TCL C855 (85C855K) review: This big screen beauty offers even bigger value

The TCL C855 represents the brand’s higher-end Mini LED TV for 2024 and with this model, it’s go big or go home. The lineup ranges from screen sizes of 65in to 98in and is priced to beat its competition by some margin despite boasting a host of features.

The C855 sports a Mini LED backlight with thousands of local dimming zones and adds quantum dot filters for wider colours. This 4K TV also handles every version of HDR and includes a 2.2.2-channel Onkyo sound system with Dolby Atmos and DTS Virtual:X audio processing.

The smart platform uses Google TV, has HDMI 2.1 inputs, and supports all the latest current-gen gaming features. Given all that, it’s incredible TCL can keep the C855 pricing so low, and if it performs as impressively as last year’s TCL C845 this could very well be the TV best buy of the year.

TCL C855 review: Key specifications

TCL C855 review: What you need to know

The TCL C855 is a 4K (3,840 x 2,160) HDR smart LED LCD TV that comes in 65in, 5in, 85in and 98in screen sizes. The C855 uses a 10-bit 144Hz VA panel with a direct Mini LED backlight that employs over two thousand local dimming zones and includes quantum dot filters.

It runs the Google TV operating systems and handles HDR10, HLG, HDR10+ Adaptive, Dolby Vision IQ, and IMAX Enhanced. There’s also support for eARC, along with Onkyo sound, Dolby Atmos and DTS Virtual:X processing. It has Google Assistant built-in and also supports Chromecast.

The gaming features are equally impressive, with two full bandwidth HDMI 2.1 inputs that support ALLM, VRR, and frame rates up to 4K/144Hz, along with TCL’s Game Master Pro 2.0, and support for AMD Freesync Premium Pro. A very low input lag rounds out an impressively specified TV.

TCL C855 review: Price and competition

At the time of writing the TCL C855 is competitively priced given its screen sizes and status within the brand’s lineup. You can buy the 65in model for £1,169, the 75in screen size for £1,545, the 85in version reviewed here for £1,873, and even the gigantic 98in is only £3,579.

You’ll struggle to find a competing brand that can offer the feature set of the C855 at anything approaching its price point, and although Hisense comes close with its U7N and U8N TVs, both models top out with 75in screen sizes. The Samsung QN90D is probably the best alternative in terms of available screen sizes and overall performance, but the 85-inch version retails for £3,299.

TCL C855 review: Design, connections and control

The TCL C855 doesn’t deviate from the modern template for TV design with a minimalist black finish, a bezel-less frame around the outer edge of the screen and reasonably solid construction. The 85in version is a bit of a beast but also surprisingly slim, only measuring 36mm from top to bottom. It also weighs in at a hefty 45.3kg, so bear that in mind if you plan on wall mounting.

If you prefer to stand mount, the C855 comes with a pair of feet that match the styling and attach 1,405mm apart. This is plenty of room to fit a decent-sized soundbar but it will probably block the screen given there’s only 38mm of clearance. It’s worth pointing out that while the 85in and 98in models come with attachable feet, the 65in and 75in versions use a central stand instead.

The connections all face sideways and are located on the right-hand rear of the C855 as you face the screen. There are four HDMI inputs, a USB 2.0 port, terrestrial and satellite tuners, a CI (common interface) slot, an optical digital output, an Ethernet port, an AV adapter and a headphone jack. There’s also dual-band Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.2 and Chromecast for wireless connectivity.

While there are only two HDMI 2.1, the other two being HDMI 2.0b, all of them support 4K/60Hz, HDR10, HLG, HDR10+, Dolby Vision, HDCP 2.3 and CEC. In addition, the 2.1 inputs can handle 4K/144Hz, VRR (Variable Refresh Rate) and ALLM (Auto Low Latency Mode). TCL sensibly uses one of the 2.0b inputs for eARC (enhanced audio return channel), allowing you to simultaneously connect two gaming consoles and a soundbar.

The included remote is a fairly standard but capable infrared controller that’s finished in matte silver and has its volume controls located on the side, which might prove frustrating if you’re left-handed. All the other buttons are on the front and identified with icons that aren’t always obvious, along with direct access keys for Netflix, Prime Video, YouTube and TCL’s internet channel.

TCL C855 review: Smart TV platform

The TCL C855 uses GoogleTV as its operating system, and this delivers a responsive, well-designed and intuitive user interface. By its nature, it’s very Google-centric, but the full-screen homepage 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 set up an internet connection, tune in to the broadcast channels and load all your favourite apps.

All the main video streaming apps are on offer, including Netflix, Prime Video, Disney+, Apple TV+, Now, YouTube and Google Play. There’s also support for resolutions up to 4K, along with HDR10, HDR10+, Dolby Vision, Dolby Atmos and DTS where available. Unfortunately, TCL TVs are still missing all the UK TV catch-up services, which is a shame.

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: Image quality

The TCL C855 may be competitively priced but the picture quality punches well above its weight thanks to its VA panel combined with Mini LED backlight and quantum dot filters. This VA panel delivers excellent black levels, resulting in a native contrast ratio of 4,350:1, which is impressive for LCD. Although as is typical for VA panels the optimal viewing angles are fairly narrow.

The Mini LED backlight is combined with quantum dot filters for a wider colour gamut and a local dimming algorithm, for improved contrast. I tried counting the number of zones, but frankly, they’re too small to accurately keep track of. TCL claims there are 2,304 zones and given the general honesty in the brand’s marketing materials I see no reason not to accept these claims.

