Okay, so the HDR is nice. That's nice only one from the first things people actually inquire about whenever they're taking a look at a high-end TV its their next-gen entertainment is related to black levels. The LG OLED range has virtually changed the game within this very specific way. The black level real question is kind of weird too. How good performs this TV look when there's no image on screen? A sentiment born in the proven fact that LCD and LED backlight technology has traditionally sucked. It had been about Plasma back in the olden times, before OLED showed up. Grey, washed out, colour bleeding. Which was LCD-based tech. Not quite up to the refined standards of the TV connoisseur.
As with QLED the answer for TCL would be to ramp up the lighting zones and achieve this with Mini LED technology therefore the black levels remain untouched. What we have this is a big step-up where i was even a few years ago, and it is immediately noticeable. The black levels on this TCL TV, particularly when watching a movie or series or playing cinematic games, are superb. Our compliments towards the chef. Not quite OLED, however what is.
So far, so good. And when you factor in TCL's affordable-for-a-high-end price-point for that X925, you may be thinking that this really is case-closed. Think before spending thousands for just a little bit more, you're sorted. And often, spend more for any display that doesn't support native 8K content. Which this TCL TV does, it's in the name.
Okay where it falters, simply to understand this side from the TCL 65″ X925 Mini Led 8K Google TV review taken care of, is within its upscaling capabilities, comparatively poor viewing angles, and overall from whack uniformity with regards to white-balance as well as some colour saturation. At least on the unit reviewed here.
That last bit there basically means that certain parts of the screen are brighter than the others. Not every that noticeable but here. Still though, if you are of the sort that's searching for a display purely for 4K gaming and streaming high-def content, where you're sitting directly in-front of the screen, then these downsides won't affect you. Until someone comes round, decides to watch some free-to-air “HD” programming, and you are shocked at just how, well, not great everything looks. Or, you realize, you love to game on a docked Nintendo Switch.
One fantastic aspect would be that the TCL X925 comes equipped with an Onkyo soundbar and subwoofer around the back included in the build. The outcomes are on par with decent off-the-shelf soundbars, that is great, although it does mean the television is heavy. Like, real heavy. Interestingly, TCL also sent us a TCL Ray-Danz TS9030 3.1 Dolby Atmos soundbar with wireless subwoofer to look at and the difference was noticeable. So yeah, you get great out-of-the-box sound because of the Onkyo magic but there's a definite step-up should you choose a more premium audio experience.
Well, for all those with the latest consoles and PC graphics.
For this review the first game I thrilled was Ratchet & Clank Rift Apart on PlayStation 5 accompanied by Spider-Man Miles Morales and then Returnal. A trio of 4K titles perfect for checking out colour accuracy, brightness, fast motion, and the more cinematic facets of a display. It's here in which the 4K chops of the TCL X925 shine bright, the HDR impresses, and the overall experience is that of gaming on a high-end TV. Despite the fact that colours aren't perfect (something that had me tweaking settings for quite some time) there's a clarity that never fades when dealing with a 4K source.
Elsewhere, the competitive side from the TCL X925 is good, but not amazing. The response times and latency unfortunately isn't on par with more competitive offerings. It's still serviceable and most enough for most not to even notice but this is really a side from the display I can see TCL improving as newer models arrive on the scene.
This might read as an abrupt conclusion but let’s discuss the UI, setup, and installation process, that was all smooth thanks to TCL choosing google's TV approach. Having a Google account setup is easy, particularly if you're connected to the Goolge-sphere as possible handled from the smartphone. Or easy-to-read on-screen prompts. With regards to the UI and operating system side, the TCL X925 is great. This might be personal preference (thanks partly to presenting an NVIDIA Shield for a long time now), but the Google TV interface is clean, slick, fast, and ideal for all apps. When compared to competition, or non-Google TVs, to me it’s a good enough feature to warrant a good investment.
