The TCL R646 offers a good balance of features but at a somewhat lower price. It performs well for gaming and watching movies in a dark room, and it's decent in bright rooms.
On the other hand, the TCL R655, while somewhat more expensive, has slightly better overall picture quality and performs exceptionally well for gaming due to its higher refresh rate and lower input lag. However, its performance in bright rooms is only marginally better than the R646.
If budget is a constraint and you want good gaming performance and movie watching in darker environments, the R646 could be sufficient. But if you prioritize the best gaming experience and can spend more, the R655 might be the better choice, even though the benefits for other types of content or environments are less pronounced. 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 R646 (LCD)
The TCL R646 (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
Key differences
Bright Room
8.9/10
9.5/10
5.3/10
VIEWING ANGLE
5.2/10
9.1/10
SDR BRIGHTNESS SCORE
9.1/10
8.3/10
HDR BRIGHTNESS SCORE
8.5/10
8.1/10
REFLECTIONS SCORE
8.8/10
The TCL R655 (LCD) is best in class for bright room, while the TCL R646 (LCD) is very good.
The TCL R655 is better suited for bright rooms than the TCL R646 primarily because the R655 has a higher SDR and HDR brightness, which counteracts glare from ambient light more effectively. Additionally, while both TVs handle reflections well, the superior brightness of the R655 makes it the best choice for maintaining picture quality in well-lit environments.
Cost
$800
$1,000
$400
$600
$800
$1,000
$1,200
$1,400
$1,600
The TCL R646 (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 R646 (LCD) has good picture quality.
Movies & TV
7.8/10
7.9/10
8.43/10
CONTRAST
9.07/10
6.8/10
BLACK UNIFORMITY
6.1/10
5.9/10
UPSCALING
5.4/10
Yes
HDR10 SUPPORT
Yes
Yes
HDR10+ SUPPORT
Yes
Yes
DOLBY VISION SUPPORT
Yes
The TCL R655 (LCD) and TCL R646 (LCD) are both good for movies & TV.
The TCL R646 is well-suited for movies and cinematic TV with its strong contrast and effective local dimming that enhance deep blacks, and it also has good out-of-the-box color accuracy and black uniformity. On the other hand, the TCL R655 boasts even higher contrast and local dimming capability which is key for rich movie experiences, but with slightly lower black uniformity; both models, however, may have limited viewing angles and similar performance in other somewhat important areas like color volume and gray uniformity.
Sports
6.6/10
6.6/10
5.3/10
MOTION PROCESSING
5.3/10
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
144Hz
7.6/10
INPUT LAG SCORE
8.7/10
5.9/10
UPSCALING
5.4/10
9.1/10
SDR BRIGHTNESS SCORE
9.1/10
Yes
HLG SUPPORT
Yes
The TCL R646 (LCD) and TCL R655 (LCD) are both only fair for sports.
Both the TCL R646 and R655 have reflections handling considered "Very Good," which is beneficial for watching sports in rooms with many lights or windows. However, their "Fair" response time and motion processing, combined with only "Good" gray uniformity and limited viewing angles, mean that while they handle some fast movements and differing lighting conditions well, they may not be the best for viewing from wide angles or displaying fast-paced sports with utmost clarity and uniformity.
Gaming
8.2/10
8.6/10
8.0/10
RESPONSE TIME SCORE
7.0/10
7.6/10
INPUT LAG SCORE
8.7/10
5.3/10
MOTION PROCESSING
5.3/10
70.0/100
GAMING LOCAL DIMMING
85.0/100
8.7/10
GAME HDR BRIGHTNESS SCORE
8.8/10
The TCL R655 (LCD) and TCL R646 (LCD) are both very good for gaming.
The TCL R646 is highly regarded for gaming due to its very good response time and good input lag, whereas the TCL R655 also stands out with a good response time and even better input lag, making it a solid choice for gamers who prioritize quick on-screen reactions.
Cartoons & Animation
8.4/10
8.7/10
7.6/10
COLOR GAMUT SCORE
7.6/10
7.6/10
COLOR VOLUME SCORE
8.2/10
9.1/10
SDR BRIGHTNESS SCORE
9.1/10
7.2/10
COLORS OUT OF THE BOX SCORE
7.7/10
8.0/10
GRAY UNIFORMITY
8.2/10
The TCL R655 (LCD) and TCL R646 (LCD) are both very good for cartoons & animation.
The TCL R646 and TCL R655 both excel in displaying cartoons and animation because they offer well-tuned colors straight out of the box and a solid color gamut, ensuring vibrant and accurate colors essential for animated content. While both models similarly handle color volume, gray uniformity, contrast, and SDR brightness adequately, the R655 slightly edges out the R646, particularly in color volume, which contributes to its capability to maintain color accuracy over a wide range of luminosities.
News, Talk, & Other TV
7.5/10
7.2/10
9.1/10
SDR BRIGHTNESS SCORE
9.1/10
5.9/10
UPSCALING
5.4/10
The TCL R646 (LCD) and TCL R655 (LCD) are both good for news, talk, & other TV.
The TCL R646 and TCL R655 both excel in upscaling and SDR brightness, ensuring clear visuals and legibility for news and talk shows. While the R655 slightly outperforms the R646 in local dimming, contrast, and has a wider color gamut, both TVs have good color accuracy out of the box, making either option suitable for regular TV programming.
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How the TCL R646 (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 R646 (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
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