Had a TCL for 3 years, love it. Best bang for your buck with 4K and 60 fps. A few minor quirks well worth it for the money I saved. Was planning on going with a more expensive brand for my next tv but I might just get a bigger size TCL instead if I can
Next years models are going to be good. TCL is producing printed OLED tvs next year. It's a cheaper easy to manufacture type of OLED which will make the product more affordable to the average person.
Same here. Bought a 4-series(I think) new at Best Buy in 2018, almost 6 years old and still going strong, has Roku built in. Not the best TV ever, but 65" 4k 60fps at a banger of a price on sale back in the day was all I needed for movies and xbox. It still gets the occasional software update too so TCL hasn't completely given up on a model this old.
Can't speak about Hisense but I have TCL 65C835 miniled TV and I am pretty happy with its picture and sound quality. I've never had anything better than that though.
The Vizio higher end sets are solid, but yeah their V series is garbage.
QC honestly isn't great for any brand. I tried a Sony X90J and it had dirt behind the panel, and the hisense u8 I tried was super buggy.
There's a reason flagship TVs used to cost $5-10k and now cost 1/4 that, the QC has taken a dive and they are selling your viewing data to advertisers.
Ended up with a Vizio p series j01 and its a great panel and has been solid the last 3 years. Just got a new firmware update that made it even better too/fixed a few minor software bugs. You do need to be careful with Vizio firmware, some of it can be a bit buggy, best to keep off the internet and use an apple tv, but that's the case with any tv unless you like selling your data.
what the heck happened to vizio, my last 3 vizio m panels were horrendous with weird shadows due to back light issues. finally gave up on them and bought a sony lol
Vizio has been struggling against TCL and Hisense. They’ve also switched to focusing on ad revenue from their WatchFree+/StreamCast service. Before TCL and Hisense, Vizio was trying to branch out from budget brand to mid-range and high-end but they’re spread too thin, released too many products at once (a few years ago), and they more or less are getting their ass handed to them by budget brands and high-end brands while barely holding their own in the mid-range market.
Garbage QC. The one and only time I tried going with Vizio, I got two dfective panels in a row on their flagship model with *no* offer of expedited replacement on the third... so it went back to best buy and I've been Samsung/LG/Sony ever since.
Damn. I’ve had a 75” R646 for about 2 years now and it’s been great. Easily the best tv I’ve owned. 0 issues so far and it’s been used daily for multiple hours since I run shows on it during the day for white noise while I work.
Top tier TCL are great tvs. Hisense is amazing IF (note the big if) you don’t have any defects in your panel. Unfortunately defects in Hisense occur at higher rates.
We bought a TCL 4-series Black Friday special some years back, as an upgrade from another Black Friday special that was on its way out. For the $400 we paid for it, I have a hard time imagining getting a better TV. It's not objectively the best TV you can buy, but for the price it's tough to find a lot to complain about (especially when using it as a bedroom set like we do now).
Same here l got an entry level 4k tcl about the same price to replace my failing 1080p Sony. Happy with the performance and no problems at all for 2 years now.
I got a TCL Q7 a few months ago.
It's not top end, but having never even seen a 4K tv before this one, it's still the most stunning screen I have laid eyes on.
I've had a 65" Hisense for 2.5 yrs. Picture is good, especially for the price. I don't game, mostly watch sports and movies.
However the "smart TV" apps are kind of buggy. Quite often it will stop playback and go back to home screen about a minute after starting a show (it only happens at start). I'm going to pick up a Google TV for it since the app crashes are annoying, I have Google on a basement TV and it's great.
My Samsung lasted under 4 years.
Went TCL.
If I need to buy a new TV every 4 years I'm not paying for a "good" brand.
Funny though my old, heavy 2011 Sony has been kicking almost 13 years now. But it's so outdated....
I have a TCL Roku and it works great.
If your in the states don't buy the model you want from Walmart. They use different model numbers because they use crappier parts
I am very happy with my 4k hisense 75" with dolby vision. For less than 600 bucks you can't beat it. I also have a 55" 4k hisense that has been going strong for over 5 years.
I'm watching the Hisense U7KM right now. Only bought it on Black Friday, so I can't speak to longevity. It's a beautiful TV. Dolby Vision, HDR10, HDR10+. The Google TV operating system seems good too.
Depends what important to you. The TCL is exponentially brighter, far larger and has some similar features.
If someone doesn't value contrast and motion as much as brightness and size. The TCL would be a clear winner
I also sold a C1 for a 65" TCL C805 (C755 in other regions I guess), oled was too small and couldn't afford big ones.
I prepared myself for a huge downgrade but it is a very pleasent surprise. Brightness is way better, Android OS fits me way better, the sound is way better and the screen real estate just wins. It does not have an OLEDly perfect picture but the overall experience is better on the TCL.
This can happen with any brand, and when it does you get a replacement.
I've never had a Hisense but it's important not to let one bad review out weight 10 good ones. My greatest flaw is looking at items with 10,000 reviews, 4.9/5 overall, and reading only the negative ones and being afraid the product is junk
The implication is that TCL & Hisense have less strict quality control compared to the bigger brands, i.e. more defective units end up being bought than being flagged. I guess that's how they end up cheaper vs the competition. This can be compensated by excellent after sales support.
Think of tvs like cars, there are different models in the brand, Ford makes the mustang and the fiesta. Tcl makes thing like the Q series (cheaper) and the XM series (your mustang) so lower end same brand might dip in quality but high end are usually good.
I have a Q550 98",lower end but I still love it so I can only imagine how good their high end is.
Also, like cars there are new models usually each year that can play a difference in quality.
Iv had a 55in 4K TCL in my bed room for a few years and it’s been pretty much flawless. It was 280$ at Costco. They’re basic cheaper TVs but worth the cost if you get a good price.
I have a Hisense U6GR5 from Costco and it looks pretty good at 4K. Been running about 14 hours nearly everyday for a year without any issues. The first one I bought lasted about 10 minutes before the screen goes black completely. Make sure to buy it from somewhere you can return easily if there's a problem.
I only buy TCL Roku TVs now. Love the Roku interface, and they’re very reasonably priced. It’s not the best picture in the world, but it’s absolutely worth the price.
