is not just a theoretical measurement. In practice, the brightest parts of movies can shine with true cinematic grandeur. Home HDR cinema fans should be truly pleased.

The impression is especially great in scenes with large areas of brightness – white skies, explosions, sun reflections, or magical sunsets can surprise with the intensity of light that rarely appears in this price range.

However, things get a bit worse when more challenging scenarios appear on the screen, which have been described in terms of contrast – meaning images full of details, with small bright elements against a dark background. In such cases, the C7K often chooses to retain black at the expense of brightness. An example? Scenes from the movies Sicario 2 or Life of Pi, where small light sources (like a distant lantern) can be less visible, and details in the lights are simply dimmed or blend into the background.

For many viewers, this may be an acceptable compromise – as we achieve deep blacks and pleasant image texture. Nevertheless, it is worth being aware that the visibility of small details in bright areas is not the strongest suit of this model. It is simply a technological limitation that still exists – even with over 300 zones.

We tested the PUS9060 in the best factory mode it employs – of course, we’re talking about movie mode. Unfortunately, the best in this case doesn’t mean good. The picture in this mode was distinctly yellowed and leaned towards orange tones. The white balance on this TV was definitely too warm, resulting in an artificial, somewhat "sun-kissed" look for the entire scene. This directly translated to significant color errors, which in the worst cases exceeded a delta E value of 6 – thus, they were visible to the naked eye. The situation was the opposite in HDR mode, where the picture became too blue and too cold in appearance. Additionally, there was a slight increase in brightness – the gamma curve and EOTF suggested that the TV slightly brightens the image, which was also evident in the comparison photo below.

A new feature in TCL televisions for 2025 is the long-awaited Filmmaker mode, which until now could be found in most competitive brands. This is great news because this mode is considered the truest to the original vision of the creators and is often recommended by enthusiasts of good image quality. Unfortunately – as is often the case – the mere presence of this feature does not guarantee perfection. The Filmmaker mode in the TCL C7K is not free of flaws. One could point out the incorrect white balance, particularly the slight dominance of blue, which caused cool, somewhat grayish skin tones. But that was not the biggest problem. The main complaint was excessive brightness exposure, which is clearly visible on the gamma and EOTF graphs. The image was simply too bright, at times even blown out, which affected not only the plasticity of the scenes but also the overall viewing experience. Some details simply got lost, and the whole image looked as if someone had overdone it with the brightness slider. As always – we decided to see what could be squeezed out of it after calibration. And this is where things got really interesting...

Thanks to calibration in movie mode, we managed to completely eliminate the yellow-orange hue, which significantly improved the reception of the entire scene. The image has become much more visually pleasant, although it still falls short of reference settings. It may now appear slightly bluish, but it is still a significant improvement compared to the factory settings.

Unfortunately, we could not significantly improve the brightness characteristics, but that is more about the construction of the TV itself – the lack of local dimming limits the possibilities for precise brightness management. The PUS9060 simply cannot dynamically adjust luminance like more advanced models do. Nonetheless, after calibration, the overall reception is much more enjoyable, especially in film materials.

After calibration, the TCL C7K showed itself in a really good light, especially when it comes to SDR content. We managed to fine-tune the white balance, color gamut, and brightness characteristics so precisely that color errors on the ColorChecker palette dropped below a value of 2. For the uninitiated – this is an almost perfect result, meaning that the image is very close to what the creators intended. Unfortunately, it was less impressive with 4K HDR content. Although we managed to slightly calm the white balance and correct its earlier errors, it is still evident that the TV has certain "MiniLED traits," especially in managing brightness. When we checked how the C7K performed with the EOTF curve on real movie scenes rather than just synthetic test patterns, it turned out that the screen still has a tendency to slightly brighten the entire image. This affects the overall experience – the black loses some depth, and the image becomes less contrasty than it should be. Despite these minor shortcomings in HDR content, the overall reception of materials – especially in SDR – is really very good. After calibration, the C7K can display an image that can successfully compete with much more expensive models. Good color tuning, natural skin tones, and pleasant brightness make movie sessions and everyday content viewing more than satisfactory.

