If you often watch movies in dark rooms and value high contrast and deep blacks, the Hisense U8K outperforms the TCL R646, offering better quality for dark-room viewing. However, it's worth noting that the Hisense U8K typically costs more.
For gaming enthusiasts, the Hisense has a slight edge due to its higher gaming performance score and response time, which may result in smoother gameplay.
On the other hand, if you're on a tighter budget and still want good overall quality, the TCL R646 is much less expensive and offers decent performance across various content, including movies and sports, but with some compromises in brightness and local dimming compared to the Hisense.
Both TVs can handle bright rooms well, but if you're placing the TV in a particularly sunny room, the Hisense U8K has a higher bright-room score, implying better performance under lots of light.
Lastly, if you care about having great built-in speakers, the Hisense U8K comes with better audio capabilities, which might influence your decision if you don't plan to use an external sound system. Give Feedback
this description is based on the product variant with some specs and product variant with some specs. At the time of writing, the variant with some specs cost some dollars and the variant with some specs cost some dollars.
Advantages of the Hisense U8K (LCD)
Best in class for bright room
Very good for dark room
Very good for movies & TV
Very good for news, talk, & other TV
Excellent for cartoons & animation
Good for upscaling
Advantages of the TCL R646 (LCD)
The TCL R646 (LCD) has no clear advantages over the Hisense U8K (LCD).
Key differences
Picture Quality
8.7/10
7.9/10
8.21/10
CONTRAST
8.43/10
9.2/10
COLOR VOLUME SCORE
7.6/10
miniLED FALD
PANEL TYPE
miniLED FALD
VA
PANEL SUB-TYPE
VA
The Hisense U8K (LCD) has very good picture quality, while the TCL R646 (LCD) has good picture quality.
Movies & TV
8.5/10
7.8/10
8.21/10
CONTRAST
8.43/10
10.0/10
BLACK UNIFORMITY
6.8/10
7.0/10
UPSCALING
5.9/10
Yes
HDR10 SUPPORT
Yes
Yes
HDR10+ SUPPORT
Yes
Yes
DOLBY VISION SUPPORT
Yes
The Hisense U8K (LCD) is very good for movies & TV, while the TCL R646 (LCD) is good.
Cartoons & Animation
9.1/10
8.4/10
8.3/10
COLOR GAMUT SCORE
7.6/10
9.2/10
COLOR VOLUME SCORE
7.6/10
9.1/10
SDR BRIGHTNESS SCORE
9.1/10
8.6/10
COLORS OUT OF THE BOX SCORE
7.2/10
7.0/10
GRAY UNIFORMITY
8.0/10
The Hisense U8K (LCD) is excellent for cartoons & animation, while the TCL R646 (LCD) is very good.
The Hisense U8K excels in displaying cartoons and animation due to its very good color performance right out of the box and a very good color gamut, ensuring vibrant and accurate colors. In comparison, while the TCL R646 is very competent with good out-of-the-box color accuracy and a good color gamut, it doesn't match the Hisense's superior color reproduction.
News, Talk, & Other TV
8.6/10
7.5/10
9.1/10
SDR BRIGHTNESS SCORE
9.1/10
7.0/10
UPSCALING
5.9/10
The Hisense U8K (LCD) is very good for news, talk, & other TV, while the TCL R646 (LCD) is good.
The Hisense U8K is known for its ability to produce very good colors right out of the box and having very good upscaling for watching lower resolution content, making it very suitable for news and TV programs. The TCL R646, while still good for these types of content, has less accurate colors out of the box and slightly lower quality upscaling.
Bright Room
9.7/10
8.9/10
5.3/10
VIEWING ANGLE
5.3/10
9.1/10
SDR BRIGHTNESS SCORE
9.1/10
9.1/10
HDR BRIGHTNESS SCORE
8.3/10
8.9/10
REFLECTIONS SCORE
8.1/10
The Hisense U8K (LCD) is best in class for bright room, while the TCL R646 (LCD) is very good.
Cost
$898
$800
$400
$600
$800
$1,000
$1,200
$1,400
The Hisense U8K (LCD) has a price of $898 and the TCL R646 (LCD) costs $800.
The TCL R646 (LCD) and Hisense U8K (LCD) are both only fair for sports.
The Hisense U8K falls short in motion processing for sports, resulting in less smooth action, and while both TVs have narrow viewing angles, limiting good picture quality to a straight-on view, the TCL R646 offers better response time, which matters when tracking fast-moving objects.
Gaming
8.6/10
8.2/10
6.8/10
RESPONSE TIME SCORE
8.0/10
7.6/10
INPUT LAG SCORE
7.6/10
3.5/10
MOTION PROCESSING
5.3/10
90.0/100
GAMING LOCAL DIMMING
70.0/100
9.2/10
GAME HDR BRIGHTNESS SCORE
8.7/10
The Hisense U8K (LCD) and TCL R646 (LCD) are both very good for gaming.
The Hisense U8K is known for good gaming due to its fair response time and good input lag performance, whereas the TCL R646 stands out in gaming for its very good response time and good input lag, making both TVs suitable for a responsive gaming experience.
