Jiří Filip In today's review, we will look at the very successful TV TCL 65C805. This is the ticket to the world of QD-MiniLED televisions from the TCL workshop that arrived at the editorial office for testing, and since I recently had two models from TCL for testing, this time I also pulled out the imaginary black Peter. And honestly, I'm very happy about it. This is a technically very interesting model at a favorable price. After all, all of this will be confirmed by the following lines. So let's take a look together at how this ticket to the world of QD-MiniLED televisions from the TCL workshop, as the second largest manufacturer of televisions today, is.
Technical Specifications
We received a specific 65" version of this 4K Ultra HD television, which thanks to the 4K resolution (3840 × 2160 px) can provide a truly first-class visual experience. In addition to the 65" variant tested by us, there are also other sizes on offer, starting with the 50" model and ending with the 98" giant. Heck, big screens are the trend these days, so it's not too surprising that TCL is bringing them in a big way. Naturally, there is support for DVB-T2/C/S2 (H.265), thanks to which you can watch your favorite channels in high definition even if you are still watching "only" terrestrial broadcasts.
The display with QLED technology and Mini LED backlight together with the VA panel ensures excellent image quality and deep black colors. In addition, support for HDR10+, HDR10 and HLG functions helps to provide the highest possible quality for a vivid and realistic display. With the option of connecting via Bluetooth, Wi-Fi or LAN, you can easily access online services such as Netflix and YouTube. By the way, the main benefit of the Mini LED backlight is that thanks to the smaller LEDs in the display, there can be a higher number of them on a certain surface than is standard, which ensures, among other things, a higher brightness or a more even backlight of the display. Thanks to this, the display also has more controllable backlight zones for higher contrast and less blooming.
Sound quality is enhanced by Dolby Atmos technology, and a smart remote with voice control makes navigation easier. With the Google TV operating system and a wide range of connectors including 4x HDMI 2.1 and 1x USB 3.0, you have access to an endless amount of content. By the way, players will definitely be excited by the support of 144Hz VRR, 120Hz VRR or even FreeSync Premium Pro with the 240Hz Game Accelerator function. This TV is therefore perfect not only for watching movies and series, but also for playing games - both on game consoles and when connected to a computer. While current game consoles can handle a maximum of 120Hz, you can already find 240Hz for games on computers.
If you are interested in what style the TV can be placed indoors, there is a VESA (300 x 300 mm) that allows easy wall mounting according to your preferences. And if you are not a fan of hanging TVs on the wall, there is of course a stand, thanks to which you can place the TV in the classic way on a cabinet or table.
Processing and design
Although I wrote in the previous lines that the C805 models are a ticket to the world of QLED miniLED televisions from TCL, their price is relatively high (although still lower than that of the competition). Just to give you an idea, you will pay around 75 CZK for a 38" model, which is honestly a little for a TV with such a technologically equipped giant screen, but this amount as such is certainly not low. What I mean by this is that evaluating the workmanship of a product that is priced at this level is kind of pointless, as it is, as expected, at an excellent level. I looked at the TV in great detail from all angles and I have to say that I did not come across a place that seemed to me to be in any way underdeveloped from the point of view of production and therefore more manageable.
As for the design, its evaluation is purely subjective and I will not hide that it will be mine as well. At the outset, I have to admit that if there's something I really like about electronics, it's the narrow frames around the screen, which makes the image look almost as if it's "hanging" in space. And the TCL C805 does exactly that. The top and side frames are really incredibly narrow and you practically don't notice them when watching the picture, which looks really impressive. The lower frame is a little wider and therefore visible, but it is not an extreme that would annoy a person in any way. In addition, it seems to me that when viewing an image, one tends to perceive the upper part of the screen rather than its very bottom, and therefore the width of the lower frame does not matter so much. Well, certainly not me personally.