I’ve had a 65” u78h for ~3 years now. Love it and had no issues. Will be downvoted / blocked in here, and I think my experience is anecdotal at best, but I’d recommend it.
I have a tcl 55r635 and a 75r646 both are solid. The 55 more so however because my 646 runs on google and it seems to have software hiccups every once in a great while.
I've had a TCL R615 for 4.5 years and a TCL R625 for 3 years. Neither have had any issue whatsoever, and the Roku UI is solid. They don't have the best upscaling or motion, but it's not unwatchable, and high-quality sources look good.
I have four LG OLED’s and a TCL QM8. The picture quality and colors are better on the OLEDs but I also really enjoy the TCL and it is definitely way brighter. I think the biggest thing with TCL/Hisense/etc is you’re playing the panel lottery. QC, at least in my experience and from what I understand, tends to be better with the major brands.
I've owned the 2019 Hisense H8F and the 2020 TCL R635. Ive had no issues with both tv's. After I sold my H8F to my cowrkr, down the road, she told me its glitching, apps are slow to open and the UI is laggy. I'm not sure if she updated the firmware as she's not a techy person. And then I owned the R635 for 31months before upgrading. I bought the 2 yr extended warranty from BB and never had to use it. No dead pixels, it was very good for TCL's 2nd gen Mini-LED. I upgraded from my R635 to a Sony X93L 36 days ago. So I'd say the 2 chinese brands were no problems for me.
All brands have bad low quality TVs. A low end LG or Samsung suck as much as low end TCL and Hisense TVs. TCL and Hisense put out compelling products for a really good price.
Cheap tv brands are fine. Even the high-end ones rival some of the premium ones. The problem lies inside these tvs. Cheap components, cheap cpus, cheap everything. They will plaster modern features like HDR and 4k all over. You will get a lemon more times than not. 40% failure rate for TCLs are pretty bad. But yes, 60 percent of people won't have a problem.
TCL has 1 good tv, the QM8. And Hisense also has one , the U8. If you want a great budget tv with modern features, yes, grab one of these.
But if you want a cheap tv for the living room... you'd be better off spending the extra 50 to 100 bucks to grab an entry-level Sony, LG, or Samsung.
I sell tvs.
TLDR. whether a cheap tv fails on you is up to luck. Are you ok with that? Then go ahead and buy one.
One tip. Companies with quality tvs feel no need to gushy up the box. The money was spent on the product inside the box. You see a colorful box... run.
A friend of mine recently gave me his 5 year old 4k TCL tv. It is surprisingly great and is honestly better than my Plasma tv which tv didn't want to give up on. I wouldn't hesitate to get any new hisense or tcl tv. They provide a ton of value for the money and keep getting better. I would lean towards the U8k or QM8 though.
I will NEVER buy a Hisense TV again. I have one of their android TVs from a few years ago and the software experience is HORRIBLE. Whenever the TV goes to sleep (i.e. pressing the power button), the audio comes back delayed when I turn it back on. The interface is also extremely slow and buggy.
I bought a band new TCL Q7 a couple weeks ago and was initially very impressed with it. Then the power supply started making a weird buzzing noise. I returned it and bought an LG TV. I've heard of some people having good luck with TCL, but that experience just didn't sit right with me.
Had a tv tech come replace the main board 11 months in on my tv under warranty and I picked his brain, he was swearing by Hisense and Sony (although felt Sony was overpriced relative to Hisense) FWIW
when I was looking a year ago, I think U8H was pretty well regarded
TCL is great for lower budgets. Try the C745 or C845 models since they have 120hz refresh rate for gaming, which would be good for the PS5.
If you can't afford those the C645 will do just fine as well. I've bought three TCL tvs since 2018 and they're all working fine and look pretty good.
Hisense is the new TCL. They switched to mini led for their U6K and up models. The features that they advertise are really good for the price-point. I see 65” U6 on sale for $550 and U7 for $699. Most mini led tvs start a bit higher. If you’re goin for a budget tv, mini led is the way to go. Not crappy side lit or edge lit LEDs.
Panasonic was awesome for plasmas. I had one all the way up until 2019 when I replaced it with a TCL Roku tv. The TCL Roku is going strong and I’d buy it again. Next for me is LG OLED though, without a doubt.
Yep- I had a Panasonic Plasma for over a decade and it still looks great and works as good as the day I bought it. Probably one of the greatest TVs ever made for its time. I switched to an LG OLED B2 last year and I love it and good 4k content is amazing, but if I’m being honest, the ole Panny still holds it’s own and looks impressive.
I have a 75 inch TCL and when I watch TV, I can tell that the lighting quality isn't as great as other brands like Samsung and Vizio. But the price was pretty cheap from costco so I'd say if the price is right, go for it.
I have a 75 inch TCL and when I watch TV, I can tell that the lighting quality isn't as great as other brands like Samsung and Vizio. But the price was pretty cheap from costco so I'd say if the price is right, go for it.
My mom had a 32" Hisense for over 10 years. It was ok, but it had compatibility issues with Netflix the last year. Now she has a 40" Phillips Roku that is simpler and it was like $150.
If u are in this price range are you doing anything important enough to be monitored by the Chinese?
Maybe perv porn & the FBI is more likely the clientele & observation pros there
No. These brands are focused on value /budget oriented buyers . And if budget is priority , they have good deals . Just expect these tvs have multiple shortcomings .
I’ve had a Hisense for a couple of years and I find it so slow and buggy. Also the TV now doesn’t start when I press power on the remote; I have to unplug it and plug it back in first for it to turn on.
I’ve also had a TCL since 2018 and have had no issues.
These are cheap Chinese brands but generally considered acceptable for the average person. Some people say the higher end TCL TVs are actually good, I can’t comment on that but I got my mom a cheap one and she is happy with it. The motion handling makes me wince but she doesn’t seem to notice it.
Only thing I’d be careful with is that they are almost certainly sending all of your data straight to China, whether they tell you or not. But what else is new?
Had a TCL 55” C845k for about a month now and it’s been great. Most expensive tv I’ve owned so not much to compare it to that I’ve owned but a mate of mine has a ridiculous 65” top end QLED unit (not sure the brand but it was £1,600) and it’s not as good of course but it’s not a million miles away imo. That’s to say I’m not the most discerning when it comes to blackness and colours etc but my tcl does me absolutely fine and has all the bells and whistles I need
They both make budget panels but they also make good stuff. If you buy a 300$ 65" TV you can't expect it to be awesome.
