If you prefer to save money and still get good overall picture quality and gaming performance, the TCL Q7 could be a suitable option. However, it has a lower performance in bright rooms compared to the TCL R655.
The TCL R655, while more expensive, offers slightly better overall picture quality, especially in well-lit rooms, and has higher scores for gaming, movies, and sports viewing. Keep in mind that the sound quality is also rated better on the R655, although neither set is noted for having great speakers.
Ultimately, if budget is a concern and you mostly game or watch movies in darker environments, the Q7 is a great fit. If you're okay with spending more for enhanced picture and sound quality in various viewing conditions, the R655 is the better 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 Q7 (LCD)
The TCL Q7 (LCD) has no clear advantages over the TCL R655 (LCD).
Advantages of the TCL R655 (LCD)
Best in class for bright room
Very good for dark room
Good for news, talk, & other TV
Very good for cartoons & animation
Very good reflections
Key differences
Cartoons & Animation
7.8/10
8.7/10
7.6/10
COLOR GAMUT SCORE
7.6/10
7.5/10
COLOR VOLUME SCORE
8.2/10
8.6/10
SDR BRIGHTNESS SCORE
9.1/10
6.5/10
COLORS OUT OF THE BOX SCORE
7.7/10
7.5/10
GRAY UNIFORMITY
8.2/10
The TCL R655 (LCD) is very good for cartoons & animation, while the TCL Q7 (LCD) is good.
The TCL Q7 is praised for good color performance straight out of the box, which is essential for cartoons and animation, where vivid and accurate colors enhance the viewing experience. The TCL R655, while sharing a good out-of-the-box color accuracy, surpasses the Q7 with a better color volume, which means it can display a wider range of colors, making it very good for animations that use a broad spectrum of shades and hues.
News, Talk, & Other TV
6.3/10
7.2/10
8.6/10
SDR BRIGHTNESS SCORE
9.1/10
4.8/10
UPSCALING
5.4/10
The TCL R655 (LCD) is good for news, talk, & other TV, while the TCL Q7 (LCD) is only fair.
The TCL R655 is rated higher for watching news and talk shows mainly because of its superior upscaling that makes lower resolution content look better and its higher SDR brightness making it easier to view in well-lit rooms. On the other hand, the TCL Q7, while still fair, is less capable in these areas, leading to a less optimal viewing experience for such programs.
Bright Room
7.6/10
9.5/10
5.2/10
VIEWING ANGLE
5.2/10
8.6/10
SDR BRIGHTNESS SCORE
9.1/10
7.6/10
HDR BRIGHTNESS SCORE
8.5/10
5.9/10
REFLECTIONS SCORE
8.8/10
The TCL R655 (LCD) is best in class for bright room, while the TCL Q7 (LCD) is good.
Cost
$800
$1,000
$400
$600
$800
$1,000
$1,200
$1,400
$1,600
The TCL Q7 (LCD) has a price of $800 and the TCL R655 (LCD) costs $1,000.
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers TCL R655 (LCD) to have very good picture quality, while the TCL Q7 (LCD) has good picture quality.
Movies & TV
7.7/10
7.9/10
7.88/10
CONTRAST
9.07/10
8.7/10
BLACK UNIFORMITY
6.1/10
4.8/10
UPSCALING
5.4/10
Yes
HDR10 SUPPORT
Yes
Yes
HDR10+ SUPPORT
Yes
Yes
DOLBY VISION SUPPORT
Yes
The TCL R655 (LCD) and TCL Q7 (LCD) are both good for movies & TV.
The TCL Q7 is good for watching movies and cinematic TV due to its excellent local dimming and black uniformity, which enhance contrast for deep blacks in dark scenes. The TCL R655 similarly provides a great cinematic experience with slightly better local dimming and color volume, but with less black uniformity, which might make it less optimal for very dark rooms.
Sports
6.4/10
6.6/10
4.6/10
MOTION PROCESSING
5.3/10
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
7.3/10
INPUT LAG SCORE
8.7/10
4.8/10
UPSCALING
5.4/10
8.6/10
SDR BRIGHTNESS SCORE
9.1/10
Yes
HLG SUPPORT
Yes
The TCL R655 (LCD) and TCL Q7 (LCD) are both only fair for sports.
The TCL Q7 has poor reflection handling which can be a disadvantage when watching sports in a bright room, and its motion processing is fair but has very good response time, essential for fast-paced action. On the other hand, the TCL R655 has a very good score for reflections handling, improving the experience in bright conditions, and while it offers good motion processing and good response time, this is slightly below the Q7's performance in rapid movements.
Gaming
8.2/10
8.6/10
8.0/10
RESPONSE TIME SCORE
7.0/10
7.3/10
INPUT LAG SCORE
8.7/10
4.6/10
MOTION PROCESSING
5.3/10
90.0/100
GAMING LOCAL DIMMING
85.0/100
8.2/10
GAME HDR BRIGHTNESS SCORE
8.8/10
The TCL R655 (LCD) and TCL Q7 (LCD) are both very good for gaming.
The TCL Q7 and TCL R655 both excel in gaming due to their high response time and low input lag, ensuring smooth and responsive gameplay. While the Q7 has a 'very good' response time and 'good' input lag, the R655 is even stronger with both 'very good' response time and input lag.
Give feedback
We’re constantly working to improve.
How the TCL Q7 (LCD) and the TCL R655 (LCD) compare to other 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 TCL Q7 (LCD) or the TCL R655 (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
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21
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About the TV team
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CEO and TVs Editor
Joe is an entrepreneur and lifelong electronics enthusiast with a Ph.D in Economics from the University of Michigan.
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Staff Expert & Software Engineer
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Chandradeep Chowdhury
Staff Expert & Software Engineer
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Jaime Roldán
TVs Expert
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