Updated January 10, 2024·Prices updated 24 hours ago
The Sony X85K is better suited for sports content and offers slightly better reflections handling and upscaling of lower resolution content – suitable if you watch a lot of live sports or older shows. However, it doesn't perform as well in dark environments.
The TCL R646 provides superior performance for movies and gaming with better contrast and HDR brightness, which makes it a good choice if you mostly watch movies in darker rooms or play video games. Additionally, its sound quality is rated higher than the Sony X85K.
Both TVs are similarly priced and have 120Hz LCD screens, supporting a smooth viewing experience. The TCL also supports Dolby Vision, which the Sony does not, providing enhanced picture quality for compatible content. Give Feedback
This comparison is based on the 65" Sony X85K (LCD) and the 65" TCL R646 (LCD).
Advantages of the Sony X85K (LCD)
Good for sports
Very good for news, talk, & other TV
Best in class for upscaling
Best in class motion processing
Advantages of the TCL R646 (LCD)
Very good for bright room
Good for dark room
Very good for gaming
Good for movies & TV
Good for use as monitor
Very good reflections
Key differences
Picture Quality
7.2/10
7.9/10
7.50/10
CONTRAST
8.43/10
7.4/10
COLOR VOLUME SCORE
7.6/10
LED
PANEL TYPE
miniLED FALD
VA
PANEL SUB-TYPE
VA
The TCL R646 (LCD) and Sony X85K (LCD) both have good picture quality, though the TCL R646 (LCD) has somewhat better picture quality.
Movies & TV
6.4/10
7.8/10
7.50/10
CONTRAST
8.43/10
6.8/10
BLACK UNIFORMITY
6.8/10
10.0/10
UPSCALING
5.9/10
Yes
HDR10 SUPPORT
Yes
No
HDR10+ SUPPORT
Yes
Yes
DOLBY VISION SUPPORT
Yes
The TCL R646 (LCD) is good for movies & TV, while the Sony X85K (LCD) is only fair.
The TCL R646 offers better performance for movies and cinematic TV primarily because of its superior contrast, more effective local dimming, and better black uniformity, which are crucial for deep blacks and dark scene detailing. While the Sony X85K provides a decent picture quality, its lack of local dimming and lower contrast limits its ability to deliver the same level of performance in these areas.
Sports
7.4/10
6.6/10
10.0/10
MOTION PROCESSING
5.3/10
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
120Hz
7.3/10
INPUT LAG SCORE
7.6/10
10.0/10
UPSCALING
5.9/10
8.4/10
SDR BRIGHTNESS SCORE
9.1/10
Yes
HLG SUPPORT
Yes
The Sony X85K (LCD) is good for sports, while the TCL R646 (LCD) is only fair.
The Sony X85K is good for watching sports because it has excellent motion processing, which is crucial for fast action, and handles reflections well, making it suitable for brightly lit rooms. However, the TCL R646, while it has very good gray uniformity, which is important for sports, falls short on motion processing, making fast movements look less smooth, and doesn't handle reflections quite as well, which could be distracting in a bright room.
Gaming
7.5/10
8.2/10
7.6/10
RESPONSE TIME SCORE
8.0/10
7.3/10
INPUT LAG SCORE
7.6/10
10.0/10
MOTION PROCESSING
5.3/10
0.0/100
GAMING LOCAL DIMMING
70.0/100
7.3/10
GAME HDR BRIGHTNESS SCORE
8.7/10
The TCL R646 (LCD) is very good for gaming, while the Sony X85K (LCD) is good.
The TCL R646 is considered very good for gaming primarily due to its lower input lag and higher response time, ensuring more fluid and responsive gameplay, which can be especially noticeable during fast-paced action. In contrast, while the Sony X85K is considered good for gaming, its somewhat slower response time and higher input lag may not be as suited for very fast-paced games or competitive gaming where every millisecond counts.
News, Talk, & Other TV
8.2/10
7.5/10
8.4/10
SDR BRIGHTNESS SCORE
9.1/10
10.0/10
UPSCALING
5.9/10
The Sony X85K (LCD) is very good for news, talk, & other TV, while the TCL R646 (LCD) is good.
The Sony X85K performs very well in upscaling and SDR brightness, key for watching news and TV programs with clarity and without appearing dim, and it's also excellent for colors out of the box, which means less tweaking for a natural picture. On the other hand, the TCL R646 has an excellent SDR brightness which is beneficial in bright rooms and also provides good upscaling, but it offers local dimming which can enhance contrast, a feature the Sony lacks; however, the TCL's colors out of the box are only rated as good, which might not be as accurate initially as the Sony's.
Bright Room
7.4/10
8.9/10
5.5/10
VIEWING ANGLE
5.3/10
8.4/10
SDR BRIGHTNESS SCORE
9.1/10
7.0/10
HDR BRIGHTNESS SCORE
8.3/10
7.3/10
REFLECTIONS SCORE
8.1/10
The TCL R646 (LCD) is very good for bright room, while the Sony X85K (LCD) is good.
The Sony X85K performs well in bright rooms due to its good brightness and reflection handling, but the TCL R646 is considered very good in the same environment because of its excellent brightness levels and even better management of reflections. While both have comparable color performance with good color volume and gamut, the TCL R646 excels further in contrast, enhancing its performance in various lighting conditions.
Cost
$678
$800
$200
$400
$600
$800
$1,000
$1,200
The Sony X85K (LCD) has a price of $678 and the TCL R646 (LCD) costs $800.
The Sony X85K (LCD) and TCL R646 (LCD) are both very good for cartoons & animation.
The Sony X85K displays vibrant colors straight out of the box, ensuring that cartoons and animations look lively without the need for extensive picture adjustment, complemented by a good color gamut that covers a wide range of hues. On the other hand, the TCL R646 also offers a solid performance with good colors out of the box and color gamut, ensuring that it represents the animated content's intended colors accurately.
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About Sony
Sony stands as a highly experienced and widely trusted TV manufacturer, earning a reputation that surpasses all others. A Japanese company, Sony has been making TVs for far longs than it has been making Playstation game consoles. Sony's high-end TVs are often regarded as the ultimate choice for videophiles, representing the epitome of quality, albeit at a premium price point. Renowned for their advanced and precise motion handling, as well as their cutting-edge local dimming algorithms, Sony consistently delivers unparalleled performance in these areas. They include Google TV software with all their TV sets, which grants access to the largest selection of apps available and they also include Bravia Core which is a movie streaming platform specifically for Sony TVs that offers higher picture quality by using more bandwidth.
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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