TCL P89K / TCL P8K vs SONY BRAVIA 3

The maximum brightness of the TCL P8K is around 300 nits, although in actual movie scenes, the TV maintains more around 250 nits. These values cannot be considered sufficient for achieving a full HDR effect – they are more akin to a solid base for SDR content. Therefore, we won’t see spectacular flashes, bursts of light, or moments when the screen truly “blinds” you, as is the case with more expensive models. The image is somewhat flattened, and the differences between light and shadow are more symbolic than realistic. Fortunately, TCL has a few aces up its sleeve that save the overall impression. One of them is the coverage of the DCI-P3 color gamut at around 93–94%. Thanks to an additional QLED layer (PFS LED), colors gain depth and intensity, clearly surpassing standard LCD panels. As a result, although the typical “wow effect” associated with HDR brightness is lacking here, the image can still impress with its saturation and vibrant tones, making movie scenes pulse with colors and avoiding a heavily faded appearance.

Bravia 3 does not hide the fact that it belongs to the group of televisions that are rather modest in terms of brightness. Our measurements showed around 370 nits, which is a value balancing on the borderline where one can still speak of any HDR effect. For some, this is an acceptable level; for others, it is rather typical for SDR materials, where spectacular highlights or vivid contrasts are not expected. The impression is that this is not a television for those focused on the highest image quality in demanding film content. However, this does not mean that we won't find any advantages here. Compared to its predecessor, the X75WL, Bravia 3 has gained an additional PFS filter, functioning similarly to solutions known from QLED technology. Thanks to this, the DCI-P3 color gamut has been significantly expanded and reaches over 91 percent, which in practice provides more saturated colors and a more pleasant image texture. As a result, even everyday content looks a bit livelier, and movies and series can surprise with their colorful presentations, despite the limitations in brightness itself.

In Filmmaker mode, the TCL P8K revealed certain imperfections in image reproduction from the start. We noticed that the television tends to slightly brighten scenes – its gamma was somewhat lowered, which made the image appear slightly "washed out," lacking depth, as if the contrast had slipped out of control. This was most evident in HDR content, where the EOTF brightness curve clearly deviated from the reference values. As a result, the darker parts of the image looked too gloomy, while the brighter sections didn't always reach the proper level of luminance. A second noticeable issue was a slight oversaturation of blue – the television stubbornly boosted this color, which caused some parts of the image, especially skin tones and reds, to have a slight purple tint. This is not a major flaw, but to a discerning eye – noticeable. Fortunately, most of these errors could be corrected during calibration. You can see the results of this adjustment in the graphs and photos below.

We primarily tested the Sony Bravia 3 in movie mode, which immediately proved to be the best choice among the factory settings. The picture is not perfect, but compared to the eco mode that the TV suggests right out of the box, the difference is significant and for the better. In movie mode, one can notice a certain problem—the image 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 satisfying for everyday viewing. Much more serious errors occur 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 image in this mode. All of 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 situation without a solution. Various errors can be somewhat mitigated, and some can even be completely corrected through professional calibration. Therefore, we decided to check how the TV would perform after such adjustments.

After calibration, the TCL P8K showed a completely different face. It managed to achieve nearly perfect, even reference-level color reproduction in both SDR and HDR content. The screen no longer had a tendency towards a cool tint, and the white balance was perfectly balanced. The gamma values for SDR material also finally look as they should – the image has the proper depth and no longer appears washed out. The only remark that can still be made about the P8K concerns its "Chinese" traits, known from most TCL models. The TV still likes to manipulate saturation in HDR content in its own way – sometimes slightly boosting it, sometimes smoothing it out, which means the effect is not always fully predictable. Nevertheless, after calibration, the colors look stunning, and their accuracy is truly surprising. In most cases, measurement errors dropped below values of 1-2, which is a result that significantly more expensive models would not be ashamed of.

The calibration allowed us to extract significantly more from ChooseTV 3 than we could have expected at the beginning. First and foremost, we managed to address the shortage of blue color, which previously caused a noticeable warming of the image. After a slight adjustment in white balance, most of the errors in Color Checker measurements for SDR content practically disappeared. The shades of white gained a natural quality, and brightness management in gamma stabilized to a level that is nearly perfect, not exceeding the threshold of human eye perception. Therefore, it can be confidently said that in SDR content, after a few tweaks in settings, ChooseTV 3 performs really excellently. HDR content, however, fares much worse, although it is still definitely better than before calibration. The white balance has been corrected, but the limitations of the IPS panel are insurmountable. The lack of local dimming means that even the smallest elements can be overexposed, which immediately stands out. Color-wise, the effect has also improved, although it is far from ideal—many errors still exceed the threshold of four or even five delta E units, meaning they remain visible to the human eye. It was already clear before that ChooseTV 3 is not a television designed to amaze with HDR quality. Nonetheless, it is gratifying that in SDR content, after calibration, the image can look really great, and in this category, the television pleasantly surprised us.

