TCL C6K vs Dreame S100

TCL C6K is a moderately bright TV that can showcase its full potential under the best cinematic conditions – the maximum brightness is around 600 nits. In scenes with large, intense light sources, the HDR effect can be really satisfying, providing a sense of cinematic brilliance. However, it should be noted that when managing the backlighting zones, there are situations where some elements become dimmed and sometimes can even become barely visible. It is clear that there is a lack of proper algorithm optimization here, although looking at the technical parameters in this price range, the design itself performs very well.

The Dreame S100 is a relatively bright television. In movie mode, the brightness we measured reached about 600 nits. This is a really good result, although not the highest, considering the capabilities of the competition in this price range. In fullscreen scenes, it is evident that the television can generate an image that strikes with brightness. Unfortunately, when more complex scenes appeared on the screen, the local dimming algorithm in this model tried above all to maintain the deepest blacks. However, this came at the expense of HDR effect – and in a drastic way. In such scenes, the brightness of bright elements dropped below 100 nits, which is a truly tragic result, far from any HDR effect. This aspect can be improved, though not without any "buts." It is enough to change the local dimming setting in the television's menu, but then the blacks in such scenes simply turn gray. It’s a pity that Dreame could not refine the local dimming algorithms better, and the S100 is another example that the mere number of local dimming zones does not always translate into better image quality. As a consolation, it is worth adding that the Dreame S100 is advertised as a "QLED" television, although in reality it utilizes a PFS LED filter. As a result, the colors are appropriately saturated, and the color gamut coverage we measured exceeded 94% of the DCI-P3 palette.

This year's TCL televisions feature a Filmmaker mode, and it must be admitted that it is definitely the best choice straight out of the box. This is the mode we recommend for everyday watching of movies and series. Unfortunately, as is often the case, the best doesn't mean perfect. In the case of SDR content, the image was too warm because the red was strongly emphasized in the white balance. On the other hand, with HDR content, we had the opposite impression – the image became cooler than it should have been due to excess blue. Additionally, the brightness characteristic sometimes led to highlights being blown out. In practice, this resulted in quite noticeable color test inaccuracies that are hard to accept in a mode advertised as "by the creators."

We tested the Dreame S100 in "movie" mode and definitely recommend using this setting for watching all kinds of content. Interestingly, in the deeper settings of the TV, we also find a dedicated "Filmmaker" mode, which is available today from almost every manufacturer. However, in the case of the Dreame S100, we do not recommend using it – it blocks all image-related settings and does not allow any configuration in the menu - not even motion smoothing. So how do the factory colors perform on the S100? Not too bad, but also not great. The TV itself was quite heavily tinted with blue components, which is clearly visible in our white balance measurements. This caused the image to be artificially brightened, and the colors had a slight bluish tint. This is confirmed by the Color Checker palette, which showed how color samples leaned towards blue, generating quite significant color errors. The image in HDR mode looked definitely better, where color errors were not as prominently visible, though they still fell far from ideal. Here, the white balance was also too heavily skewed towards the blue color, which caused quite significant errors in color reproduction.

Thanks to the white balance correction, it was possible to significantly reduce the C6K's tendency to distort colors, which resulted in a very good final outcome. After calibration, we will no longer observe the effect of excessive warming of scenes in SDR or overly cooling the image in HDR. However, it is worth taking a closer look at the brightness characteristics. In SDR content, there are few complaints – the image looks really good, especially in older movies, TV shows, or materials from YouTube. This is much worse for HDR content. Analysis of the EOTF curve suggests that everything is fine, but in practice (EOTF in films), the limitations of the construction become apparent. The TV tends to overly brighten the smallest parts of the frame, and in other situations, it can dim the entire scene too much. The effect of calibration is therefore evident, and in terms of color, the C6K has gained quite a lot, but certain limitations arising from local dimming and, in fact, its management by the C6K simply cannot be overcome.

The Dreame S100 turned out to be a device very susceptible to professional calibration. In its menu, we found a whole array of advanced options that allowed us to effectively correct factory errors. Thanks to advanced white balance correction – both in SDR and HDR content – we completely eliminated excess blue components. The image immediately became much more natural and pleasant to view. After fully tuning the colors, errors in the Color Checker test dropped below Delta E values of 2-3. For the average viewer, this means that any color distortions have become nearly impossible to notice with the naked eye. This is a really nice surprise, as often new brands in the television market have significant problems with proper implementation and functioning of sliders in the calibration menu. Here, everything worked as it should. The only thing we need to criticize is the way the television manages its brightness in HDR. Due to the specific nature of the local dimming algorithms, we observed anomalies in the EOTF curve we measured. In the areas where high highlights should appear, there is a slight uplift of the curve above the reference line. In practice, this results in unnatural brightening of some of the brightest elements in movies or games. Despite this minor flaw, professional calibration brings a huge, very positive change to this model.

