If you are looking for better overall picture quality and motion handling for fast-paced content like sports or gaming, the Sony X90K could be a preferable option, but be aware that it's more expensive. On the other hand, the TCL R655 offers a better contrast ratio and could be better if you want a TV with a great dark room performance for watching movies, and it comes at a lower price point. Both TVs support gaming features, but neither is particularly well-suited for very bright rooms due to their screen brightness. 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 Sony X90K (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 R655 (LCD)
Best in class for bright room
Very good for dark room
Very good reflections
Key differences
Sports
7.1/10
6.6/10
10.0/10
MOTION PROCESSING
5.3/10
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
7.0/10
INPUT LAG SCORE
8.7/10
10.0/10
UPSCALING
5.4/10
8.7/10
SDR BRIGHTNESS SCORE
9.1/10
Yes
HLG SUPPORT
Yes
The Sony X90K (LCD) is good for sports, while the TCL R655 (LCD) is only fair.
The Sony X90K outperforms the TCL R655 in sports viewing primarily due to its superior motion processing and response time, which results in clearer images with less blur during fast-paced scenes; however, the TCL R655 has a higher reflections handling capability, which makes it more suitable for viewing in a room with many light sources.
Gaming
8.1/10
8.6/10
8.0/10
RESPONSE TIME SCORE
7.0/10
7.0/10
INPUT LAG SCORE
8.7/10
10.0/10
MOTION PROCESSING
5.3/10
76.0/100
GAMING LOCAL DIMMING
85.0/100
8.6/10
GAME HDR BRIGHTNESS SCORE
8.8/10
The TCL R655 (LCD) and Sony X90K (LCD) are both very good for gaming, though the TCL R655 (LCD) is somewhat better.
The Sony X90K and TCL R655 both have very good response times and input lag which are essential for gaming; the Sony X90K offers a refresh rate of 120Hz providing smooth motion, while the TCL R655 stands out with a higher 144Hz refresh rate for even smoother gameplay.
Cartoons & Animation
8.0/10
8.7/10
7.7/10
COLOR GAMUT SCORE
7.6/10
7.8/10
COLOR VOLUME SCORE
8.2/10
8.7/10
SDR BRIGHTNESS SCORE
9.1/10
7.0/10
COLORS OUT OF THE BOX SCORE
7.7/10
6.6/10
GRAY UNIFORMITY
8.2/10
The TCL R655 (LCD) and Sony X90K (LCD) are both very good for cartoons & animation, though the TCL R655 (LCD) is somewhat better.
The Sony X90K and the TCL R655 are both rated as 'good' for their colors out of the box, meaning they can display cartoons and animation with vibrant and accurate hues immediately after purchase. Although their color gamuts are similarly judged, the TCL R655 has a 'very good' color volume, which allows it to maintain those vivid colors across a broader range of brightness levels, making it slightly superior in this aspect.
News, Talk, & Other TV
8.7/10
7.2/10
8.7/10
SDR BRIGHTNESS SCORE
9.1/10
10.0/10
UPSCALING
5.4/10
The Sony X90K (LCD) is very good for news, talk, & other TV, while the TCL R655 (LCD) is good.
The Sony X90K excels in upscaling, ensuring that low-resolution content from news or talk shows looks clear, and has a very good SDR brightness, making it suitable for rooms with varying light conditions. In contrast, while the TCL R655 offers excellent SDR brightness, beneficial for bright rooms, its upscaling is not as strong as the Sony X90K's, which could affect the clarity of standard definition content commonly found in news or talk shows.
Bright Room
8.0/10
9.5/10
5.4/10
VIEWING ANGLE
5.2/10
8.7/10
SDR BRIGHTNESS SCORE
9.1/10
8.3/10
HDR BRIGHTNESS SCORE
8.5/10
6.3/10
REFLECTIONS SCORE
8.8/10
The TCL R655 (LCD) is best in class for bright room, while the Sony X90K (LCD) is very good.
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers TCL R655 (LCD) to have very good picture quality, while the Sony X90K (LCD) has good picture quality.
Movies & TV
7.5/10
7.9/10
7.38/10
CONTRAST
9.07/10
6.1/10
BLACK UNIFORMITY
6.1/10
10.0/10
UPSCALING
5.4/10
Yes
HDR10 SUPPORT
Yes
No
HDR10+ SUPPORT
Yes
Yes
DOLBY VISION SUPPORT
Yes
The TCL R655 (LCD) and Sony X90K (LCD) are both good for movies & TV.
The Sony X90K is particularly suitable for watching movies and cinematic TV due to its very good contrast, efficiency of local dimming that enhances scene depth, and decent black uniformity which is crucial for dark scene portrayal. On the other hand, the TCL R655 excels in the same content due to its higher contrast ratio for deep blacks, comparable local dimming, and slightly better black uniformity which all contribute to a more immersive dark room viewing experience.
Cost
$998
$1,000
$400
$600
$800
$1,000
$1,200
$1,400
$1,600
The Sony X90K (LCD) has a price of $998 and the TCL R655 (LCD) costs $1,000.
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How the Sony X90K (LCD) and the TCL R655 (LCD) compare to other TVs
"As Sony’s next-to-flagship LCD TV, the X90K series delivers impressive performance for the price. The XR90K had fairly accurate out-of-box color. The TV’s multi-position stand lets you either set the screen flush with any stand its mounted on or elevate it to clear space for a soundbar. With the latter option, you get around 3 inches of clearance enough to accommodate most soundbars. The X90K’s excellent suite of gaming features ranks it up there with the best 120 Hz 4K TVs."
"It has an excellent Roku interface, isn’t too expensive, has quantum dots and mini LED backlighting, and looks genuinely fantastic playing everything. If you’re in the market for a new TV, you should still start here. Gamers will like that it has a 120-Hz refresh rate at 4K, which is the maximum that a modern Xbox or Playstation 5 will put out—meaning the smoothest possible gaming and sports viewing in general. We’re no longer in the days of having to spend over $1,000 and spending a few hours on setup for decent black levels and great color accuracy and HDR"
Get a great deal on the Sony X90K (LCD) or the TCL R655 (LCD)
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.
By the numbers
385
TVs evaluated
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About the TV team
Joe Golden, Ph.D
CEO and TVs Editor
Joe is an entrepreneur and lifelong electronics enthusiast with a Ph.D in Economics from the University of Michigan.
Jason Lew
Staff Expert & Software Engineer
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Chandradeep Chowdhury
Staff Expert & Software Engineer
Chandradeep is a staff expert and software engineer and expert in televisions and monitors. He’s been making monitor recommendations for ten years.
Jaime Roldán
TVs Expert
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