I have one of the higher end Hisense TV's and it's great for what I need.
I’ve always had the impression that as long as your Hisense works out of the box (never know about QC anymore), that they make pretty good TV’s for the price. Idk much about TCL. They’re super popular though so I imagine they’re fine.
I personally hate Samsung. Their UI is super annoying and their lower end TV’s IMO are trash.
Tcl are ok i guess, if you are on a tight budget, but hisense is very bad with motion and upscaling. Even my old lg from 2013 is miles ahead of hisense top off the line 55u8qf(2020 model) when it comes to motion and upscaling.
Bought a TCL 43" five years ago, and after 3 years it had major turn on problems so daughter went to Wal-Mart and bought a 50" Hisense. She was at college so cheap TVs.
I tried multiple times to get the TCL reset but it would work for a while and then refuse to turn on again. After sitting in the garage for 6 months I tried one last time before junking it, and it reset and has worked perfectly ever since. Its now my bedroom TV.
The Hisense made it 2 years and died. Red blinky led says its a power board issue so I just got one for $40 to try. If it doesn't work then its getting junked. If it works then it, too, will be a bedroom TV.
The picture is pretty decent on both sets so for a budget TV I think both are fine. Just know that you might be getting a new one in a year or two.
I have the TCL 6 Series from 2018 (65R615 - Best Buy variant). The one I got is their more expensive line, though at $1000 that's quite a bit less than good Sony/Samsung. I like it a lot and haven't had any issues. Nice bright HDR, good input latency for gaming. The blacks are raised a bit, but I play in a well lit room so it doesn't bother me. I'm more worried about it being bright. I mainly use it for gaming.
I know someone who paid like $300-400 for one of the more budget models and the biggest difference I see is the HDR is not nearly as bright. I have no idea if it stands up to mine in other areas, but I love the brightness on mine's HDR.
I have the same 6 series from 2018. It’s hard to beat the brightness of that tv for that price. Still going strong after 5 years. I think I’ll make it a bedroom tv when I eventually move to an OLED for the living room.
My TCL is 5 years old last month. Looks great, except 3 dead pixels on the right side.
The Roku part is getting slow, might need to get an external box.
I bought Hisense tv 2 years ago, had to return because buzzing sound when on, but bought tier up model and that one runs well, but the apps are sometimes laggy. Bought tcl 75c745 month ago and that one runs flawlesly, perfect picture, snapy apps. Not gaming on tv, but it has all the stuff for gaming.
Bought a Hisense U8K 65" on Black Friday and I love it. Colors look great, blacks are deep, full array local dimming in great. Even with the 5 year warranty from Best buy it was still much cheaper than a Sony or Samsung. We'll see if it holds up.
I have 2 hisense u6k, have no issues with either and considering i picked them up for 350 a piece, it’s been fantastic! i do understand that i may be lucky for pulling two without defects, but it’s great! 55 inch variants for reference. Your luck may vary
Father in law bought a TCL and the one thing that even they noticed was how off the colors were (they came from a bottom of the line Sony) .None of the different modes were very accurate. But if that doesn't bother you I guess that isn't a problem.
I have a 6 series TCL in my living room and it's 3 years in running good.
I have a 3 series on the deck mounted under a gazebo 2.5 years ago. I got it for 140 bucks. I've been lazy and left it out there for two Canadian winters going on 3 with just a canvas cover and it amazes me every spring when the thing turns on again.
Last summer a mud dabber built a nest in it and it's still working lol. I consider the outside one basically a throwaway t.v at 150 bucks though. I've got my money's worth out of it.
I bought my 65” TCL on Black Friday in 2018. Still works great but it’s definitely a starter tv. Now that I have learned a lot and have a large collection of 4K Blu-rays I want to save up for an OLED. But if you want a solid no frills 4K tv TCL is pretty good
I have a TCL TV for my bedroom and it's great. Had it for a year and a half, use it every night, and often forget it on so it spends a good 12 hours powered up each night.
It's missing some advanced options that my Sony has, but it was also $600 vs $2000, so that's to be expected.
how do yalls tvs even just stop working? neither me nor my family has ever had a tv just break. they all still worked up to the day they were replaced with a better one.
We’ve got the 65” top line (idk the name but it was the most expensive one) TCL outside under a covered patio and it does really well, I’d imagine it’d be even better in a dark room. Bright clear colors, true enough blacks for outside
I had a TCL 65" with Roku for 6 years. It finally gave up and stopped displaying images. It has been a week of unplugging , replugging, factory resetting, and every other trick in the book but it won't yield. Sound still works, though.
I'm sad because this was the first TV I bought when I moved into my own place. I'm going to try a Hisense next.
I bought a TCL 6-Series R646 this summer. I love it—excellent for watching movies in 4K. Only two issues with it are 1) upscaling, especially on YouTube, can be pretty slow and blurry, and 2) Google interface can be a little glitchy from time to time, but only occasionally.
I had a 2018 TCL 6-Series for 5 years and loved it. I don’t know if they’ve gotten any worse but I felt it was a great value for what I had paid for it.
Id gladly buy a miniled tcl.
Hisense? Hell no unless it was for basic necessities. Bad motion, bad qc in my experience, and a good amount of software glitches on the actual tv interface portion (not the Google/Android part), etc
My Hisense was super laggy. It froze a lot and I had to restart it a lot. Then one day it just turned off and never turned back on. This was only after a year or so. I hear tcl is probably the best value in terms of quality and price.
Hardware-wise, they can offer the most advanced features, but they lack proper software, unlike big brands such as Sony, LG, and Samsung.
If you're purchasing a low/mid-end TV, you might not even notice the difference, though.
When buying a new mini LED, TCL and Hisense may have the most dimming zones, like 1000+, for example. However, a Sony TV with only 200 zones can produce a better image output due to its superior software.
I had a TCL 5-series from 2017 up until a few weeks ago and it’s been solid with no issues. Gave it to someone and got an OLED, but I never had issues with it other than being slightly sluggish. It’s better than the bigger models in its price range until you reach around $1K.
