TCL 6-Series 4K UHD QLED Roku TV Review

I’m one of those people who went about a decade before starting to think about buying a new TV. You could say I thought, ‘if it ain’t broke don’t fix it’. But over the last few years, 4K TVs have fallen in price, expanded in size and become smarter and more versatile than ever. With the COVID-19 pandemic keeping most of us at home a lot more now than ever, the time has never been better to upgrade your TV. TCL is a fairly new brand to Canada and aside from smartphones they recently released like the TCL 10 Pro which I reviewed, they have some pretty interesting TVs on the market. I recently had the opportunity to test and review the 55” TCL 6-series 4K QLED Roku TV Model 55R635-CA and the TCL Alto 6+ Sound bar and subwoofer in my home over several weeks. I’ll tell you all about my time with the TV here.

TCL 6-Series 4K UHD QLED Roku TV Review

Getting this TV set up was simple. Attach the feet with the included screws if you’re not wall mounting, plug it in, turn it on and connect to your home’s Wi-Fi. In moments I was ready to watch one of the many streaming channels including Netflix, Apple TV, YouTube, Prime Video , Disney+ and more.

TCL 6-Series uses Roku OS

One of the things about this TV I was happy about was the operating system. Roku is the OS and interface for the TCL 6-Series and this interface is easy to navigate, it’s easy on the eyes and it runs trouble free. I really like Roku products because they work exactly as they are supposed to and everyone from kids to seniors are able to use it without detailed directions.

TCL 6-Series has thoughtful touches

TCL has added quite a few thoughtful elements in the TCL 6-Series QLED Roku TV. A glossy panel on the back helps it look less like an electronic hulk but even so I wouldn’t  place it in the middle of the room. The TV has narrow, almost non-existent bezels that let your eyes stay on the video, not a plastic frame.

TCL also added cable runs in the legs of the TV. With pop-off covers, you can easily hide any cables by running them through the legs for a less cluttered look.

TCL 6-Series TV video quality

I was very impressed by the video quality of this TV. This is my first experience with a TCL, so I wasn’t sure what to expect. But truthfully, it’s I mean, it’s hard not to be impressed when it comes to 4K TVs. With a picture that’s four times more detailed than HD, it’s a massive difference from older TVs and it will be a noticeable upgrade if you haven’t moved to 4K TVs yet. The video is crisp and sharp and colourful and it was easy on the eyes watching TV shows, movies or just viewing photos. The colours didn’t look so vibrant as to look fake, and I noticed no ghosting or shifting off to the edges or corners. Even side angle viewing was great.

TCL 6-Series Features & Technology

There’s a bunch of video technology in this TV: I’ll tell you what it has, and share a bit about what that should mean for you when you’re watching.

HDR Pro Pack technology with Dolby Vision  improves minute details in bright and dark areas for a more realistic video picture.

Mini-LED backlight technology provides precision in bright and dark areas in the same scene.

‘Natural Motion 480’ technology improves fast-action content like sports or action games by making quick camera movements seem less blurry.

Quantum Dot LED or QLED technology is is for vibrant and rich colours. I can definitely say the colour gamut is huge on this TV, and it’s really noticeable when watching content like nature shows.

Sound Quality on TCL 6-Series

The truth about built-in TV speakers is that they’re not the best and that’s because such small and thin speakers struggle when delivering premium quality audio. A soundbar is always recommended.

The TCL 6-series has dual 8W speakers with Dolby Atmos/Dolby Digital+ technologies to help deliver “high-quality immersive sound for your music, movies, and games”. If you’re going to take advantage of the Dolby qualities you should know you also need content made in Dolby Atmos, and an Atmos-enabled soundbar or surround sound system.

The internal speakers not surprisingly lacks rumble  but have good maximum volume that is loud enough for big spaces. The speakers are just fine for what they are.

Ports & connections on TCL Roku TV

All of the inputs on the TV are on the sidde, so even if the TV is wall-mounted, they are accessible. The TCL 6-series has ethernet, 4 HDMI inputs including ARC for audio components, 1 USB input, plus audio/video inputs, an optical digital audio output, and a headphone jack.

I connected a Yamaha YAS-209 soundbar and subwoofer combo (and that review is linked up here) to enhance my audio. As a bonus, the TV recognizes that the sound bar is connected and you can control the volume with the included Roku remote to kill coffee table clutter.

Roku remote included

The TCL 6-series TV comes with a small remote. There’s also voice control which I love because it saves pecking out passwords with a cursor and on-screen keyboard. While there’s no headphone jack in the remote, like other Roku devices, you can download the Roku app for additional control and functionality as well as private listening mode where you can connect you headphones to your smartphone and listen to the TV’s audio that was to avoid disturbing others… or having your kids disturb you. I’ve got a video about how to use Roku Private Listening here .

Connect to your smart home

There’s no built in Google or Alexa, but you can can connect this TV to your smart home set-up if you already have a smart digital assistant. Link to the TCL skill in the app of your preferred digital butler. During my review I didn’t have the opportunity to test this feature out so if you have thoughts, please share in comments.

With voice control too in the remote, you can ask the TV to search for shows, movies, actors and more.

Overall review: TCL 6-Series 4K UHD QLED Roku TV

Overall I’m really pleased with this TV. The video quality is outstanding for movies and TV and I noticed no issues with the video picture, and no concerns with the overall TV operating system. It’ll be interesting to see how this TV holds up over the years, but for now I think it’s a great addition to my living space.

The Roku OS is simple to use and entirely bug free. The TCL 6-series does link up to Google and Alexa, though it’s not built in. Some may think that’d a downside, but with so many people already owning a smart speaker, it’s probably not a major hassle.

While some may say this TV’s video quality doesn’t hold up against the likes of premium 4K TVs from bigger names, I would point out it’s in a different category and at a much lower price point. But I can definitely recommend the TCL 6-Series 4K UHD QLED Roku TV if you’re looking to upgrade or add to your TVs at home.

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