TCL C855 vs Xiaomi S Mini 2025

The TCL C855 delivers a highly varied HDR effect. At times, the television truly excels, while at other moments, it appears reminiscent of a low-end model equipped with FALD backlighting. Inconsistency is frequently found with this brand, so it didn’t come as a surprise. The first and last scenes, which feature large light elements, are nothing short of spectacular, boasting brightness levels of 1470 and 1820 nits, respectively. Such brightness can make viewers squint their eyes, allowing them to feel the extraordinary dynamism of the scene. It genuinely immerses the audience, creating a sensation of being inside the movie itself. However, the situation shifts dramatically when small or subtle elements with high luminance appear against a dark background. In these instances, the TCL C855 significantly reduces brightness to levels as low as 240 nits to mitigate halo effects. This reduction is disappointing, as it can make the movie appear as if it was not filmed in HDR. Despite these shortcomings, the HDR effect on the TCL C855 enhances the viewing experience during dynamic scenes, making it feel more engaging and allowing the viewer to feel part of the action. Even with smaller high-luminance elements, the television retains details without excessive dimming. Additionally, the TCL C855 adjusts image brightness according to scenes with rich detail, further enhancing viewing comfort.

Since the Xiaomi S MiniLED boasts an impressive number of 308 dimming zones, it was time to see how it performs in HDR tests. Starting with luminance, or the ability to display bright scenes, the television achieved nearly 1000 nits of brightness – a result that can be considered outstanding in this class. However, do these numbers translate into real experiences in movie scenes? In the case of less demanding shots, like those from the film The Meg, the television indeed showed excellent results, reaching up to 900 nits. Such values are impressive and can truly convey the strength of HDR effects.

Unfortunately, similar to the contrast situation, there were issues. When smaller, brighter elements appear on the screen – as in challenging scenes from Sicario 2 – the aggressive operation of the dimming zones spoils the whole effect. Brightness during these moments drops to just 100 nits. This is definitely too little to capture the full magic of HDR. Instead of a dynamic and detailed image, the viewer gets a muted, almost flat impression, which diminishes the enjoyment of the viewing experience.

In summary, if we are looking for a television with high brightness for watching movies during the day, the Xiaomi S MiniLED will easily fulfill that task. However, its inability to precisely manage dimming zones means that watching movies in the evening, especially in demanding HDR scenes, can be more frustrating than satisfying.

The best factory mode for the TCL C855 is the "Film" setting, and all our tests were conducted using this mode. However, like many predefined modes, it has flaws that should be addressed to achieve an image closer to the producer's original vision. In our examination of the colour characteristics for both SDR and HDR materials, issues were found.

Focusing first on SDR content, there is a noticeable dominance of green in the white balance, which leads to an unpleasant greenish tint across the entire image. The gamma chart, crucial for image contrast, shows a significant deviation from the reference line marked at 2.4. Initially, there is a pronounced spike in the measured value, resulting in an over-contrasted image where details can merge into a dark blob. This condition persists for nearly 20% of the chart before it dips below the reference line, causing the image to brighten and resulting in a substantial drop in contrast.

In HDR materials, the factory mode performs somewhat better; the white balance appears more balanced overall, although the green tint resurfaces in the latter half of the spectrum. When we look at the Electro-Optical Transfer Function (EOTF) curve—unlike gamma, which reflects contrast—we identify two main errors: the darkest scenes are too dark, while the brightest ones become overexposed. This discrepancy was evident in our review of the scene from the movie "Pan," further illustrating the TCL C855's HDR performance issues.

Xiaomi, like many manufacturers, offers a wide range of picture modes. On the S MiniLED, we can find both IMAX Enhanced and Filmmaker. We conducted our tests in Filmmaker mode, which theoretically is supposed to reference the original image, but the reality turned out to be somewhat different.

Let's start with the test of SDR materials. Here, the television had quite a few problems, especially with white balance. The clearly visible dominance of red made the image appear too warm, and all colors gained a reddish tint. This was particularly noticeable in a comparative scene from the Star Wars movie. The brightness characteristics (gamma) also left much to be desired – instead of a smooth transition, we had a real "rollercoaster," with a visible excessive brightening of the screen.

