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Updated January 10, 2024·
Choosing between the TCL R648 and TCL S546 depends on a few factors. If you're willing to pay a higher price for a TV with better picture quality and performance, the TCL R648 is a strong choice. However, if your budget is limited and you're looking for a more affordable option that still offers good quality and smart features, the TCL S546 would be a suitable pick. For bright rooms, TVs with higher brightness levels perform better, so keep in mind how well-lit your viewing space is when making a decision. Additionally, consider the types of content you watch—movies, sports, gaming—to ensure that your choice aligns with the TV's strengths. 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 R648 (LCD)
- Very good for bright room
- Very good for gaming
- Good for news, talk, & other TV
- Very good for cartoons & animation
- Good for use as monitor
- Very good reflections
Advantages of the TCL S546 (LCD)
- The TCL S546 (LCD) has no clear advantages over the TCL R648 (LCD).
Key differences
Movies & TV
7.6
7.0
7.00/10
CONTRAST
8.21/10
6.5/10
BLACK UNIFORMITY
6.8/10
5.9/10
UPSCALING
5.9/10
Yes
HDR10 SUPPORT
Yes
No
HDR10+ SUPPORT
Yes
Yes
DOLBY VISION SUPPORT
Yes
The TCL R648 (LCD) and TCL S546 (LCD) are both good for movies & TV, though the TCL R648 (LCD) is somewhat better.
The TCL R648 delivers a solid movie-watching experience with its high contrast and effective local dimming via miniLED technology, which enhances black uniformity essential for dark scenes, though its colors out of the box may need some adjustment. In contrast, the TCL S546 offers slightly superior black uniformity and very good colors out of the box but its local dimming isn't as advanced, affecting contrast in complex lighting scenes, with a less impressive performance in bright rooms.
Gaming
8.2
6.6
8.2/10
RESPONSE TIME SCORE
7.6/10
7.6/10
INPUT LAG SCORE
8.0/10
5.3/10
MOTION PROCESSING
4.6/10
70.0/100
GAMING LOCAL DIMMING
60.0/100
8.3/10
GAME HDR BRIGHTNESS SCORE
6.9/10
The TCL R648 (LCD) is very good for gaming, while the TCL S546 (LCD) is only fair.
The TCL R648 has a very good response time and good input lag, which means it responds faster and more accurately to gaming inputs compared to the TCL S546, which has a good response time but poorer input lag, leading to slightly slower reactions in games. Additionally, the TCL R648's faster 120Hz refresh rate will provide a smoother gaming experience than the TCL S546's 60Hz, which is crucial for fast-paced gaming.
Cartoons & Animation
8.6
6.6
7.8/10
COLOR GAMUT SCORE
7.8/10
7.6/10
COLOR VOLUME SCORE
8.0/10
9.0/10
SDR BRIGHTNESS SCORE
8.2/10
9.0/10
COLORS OUT OF THE BOX SCORE
4.4/10
7.0/10
GRAY UNIFORMITY
7.0/10
The TCL R648 (LCD) is very good for cartoons & animation, while the TCL S546 (LCD) is only fair.
The TCL R648 displays cartoons & animation better largely due to its excellent colors out of the box, which means colors look vibrant and accurate without needing adjustment. The TCL S546, on the other hand, has poor colors out of the box, resulting in less appealing colors until potentially corrected through settings adjustments.
News, Talk, & Other TV
7.5
6.4
9.0/10
SDR BRIGHTNESS SCORE
8.2/10
5.9/10
UPSCALING
5.9/10
The TCL R648 (LCD) is good for news, talk, & other TV, while the TCL S546 (LCD) is only fair.
The TCL R648 excels in upscaling and SDR brightness, making it well-suited for watching news and talk shows where these factors are very important, delivering clearer images and better visibility in various lighting conditions. The TCL S546 shows weakness in colors out of the box and local dimming which impacts its performance for the same content, although it offers decent SDR brightness but might not handle lower-resolution content as well.
Bright Room
8.1
7.2
5.2/10
VIEWING ANGLE
5.3/10
9.0/10
SDR BRIGHTNESS SCORE
8.2/10
7.9/10
HDR BRIGHTNESS SCORE
6.8/10
8.0/10
REFLECTIONS SCORE
6.0/10
The TCL R648 (LCD) is very good for bright room, while the TCL S546 (LCD) is good.
