The Sony X90K is generally a superior option if you're looking for better overall picture quality, gaming experience, and performance in both dark and bright rooms. It has better brightness, contrast, and motion processing capabilities which translate into a more immersive viewing experience, particularly for movies and sports. It also has a higher sound quality score, though still may not replace a dedicated sound system.
However, the TCL S446 will be more budget-friendly. It still provides decent picture quality for its price range but might not perform as well in dark settings due to its lower dark room score. Moreover, its gaming performance and capabilities for handling reflections are less impressive than the Sony.
Choose the Sony X90K if better quality and gaming are priorities and you're willing to spend more. Opt for the TCL S446 if you're on a budget and mainly watch news, talk shows, or reality TV in well-lit rooms. 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)
Very good for bright room
Good for dark room
Very good for gaming
Good for movies & TV
Good for sports
Very good 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 S446 (LCD)
Good viewing angle
Good reflections
Key differences
Picture Quality
7.7/10
5.8/10
7.38/10
CONTRAST
5.37/10
7.8/10
COLOR VOLUME SCORE
6.0/10
LED FALD
PANEL TYPE
LED
TBD
PANEL SUB-TYPE
IPS
The Sony X90K (LCD) has good picture quality, while the TCL S446 (LCD) has poor picture quality.
Movies & TV
7.5/10
5.4/10
7.38/10
CONTRAST
5.37/10
6.1/10
BLACK UNIFORMITY
4.8/10
10.0/10
UPSCALING
7.5/10
Yes
HDR10 SUPPORT
Yes
No
HDR10+ SUPPORT
No
Yes
DOLBY VISION SUPPORT
No
The Sony X90K (LCD) is good for movies & TV, while the TCL S446 (LCD) is poor.
The Sony X90K shines for movies and cinematic TV due to its excellent contrast, effective local dimming, and very good black uniformity, ensuring deep blacks and rich picture quality. In contrast, the TCL S446 struggles in these areas due to lower contrast, absence of local dimming, and just fair black uniformity, leading to a less immersive viewing experience.
Sports
7.1/10
6.4/10
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
7.5/10
8.7/10
SDR BRIGHTNESS SCORE
6.0/10
Yes
HLG SUPPORT
Yes
The Sony X90K (LCD) is good for sports, while the TCL S446 (LCD) is only fair.
The Sony X90K boasts better motion processing and response time, making it more suitable for sports as it reduces motion blur and ghosting in fast-moving scenes. In contrast, the TCL S446 has a lower performance in these areas, which may result in less clear motion during fast-paced events, but it offers wider viewing angles, better suited for larger groups spread out across the room.
Gaming
8.1/10
5.8/10
8.0/10
RESPONSE TIME SCORE
6.2/10
7.0/10
INPUT LAG SCORE
8.0/10
10.0/10
MOTION PROCESSING
4.6/10
76.0/100
GAMING LOCAL DIMMING
0.0/100
8.6/10
GAME HDR BRIGHTNESS SCORE
5.6/10
The Sony X90K (LCD) is very good for gaming, while the TCL S446 (LCD) is poor.
The Sony X90K provides a better gaming experience because it has a higher refresh rate and lower input lag than the TCL S446, making game visuals smoother and more responsive to controls. While the Sony has a very good response time, which helps eliminate motion blur, the TCL's response time is only fair, potentially leading to more noticeable blurring during fast-paced games.
Cartoons & Animation
8.0/10
6.4/10
7.7/10
COLOR GAMUT SCORE
5.8/10
7.8/10
COLOR VOLUME SCORE
6.0/10
8.7/10
SDR BRIGHTNESS SCORE
6.0/10
7.0/10
COLORS OUT OF THE BOX SCORE
9.1/10
6.6/10
GRAY UNIFORMITY
6.0/10
The Sony X90K (LCD) is very good for cartoons & animation, while the TCL S446 (LCD) is only fair.
The Sony X90K displays colors that are good right out of the box, providing a nice color gamut and good color volume, making cartoons and animations look vibrant and true to life. On the other hand, while the TCL S446 offers excellent colors straight out of the box, it falls short with a poorer color gamut and fair color volume, leading to less accurate and less rich color representation for animated content.
News, Talk, & Other TV
8.7/10
6.4/10
8.7/10
SDR BRIGHTNESS SCORE
6.0/10
10.0/10
UPSCALING
7.5/10
The Sony X90K (LCD) is very good for news, talk, & other TV, while the TCL S446 (LCD) is only fair.
When watching news, talk shows, and other TV programs, the Sony X90K offers very good upscaling of low-resolution content and has very good SDR brightness, improving the clarity and visibility of what is displayed on the screen. In contrast, the TCL S446 has fair performance in both upscaling and SDR brightness, which means it might not handle lower-quality content as well, and the image may appear dimmer, especially in well-lit rooms.
Bright Room
8.0/10
5.8/10
5.4/10
VIEWING ANGLE
7.5/10
8.7/10
SDR BRIGHTNESS SCORE
6.0/10
8.3/10
HDR BRIGHTNESS SCORE
5.4/10
6.3/10
REFLECTIONS SCORE
7.2/10
The Sony X90K (LCD) is very good for bright room, while the TCL S446 (LCD) is poor.
The Sony X90K performs very well in bright rooms due to its higher brightness capabilities for both standard and high dynamic range (SDR and HDR) content and decent handling of reflections, making the display easier to see in well-lit conditions. In contrast, the TCL S446 is not as well-equipped for bright environments, as it exhibits poor HDR brightness and only fair SDR brightness, although it does handle reflections well.
Cost
$1,998
$1,800
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
The Sony X90K (LCD) has a price of $1,998 and the TCL S446 (LCD) costs $1,800.
"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."
Get a great deal on the Sony X90K (LCD) or the TCL S446 (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.
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