The TCL Q7 offers a slightly better gaming experience due to its higher gaming score, better motion handling, and 120Hz refresh rate support. Conversely, the TCL S555 has a stronger performance for movies, series, and animated content. Although their prices are similar, the Q7 is usually a bit more expensive. In a bright room, both TVs perform well, but the Q7 is preferable for gaming due to a better response time and lower input lag. The S555 might work better for general content viewing and is slightly less expensive. Neither is particularly well-suited to being used as a computer monitor. 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)
Very good for gaming
Good for use as monitor
Advantages of the TCL S555 (LCD)
Good for news, talk, & other TV
Very good for cartoons & animation
Key differences
Gaming
8.2/10
6.7/10
8.0/10
RESPONSE TIME SCORE
7.0/10
7.3/10
INPUT LAG SCORE
10.0/10
4.6/10
MOTION PROCESSING
4.6/10
90.0/100
GAMING LOCAL DIMMING
80.0/100
8.2/10
GAME HDR BRIGHTNESS SCORE
7.3/10
The TCL Q7 (LCD) is very good for gaming, while the TCL S555 (LCD) is only fair.
The TCL Q7 has a very good response time, which is crucial for gaming as it means the TV can display fast-moving images more smoothly. However, its input lag is just good, not the best; this might be a concern for competitive gaming where every millisecond counts, whereas the TCL S555, with only a good response time, may not handle fast-moving pictures as well but offers the best input lag, reducing delay between controller input and on-screen reaction.
Cartoons & Animation
7.8/10
8.4/10
7.6/10
COLOR GAMUT SCORE
7.4/10
7.5/10
COLOR VOLUME SCORE
7.3/10
8.6/10
SDR BRIGHTNESS SCORE
8.5/10
6.5/10
COLORS OUT OF THE BOX SCORE
8.6/10
7.5/10
GRAY UNIFORMITY
6.4/10
The TCL S555 (LCD) is very good for cartoons & animation, while the TCL Q7 (LCD) is good.
The TCL S555 is better for watching cartoons and animation due to its colors being very good straight out of the box, which means the colors look vibrant and true to life without much adjustment needed, and has a good color gamut ensuring a wide range of colors can be displayed. In contrast, the TCL Q7 is just noted as having fair colors out of the box, indicating you might need to tweak settings for an optimal experience, but it matches the S555 in offering a good color gamut and maintains decent performance in other areas such as color volume, gray uniformity, and contrast.
News, Talk, & Other TV
6.3/10
7.0/10
8.6/10
SDR BRIGHTNESS SCORE
8.5/10
4.8/10
UPSCALING
5.4/10
The TCL S555 (LCD) is good for news, talk, & other TV, while the TCL Q7 (LCD) is only fair.
The TCL S555 surpasses the TCL Q7 in upscaling quality and delivers very good color accuracy straight out of the box, which contributes to enhanced clarity and color representation when viewing news and talk shows. Although both TVs offer very good SDR brightness, making them suitable for well-lit rooms, the superior contrast on the TCL S555 provides a better viewing experience by making elements on the screen stand out more distinctly.
Cost
$900
$600
$200
$400
$600
$800
$1,000
$1,200
$1,400
The TCL Q7 (LCD) has a price of $900 and the TCL S555 (LCD) costs $600.
The TCL S555 (LCD) and TCL Q7 (LCD) both have good picture quality.
Movies & TV
7.7/10
7.9/10
7.88/10
CONTRAST
9.07/10
8.7/10
BLACK UNIFORMITY
7.0/10
4.8/10
UPSCALING
5.4/10
Yes
HDR10 SUPPORT
Yes
Yes
HDR10+ SUPPORT
Yes
Yes
DOLBY VISION SUPPORT
Yes
The TCL S555 (LCD) and TCL Q7 (LCD) are both good for movies & TV.
The TCL Q7 is well-suited for movies and cinematic TV thanks to its excellent black uniformity and good local dimming, which enhance contrast and depth in dark scenes. In comparison, the TCL S555 also delivers good performance with movies and cinematic viewing, offering very good colors out of the box and slightly better contrast, but with less impressive black uniformity, which might make very dark scenes appear less consistent.
Sports
6.4/10
6.3/10
4.6/10
MOTION PROCESSING
4.6/10
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
7.3/10
INPUT LAG SCORE
10.0/10
4.8/10
UPSCALING
5.4/10
8.6/10
SDR BRIGHTNESS SCORE
8.5/10
Yes
HLG SUPPORT
Yes
The TCL Q7 (LCD) and TCL S555 (LCD) are both only fair for sports.
Both the TCL Q7 and TCL S555 are considered fair for watching sports, which can often reflect a balance of different performance characteristics. The TCL Q7 has a better response time, which is important for fast action, but both TVs struggle with reflections handling and have limited viewing angles, impacting the ability to watch from different positions in the room.
Bright Room
7.6/10
7.3/10
5.2/10
VIEWING ANGLE
5.5/10
8.6/10
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 Q7 (LCD) and TCL S555 (LCD) are both good for bright room.
The TCL Q7 and TCL S555 are both good for bright rooms, as they have very good SDR brightness and good HDR brightness, which means they shine brightly enough to combat ambient light. However, the Q7 has a somewhat lower reflection handling score, so the S555 might be more effective at reducing glare in very bright or sunny environments.
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How the TCL Q7 (LCD) and the TCL S555 (LCD) compare to other TVs
"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 Q7 (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.
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