If you watch a lot of movies or play intense graphics games and can afford a higher price, the Sony X90L is a strong contender with exceptional picture quality and motion handling. Its performance is notably better in well-lit rooms, and it has a higher peak brightness which is great for vivid colors and better contrast. The TCL S546, on the other hand, is more budget-friendly, but it won't match the Sony's performance, particularly in brighter rooms. The TCL may still be a reasonable choice for casual TV viewers and gamers prioritizing affordability over top-tier features. 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 X90L (LCD)
Very good for bright room
Very good for gaming
Good for sports
Excellent for news, talk, & other TV
Very good for cartoons & animation
Good for use as monitor
Best in class for upscaling
Best in class motion processing
Advantages of the TCL S546 (LCD)
The TCL S546 (LCD) has no clear advantages over the Sony X90L (LCD).
Key differences
Movies & TV
7.6/10
7.0/10
7.125/10
CONTRAST
8.21/10
6.0/10
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 Sony X90L (LCD) and TCL S546 (LCD) are both good for movies & TV, though the Sony X90L (LCD) is somewhat better.
The Sony X90L excels in watching movies and cinematic TV due to its excellent contrast, effective local dimming, and good black uniformity, all of which contribute to deep blacks and detailed shadows essential for a cinematic experience. The TCL S546, while offering superior black uniformity, has poorer local dimming and colors out of the box, meaning its darker scenes may not be as well defined, but it still maintains vivid colors in well-lit scenes. Both TVs have limited viewing angles, so off-angle viewing is not optimal.
Sports
7.2/10
6.3/10
10.0/10
MOTION PROCESSING
4.6/10
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
7.0/10
INPUT LAG SCORE
8.0/10
10.0/10
UPSCALING
5.9/10
9.4/10
SDR BRIGHTNESS SCORE
8.2/10
Yes
HLG SUPPORT
Yes
The Sony X90L (LCD) is good for sports, while the TCL S546 (LCD) is only fair.
The Sony X90L provides a better motion processing experience which is crucial for smooth action during sports, while the TCL S546 has lower performance in this aspect. Both struggle with reflections, but the Sony has a slight advantage in response time, which helps in reducing motion blur, a benefit when rapidly moving objects are on screen.
Gaming
8.1/10
6.6/10
8.0/10
RESPONSE TIME SCORE
7.6/10
7.0/10
INPUT LAG SCORE
8.0/10
10.0/10
MOTION PROCESSING
4.6/10
73.0/100
GAMING LOCAL DIMMING
60.0/100
8.6/10
GAME HDR BRIGHTNESS SCORE
6.9/10
The Sony X90L (LCD) is very good for gaming, while the TCL S546 (LCD) is only fair.
The Sony X90L is better for gaming because it has a higher refresh rate, allowing smoother visuals, and both its response time and input lag are notably better, making gaming more responsive. In contrast, the TCL S546, with its lower performance in these areas, won't be as smooth or responsive when gaming.
Cartoons & Animation
8.6/10
6.6/10
7.7/10
COLOR GAMUT SCORE
7.8/10
8.8/10
COLOR VOLUME SCORE
8.0/10
9.4/10
SDR BRIGHTNESS SCORE
8.2/10
8.0/10
COLORS OUT OF THE BOX SCORE
4.4/10
6.6/10
GRAY UNIFORMITY
7.0/10
The Sony X90L (LCD) is very good for cartoons & animation, while the TCL S546 (LCD) is only fair.
The Sony X90L displays cartoons and animation with vibrant colors right out of the box and supports a wide color gamut, enhancing the variety and depth of hues presented on screen. In contrast, the TCL S546 has poorer performance in colors out of the box, resulting in less lively initial color settings, and although it has a good color gamut, overall, it doesn't create as rich or accurate colors for animated content.
News, Talk, & Other TV
9.0/10
6.4/10
9.4/10
SDR BRIGHTNESS SCORE
8.2/10
10.0/10
UPSCALING
5.9/10
The Sony X90L (LCD) is excellent for news, talk, & other TV, while the TCL S546 (LCD) is only fair.
The Sony X90L performs excellently in upscaling and SDR brightness, making it a strong choice for watching news and TV shows with clear, bright images. In contrast, the TCL S546 manages only fair performance in upscaling and local dimming, resulting in less optimal picture quality for standard TV content.
Bright Room
8.6/10
7.2/10
5.5/10
VIEWING ANGLE
5.3/10
9.4/10
SDR BRIGHTNESS SCORE
8.2/10
8.3/10
HDR BRIGHTNESS SCORE
6.8/10
5.9/10
REFLECTIONS SCORE
6.0/10
The Sony X90L (LCD) is very good for bright room, while the TCL S546 (LCD) is good.