In 4K materials, the situation looked much better. The white balance, while still not perfect, was much more balanced, with a slight dominance of red and blue, but without excessive influence on the overall perception. The EOTF curve (responsible for brightness in HDR) showed some brightening in the brightest parts of the image, which was noticeable, for example, in the test scene from the Pan movie that we described above. These brightening effects can disrupt image precision, but in 4K, the overall effect was much more acceptable than in SDR.

Although the Xiaomi S MiniLED can positively surprise in 4K materials, its factory settings in SDR require significant adjustments, especially in terms of white balance and brightness. It is definitely a television that would benefit from calibration.

TCL, like most manufacturers, offers advanced calibration tools within its televisions. These include both 2-point and 20-point adjustments for grayscale, as well as a comprehensive colour management system. As a result, we achieved impressive results in SDR materials, bringing the image significantly closer to the reference standard. We successfully eliminated both the green tint and the gamma issue, although a slight "kink" at the very beginning of the gamma curve still persists.

In contrast, the situation with HDR materials was less favourable, as the TCL C855 did not allow for precise modelling. We were only able to make minor adjustments to the EOTF curve while significantly enhancing the overall colour accuracy. This limitation suggests that while calibration tools are effective, they may require further refinement for optimal HDR performance.

Xiaomi S MiniLED 2025 is a television that gains a whole new life after calibration. The results are truly remarkable and show how much potential this model has.

In SDR mode, the white balance is nearly perfectly aligned. The errors are minimal enough that in many cases they can be considered negligible. This is confirmed by the Colour Checker palette results, where the errors did not exceed 2 ΔE – a result that is indeed quite rare. Gamma also looks very good, although at the beginning of the graph, there are slight brightenings in the darkest elements. However, this is a minor exception that does not significantly affect the image perception.

In 4K HDR materials, calibration also brought visible improvements, especially in white balance. The image looks natural and consistent. However, the brightness characteristic remains a problem. EOTF analysis in film materials shows that the television tends to over-brighten or darken the smallest elements on the screen. This is a result of limitations in the dimming algorithms that we previously discussed concerning HDR and contrast testing. Unfortunately, this is a technical feature of this model that cannot be completely eliminated.

Despite this minor flaw, calibration allowed extracting the maximum capabilities from this television. The image now looks phenomenal, and its quality impresses with every type of material. Xiaomi S MiniLED 2025 demonstrates that with the right settings, it can compete with more expensive models.

Once again, we will take a look at the function of smoothing tonal transitions, but this time also image scaling. The latter is particularly important when watching materials of lower quality, such as some television programs or older films. We will focus on the function responsible for tonal transitions. Interestingly, just like in the scenes from the previous test where it performed excellently and smoothed out practically all the inconsistencies, here it had issues. Using the menu responsible for the operation of this function, we found that no setting—even the strongest—was helpful.

Image scaling in TCL C855 is defined as one of the best we have had the opportunity to test so far. The image is sharp, but in a way that could be described as natural to our eye. Even small, fine branches do not have jagged edges, and there is no white halo around figures, a characteristic of weaker scaling systems.

When it comes to color transitions in lower quality materials like YouTube or television, the Xiaomi S MiniLED is equipped with the "Color Contour Removal" feature. In the "low" setting, it works quite well, but its effectiveness can be uneven. Sometimes it seems like the TV struggles with smoothing, which creates a certain dissonance. On the plus side, we did not notice any visible side effects, although given the instability of this feature, one might suspect that unexpected issues could arise in some situations.

Image scaling also performs average. There is slight aliasing, especially on thin elements like branches, and subtitles can appear a bit jagged. While it may not be very bothersome, a more discerning eye will certainly catch these shortcomings. Overall, most users should be satisfied with the scaling and smoothing quality, but the TV may not satisfy those who expect perfection in every frame.