The TCL R648 has excellent SDR brightness and very good reflections handling, making it ideal for bright rooms, whereas the TCL S546, with very good SDR brightness and fair reflections handling, is also suitable but less optimal compared to the R648 for such environments. Both TVs have good performance in HDR brightness and color aspects, but the higher SDR brightness and better reflection management of the R648 give it an edge in brightly lit spaces.
Cost
$2,000
$398
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
The TCL R648 (LCD) has a price of $2,000 and the TCL S546 (LCD) costs $398.
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Key similarities
Picture Quality
7.7
7.4
7.00/10
CONTRAST
8.21/10
7.6/10
COLOR VOLUME SCORE
8.0/10
miniLED FALD
PANEL TYPE
LED FALD
VA
PANEL SUB-TYPE
VA
The TCL R648 (LCD) and TCL S546 (LCD) both have good picture quality.
Sports
6.5
6.3
5.3/10
MOTION PROCESSING
4.6/10
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
7.6/10
INPUT LAG SCORE
8.0/10
5.9/10
UPSCALING
5.9/10
9.0/10
SDR BRIGHTNESS SCORE
8.2/10
Yes
HLG SUPPORT
Yes
The TCL R648 (LCD) and TCL S546 (LCD) are both only fair for sports.
The TCL R648 has a better response time, which means it's more equipped to handle fast-paced action without blurring, yet it might struggle with reflections more than the TCL S546, making it less ideal in well-lit environments. Both TVs have fair motion processing capabilities, but the TCL S546 has narrower viewing angles and less effective reflection handling, affecting its suitability for group sports viewing in bright rooms.
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How the TCL R648 (LCD) and the TCL S546 (LCD) compare to other TVs
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| TCL R648 (LCD) | TCL S546 (LCD) |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$2,000 | $398 | ||
Brand | |||
Brand | TCL | TCL | |
Release Date | |||
Release Date | May 1, 2021 | August 3, 2021 | |
Full name | |||
Full name | 65R648 | 65S546 | |
Screen Size | |||
Screen Size | 65" | 65" | |
Screen Resolution | |||
Screen Resolution | 8K | 4K | |
TV FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Operating System | |||
Operating System | Roku TV | Android TV | |
Sound Quality Score | |||
Sound Quality Score | 8/10 | 5.9/10 | |
NextGen Ready | |||
NextGen Ready | No | No | |
HDMI Ports | |||
HDMI Ports | 4 | 3 | |
Coax Ports | |||
Coax Ports | 1 | 1 | |
DISPLAY QUALITY SCORES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Picture Quality Score | |||
Picture Quality Score | 7.8/10 | 7.4/10 | |
Bright Room Score | |||
Bright Room Score | 8.2/10 | 7.2/10 | |
Gaming Score | |||
Gaming Score | 8.3/10 | 6.7/10 | |
Movies & TV Score | |||
Movies & TV Score | 7.7/10 | 7/10 | |
Sports Score | |||
Sports Score | 6.6/10 | 6.4/10 | |
PHYSICAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Dimensions w/o Stand (H x W x D) | |||
Dimensions w/o Stand (H x W x D) | 32.7" x 57" x 3" | 32.9" x 56.9" x 3" | |
Dimensions with Stand (H x W) | |||
Dimensions with Stand (H x W) | 35.1" x 57" | 34.8" x 56.9" | |
Weight without Stand | |||
Weight without Stand | 70.1 lbs | 47.4 lbs | |
VESA Mount | |||
VESA Mount | 400 x 400 | 300 x 300 | |
DISPLAY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Color Depth | |||
Color Depth | 10 bit | 10 bit | |
Black Frame Insertion | |||
Black Frame Insertion | Yes | Yes | |
Auto Low Latency Mode | |||
Auto Low Latency Mode | Yes | Yes | |
Contrast | |||
Contrast | 7/10 | 8.2/10 | |
Local Dimming | |||
Local Dimming | 6.5/10 | 5.7/10 | |
SOUND | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Speaker Setup | |||
Speaker Setup | 2.1 | 2.0 | |
Speaker Power | |||
Speaker Power | 50 W | 16 W | |
Dolby Atmos | |||
Dolby Atmos | Yes | Yes | |
DTS:X | |||
DTS:X | Yes, Bypass only | No | |
Get a great deal on the TCL R648 (LCD) or the TCL S546 (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.
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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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