TCL Roku USB Voice Control 4K TV, 65-Inch
Last updated: June 2, 2022
We looked at the top 4K TVs and dug through the reviews from some of the most popular review sites. Through this analysis, we've determined the best 4K TV you should buy.
Our Expert Consultant
Patrick Ward
Editor-in-chief of High Speed Experts
Editor-in-chief of High Speed Experts
Patrick Ward is the editor-in-chief of High Speed Experts, a broadband connectivity-, search engine- and IT-industry education blog that empowers consumers by open-sourcing information about tech services. He earned his bachelor’s degree in commerce with an emphasis on communications at the University of Sydney. His expertise spans the digital, emerging tech and telecommunications fields.
Expert Reviews
What reviewers liked
TCL is using the latest version of the Roku TV platform, a popular decision among manufacturers, particularly in the budget-friendly models. The Roku platform offers a wide variety of apps and services, with Roku touting impressive streaming options with access to "over 500,000 movies and TV shows."
Watching Showman, the TCL's color was excellent, with as much saturation and accuracy as any of the other LCD sets.
The obvious advantage TCL has here is its full array panel and several dozen contrast control zones - they help each scene obtain higher contrast and even help SDR content look its best.
This 65-inch 4K UHD smart TV from TCL, a Roku TV model in TCL's step-up 6-series sets for 2018, delivers excellent high-definition picture quality and very good UHD performance. HDR performance was generally effective, just below the very best sets.
TCL’s Roku interface is our favorite on any TV you can get today, thanks to its ease of use, excellent app selection, and frequent updates.
It has good dark scene performance due to the full-array local dimming and high native contrast so blacks appear deep even in a dark room.
Gamers will be happy to know the TCL 6 Series continues the trend of allowing pretty good input lag during 1080p/4K gaming.
- Reviewed
The best feature of the 6 series is its uniquely advanced image quality. It achieves that by helping boost black levels and color contrast, which are the two essential quality markers of a home-theatre.
What reviewers didn't like
If there's a weak spot in the 6 Series' display quality, it's the viewing angles. While 4K movies looked good even when viewed off-axis, single-color test screens (which are far less forgiving) showed subtle but noticeable color shifting even when viewed a foot or so off-center. A blue test screen would shift ever-so-slightly periwinkle, while a violet screen started to go nearly pink at only a 45-degree angle
Color accuracy and video processing were also a bit worse than those others, but by no means poor, and TCL improved uniformity significantly, which was an issue last year.
But move the 6-Series into a brightly lit room, say in a living room near a window, and some of these advantages begin to crumble. Black details begin to get lost, colors begin to fade some and the brightness that the TV once had - or, more accurately, felt like it had - dims.
However, to get top performance you need to shut off noise reduction, a setting that's available only on the Roku app, not the TV itself. The set has a full-array LED backlight with local dimming, which can help with blacks and contrast. But the TV's sound is only fair.
The TCL also suffers from some vignetting at the corners, where they are darker than the rest of the image. You can’t always see it, but the other picks don’t suffer from this. Some people have also run into issues with banding on their sets.
The picture quality also degrades rapidly when viewed at an angle, which is bad for those with wide seating.
The 65-inch R617 has a lot of dimming zones (120) for what you're paying, that doesn't mean it's perfect. Every now and then, you're bound to see flashlighting.
- Reviewed
The lack of a headphone jack is another small problem, but one that can be remedied by connecting to the set with a jack-laden smartphone or tablet.
View our 4K TV buying guide for in-depth advice and recommendations.