TCL C855 review: go big or go home

TCL's C855 is the brand’s 2024 high-end Mini-LED TV, available in screen sizes ranging from 65- through to 98-inches. Yes, it's big, it's bright – that's what Mini-LED helps with – but it's also refined, thanks to thousands of local dimming zones for picture control.

That's not all, though: with Quantum Dot filters meaning a wider delivery of colour, and support for every high dynamic range (HDR) format, you really won't find many – possibly any – TVs so well-specced at this price point.

Other features include a 2.2.2-channel Onkyo sound system – that means stereo at the front, two 'woofers' for bass, and two upfiring speakers – with Dolby Atmos and DTS Virtual:X audio processing included, a Google TV smart system, and support for all the latest gaming features.

The TCL C855's proposition as the best TV is helped along significantly by its value factor. It's not quite perfect at every turn, however, as I'll detail in this review – but it's five-out-of-five from a value perspective.

TCL C855: Price & Availability

The TCL C855 is available now (although this model is not in the USA) and comes in four screen sizes: the 65-inch model, which costs £1,299 / AU$2,295; the 75-inch version that retails for £1,699 / AU$2,995; the huge 85-inch model (as reviewed here), which is priced at an incredible £2,299 / AU$4,995; and a gigantic 98-inch version that’ll still only set you back £3,999 / AU$7,995.

You’ll struggle to find anything that competes with the C855 in terms of screen sizes, features and price, but your best bet is the Samsung QN90D (hands-on comparison feature here). This mid-range model offers similar screen sizes and features, along with slightly better performance, but it's pricier as a result.

TCL C855 review: Features & What's New?

The TCL C855 retains many features from last year’s C845, such as a VA panel for deeper blacks, along with Quantum Dot filters for purer colours, and a Mini-LED backlight. However, the number of LEDs behind the LCD panel has been increased significantly – to 2,304 independently dimmable zones. As a result the brightness has also been boosted, with a claimed peak output of 3,500 nits.

The C855 supports every version of HDR, with HDR10, HLG, HDR10+ Adaptive, Dolby Vision IQ all catered for. The latter two formats not only include dynamic metadata for superior tone mapping, but also use a built-in light sensor to adjust the tone mapping based on the ambient light in the room, thus avoiding HDR images that look too dark.

TCL’s AiPQ Pro AI-enhanced processor promises improved upscaling of lower-resolution content while also optimising the picture for contrast, clarity, colour and motion. In terms of the latter there are modes designed for film-based content, as well as modes that apply frame interpolation to create smoother and more detailed movement, which is ideal for fast-paced sports content.

The Onkyo sound system has been beefed-up from last year and the C855 boasts a 2.2.2-channel system with full-range speakers that include a pair of upfirers. There’s a healthy 120W of built-in amplification, which is a surprising amount of power for a TV. As with previous years there’s on-board Dolby Atmos decoding and DTS Virtual:X processing for adding more sonic dimension.

The C855 is a great gaming TV, with support for 4K/120Hz HFR (high frame-rate) and VRR (variable refresh rate) for next-gen consoles, and AMD Freesync Premium Pro for PC gaming at up to 4K/144Hz. There are multiple game modes including a Dolby Vision Game mode, all of which keep the input lags to an absolute minimum and ensure the gaming is as responsive as possible.

TCL’s Game Master Pro 2.0 brings all the latest gaming-specific features to the C855, while the pop-up Game Bar provides information on the TV’s gaming status, such as ALLM, VRR, HFR and HDR. You can also take screenshots, adjust the shadow levels to bring out details in dark areas, and pull up a useful aiming aid, plus there’s quick access to the game picture modes and menus.

TCL C855 review: Picture Quality

The TCL C855 gets the basics right with an accurate picture in the Movie mode, especially with standard dynamic range content. The HDR accuracy is also good, although there are larger errors when it comes to colour accuracy.

It’s also capable of delivering deep blacks and bright highlights that are largely free of any blooming. Those 2,304 independent zones play their part, while the VA panel produces a native contrast ratio of 4,350:1 – although the optimal viewing angles are fairly narrow, as is the nature of this panel type.

The screen uniformity is patchy in places, but given the sheer size of this 85-inch panel that’s hardly surprising. Thankfully the screen filter is effective, rejecting the ambient light in a room and ensuring the C855 is a great performer whether you’re watching during the day or at night.

In HDR I measured the peak brightness at over 3,000 nits (on a 10% window) and 750 nits (on a full-field pattern), which is seriously bright. Your retinas will certainly notice! The TCL also coveres 95% of the DCI-P3 colour space, which means that it’s capable of producing a massive colour volume with HDR content.

TCL’s AiPQ Pro AI-enhanced processor is generally effective, and if you feed the C855 a high-quality image the results are often excellent. However, with lower-resolution or compressed images the upscaling and image processing isn’t as accomplished as more established brands.

This is also the case when it comes to motion, and while generally smooth and clean there are definitely signs of judder on certain content. As a result the overall motion handling suffers from occasional artefacts like stuttering as objects move across the screen, which can be distracting.

Despite all the zones at the C855’s disposal, there is some blooming around brighter objects in HDR. This is almost certainly due to this TV’s incredibly bright picture, so it’s understandable, but unfortunately the narrow viewing angles also mean this blooming is more apparent off-axis.