The TCL C6K performs quite well in terms of scaling. Lower quality materials look acceptable, and the lack of overscan issues means that the image is displayed in full, without cropping. However, one cannot expect miracles – content of very low quality will not gain new life here, as the image processor has its limitations. On thin lines or details, the characteristic tearing is visible, which reveals the absence of advanced image enhancement algorithms. It is also a pity that the C6K lacks the feature for smoothing tonal transitions – in older films or video materials, color banding can be noticeable and may be bothersome during long viewing sessions.

The scaling and digital processing in the Dreame S100 is handled by a technology that the manufacturer proudly calls Dreamind™ Pro AI. However, it is essential to clarify that this is not a proprietary processor but merely a marketing name for a chip from MediaTek – specifically, the model MT5889. Unfortunately, we are talking about quite an outdated unit, from the time when MediaTek lagged significantly behind the competition in terms of performance. This, unfortunately, has a direct impact on the image, as this chip is responsible for that as well. The upscaling in the S100 is rather mediocre, and the processor tends to strongly and artificially sharpen edges (fortunately, this can be somewhat tempered with the sharpness slider in the menu). In the options, we also find a "Contour Smoothing" function, which theoretically is supposed to improve tonal transitions. In practice, it brings almost no improvement – setting it to any level rarely eliminates visible color banding but can unnecessarily blur elements of the image that should remain sharp.

A separate problem is the phenomenon of overscan (clipping the edges of the frame), which is almost always visible here. Although there is an option to set the screen to display the full frame in low-resolution materials, it requires activating the aforementioned Filmmaker mode. And as you already know, this mode completely blocks any other adjustments in the image menu. In our test tables, we noted that the television offers the option to disable overscan, as technically such a feature exists in the system – however, in everyday use, with reasonable image settings, you will not be able to take advantage of it.

TCL C6K features a 144 Hz panel, which is a significant advantage in this price range. This is an important step forward compared to the previous model C655 PRO, which offered only 60 Hz at 4K. The difference is especially noticeable when watching sports or playing games – the ball, athletes, or fast action in a game are displayed more clearly and without losing details. An interesting fact is also the ability of the panel to operate at 240 Hz, which the manufacturer does not mention in official materials. We will return to this topic when discussing the game mode for PC.

TCL also added a feature for movie watchers: "Motion Clarity," which allows you to adjust the image to your preferences using two simple sliders. You can keep the movie frame visible or opt for a very smooth, almost theatrical effect. This way, everyone can find settings tailored to their taste.

When it comes to motion fluidity, the Dreame S100 performs really well. It features a panel with a 144 Hz refresh rate, although in reality, the vast majority of users using it in a traditional way will still be limited to 120 Hz (because today's equipment, apart from PCs, only allows for such values). Thanks to the high refresh rate, the image in motion remains really sharp, largely due to the well-functioning MEMC fluidity enhancer. In the menu, we find predefined modes that allow the TV to efficiently add artificial frames, which effectively improves the fluidity of dynamic sports shots, but also helps get rid of image stuttering in film and series materials recorded at 24 frames.

The TCL C6K is a TV that can confidently be called equipment designed for gamers. Here we have 4K at 144 Hz, VRR support, automatic game mode (ALLM), and Dolby Vision Gaming. Additionally, there's a practical Game Bar, a panel with the most important settings readily available – useful when we want to quickly change something during gameplay (e.g., screen aspect ratio: Yes, that’s possible!). The wide VRR range, reaching up to 240 Hz, deserves attention. However, this is mainly an option for PC gamers who drop below the native 4K resolution. Then the TV can spread its wings and show additional smoothness, especially in fast-paced e-sports titles. In the case of consoles, we stick to the classic limit of 120 Hz, but the possibilities are still quite broad. The only drawback is a slight ghosting that can sometimes be seen in dynamic scenes. Other than that, the C6K offers everything gamers expect from a TV.

The Dreame S100 seems almost like the perfect screen for gamers. The TV is equipped with 2 HDMI 2.1 ports with a bandwidth of 40 Gbps, which means that features such as Auto Low Latency Mode (ALLM) and Variable Refresh Rate (VRR) synchronization in the range of 48-144 Hz work seamlessly on consoles. It also has a well-designed game panel (Game Bar) that allows you to continuously check the most important parameters – from active picture modes to the number of frames rendered by the console, and even the ability to add a crosshair in the center of the screen. All of this looks great on paper, but the biggest issue with the S100 is the implementation of HDR mode in games. The TV does not have a properly implemented HGiG format. As a result, an unsuspecting user may incorrectly configure the console during the initial setup of the display. A wrong configuration can lead to a picture that is too dark or too bright (as a guideline: we suggest setting the brightness in the Xbox console menu to about 600 nits, and in the PS5 to 12 clicks). The Dolby Vision format is also problematic; it often just would not activate at all when using the XBOX – Dreame S100 line. And when it was managed to be activated, gaming was impossible due to a very high input lag that often exceeded 100ms. If the manufacturer can improve the HDR issue in games through an update, the S100 will be truly excellent equipment for gamers. For now, however, one must reckon with compromises.