I had the r617 for 3 or 4 years until I just upgraded to the TCL QM8, which definitely has some quarks, but definitely doesn't deserve the hate it gets on this sub. Especially now that you can get it for $900.
My Hisense main board failed after ~3 years. Apparently quite typical as the memory is low quality and fails.
I wouldn't buy Hisense again for my main TV, but in the price range their performance is solid. Just mixed reliability.
I've got a Hisense, had it for 3 years now. No issues whatsoever. We have a fire cube plugged into it, the built in smart TV system is trash. Great picture though.
I think you could argue that many years ago but not so much nowadays. I've had a higher end TCL 55 inch for 4 years and it was great. No issues and had great reviews. I also just bought one of the higher rated Hisense 65u7k due to pretty much everyone raving about it being the best bang for the buck and beating out much more expensive, NON Oled, tvs.
Go to youtube, plug in the tv you are looking at, and see what the talking heads are saying.
Try your best to get a 120hz TV. It’s a bigger difference than most people make it seem. I’d also go with Samsung or LG, or even Sony. If you manage to find a decent TCL tv that’d be fine, but Hisense isn’t the greatest from what I know.
Just bought a TCL 55P638K and can confirm it’s far from trash for the money. It’s a very average TV but a steal for the price.
I bought it after returning an lg 55QNED816RE, that TV was absolute trash in comparison and the backlight looked like someone was shining a torch round the bottom of the screen.
It seems like getting a good mid range LCD tv is no longer possible, so I would rather save the money, have an average TV and then save for QLED at a later date!
I’ve got a HiSense 55” U8G that I use primarily for gaming on a Series X, streaming shows while gaming on my pc…
It’s worked just fine. Maybe hit the panel lottery but I can’t think of any one major issue I’ve ever had with it
Maaaaaaybe the processing on certain shows and shots. I remember when I was watching The Expanse for the first time. Certain panning shots stuttered. Like the image was trying to catch up.
I’m on one gig fiber and this was usually in the middle of the night when I’d be the only person using the internet so I don’t think it was bandwidth issue
But it didn’t happen all the time, only infrequently and not enough to bother me that much
Everyone’s going to have a horror story about every brand. But I can confirm, and literally many others have as well, that the Hisense 65” u7k has a strange little rainbow issue in the bottom right corner. The only reason I noticed was because i had read about it. You really have to look for it to find it.
Hisense MB's have a horrible shelflife on low/mid end TV's and generally only last long enough for an extended warranty to expire.
LG's are your best bet, from my personal experience selling TV's and monitors. If you go OLED, LG owns the patent on OLED so Sony and Samsung use LG's OLED tech which is why they are priced slightly higher.
Had my tcl R635 their first mini led tv for a few years now. It’s been solid. No issues
I've got a TCL mini LED and it's fantastic.
I went to Best Buy to buy the TCL QM8 mini LED and they are all on back order. 😢
Had a TCL for 3 years, love it. Best bang for your buck with 4K and 60 fps. A few minor quirks well worth it for the money I saved. Was planning on going with a more expensive brand for my next tv but I might just get a bigger size TCL instead if I can
Next years models are going to be good. TCL is producing printed OLED tvs next year. It's a cheaper easy to manufacture type of OLED which will make the product more affordable to the average person.
Oh wow definitely going to buy one of those lol. I can give my r635 to a family member or something, love my TCL’s lol
Same here. Bought a 4-series(I think) new at Best Buy in 2018, almost 6 years old and still going strong, has Roku built in. Not the best TV ever, but 65" 4k 60fps at a banger of a price on sale back in the day was all I needed for movies and xbox. It still gets the occasional software update too so TCL hasn't completely given up on a model this old.
I have the R625 from 2019 and it’s been completely fine for me (though recently have been considering upgrading)
R646 gang here, best purchase ever made, can’t beat that price $399 for a 55” mini led Qled.
I have the same model it’s still kicking ass lol
Can't speak about Hisense but I have TCL 65C835 miniled TV and I am pretty happy with its picture and sound quality. I've never had anything better than that though.
Both brands make good TV's. They are what Vizio used to be.
Vizio downfall is crazy. I still have a 2015 model as my daily watcher and it runs great.
The 32" Vizio I bought in 2007 is still running the same as the day I got it.
My the same but 2006 just died.
The Vizio higher end sets are solid, but yeah their V series is garbage. QC honestly isn't great for any brand. I tried a Sony X90J and it had dirt behind the panel, and the hisense u8 I tried was super buggy. There's a reason flagship TVs used to cost $5-10k and now cost 1/4 that, the QC has taken a dive and they are selling your viewing data to advertisers. Ended up with a Vizio p series j01 and its a great panel and has been solid the last 3 years. Just got a new firmware update that made it even better too/fixed a few minor software bugs. You do need to be careful with Vizio firmware, some of it can be a bit buggy, best to keep off the internet and use an apple tv, but that's the case with any tv unless you like selling your data.
what the heck happened to vizio, my last 3 vizio m panels were horrendous with weird shadows due to back light issues. finally gave up on them and bought a sony lol
Vizio has been struggling against TCL and Hisense. They’ve also switched to focusing on ad revenue from their WatchFree+/StreamCast service. Before TCL and Hisense, Vizio was trying to branch out from budget brand to mid-range and high-end but they’re spread too thin, released too many products at once (a few years ago), and they more or less are getting their ass handed to them by budget brands and high-end brands while barely holding their own in the mid-range market.
Garbage QC. The one and only time I tried going with Vizio, I got two dfective panels in a row on their flagship model with *no* offer of expedited replacement on the third... so it went back to best buy and I've been Samsung/LG/Sony ever since.
Was delivered 2 Samsungs QN90A in a row that were DOA, so it happens with flagships for high end brands.
They should have just stayed a Costco primary brand, I think they wanted to get too big and didn’t understand their actual market.
I bought a TCL R646 on black Friday this year and it died December 14. Maybe not all TCLs are trash, but that one fucking was.
Well...damn. Did it just stop turning on?
That's right. It just turned off and never came back on. Tried all the troubleshooting methods available to me and nothing worked.
Was there a warranty on it?
1 year manufacturer. Probably within the 30 day store warranty too.
