The TCL S555 tends to be more expensive, but offers better overall picture quality and is especially good for watching movies and series. It also has superior sound, with great speaker quality. Conversely, the TCL Q6 is more budget-friendly and has very good picture quality for its price, making it a cost-effective choice for general TV viewing.
In bright rooms, the TCL S555 performs slightly better, which could be important if you often watch TV during the day in well-lit spaces. For gaming, both TVs are capable, but the S555 has a slight edge in performance. If sound quality is a priority, the S555 has advantages, providing a better audio experience right out of the box.
Ultimately, if you're on a budget and looking for good value, the TCL Q6 could be the right choice. However, if you're willing to invest more for improved picture quality, especially for movies and a better sound system, the TCL S555 would be the ideal choice. 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 TCL Q6 (LCD)
The TCL Q6 (LCD) has no clear advantages over the TCL S555 (LCD).
Advantages of the TCL S555 (LCD)
Good for dark room
Good for movies & TV
Good for news, talk, & other TV
Very good for cartoons & animation
Key differences
Picture Quality
6.9/10
7.8/10
5.64/10
CONTRAST
9.07/10
7.5/10
COLOR VOLUME SCORE
7.3/10
LED
PANEL TYPE
LED FALD
VA
PANEL SUB-TYPE
VA
The TCL S555 (LCD) has good picture quality, while the TCL Q6 (LCD) has only fair picture quality.
Movies & TV
5.9/10
7.9/10
5.64/10
CONTRAST
9.07/10
9.0/10
BLACK UNIFORMITY
7.0/10
6.3/10
UPSCALING
5.4/10
Yes
HDR10 SUPPORT
Yes
Yes
HDR10+ SUPPORT
Yes
Yes
DOLBY VISION SUPPORT
Yes
The TCL S555 (LCD) is good for movies & TV, while the TCL Q6 (LCD) is poor.
The TCL S555 excels in watching movies and cinematic TV due to its superior contrast, effective local dimming, and better black uniformity, which contribute to deep blacks and good shadow detail crucial for dark scenes. In contrast, the TCL Q6 struggles with these aspects, as it has lower contrast, less effective local dimming, and worse black uniformity, leading to less impressive dark scene performance and a less immersive cinematic experience.
Gaming
5.8/10
6.7/10
6.4/10
RESPONSE TIME SCORE
7.0/10
10.0/10
INPUT LAG SCORE
10.0/10
4.6/10
MOTION PROCESSING
4.6/10
19.0/100
GAMING LOCAL DIMMING
80.0/100
8.1/10
GAME HDR BRIGHTNESS SCORE
7.3/10
The TCL S555 (LCD) is only fair for gaming, while the TCL Q6 (LCD) is poor.
The TCL S555 is rated higher in response time than the TCL Q6 and both have the same top-tier input lag rating, which may give the S555 a slight edge in gaming performance. However, both TVs have a slower refresh rate, so while the S555 might handle motion slightly better due to its response time, neither will be as smooth for gaming as TVs with faster refresh rates.
Cartoons & Animation
6.6/10
8.4/10
7.3/10
COLOR GAMUT SCORE
7.4/10
7.5/10
COLOR VOLUME SCORE
7.3/10
8.1/10
SDR BRIGHTNESS SCORE
8.5/10
5.8/10
COLORS OUT OF THE BOX SCORE
8.6/10
6.2/10
GRAY UNIFORMITY
6.4/10
The TCL S555 (LCD) is very good for cartoons & animation, while the TCL Q6 (LCD) is only fair.
The TCL S555 displays cartoons and animation better than the TCL Q6 due to its superior color performance right out of the box, making colors more vibrant and accurate for animated content. While both TVs have a good color gamut supporting a wide range of colors necessary for animation, the S555's higher contrast and better gray uniformity contribute to a more consistent and enjoyable viewing experience for colorful animated shows and movies.
News, Talk, & Other TV
6.2/10
7.0/10
8.1/10
SDR BRIGHTNESS SCORE
8.5/10
6.3/10
UPSCALING
5.4/10
The TCL S555 (LCD) is good for news, talk, & other TV, while the TCL Q6 (LCD) is only fair.
The TCL S555 is noted for good upscaling and vibrant colors right out of the box, which significantly enhances the viewing experience for news, talk shows, and other standard dynamic range (SDR) TV programs. In contrast, the TCL Q6, while offering a fair performance, may not provide the same level of clarity and color accuracy, making the S555 a preferable option for these types of content.
Cost
$500
$600
$200
$300
$400
$500
$600
$700
$800
$900
The TCL Q6 (LCD) has a price of $500 and the TCL S555 (LCD) costs $600.
The TCL S555 (LCD) and TCL Q6 (LCD) are both only fair for sports.
The TCL Q6 and TCL S555 both offer a fair experience for watching sports as they have similar poor reflection handling and response time, which are very important factors in sports viewing. However, the TCL Q6 has a slight edge in viewing angles, making it a marginally better choice for group watching in a well-lit room.
Bright Room
7.2/10
7.3/10
5.4/10
VIEWING ANGLE
5.5/10
8.1/10
SDR BRIGHTNESS SCORE
8.5/10
7.6/10
HDR BRIGHTNESS SCORE
7.0/10
5.9/10
REFLECTIONS SCORE
5.9/10
The TCL S555 (LCD) and TCL Q6 (LCD) are both good for bright room.
The TCL Q6 has very good SDR brightness and handles reflections well, making it suitable for viewing in well-lit environments. Conversely, while the TCL S555 also has very good SDR brightness, it has slightly poorer performance in handling reflections compared to the Q6, which could affect viewing quality in bright rooms.
Give feedback
We’re constantly working to improve.
How the TCL Q6 (LCD) and the TCL S555 (LCD) compare to other TVs
"If you’re looking for a good overall viewing experience without spending a lot, the TCL Q6 fits the bill. With its good color reproduction, the image on the screen will do just fine, especially for HDR content."
"It looks great out of the box and the picture quality it is rock-solid for the price. (...) What really makes this a decent gaming TV, though, is the very low input lag. (...) But if you want to save a little money, the TCL S555 strikes a great balance between cost and performance – the kind of performance that’s impressive enough to deliver some wow to your eyes. (...)"
Get a great deal on the TCL Q6 (LCD) or the TCL S555 (LCD)
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
33,110
TVs stats compiled
21
Proprietary TVs ratings developed
121,530
Recommendations made
18,230
Consumer hours saved
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
Jason is a staff expert and software engineer that has been making laptop recommendations for 7 years and moderates one of the largest laptop subreddits.
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
Jaime is a Colombia-based TV expert. He is an electronics engineer with 8 years of experience in the telecom sector and has been making TV recommendations for 12 years.