TCL R655 (LCD) vs TCL S455 (LCD)

The TCL R655 is better for movies and cinematic TV due to its excellent contrast, effective local dimming that enhances its very good black uniformity, and good colors out of the box. On the other hand, the TCL S455, while fair for movies and cinematic TV, falls short with lower contrast, minimal local dimming impacting its black uniformity, and less impressive color performance.

The TCL R655 excels in gaming because it offers good response time and very good input lag, ensuring fast and responsive gameplay, whereas the TCL S455's poor gaming performance is due to its fair response time and best input lag, which may still result in less than ideal game responsiveness. Additionally, the R655's high refresh rate provides smoother motion, making it better suited for fast-paced gaming compared to the S455's lower refresh rate.

The TCL R655 has good colors out of the box and good color gamut, ensuring that cartoons & animation look vibrant and life-like. In contrast, the TCL S455 has fair colors out of the box and poor color gamut, which can lead to less vivid and accurate colors when watching animated content.

The TCL R655 offers excellent upscaling and SDR brightness, providing clear images and good visibility even in brighter rooms which enhances the experience when watching news and talk shows. On the other hand, the TCL S455's upscaling and SDR brightness are only fair, which may result in less clarity and lower visibility under the same conditions, making it less ideal for such content.

The TCL R655 provides a brighter image in both standard and high dynamic range content, making it a better fit for well-lit rooms, and it handles reflections more effectively than the TCL S455, which has lower brightness and mediocre reflection handling, leading to a less optimal viewing experience in bright environments. Contrast, color volume, and color gamut are also important to the overall picture quality, and the superior performance of the R655 in these areas can enhance the viewing experience with deeper blacks and more vivid colors compared to the S455.

The TCL R655 has motion processing rated as good which makes it responsive for fast-moving sports scenes but has a fair response time, meaning some motion blur may be noticeable. The TCL S455 also suits watching sports with fair motion processing, but its poor response time suggests more visible blurs during fast action, potentially diminishing the viewing experience for sports enthusiasts. Both models exhibit challenges with reflections handling and have fair viewing angles, so they might not be optimal for brightly lit rooms or wide-seating arrangements, but the R655's superior motion processing gives it a slight edge for sports viewing. Gray uniformity is somewhat important for sports viewing, as it affects the appearance of playing fields or courts, and both these TVs offer satisfactory performance in this regard.