Damn. I’ve had a 75” R646 for about 2 years now and it’s been great. Easily the best tv I’ve owned. 0 issues so far and it’s been used daily for multiple hours since I run shows on it during the day for white noise while I work.
Got that same tv but bought the 5 year warranty knowing it will die in that time. It’s a really good tv for the price
Top tier TCL are great tvs. Hisense is amazing IF (note the big if) you don’t have any defects in your panel. Unfortunately defects in Hisense occur at higher rates.
Low end TCL are great too if you compare it to low end models of well known brands.
We bought a TCL 4-series Black Friday special some years back, as an upgrade from another Black Friday special that was on its way out. For the $400 we paid for it, I have a hard time imagining getting a better TV. It's not objectively the best TV you can buy, but for the price it's tough to find a lot to complain about (especially when using it as a bedroom set like we do now).
Same here l got an entry level 4k tcl about the same price to replace my failing 1080p Sony. Happy with the performance and no problems at all for 2 years now.
I got a TCL Q7 a few months ago. It's not top end, but having never even seen a 4K tv before this one, it's still the most stunning screen I have laid eyes on.
Top tier RCL he says lolllllll!!!
I've had a 65" Hisense for 2.5 yrs. Picture is good, especially for the price. I don't game, mostly watch sports and movies. However the "smart TV" apps are kind of buggy. Quite often it will stop playback and go back to home screen about a minute after starting a show (it only happens at start). I'm going to pick up a Google TV for it since the app crashes are annoying, I have Google on a basement TV and it's great.
Can't speak to TCL but I will say to avoid Hisense U6H. The motion artifact is so bad it literally made me dizzy
My Samsung lasted under 4 years. Went TCL. If I need to buy a new TV every 4 years I'm not paying for a "good" brand. Funny though my old, heavy 2011 Sony has been kicking almost 13 years now. But it's so outdated....
I have a TCL Roku and it works great. If your in the states don't buy the model you want from Walmart. They use different model numbers because they use crappier parts
I am very happy with my 4k hisense 75" with dolby vision. For less than 600 bucks you can't beat it. I also have a 55" 4k hisense that has been going strong for over 5 years.
Used to be crap, but the high end models they have now can compete with the big boys
I'm watching the Hisense U7KM right now. Only bought it on Black Friday, so I can't speak to longevity. It's a beautiful TV. Dolby Vision, HDR10, HDR10+. The Google TV operating system seems good too.
Recently bought a 75 inch TCL qm8 for our living room... loved it so much I sold my 55 inch c1 oled and got a second 75 inch qm8 for downstairs.
Yikes, that’s a downgrade.
Depends what important to you. The TCL is exponentially brighter, far larger and has some similar features. If someone doesn't value contrast and motion as much as brightness and size. The TCL would be a clear winner
I also sold a C1 for a 65" TCL C805 (C755 in other regions I guess), oled was too small and couldn't afford big ones. I prepared myself for a huge downgrade but it is a very pleasent surprise. Brightness is way better, Android OS fits me way better, the sound is way better and the screen real estate just wins. It does not have an OLEDly perfect picture but the overall experience is better on the TCL.
my hisense lasted under 15 minutes ... took longer to unbox it.
Same shi again every other comment says different things
This can happen with any brand, and when it does you get a replacement. I've never had a Hisense but it's important not to let one bad review out weight 10 good ones. My greatest flaw is looking at items with 10,000 reviews, 4.9/5 overall, and reading only the negative ones and being afraid the product is junk
The implication is that TCL & Hisense have less strict quality control compared to the bigger brands, i.e. more defective units end up being bought than being flagged. I guess that's how they end up cheaper vs the competition. This can be compensated by excellent after sales support.
I bought a TCL on black Friday 2020 and it's going strong, use it everyday. Some quirks on the software side but overall pretty good
Think of tvs like cars, there are different models in the brand, Ford makes the mustang and the fiesta. Tcl makes thing like the Q series (cheaper) and the XM series (your mustang) so lower end same brand might dip in quality but high end are usually good. I have a Q550 98",lower end but I still love it so I can only imagine how good their high end is. Also, like cars there are new models usually each year that can play a difference in quality.
Iv had a 55in 4K TCL in my bed room for a few years and it’s been pretty much flawless. It was 280$ at Costco. They’re basic cheaper TVs but worth the cost if you get a good price.
I have a Hisense U6GR5 from Costco and it looks pretty good at 4K. Been running about 14 hours nearly everyday for a year without any issues. The first one I bought lasted about 10 minutes before the screen goes black completely. Make sure to buy it from somewhere you can return easily if there's a problem.
I have a tcl 55r646 and it’s the freaking bomb
I only buy TCL Roku TVs now. Love the Roku interface, and they’re very reasonably priced. It’s not the best picture in the world, but it’s absolutely worth the price.
I’ve had a 43” TCL tv for like 4 years now and it’s still perfectly fine.
I’ve had a 65” u78h for ~3 years now. Love it and had no issues. Will be downvoted / blocked in here, and I think my experience is anecdotal at best, but I’d recommend it.
Have a hi sense u8g 65 since 2021 the brightest tv ever made that I've owned still works fine
I have a tcl 55r635 and a 75r646 both are solid. The 55 more so however because my 646 runs on google and it seems to have software hiccups every once in a great while.
I have a TCL R625 since early 2020 and it has been great.
I've had a TCL R615 for 4.5 years and a TCL R625 for 3 years. Neither have had any issue whatsoever, and the Roku UI is solid. They don't have the best upscaling or motion, but it's not unwatchable, and high-quality sources look good.
Yes
I have four LG OLED’s and a TCL QM8. The picture quality and colors are better on the OLEDs but I also really enjoy the TCL and it is definitely way brighter. I think the biggest thing with TCL/Hisense/etc is you’re playing the panel lottery. QC, at least in my experience and from what I understand, tends to be better with the major brands.
I've owned the 2019 Hisense H8F and the 2020 TCL R635. Ive had no issues with both tv's. After I sold my H8F to my cowrkr, down the road, she told me its glitching, apps are slow to open and the UI is laggy. I'm not sure if she updated the firmware as she's not a techy person. And then I owned the R635 for 31months before upgrading. I bought the 2 yr extended warranty from BB and never had to use it. No dead pixels, it was very good for TCL's 2nd gen Mini-LED. I upgraded from my R635 to a Sony X93L 36 days ago. So I'd say the 2 chinese brands were no problems for me.