The Sony X90L excels in a bright room due to its higher SDR and HDR brightness along with better reflections handling, providing clear images even in well-lit environments, but it has poor contrast and color volume compared to the TCL S546. On the other hand, the TCL S546, while good in bright rooms with effective reflections handling, doesn't match the Sony's brightness levels which can affect visibility in very bright settings, although it offers better contrast and similar color volume and gamut, enhancing dark scenes and color richness.
Cost
$998
$398
$200
$400
$600
$800
$1,000
$1,200
$1,400
$1,600
The Sony X90L (LCD) has a price of $998 and the TCL S546 (LCD) costs $398.
The Sony X90L (LCD) and TCL S546 (LCD) both have good picture quality.
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How the Sony X90L (LCD) and the TCL S546 (LCD) compare to other TVs
Spec Comparison
Sony X90L (LCD)
TCL S546 (LCD)
GENERAL
Price
Price
$998
$398
Brand
Brand
Sony
TCL
Release Date
Release Date
August 1, 2023
August 3, 2021
Full name
Full name
XR-65X90L
65S546
Screen Size
Screen Size
65"
65"
Screen Resolution
Screen Resolution
4K
4K
Screen Type
Screen Type
LCD
LCD
Screen Sub-type
Screen Sub-type
LED FALD VA
LED 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
5.9/10
NextGen Ready
NextGen Ready
Yes
No
HDMI Ports
HDMI Ports
4
3
Coax Ports
Coax Ports
1
1
Refresh Rate
Refresh Rate
120Hz
60Hz
Variable Refresh Rate
Variable Refresh Rate
Yes
Yes
HDR Supported formats
HDR Supported formats
HDR10, Dolby Vision, HLG
HDR10, HDR10+, Dolby Vision, HLG
Accessibility
Accessibility
Voice Commands
None
DISPLAY QUALITY SCORES
Picture Quality Score
Picture Quality Score
7.8/10
7.4/10
Bright Room Score
Bright Room Score
8.6/10
7.2/10
Gaming Score
Gaming Score
8.2/10
6.7/10
Movies & TV Score
Movies & TV Score
7.6/10
7/10
Sports Score
Sports Score
7.2/10
6.4/10
News, Talk, & Other TV Score
News, Talk, & Other TV Score
9/10
6.5/10
Cartoons & Animation Score
Cartoons & Animation Score
8.7/10
6.6/10
Use as Monitor Score
Use as Monitor Score
7.3/10
6.6/10
PHYSICAL
Dimensions w/o Stand (H x W x D)
Dimensions w/o Stand (H x W x D)
32.7" x 57" x 2.2"
32.9" x 56.9" x 3"
Dimensions with Stand (H x W)
Dimensions with Stand (H x W)
34" x 57"
34.8" x 56.9"
Weight without Stand
Weight without Stand
53.4 lbs
47.4 lbs
VESA Mount
VESA Mount
300 x 300
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
7.1/10
8.2/10
Local Dimming
Local Dimming
6.8/10
5.7/10
Gaming Local Dimming
Gaming Local Dimming
7.3/100
6/100
Game HDR Brightness Score
Game HDR Brightness Score
8.7/10
6.9/10
SDR Brightness Score
SDR Brightness Score
9.4/10
8.2/10
HDR Brightness Score
HDR Brightness Score
8.4/10
6.8/10
Gray Uniformity
Gray Uniformity
6.6/10
7/10
Black Uniformity
Black Uniformity
6/10
6.9/10
Viewing Angle
Viewing Angle
5.6/10
5.4/10
Reflections Score
Reflections Score
6/10
6/10
Upscaling
Upscaling
10/10
5.9/10
Motion Processing
Motion Processing
10/10
4.6/10
Color Gamut Score
Color Gamut Score
7.8/10
7.9/10
Color Volume Score
Color Volume Score
8.9/10
8/10
Response Time Score
Response Time Score
8.1/10
7.6/10
Input Lag Score
Input Lag Score
7/10
8/10
Colors Out of the Box Score
Colors Out of the Box Score
8/10
4.4/10
Quality Control
Quality Control
10/10
6.3/10
Chroma Subsampling Score
Chroma Subsampling Score
8/10
7/10
SOUND
Speaker Setup
Speaker Setup
2.2
2.0
Speaker Power
Speaker Power
30 W
16 W
Dolby Atmos
Dolby Atmos
Yes
Yes
DTS:X
DTS:X
Up to DTS Digital Surround, Bypass only
No
Get a great deal on the Sony X90L (LCD) or the TCL S546 (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
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About the TV team
Joe Golden, Ph.D
CEO and TVs Editor
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Staff Expert & Software Engineer
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TVs Expert
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