Best TCL TVs: full 2024 range explained – and why one set is better than another
If you're looking for one of the best-priced TVs on the market – especially one of the best TVs under £1000 or best under £500 – then TCL is a brand name that'll show up a lot. And for good reason!
It's because TCL makes tellies with a lot of great features but for a cut of the price compared to many of the best TV makers, such as Samsung, Sony and LG. I've seen the company's 2024 range at a showcase so have eyes-on experience with the lot.
TCL doesn't make any of the best OLED TVs, however, as it's a panel-maker focused on LED. That means its products are mostly composed of 4K QLED models, including Mini-LED at the higher-end of its range.
Now if you're confused as to what in the hell those acronyms and terms mean, I'm here to break down the full TCL TV range for 2024 and why one model is better than the next – and which model could best suit your TV-buying needs and budget.
TCL Mini-LED QLED TVs
TCL C85K
65, 75, 85, 98-inch models
At the top of the tree is TCL's C85K model, which starts from a 65-inch size and goes all the way up to 98-inches.
It's a QD Mini-LED model, meaning Quantum Dot for wider and brighter colour range, and Mini-LED that refers to the size of the illuminators behind that panel.
Mini-LED, as the name suggests, delivers smaller-than-typical-LED illuminators, which means greater density of the concentrated units and, therefore, can produce brighter images too. Brightness is expressed in 'nits', with TCL claiming a peak brightness of 3300 nits for the C85K.
Mini-LED also means more 'zones' can be created for more precise backlighting control, with the C85K offering 1344 of these zones at its 65-inch scale (2160 at 75in, 2304 at 85in, 2160 at 98in) – that is, as I'll get to below, more than double its predecessor and lower-level C-series models.
Such precision is ideal for, say, an astronaut against a starry sky, where the increased zones mean the subject's edges are more defined, with less unwanted white 'halo'-like brightness bleed.
Sound-wise, the model can decode Dolby Atmos, DTS-HD, and DTS:X for object-based three-dimensional sound. Onkyo tunes the soundsystem, with two built-in upfiring speakers present to complement the rear woofer and twin front-firing channels (a 2.1.2 arrangement).
All of that adds up to the brightest and most precise panel that TCL offers in its 2024 range.
TCL C84K
55, 65, 75, 85-inch models
First released in 2023, the C84K range continues in 2024 – just a step below the newer C85K model.
So what do you lose in opting for this step-down model? Well, there are a couple of possible gains – one, it's cheaper; two, it's also available in a 55-inch scale (a favourite size of many households).
Otherwise the C84K is a little less bright (2000 nits – but that's still very strong indeed), and this QD Mini-LED panel isn't quite as precise owed to fewer zones (576 in the 65-inch, for example – a noticeable difference to the step-up C85K's 1344 zones at the same scale).
Sound-wise, the model can decode Dolby Atmos and DTS-HD, but lacks the DTS:X of the C85K. Onkyo again tunes the soundsystem, which is a 2.1 arrangement – so no integrated upfiring speakers here.
TCL C80K
50, 55, 65, 75, 85, 98-inch models
At the bottom of the QD Mini-LED range is a new model for 2024, the C80K, which is available in many more panel sizes – and this will be of significant appeal to many people looking for something smaller, yet still of great quality.
However, I've seen the C80K running side-by-side with the C85K and the visible difference in brightness, backlighting precision, and high dynamic range (HDR) clarity is significantly different.
That's why the C80K sits in the position it does: it'll be cheaper, but it's also less bright (1300 nits) and has fewer dimming zones compared to the models above it (512 zones at 65-inch).
TCL QLED TVs
TCL C74K
55, 65, 75-inch models
TCL's QLED TV lacks Mini-LED backlighting precision, so while it's still backlit – here in a full array local dimming form (or FALD, as it's known) – it's less precise and not zoned like the models above it in the range, owed to its edge-illumination method.
However, QLED is a Quantum Dot LED TV, so you're still getting the benefit of the 'QD' brighter and wider colour palette – it's just the display technology isn't as able to present it as precisely or brightly as the models higher up the range (but, with HDR at 1000 nits, it's still really bright for an affordable set).
This model also drops the anti-reflective coating that's on panels higher up the range, so bright sunlight is harder to negate.
TCL LED TVs
TCL C65K
43, 50, 55, 65, 75, 85, 98-inch models
Another new entry for 2024 is the C65K, which is a Direct LED model, meaning no Quantum Dot colour ability here.
However, it's the cheapest C-series model, so price is the big appeal – and there are heaps of size options to choose from too.
Unlike all C-series models above it, however, which bring the benefit of 144Hz refresh rate for gaming mode, the C65K is a 60Hz panel – so less appealing for gamers.
TCL P75K
43, 50, 55, 65, 75-inch models
The entry-level model in TCL's 2024 4K range line-up is the P75K. It's similar in many ways to the C65K, except with lower colour density and brightness. It'll be the cheapest you can pick up though, which is where its main appeal lies.
TCL X series
TCL X95K
115-inch only
TCL's only X-prefixed model is a showcase of, well, it showing-off really! That's because the X95K is a 115-inch model only, a testament to TCL's ability to produce huge Mini-LED panels for a cut of the price compared to its competition.
It's the panel-maker's brightest set, too, with a 5000 nits maximum output. It's only listed at the bottom of this round-up article for the simple fact most people won't be able to accommodate one of these monsters in their homes. Or afford one – despite it being far, far cheaper than similar competitors' efforts.
TCL P74K
98-inch only
Another mega-scale model, only available in 98-inch, but much lower down the range, is the P74K. TCL's P-series are more entry-level, so here you're getting a direct LED set, meaning less backlight precision (it's not zoned), so while the picture is huge-scale it's not of the best quality or brightness.