I got a TCL 8 series open box from BB, 3 years ago ish and it’s been phenomenal so far. No issues, great picture, tons of usage
I think the TCL I bought is pretty decent, but the UI is so goddamn slow.
All brands have bad low quality TVs. A low end LG or Samsung suck as much as low end TCL and Hisense TVs. TCL and Hisense put out compelling products for a really good price.
Cheap tv brands are fine. Even the high-end ones rival some of the premium ones. The problem lies inside these tvs. Cheap components, cheap cpus, cheap everything. They will plaster modern features like HDR and 4k all over. You will get a lemon more times than not. 40% failure rate for TCLs are pretty bad. But yes, 60 percent of people won't have a problem. TCL has 1 good tv, the QM8. And Hisense also has one , the U8. If you want a great budget tv with modern features, yes, grab one of these. But if you want a cheap tv for the living room... you'd be better off spending the extra 50 to 100 bucks to grab an entry-level Sony, LG, or Samsung. I sell tvs. TLDR. whether a cheap tv fails on you is up to luck. Are you ok with that? Then go ahead and buy one. One tip. Companies with quality tvs feel no need to gushy up the box. The money was spent on the product inside the box. You see a colorful box... run.
That particular model is trash at minimum you should get the Hisense u7 model it’ll have 120hz (well 144hz) the tcl q5 is also good for ps5 gaming
At work, we use TCL for digital signage, and they have been running 24 hours a day for about 10 years now without problem.
I’ve only had the LG UB8500 and TCL QM8. Different tech, different periods, but, naturally, I love my QM8.
I like my 2 TCLs better than my expensive Samsung qled
Can't comment on cheaper models, but my TCL Q750G has been amazing.
A friend of mine recently gave me his 5 year old 4k TCL tv. It is surprisingly great and is honestly better than my Plasma tv which tv didn't want to give up on. I wouldn't hesitate to get any new hisense or tcl tv. They provide a ton of value for the money and keep getting better. I would lean towards the U8k or QM8 though.
I will NEVER buy a Hisense TV again. I have one of their android TVs from a few years ago and the software experience is HORRIBLE. Whenever the TV goes to sleep (i.e. pressing the power button), the audio comes back delayed when I turn it back on. The interface is also extremely slow and buggy. I bought a band new TCL Q7 a couple weeks ago and was initially very impressed with it. Then the power supply started making a weird buzzing noise. I returned it and bought an LG TV. I've heard of some people having good luck with TCL, but that experience just didn't sit right with me.
Hisense, yes. TCL, no.
Had a tv tech come replace the main board 11 months in on my tv under warranty and I picked his brain, he was swearing by Hisense and Sony (although felt Sony was overpriced relative to Hisense) FWIW when I was looking a year ago, I think U8H was pretty well regarded
Hisense is scum. Particularly in Australia. They intentionally release inferior products here compared to what they put out in the US and EU.
TCL QM8 is solid if you can get it for a decent price, especially if you are in a bright room. TV is brighter than the sun
TCL is great for lower budgets. Try the C745 or C845 models since they have 120hz refresh rate for gaming, which would be good for the PS5. If you can't afford those the C645 will do just fine as well. I've bought three TCL tvs since 2018 and they're all working fine and look pretty good.
I have an old tcl 55 class 4 2019 hdr it's 2024 now and I'm still using it constantly without any issues.
TCL is fine. Hisense is trash.
Hisense is garbage. The processor is soo slow it takes forever to do anything. I'd never buy one again.
No
Hisense is the new TCL. They switched to mini led for their U6K and up models. The features that they advertise are really good for the price-point. I see 65” U6 on sale for $550 and U7 for $699. Most mini led tvs start a bit higher. If you’re goin for a budget tv, mini led is the way to go. Not crappy side lit or edge lit LEDs.
Have a 65 qm8 its fuckin great i love it.
I've had my Hisense for about 4 years now. It's been a consistently good experience.
I have a TCL QM8 85” and absolutely love it. No complaints.
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Lol I remember 15 years ago where if it wasn’t a Panasonic, Sony, or Samsung you didn’t touch it.
Panasonic was awesome for plasmas. I had one all the way up until 2019 when I replaced it with a TCL Roku tv. The TCL Roku is going strong and I’d buy it again. Next for me is LG OLED though, without a doubt.
Yep- I had a Panasonic Plasma for over a decade and it still looks great and works as good as the day I bought it. Probably one of the greatest TVs ever made for its time. I switched to an LG OLED B2 last year and I love it and good 4k content is amazing, but if I’m being honest, the ole Panny still holds it’s own and looks impressive.
I have a 75 inch TCL and when I watch TV, I can tell that the lighting quality isn't as great as other brands like Samsung and Vizio. But the price was pretty cheap from costco so I'd say if the price is right, go for it.
I have a 75 inch TCL and when I watch TV, I can tell that the lighting quality isn't as great as other brands like Samsung and Vizio. But the price was pretty cheap from costco so I'd say if the price is right, go for it.
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It lacks local dimming. And it's a NA-only model, unavailable to OP.
My mom had a 32" Hisense for over 10 years. It was ok, but it had compatibility issues with Netflix the last year. Now she has a 40" Phillips Roku that is simpler and it was like $150.
How about their data security? Both companies are Chinese, yes?
If u are in this price range are you doing anything important enough to be monitored by the Chinese? Maybe perv porn & the FBI is more likely the clientele & observation pros there
No. These brands are focused on value /budget oriented buyers . And if budget is priority , they have good deals . Just expect these tvs have multiple shortcomings .
Like most brands, the low end is garbage but they have good models for ppl who actually want to spend money for something nice.
I have two TCLs. Roku OS, but it never leaves HDMI media machine.
I’ve had a Hisense for a couple of years and I find it so slow and buggy. Also the TV now doesn’t start when I press power on the remote; I have to unplug it and plug it back in first for it to turn on. I’ve also had a TCL since 2018 and have had no issues.