The maximum refresh rate you can set on the TCL C855 is 144 Hz. Naturally, this is only possible after connecting the TCL C855 TV to a very powerful PC. Otherwise, we will be operating at a maximum refresh rate of 120 Hz, which is recommended if we want to watch primarily sports or materials with a lot of motion dynamics. For those who require high image fluidity, the manufacturer has implemented a multi-stage motion smoother. It is divided into two separate sliders which control the sharpness of moving images (Motion Blur Reduction) and flicker (Flicker Reduction). Both sliders can be adjusted from 0 to 10, with each level affecting the degree of fluidity, so everyone can find their sweet spot. We present a setting that allows for slight smoothing without the soap opera effect. The matrix of the TCL C855 features a very good response time. This is particularly important since VA panels often struggle with the so-called ghosting effect, where a black halo can be observed behind a fast-moving object. where a black halo can be observed behind a fast-moving object.

Xiaomi S MiniLED 2025 is equipped with a display that refreshes at 4K@120Hz (1080p@240Hz), providing sufficient smoothness for both watching dynamic sports broadcasts and playing the latest games. This level of refresh rate makes the image look smooth, even in the most intense scenes. Additionally, the TV offers a "Motion Smoothing" feature that allows users to adjust the way images are displayed in movies. We can choose a more frame-like effect, typical of cinematic experiences, or a smoother one reminiscent of the so-called "theatrical effect." This way, every user can tailor the settings to their preferences and enjoy smooth images in their favorite content.

The TCL C855 TV has fully-featured HDMI 2.1 ports, boasting a full bandwidth of 48 Gb/s. During our testing, we confirmed the seamless operation of all functions included in this connection standard. As highlighted, all checkboxes are illuminated in green, a feature that will undoubtedly be appreciated by gamers, whether on consoles or those using the TV as a computer monitor. Additionally, the TCL C855 supports both AMD FreeSync and NVIDIA's G-Sync, which can be easily activated in the graphics card settings. Those with powerful configurations can feed a 144 Hz signal to the C855, which handles this effortlessly. It is also worth noting the implementation of the HGIG mode, which can be excessively bright due to the shortcomings of the "Game" mode, making proper configuration on the screen challenging. Fortunately, the TV excels with the Dolby Vision format.

TCL, as one of the pioneering manufacturers, has equipped its televisions with a special GameBar, allowing for extensive adjustment of settings "on the fly" without the need to exit the game. This feature includes options like an additional crosshair grid, black level correction, and settings designed for individuals with disabilities. The image showcases the next generation of this solution.

In summary, the TCL C855 TV is an ideal choice for those seeking a screen for all forms of electronic gaming. With comprehensive features supporting such entertainment, it provides an extremely engaging experience. It is also important to emphasise that it maintains very low input lag, regardless of the selected settings, including when using the Dolby Vision HDR format.

Xiaomi S MiniLED 2025 is a television that has a lot to offer gamers. With two HDMI ports with 48 Gbps bandwidth, we can easily connect modern consoles or PCs, utilizing their full potential. Additionally, the ALLM feature automatically switches the television to low latency mode – something we will appreciate during dynamic games without annoying lags. No matter what we connect, it works smoothly, and the television handles various resolutions well. There is also GameBar, which may not look as impressive as the "bars" from the competition, but makes up for it with practicality. It's a simple settings panel that allows us to quickly change the most important options or check statistics – an ideal solution when time is of the essence.

However, we have to admit that operating the television itself – or rather finding the gaming features – was quite a challenge for us. We approached the Xiaomi S MiniLED 2025 test several times to find all the necessary options. The hidden menu allowed us to discover the "GameBoost" feature, which enables switching the television to 240 Hz mode, activating VRR at 120Hz, and turning on the image in HGIG mode.

In summary, the Xiaomi S MiniLED 2025 is a television that definitely deserves praise in the gaming hardware category. Its rich set of features – 240 Hz mode, VRR, HGIG, and "GameBoost" – provides exceptional gaming experiences. Unfortunately, the intuitiveness of the menu itself leaves much to be desired and may pose a certain challenge for the average user.