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How the Hisense U8K (LCD) and the TCL R646 (LCD) compare to other TVs
Spec Comparison
Hisense U8K (LCD)
TCL R646 (LCD)
GENERAL
Price
Price
$898
$800
Brand
Brand
Hisense
TCL
Release Date
Release Date
August 2, 2023
August 2, 2021
Full name
Full name
65U8K
65R646
Screen Size
Screen Size
65"
65"
Screen Resolution
Screen Resolution
4K
4K
Screen Type
Screen Type
LCD
LCD
Screen Sub-type
Screen Sub-type
miniLED FALD VA
miniLED FALD VA
Smart TV
Smart TV
Yes
Yes
TV FEATURES
Operating System
Operating System
Google TV
Android TV
Sound Quality Score
Sound Quality Score
8.3/10
10/10
NextGen Ready
NextGen Ready
Yes
No
HDMI Ports
HDMI Ports
4
4
Coax Ports
Coax Ports
1
1
Refresh Rate
Refresh Rate
144Hz
120Hz
Variable Refresh Rate
Variable Refresh Rate
Yes
Yes
HDR Supported formats
HDR Supported formats
HDR10, HDR10+, Dolby Vision, HLG
HDR10, HDR10+, Dolby Vision, HLG
Accessibility
Accessibility
Voice Commands
None
DISPLAY QUALITY SCORES
Picture Quality Score
Picture Quality Score
8.7/10
7.9/10
Bright Room Score
Bright Room Score
9.7/10
9/10
Gaming Score
Gaming Score
8.6/10
8.2/10
Movies & TV Score
Movies & TV Score
8.5/10
7.8/10
Sports Score
Sports Score
6.3/10
6.6/10
News, Talk, & Other TV Score
News, Talk, & Other TV Score
8.6/10
7.5/10
Cartoons & Animation Score
Cartoons & Animation Score
9.1/10
8.4/10
Use as Monitor Score
Use as Monitor Score
7.5/10
7.3/10
PHYSICAL
Dimensions w/o Stand (H x W x D)
Dimensions w/o Stand (H x W x D)
33.1" x 57.2" x 3"
33.3" x 56.9" x 3.6"
Dimensions with Stand (H x W)
Dimensions with Stand (H x W)
35.5" x 57.2"
35.7" x 56.9"
Weight without Stand
Weight without Stand
56.4 lbs
63.5 lbs
VESA Mount
VESA Mount
400 x 400
300 x 300
DISPLAY
Color Depth
Color Depth
10 bit
10 bit
Black Frame Insertion
Black Frame Insertion
Yes
Yes
Auto Low Latency Mode
Auto Low Latency Mode
Yes
Yes
Contrast
Contrast
8.2/10
8.4/10
Local Dimming
Local Dimming
8/10
6.5/10
Gaming Local Dimming
Gaming Local Dimming
9/100
7/100
Game HDR Brightness Score
Game HDR Brightness Score
9.3/10
8.8/10
SDR Brightness Score
SDR Brightness Score
9.1/10
9.1/10
HDR Brightness Score
HDR Brightness Score
9.1/10
8.4/10
Gray Uniformity
Gray Uniformity
7/10
8/10
Black Uniformity
Black Uniformity
10/10
6.9/10
Viewing Angle
Viewing Angle
5.3/10
5.3/10
Reflections Score
Reflections Score
9/10
8.1/10
Upscaling
Upscaling
7/10
5.9/10
Motion Processing
Motion Processing
3.6/10
5.3/10
Color Gamut Score
Color Gamut Score
8.3/10
7.7/10
Color Volume Score
Color Volume Score
9.3/10
7.7/10
Response Time Score
Response Time Score
6.9/10
8.1/10
Input Lag Score
Input Lag Score
7.7/10
7.7/10
Colors Out of the Box Score
Colors Out of the Box Score
8.7/10
7.3/10
Quality Control
Quality Control
6.3/10
7/10
Chroma Subsampling Score
Chroma Subsampling Score
10/10
7.5/10
SOUND
Speaker Setup
Speaker Setup
2.1.2
2.0
Speaker Power
Speaker Power
50 W
30 W
Dolby Atmos
Dolby Atmos
Yes
Yes
DTS:X
DTS:X
Yes
Yes, Bypass only
Get a great deal on the Hisense U8K (LCD) or the TCL R646 (LCD)
About Hisense
Hisense, a Chinese TV manufacturer, entered the US market in approximately 2011 and has since acquired TV divisions from various companies such as Toshiba, Sharp, Hitachi, and NEC. Currently ranking as the fourth largest vendor in terms of sales volume, Hisense aims to capture a wide range of TV budget segments. They offer exceptional value with TVs that often outperform their competitors at similar price points, making them a compelling choice for consumers. In the US, they use Google TV as their smart TV software which provides the largest app selection and a very modern user interface, however it is not as user friendly as the software from other vendors.
About TCL
TCL, the highly recognizable TV brand from China, has firmly established itself as the second-largest manufacturer in terms of sales volume. Renowned for striking an impressive balance between affordability, picture quality, and design, TCL TVs deliver a compelling overall package. While they have traditionally excelled in the low-end and midrange TV segments, TCL has recently made remarkable strides in the realm of high-end televisions, introducing impressive models that rival top competitors. Most TCL TVs use Roku software which is very user friendly and easy to use, but they have a few other models that use Google TV which has the largest app selection, but is not as user friendly as Roku.
This information was produced and vetted by the PerfectRec TVs team. We are a product research and recommendation organization that meticulously reviews and evaluates the latest TV information and makes it digestible for you.
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