The TCL P8K performs somewhat worse when it comes to the fluidity of tonal transitions in lower quality materials. The television does offer a feature to smooth out unwanted bands, but its effectiveness leaves much to be desired. Even at the highest setting, it’s hard to say there’s a real improvement – at times the effect is even the opposite of what was intended, as the feature can introduce small artifacts and unnatural blurriness on the screen.

On the other hand, upscaling, or scaling the image to 4K resolution, looks significantly better. The P8K handles this task surprisingly well – HD content, and even SD, is enhanced in an aesthetically pleasing manner without excessive loss of sharpness. There are indeed slight "hard" edges typical of this class of equipment, but this can easily be adjusted with the sharpness slider according to personal preferences. The final effect is more than satisfactory, especially considering the price range in which this model is located.

Bravia 3 brings something more to the Sony television family than just a common name. It stands out primarily for its ability to improve the quality of weaker materials thanks to the applied processor. Of course, we won't find the advanced XR chip known from more expensive models here, but it must be acknowledged that the image at a lower resolution looked surprisingly good. Scaling worked effectively, and most parts of the screen were free from the typical excessive jagged edges found in budget constructions.

The feature that enhances the fluidity of tonal transitions is also worth noting. In the high setting, it works really well, effectively masking the imperfections of gradation without significant loss of detail. It does happen that the algorithm overly smooths elements that should remain sharp – for example, faces – however, in overall terms, the effect is beneficial. The best results were achieved precisely at the highest setting, and this option could be recommended to those watching lower-quality content.

TCL P8K is one of the cheapest televisions offering a 144 Hz refresh rate, which in itself is already a significant advantage in this price segment. Thanks to the fast panel, this model can confidently be recommended to both sports fans and video gamers – the image is smooth, and movements of the ball or dynamic actions look natural. However, this does not mean that the P8K is only suitable for sports. On the contrary – it can maintain the right dynamics in movies as well, without introducing an artificial effect of "theatricality," as long as we set the parameters wisely. The television is equipped with a motion smoother called "Motion Clarity," which features two sliders: blur reduction and flicker reduction. The first is responsible for smoothing the image by generating additional frames, which increases fluidity but may cause a slight soap opera effect. The second, on the other hand, limits flicker and improves sharpness in motion, although it may slightly darken the screen. Appropriately adjusting these two parameters allows for a really good balance between natural movement and fluidity. The 60 Hz panel is good for dynamic content, although more demanding users will notice that it is not a top-tier display in terms of motion clarity.

The fluidity of motion has never been a strong point of TVs equipped with 60 Hz panels, and the Bravia 3 is no exception. Nevertheless, Sony has added something that might appeal to those who are more sensitive to the way images are displayed. We are talking about the proprietary Motion Flow motion smoother, which offers users a lot of adjustment options. Thanks to it, one can make the image smoother, even theatrical, or stick to a more cinematic style with the characteristic stuttering that many simply associate with the film atmosphere. These features work with content at lower frame rates, such as movies and series recorded at 24 or 30 frames per second, which are the materials we encounter on a daily basis. It is precisely in this area that 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.

Although the TCL P8K is a budget TV, it certainly can’t be said that it’s not suitable for gaming. On the contrary – this is a screen that can pleasantly surprise any gamer. It features two HDMI 2.1 ports, allowing us to easily output 4K at 120 Hz. For those gaming on PC, they will also appreciate the fact that the TV can even operate at 240 Hz refresh rate in lower resolution – a small thing, but it’s nice. In addition, there’s a full set of gaming-specific features: automatic game mode, Game Bar for quick parameter previews, VRR, HGiG, and support for Dolby Vision in games. All of this makes gaming on the P8K a truly enjoyable experience – the picture is smooth, the response is quick, and the TV communicates well with next-gen consoles. The TCL P8K shows that a cheap screen doesn’t have to mean giving up fun. Definitely not when it comes to gaming.

Bravia 3 is not a device for e-sports enthusiasts or fans of late-night marathons with a controller in hand. The lack of 120 Hz refresh rate and HDMI 2.1 ports wraps up the topic before it can even develop. This is a TV for casual gamers who, after work, want to fire up FIFA or racing games, not for someone who measures every frame in a spreadsheet. Nevertheless, Sony has added a few nice extras so it’s not too barren. ALLM works as it should, automatically switching the TV to game mode (low latency). We even find a simple Game Bar here that is clear. However, the biggest curiosity is the PlayStation Portal app. With it, you can launch games from PS5 wirelessly and immediately see them on the TV screen. It sounds great, but it only takes a few minutes to feel significant delays. In our opinion, it’s more of a showcase of capabilities than something usable on a daily basis. If someone really wants to play, it’s better to connect the console with an HDMI cable right away and forget about wireless problems.