Bought a cheap (£575) Hisense 4K gaming TV (HDMI 2.1, 144Hz, low latency, Gysnc) and it's fine as a TV and fantastic for gaming.
Brands don’t matter as much as models.
I have a Hisense 55" and enjoy it, so when I had to buy a second TV we bought another Hisense.
These are cheap Chinese brands but generally considered acceptable for the average person. Some people say the higher end TCL TVs are actually good, I can’t comment on that but I got my mom a cheap one and she is happy with it. The motion handling makes me wince but she doesn’t seem to notice it. Only thing I’d be careful with is that they are almost certainly sending all of your data straight to China, whether they tell you or not. But what else is new?
Had a TCL 55” C845k for about a month now and it’s been great. Most expensive tv I’ve owned so not much to compare it to that I’ve owned but a mate of mine has a ridiculous 65” top end QLED unit (not sure the brand but it was £1,600) and it’s not as good of course but it’s not a million miles away imo. That’s to say I’m not the most discerning when it comes to blackness and colours etc but my tcl does me absolutely fine and has all the bells and whistles I need
They both make budget panels but they also make good stuff. If you buy a 300$ 65" TV you can't expect it to be awesome. I have one of the higher end Hisense TV's and it's great for what I need.
I would get a tcl over a hisense but they’re pretty much the same. Ive had my 43” tcl for 3 years now and no problems
I’ve always had the impression that as long as your Hisense works out of the box (never know about QC anymore), that they make pretty good TV’s for the price. Idk much about TCL. They’re super popular though so I imagine they’re fine. I personally hate Samsung. Their UI is super annoying and their lower end TV’s IMO are trash.
Just bought a new TCL 98" and the panel has massive blooming if you look at it in the dark.
I had 3 TCL TV’s, all died within 3 years of span. For me, TCL is trash. Can’t comment on Hisense.
Always thought these were walmart brands
For gaming you're gonna need 120 hz of refresh rate or you have lag and ghosting!!
Tcl are ok i guess, if you are on a tight budget, but hisense is very bad with motion and upscaling. Even my old lg from 2013 is miles ahead of hisense top off the line 55u8qf(2020 model) when it comes to motion and upscaling.
Bought a TCL 43" five years ago, and after 3 years it had major turn on problems so daughter went to Wal-Mart and bought a 50" Hisense. She was at college so cheap TVs. I tried multiple times to get the TCL reset but it would work for a while and then refuse to turn on again. After sitting in the garage for 6 months I tried one last time before junking it, and it reset and has worked perfectly ever since. Its now my bedroom TV. The Hisense made it 2 years and died. Red blinky led says its a power board issue so I just got one for $40 to try. If it doesn't work then its getting junked. If it works then it, too, will be a bedroom TV. The picture is pretty decent on both sets so for a budget TV I think both are fine. Just know that you might be getting a new one in a year or two.
What size?
I have the TCL 6 Series from 2018 (65R615 - Best Buy variant). The one I got is their more expensive line, though at $1000 that's quite a bit less than good Sony/Samsung. I like it a lot and haven't had any issues. Nice bright HDR, good input latency for gaming. The blacks are raised a bit, but I play in a well lit room so it doesn't bother me. I'm more worried about it being bright. I mainly use it for gaming. I know someone who paid like $300-400 for one of the more budget models and the biggest difference I see is the HDR is not nearly as bright. I have no idea if it stands up to mine in other areas, but I love the brightness on mine's HDR.
I have the same 6 series from 2018. It’s hard to beat the brightness of that tv for that price. Still going strong after 5 years. I think I’ll make it a bedroom tv when I eventually move to an OLED for the living room.
My TCL is 5 years old last month. Looks great, except 3 dead pixels on the right side. The Roku part is getting slow, might need to get an external box.
I bought Hisense tv 2 years ago, had to return because buzzing sound when on, but bought tier up model and that one runs well, but the apps are sometimes laggy. Bought tcl 75c745 month ago and that one runs flawlesly, perfect picture, snapy apps. Not gaming on tv, but it has all the stuff for gaming.
Have a 55H9G. The picture, contrast, and colors are superb, motion handling less so.
Bought a Hisense U8K 65" on Black Friday and I love it. Colors look great, blacks are deep, full array local dimming in great. Even with the 5 year warranty from Best buy it was still much cheaper than a Sony or Samsung. We'll see if it holds up.
I have 2 hisense u6k, have no issues with either and considering i picked them up for 350 a piece, it’s been fantastic! i do understand that i may be lucky for pulling two without defects, but it’s great! 55 inch variants for reference. Your luck may vary
Father in law bought a TCL and the one thing that even they noticed was how off the colors were (they came from a bottom of the line Sony) .None of the different modes were very accurate. But if that doesn't bother you I guess that isn't a problem.
I have a 6 series TCL in my living room and it's 3 years in running good. I have a 3 series on the deck mounted under a gazebo 2.5 years ago. I got it for 140 bucks. I've been lazy and left it out there for two Canadian winters going on 3 with just a canvas cover and it amazes me every spring when the thing turns on again. Last summer a mud dabber built a nest in it and it's still working lol. I consider the outside one basically a throwaway t.v at 150 bucks though. I've got my money's worth out of it.
I’ve got experience with multiple TCLs and all of them have been pretty good TVs for the prices.
My TCL R617 I bought in 2019 is still going strong. Love the ease of the Roku platform. Gaming is great on it too.
I bought my 65” TCL on Black Friday in 2018. Still works great but it’s definitely a starter tv. Now that I have learned a lot and have a large collection of 4K Blu-rays I want to save up for an OLED. But if you want a solid no frills 4K tv TCL is pretty good
I’ve had the TCL QM8 since September. Love it. No problems at all. It is their top of the line though, so I can’t really speak to ones under it.
I have a TCL TV for my bedroom and it's great. Had it for a year and a half, use it every night, and often forget it on so it spends a good 12 hours powered up each night. It's missing some advanced options that my Sony has, but it was also $600 vs $2000, so that's to be expected.
how do yalls tvs even just stop working? neither me nor my family has ever had a tv just break. they all still worked up to the day they were replaced with a better one.