This trade-off between the peak brightness and the local dimming is most obvious during the nighttime scenes in 1917 or the arrival in lunar orbit in First Man. In both cases there is some slight blooming around bright objects against a dark background. Conversely the sun-bleached deserts of Mad Max: Furiosa or the snowy vistas of The Revenant look stunning on the C855’s big screen.

The tone mapping results in an HDR image that’s largely free of any black crush or loss of detail in the highlights. However, there is clear clipping when watching HDR10 content graded at 4,000 nits or above – as per Aquaman. In this movie, during the scene where he is chained up in Atlantis, the environment is mostly white with bright lighting. Here the more aggressive tone mapping of the C855 produces clipping in the highlights.

The C855 is a fantastic TV for gamers – not only due to its state-of-the-art features, but also because gaming on a screen this big is enjoyably immersive, while the LCD panel ensures there’s no danger of image retention or screen burn. In game mode the response times are also blisteringly fast, with input lag from 15ms to 6ms – depending on the resolution and frame rate of the game.

TCL C855 review: Sound Quality

The TCL C855 disappoints somewhat when it comes to sound quality, especially considering the sheer size of the 85-inch panel and the 2.2.2-channel Onkyo sound system with its 120W built-in grunt. Despite this, the overall sound often feels a bit thin – although the combination of full-range speakers and power means the audio goes loud without distorting or losing composure.

There’s some decent stereo separation but the soundstage lacks the scale and depth to really do justice to that huge screen. The bass is also fairly weedy despite the built-in woofers. In addition, I struggled to really hear any overhead effects, and couldn’t even find where the upfiring speakers are located. However, the sonic clarity remains good and dialogue is always clear and focused.

The C855 correctly detected and decoded Dolby Atmos tracks, and the inclusion of DTS Virtual:X is something of a rarity on TVs these days. Neither format works miracles, but adds spatial cues to the overall soundstage. However, if you want the kind of big audio that really complements this TV’s big screen you owe it to yourself to invest in one of the best soundbars with a separate subwoofer. Or the latest Sonos Arc Ultra, which is phenomenal.

TCL C855 review: Design & Usability

The TCL C855 sports a minimalist black finish with a bezel-less frame, and a fairly solid level of build quality. The 85-inch version is surprisingly slim, only measuring 36mm from top to bottom, but it also weighs in at a monstrous 45.3kg – so bear that in mind if you plan on wall-mounting.

If you prefer to stand-mount there’s a pair of feet that match the styling and offer sufficient room to fit a decent-sized soundbar between them. While both the 85- and 98-inch models come with these attachable feet, the 65- and 75-inch versions of the C855 use a metal central stand instead.

The connections are comprised of four HDMI inputs (two of the four being HDMI 2.1 types), a USB 2.0 port, terrestrial and satellite tuners, a CI (common interface) slot, optical digital output, Ethernet port, an AV adapter, and a headphone jack. There’s also Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.2, and Chromecast for wireless connectivity.

TCL has sensibly allocated one of the 2.0b inputs on the C855 as the eARC (enhanced audio return channel) connection. This allows you to simultaneously connect two gaming consoles or a gaming console and PC for higher frame rates, while also attaching a soundbar or AV receiver.

The included remote is finished in matte silver and has its volume control located on the side, which could be annoying if you’re left handed. All the other buttons are on the front but only identified with icons, along with direct access keys for Netflix, Prime Video, YouTube, and TCL TV.

The TCL C855 uses Google TV as its operating system, and this delivers a responsive, well-designed, and intuitive user interface. By its nature it’s obviously very Google-centric, but the full-screen home page provides plenty of recommendations and allows you to customise its layout.

The initial setup of the TV is relatively quick and easy, especially if you already have a Google account. Simply follow the instructions in the Google Home app, and the TV will automatically setup an internet connection, tune in the broadcast channels and load all your favourite apps. All the main video streaming services are on offer here too – although due to ongoing Google issues, TCL TVs are still missing all the UK TV catch-up services at present.

Naturally Google Assistant is built in, turning the C855 into a fully-functioning smart assistant with voice control, plus there’s support for Chromecast and Google Home. The smart system includes access to an EPG (electronic programme guide) that’s sensibly laid out and easy to navigate.

TCL C855 review: Verdict

The TCL C855 retains all of the strengths that made the C845 such an exceptional value TV last year, but somehow still manages to offer larger screen sizes, even more features, and better performance, while also remaining highly competitive when it comes to pricing and affordability.

The Mini-LED backlight with its increased number of zones combines with a VA panel and capable local dimming to deliver a solid contrast performance with deep blacks and bright highlights that are largely free of blooming. The viewing angle isn't brilliant though and the lack of UK catch-up services is a current issue with Google TV.

So while the C855 is not perfect – with mild blooming on brighter HDR content and clipping when tone mapping material graded at 4,000 nits and above – it's the price that really sees these nitpicks fall away. Because the reality is you won’t find a better value 4K HDR TV right now.

Also consider

As said further up page, if you've got a little more to spend then a close rival is the Samsung QN90D. It's a better performer, but it's also a step up the price ranks, which is the main thing to consider.