Sony Bravia 3 50' (VA) vs TCL C6KS / C69KS / Q6CS

Interestingly, in the 50-inch version, the Bravia 3 performs slightly better in terms of brightness than its larger variants. In measurements, it achieved around 370 nits, which still aren't values that can compete with top-end televisions, but enough to speak of a semblance of HDR effect. For some users, this level will be acceptable, while others will view it as typical for SDR content, where spectacular bursts or strong contrasts are not expected. It must be clearly stated that the Bravia 3 is not a television for those who want to extract maximum quality from the most challenging film materials.

However, this does not mean that everything is mediocre. Sony equipped this model with an additional PFS filter, which works similarly to solutions used in QLED televisions. As a result, the coverage of the DCI-P3 color palette increased to over 91 percent. In everyday use, this means livelier, more saturated colors and a more pleasing image texture. Even if strong lighting effects are lacking, movies and series can look significantly more attractive than in its predecessor, the X75WL.

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.

We primarily tested the Sony Bravia 3 in movie mode, which immediately proved to be the best choice among the factory settings. It's not a perfect picture, but compared to eco mode, which the TV suggests right out of the box, the difference is clear and positive. In movie mode, one can notice a certain problem: the picture seems too warm, which results from a lack of blue in the white balance. Despite this, in SDR content, the final effect can still be considered quite decent and satisfactory for everyday viewing. Much more serious errors appear in HDR materials. The Color Checker analysis showed significant deviations, and poor brightness management, combined with limited color gamut coverage, further exposes the shortcomings of the picture in this mode. All this makes HDR on the Bravia 3 look unconvincing and can spoil the impression left by the quite decent SDR content settings. Fortunately, this is not a hopeless situation. All sorts of errors can be somewhat mitigated, and some can even be completely corrected through professional calibration. That’s why we decided to see how the TV would perform after such adjustments.

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.

The calibration allowed us to extract significantly more from the Bravia 3 than we could have expected at the beginning. Most importantly, we managed to address the deficiency of blue, which previously caused a noticeable warming of the image. After a slight adjustment in the white balance, most of the errors in the Color Checker measurements for SDR content practically disappeared. The shades of white gained naturalness, and the brightness management in gamma stabilized to a level nearly ideal, not exceeding the threshold of human eye perception. One can therefore confidently say that in SDR content, after a few adjustments in settings, the Bravia 3 performs really impressively. Much worse, though still definitely better than before calibration, is its performance with HDR content. The white balance has been brought under control, but the limitations of the IPS panel are insurmountable. The lack of local dimming means that even the smallest elements can be overexposed, which is immediately noticeable. Color-wise, the effect is also improved, although far from perfect – many errors still exceed four, or even five delta E units, meaning they remain visible to the human eye. It was already clear that the Bravia 3 is not a television designed to impress with HDR quality. Nevertheless, it is gratifying that in SDR content, after calibration, the image can look truly great, and in this category, the television surprised us positively.

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.

Bravia 3 brings something more to the Sony TV family than just a common name. It stands out primarily for its ability to enhance the quality of weaker materials thanks to the processor used. Of course, we won't find the advanced XR chip known from more expensive models here, but still, it must be admitted that the image at lower resolutions looked surprisingly good. The upscaling worked effectively, and most parts of the screen were free from the typical excessive edge jaggedness found in budget constructions. The feature that improves the fluidity of tonal transitions is also noteworthy. In the high setting, it works really well, effectively masking gradation imperfections without significant loss of detail. It does happen that the algorithm overly smooths elements that should remain sharp - for example, faces - however, in general, the effect is beneficial. The best results were achieved precisely at the highest setting, and this option could be recommended to people watching lower quality content.

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.

The fluidity of motion has never been a strong point of televisions equipped with 60 Hz panels, and the Bravia 3 is no exception. Nevertheless, Sony has added something that may appeal to those who are more sensitive to the way images are displayed. We are talking about the proprietary motion smoother, Motion Flow, which gives users a lot of adjustment options. Thanks to it, the image can become smoother, almost theatrical, or you can stick with a more cinematic style characterized by the jaggedness that many people simply associate with the filmic atmosphere. These features work for content with lower frame rates, such as movies and series recorded at 24 or 30 frames per second, which are the materials we encounter every day. This is where the motion smoother proves to be one of the most important features in everyday use of the television, and here the Bravia 3 performs really well.

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.

Bravia 3 is not equipment for e-sports players or fans of late-night marathons with a controller in hand. The lack of 120 Hz refresh rate and HDMI 2.1 ports closes the topic before it even gets a chance to develop. This is a television for a casual gamer who will play FIFA or racing games after work, not for someone who measures every frame in a spreadsheet. Nevertheless, Sony has added a few nice extras to make it feel less bare. ALLM works as it should, automatically switching the television to game mode (low latency). There's even a simple Game Bar that is clear. However, the biggest curiosity here is the PlayStation Portal app. Thanks to it, you can launch games from PS5 wirelessly and see them immediately on the television screen. It sounds great, but it only takes a few minutes to feel significant lag. In our opinion, it's more of a showcase of capabilities than something you can reliably use every day. If someone really wants to play, it's better to connect the console with an HDMI cable and forget about wireless issues.

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.