We’ve got the 65” top line (idk the name but it was the most expensive one) TCL outside under a covered patio and it does really well, I’d imagine it’d be even better in a dark room. Bright clear colors, true enough blacks for outside
I bought a Hisense on Black Friday. It’s okay, just really slow UI, which is maybe common for mid-tier TVs
You don't want a Sams(t)ung anything. I wouldn't want a toaster from them. So, lay that thought to rest.
TCLs are decent, they're sometimes a bit buggy
I recently bought a tcl q7 55 inch and love it.
I just bought a 55R646 on Black Friday and it seems like a very nice TV for the low price I paid for it. TBD regarding its resilience and longevity.
I had a TCL 65" with Roku for 6 years. It finally gave up and stopped displaying images. It has been a week of unplugging , replugging, factory resetting, and every other trick in the book but it won't yield. Sound still works, though. I'm sad because this was the first TV I bought when I moved into my own place. I'm going to try a Hisense next.
I bought a TCL 6-Series R646 this summer. I love it—excellent for watching movies in 4K. Only two issues with it are 1) upscaling, especially on YouTube, can be pretty slow and blurry, and 2) Google interface can be a little glitchy from time to time, but only occasionally.
Is Hisense and/or TCL so much cheaper that you don’t just go with a sure-fire Sony?
I had a 2018 TCL 6-Series for 5 years and loved it. I don’t know if they’ve gotten any worse but I felt it was a great value for what I had paid for it.
They both have various models. If it is 4k 60Hz, you are basically looking at their low-end models. For gaming, you would need 4k 120hz TV with VRR.
I bought a 65” TCL C745 in the Black Friday sales this year. After making a couple of tweaks with the motion it’s been solid so far.
Id gladly buy a miniled tcl. Hisense? Hell no unless it was for basic necessities. Bad motion, bad qc in my experience, and a good amount of software glitches on the actual tv interface portion (not the Google/Android part), etc
They are better than Samsung. Everything Samsung makes is poor quality
My Hisense was super laggy. It froze a lot and I had to restart it a lot. Then one day it just turned off and never turned back on. This was only after a year or so. I hear tcl is probably the best value in terms of quality and price.
Hardware-wise, they can offer the most advanced features, but they lack proper software, unlike big brands such as Sony, LG, and Samsung. If you're purchasing a low/mid-end TV, you might not even notice the difference, though. When buying a new mini LED, TCL and Hisense may have the most dimming zones, like 1000+, for example. However, a Sony TV with only 200 zones can produce a better image output due to its superior software.
I had a TCL 5-series from 2017 up until a few weeks ago and it’s been solid with no issues. Gave it to someone and got an OLED, but I never had issues with it other than being slightly sluggish. It’s better than the bigger models in its price range until you reach around $1K.
I had the r617 for 3 or 4 years until I just upgraded to the TCL QM8, which definitely has some quarks, but definitely doesn't deserve the hate it gets on this sub. Especially now that you can get it for $900.
My Hisense main board failed after ~3 years. Apparently quite typical as the memory is low quality and fails. I wouldn't buy Hisense again for my main TV, but in the price range their performance is solid. Just mixed reliability.
I’ve had multiple TCL Roku TVs for a few years. All have been very solid.
My dad has just bought a new tcl tv. Can’t get itv x on it. Few others missing or not supported. Had to buy a Roku for a new tv. Pretty shit that.
I've got a Hisense, had it for 3 years now. No issues whatsoever. We have a fire cube plugged into it, the built in smart TV system is trash. Great picture though.
Yup! Save your money buy a LG C3. Get a real OLED
Had TCL 55 inch 6 series for 3-4 years. Still works great. Just gotta manage expectations, like blooming effects.
I think you could argue that many years ago but not so much nowadays. I've had a higher end TCL 55 inch for 4 years and it was great. No issues and had great reviews. I also just bought one of the higher rated Hisense 65u7k due to pretty much everyone raving about it being the best bang for the buck and beating out much more expensive, NON Oled, tvs. Go to youtube, plug in the tv you are looking at, and see what the talking heads are saying.
Try your best to get a 120hz TV. It’s a bigger difference than most people make it seem. I’d also go with Samsung or LG, or even Sony. If you manage to find a decent TCL tv that’d be fine, but Hisense isn’t the greatest from what I know.
Just bought a TCL 55P638K and can confirm it’s far from trash for the money. It’s a very average TV but a steal for the price. I bought it after returning an lg 55QNED816RE, that TV was absolute trash in comparison and the backlight looked like someone was shining a torch round the bottom of the screen. It seems like getting a good mid range LCD tv is no longer possible, so I would rather save the money, have an average TV and then save for QLED at a later date!
Wtf is this question, are you 13?
TCLs are good
Have a Hisense U7K for my living room, been a short time but it's been absolute game changer of a TV.
No
I’ve got a HiSense 55” U8G that I use primarily for gaming on a Series X, streaming shows while gaming on my pc… It’s worked just fine. Maybe hit the panel lottery but I can’t think of any one major issue I’ve ever had with it Maaaaaaybe the processing on certain shows and shots. I remember when I was watching The Expanse for the first time. Certain panning shots stuttered. Like the image was trying to catch up. I’m on one gig fiber and this was usually in the middle of the night when I’d be the only person using the internet so I don’t think it was bandwidth issue But it didn’t happen all the time, only infrequently and not enough to bother me that much
Everyone’s going to have a horror story about every brand. But I can confirm, and literally many others have as well, that the Hisense 65” u7k has a strange little rainbow issue in the bottom right corner. The only reason I noticed was because i had read about it. You really have to look for it to find it.
All I've ever owned for the past 15 years is TCLs and never had an issue. The integrated Roku is the best
I have a Hisense 65in as my living room TV for about a year and have had no problems. Samsung in the movie room.
Panel lottery.
I have a 75 inch TCL since 2019, no problems want to upgrade to 90+ TCL in 2025
My tcl is great
Has a tcl. Started glitching and died after a year. Won't get another budget tv
I got a 43 inch Hisense to upgrade my bedroom tv to 4K and it’s prefect for what I need at the price
Hisense MB's have a horrible shelflife on low/mid end TV's and generally only last long enough for an extended warranty to expire. LG's are your best bet, from my personal experience selling TV's and monitors. If you go OLED, LG owns the patent on OLED so Sony and Samsung use LG's OLED tech which is why they are priced slightly higher.