In the PUS9060, we find the latest version of the image processor called P5 Perfect Picture, which is designed to improve the picture - especially the imperfect ones. The TV features a distortion reduction function, which smooths out tonal transitions, that is, those "color joins" mentioned earlier. And this function does so very effectively - there is no strong color gradation, but unfortunately, it works aggressively enough that it sometimes dims desired elements, such as material textures or film grain. So this can be considered a compromise. We would not recommend using this function for movies, but for more casual content - such as YouTube or regular television - absolutely.

The P5 processor also improves the quality of lower resolution images, and it does this quite effectively. The test image with the model is very soft - sometimes even too much - but this can be easily adjusted with the sharpness slider to match personal preferences. It is also pleasing that the TV does not cut off edges in SD content - which unfortunately still happens in some TV models.

The TCL C7K features a function that, according to the manufacturer, is supposed to smooth out unwanted color transitions – something like a rescue for less successful tonal shifts. It's called "Gradual Smoothing" and... well, it sounds ambitious, but in practice, it works very poorly. Regardless of whether we set it to low or high, the difference is minimal. What's worse – the function can remove elements from the image that should remain. Fortunately, film grain remains untouched, so at least it doesn't smooth everything indiscriminately, but still – it's better to just turn this option off.

As for scaling lower-resolution content, it's already better. SD and HD materials look quite decent, though sometimes we had the impression that the image loses sharpness and becomes too soft – as if something took away its clarity. Fortunately, at very low sources (e.g., 576p), there was no overscan effect, meaning the image was not artificially cropped – everything fit on the screen as it should.

PHILIPS PUS9060 is equipped with a 4K display with a 144 Hz refresh rate, so we can confidently say that it is suitable for both watching sports and playing games. And indeed, it is. But what about movies that are most often recorded at 24 frames? Like most of the TVs we tested with a refresh rate of 120 Hz and higher, the PUS9060 offers two sliders in the motion smoothness options. The “Smoothness” slider allows you to adjust the effect in movies – you can set the image to be smoother, resembling a theatrical effect (higher settings), or more cinematic, with a slight “jump” in frame rate (lower settings). Additionally, there is a function called "Motion Blur Reduction," which reduces blurring – and this is a very useful feature, especially when watching sports.

TCL C7K handles motion smoothness really very well. The matrix used in it offers a refresh rate of 144 Hz, which already suggests that this TV is something more than just an ordinary "60 Hz" panel. Moreover – if we connect the C7K to a computer and set the resolution to Full HD. But we will write more about this in the paragraph about gamers and PC cooperation. Returning to everyday use – both sports and movies look very good here. Thanks to the fast panel and well-functioning motion smoother, the C7K is perfect for watching matches, but also for movie screenings. In the menu, we will find two sliders – blur reduction and flicker reduction – which allow us to adjust the motion smoothness effect to our own preferences. At lower settings, we get a more cinematic effect, with slight frame motion. At higher settings – the image becomes more theatrical, smooth to the point of exaggeration. Everyone can set it to their liking.

The PHILIPS PUS9060 is a true gaming monster – it has practically everything you could expect from a modern gaming television. It features VRR, ALLM, and also includes HGiG implementation, which helps set up HDR in games as the developers intended. The TV supports every possible resolution at 120 Hz, including 1080p, 1440p, and full 4K – so regardless of whether you’re playing on Xbox, PS5, or a PC, everything works as it should. There is also a simple Game Bar, which is a special menu for gamers that allows you to quickly check if the ALLM mode is indeed functioning in the lowest latency setting.

And of course – Ambilight TV. Let's be honest – without LEDs on the back, it’s not a true gaming device. 😉 The multicolored backlighting can really enhance the atmosphere, especially in the evening. It may not be to everyone's taste, but younger gamers will be thrilled – because it simply looks impressive.

TCL C7K is a TV that looks like the dream equipment for gamers on paper – and most importantly, it also performs well in practice. First, the good news: we have two HDMI 2.1 ports with full bandwidth, so we can easily connect both a console and a computer, taking full advantage of their capabilities. The panel itself supports 144 Hz refresh rate, which provides a significant advantage in dynamic games. Additionally, it comes with a full package of gaming features: VRR (Variable Refresh Rate), ALLM (Auto Low Latency Mode), and Dolby Vision support in games. There is also an HGiG mode, which allows for HDR effects that align with the creators' intentions. GameBar, which is an information bar for gamers. It operates quickly, looks clear (like a Nintendo console👌), and shows what’s most important: the current frame count, VRR status, and even HDR parameters.