Testing
I tried to test the TCL C805 as comprehensively as possible, so I used it for a good two weeks as the primary television in the home. This means that I connected it to an Apple TV 4K, through which we actually watch all the movies, series and TV broadcasts, along with an Xbox Series X and a soundbar TCL TS9030 RayDanz, which I reviewed almost 3 years ago. And maybe I'll start right away with the sound. Although I used the TV with the aforementioned soundbar most of the time because I'm just used to it, I definitely can't say that the sound from its internal speakers is bad, because it really isn't.
On the contrary, it seems to me that TCL has managed to cram in really generous audio, which sounds lively, balanced and overall really pleasant, for how narrow this TV is. At the same time, this is not standard even for televisions from this price range. For example, I find LG TVs downright weak in terms of sound, and I can't imagine using them without a speaker. But here it is the opposite, as the sound that the C805 series will give you is really worth it. So if you are not a fan of additional speakers, you really won't need it here.
When it comes to watching movies, series or TV broadcasts, everything looks really great on the TV. Of course, you will fully appreciate it if you play some of the streaming services on it in 4K, led by Apple TV+, whose image quality honestly seems to me to be the farthest from all of them, but even watching programs in poorer quality is not bad at all thanks to upscaling, in fact on the contrary. But I will briefly return to Apple TV+, which makes extensive use of Dolby Vision, which of course is supported by this television. And believe me, it is a truly beautiful spectacle. I positively evaluate both the rendering of colors and, for example, the rendering of black, which is logically not as high quality as in the case of OLED TVs, but it is not too far from them. And I say this as a person who normally uses an OLED TV, specifically a model from LG.
At the same time, it's not just the colors or resolution that are great, but also the brightness, contrast, and thus HDR, which you will really enjoy in certain scenes in movies. For example, I recently liked the movie Mad Max: Furious Journey, which looked famous on this TV, as well as the second part of Avatar or the new concept of Planet of the Apes. I also managed to watch all the Harry Potter episodes, for which I have a great weakness as a fan of this film series and I have no problem watching them practically at any time.
However, as I already wrote above, it's not just about masterful pieces of filmmaking. Our guilty pleasure is (breathe) also the new Ulice or Wife Swap, which certainly cannot be described as TOP TV series. However, thanks to the upscaling, even these jewels of the Czech TV show look really nice, and you have a solid reaction to watching them without thinking about the lower quality.
And how is it played on TV? One poem. As an owner and fan of the Xbox Series X with 120fps gaming support thanks to HDMI 2.1, of course I couldn't miss playing on this TV and I have to say I really enjoyed it. Lately, I've been sitting with my colleague Roman especially in the evenings watching Call of Duty: Warzone, which looks really fantastic on the TV, thanks to the excellent color rendering and HDR, and at times you have the feeling that cults and grenades are flying right around you.
However, games that put more emphasis on graphics than on action, such as Warzone, look great on this TV. I mean, for example, Red Dead Redemption 2, The Witcher 3, Assassin's Creed Vahalla, Metro Exodus or story missions in the newer Call of Duty. It is with these games that one realizes how special the screen actually is in front of one's eyes, because it is not immediately apparent in what style your favorite game titles will "bloom" on it. Honestly, having room for a console game room at home, I probably wouldn't have responded to emails from TCL about returning this tested TV by now, as it would have been bolted to the wall and I refused to part with it.
Summary
So what kind of TV is the TCL C805? Honestly, far better than I would have expected for its price. Although I'm only marginally involved in testing televisions, I've watched quite a few of them, so I know how they perform in terms of image and sound in certain price ranges. And that's why I'm not afraid to say here that TCL with its TCL C805 model jumped over the vast majority of competing televisions in the same price range.
The picture you get from this QLED miniLED television is really famous and I am therefore convinced that it will satisfy even the most demanding users. The sound component is also very good and the soundbar will therefore be used by many people without any problems. When I add to all of this, for example, AirPlay support or the aforementioned game modes for up to 240Hz gaming when connected to a computer, I get something that, in my opinion, has not been around for a long time (if not ever). So I am definitely not afraid to recommend the TCL C805, on the contrary - it is a piece that is worth every penny you spend on it.
You can buy the TCL C805 series TV here