The local dimming offers a choice of off, low and high settings. The low setting works best for SDR content, eliminating halos around bright objects without aggressively dimming, which means shadows are free of black crush. At the lower brightness levels used for SDR there were no signs of blooming and the large number of zones are used very effectively by the dimming algorithm.

The TCL ships in the Standard picture mode, which delivers the usual inaccuracies in the image when compared to the industry standards. There’s a significant excess of blue energy in the greyscale, a gamma with a large dip in the middle and over-saturated colours that result in average Delta E (errors) of nine for the greyscale and gamma, along with 13 for the colours.

The Movie mode improves matters, with red, green and blue tracking each other closely and reducing average errors to 2.4, which is below the visible threshold of three. The gamma is now tracking 2.38, which is very close to the target of 2.4, while the colour accuracy is even better, with all the colours tracking their saturation targets and delivering an average error of only 1.33.

This is an impressive level of accuracy out of the box, and TCL is to be congratulated. While calibration controls are included, there isn’t much room for improvement. I was able to slightly tweak the greyscale, reducing the average error to a near-perfect 0.8, and the average colour error down to an equally impressive 0.6, but it’s doubtful anyone would notice these changes.

Along with the default Standard and more accurate Movie modes, TCL offers Smart HDR, Sport, Game and PC. Most are best avoided, especially Smart HDR which creates faux HDR, but Game mode is important (see the gaming section). I’d also recommend turning off Adaptive Brightness in the Intelligent Picture sub-menu because this feature will cause luminance fluctuations.

The screen uniformity on the review sample was a bit patchy in places, but given the 85in screen’s sheer real estate that’s hardly surprising. However, the VA panel and Mini LED local dimming performed extremely well in SDR, making the most of the extra zones to ensure blacks are delivered with depth, while brighter objects are free from unwanted blooming and halos.

The C855’s upscaling and processing are generally effective, and if you feed this TV a high-quality image the results are excellent. However, with lower resolution or heavily compressed content like standard definition broadcast channels the upscaling and processing isn’t quite as impressive, especially on a screen this big. This is an area where more established brands still have an edge.

The overall motion handling is also good, with the panel’s 144Hz refresh rate undoubtedly playing a key role here. There’s generally no blurring on fast motion like sport, and the C855 handles 24p content without introducing judder. There is occasional stutter on some content, but this is easily addressed using motion smoothing.

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TCL C855 review: HDR performance

The TCL C855 is great for big and bright HDR, thanks to its Mini LED backlight’s ability to deliver awesome specular highlights. TCL claims a peak brightness of 3,500cd/m2, and while that is theoretically possible in the least accurate picture settings, the Movie mode delivers around 2,100cd/m2 on a 10% window, with peaks up to 2,200cd/m2 on a 25% window. The C855 is also capable of hitting 765cd/m2 on a full field pattern – all of which means it’s seriously bright.

The greyscale is highly accurate, with red, green and blue all tracking each other closely. The tone mapping also tracks the target PQ curve very closely with content graded at 1,000 nits, resulting 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 or 10,000 nits.

The C855 covers the majority of the DCI-P3 colour gamut, reaching 98%. However, the colours aren’t as accurate as I’d like, with red, blue and magenta (which is composed of red and blue) all oversaturated compared to their target points. This is a shame given the overall coverage and the accuracy shown with SDR, but a lot of consumers will probably like the added pop to the colours.

When dealing with SDR and HDR, TV brands take one of two approaches: separate picture modes for SDR and HDR; or single modes that adjust based on the signal the TV is receiving. TCL has chosen the latter approach, but having calibrated the Movie mode for SDR I found the brightness, contrast and local dimming settings weren’t changing correctly when displaying HDR content.

To maximise HDR I had to manually change these settings, which isn’t ideal. It also means that when switching back to SDR the settings are now wrong for that format. My solution was to calibrate the Standard mode for SDR and the Movie mode for HDR, but this shouldn’t be necessary. I’ve pointed the issue out to TCL, who will hopefully address it with a firmware update.

The TCL C855 supports every version of HDR – HDR10, HLG (Hybrid Log-Gamma), HDR10+ Adaptive and Dolby Vision – which means you’ll never have to compromise, and the dynamic metadata in HDR10+ and Dolby Vision allows the TV to produce superior levels of tone mapping. For HDR10 content there’s also a setting called Dynamic Tone Mapping, and while there’s a choice of options the default balance setting appears to deliver the best overall performance.

When the C855 receives an HDR10+ or Dolby Vision signal the TV defaults to the respective Adaptive or IQ options, which adjust the tone mapping based on the measurements from a light meter. It’s a more sophisticated approach compared to the Adaptive Brightness control offered with SDR content, but purists might prefer not to use these modes at night, thus retaining the original artistic intentions.

As for the overall HDR performance, watching Ryan Gosling in a spotlight during the live concert sequence in La La Land reveals a well-defined image but there is a slight glow around the beam of light. The same is true in another Ryan Gosling film, as Apollo 11 enters lunar orbit in First Man. The Moon’s surface appearing through the command module’s window is a real torture test, and the C855 struggled to minimise blooming, which goes to show that no matter how many dimming zones a TV has at its disposal, dealing with the increased brightness of HDR can still pose a problem.

Aquaman uses a 4,000 nits grade, and during the scene where he’s chained up in Atlantis, the environment is mostly white with bright lighting. Here the more aggressive tone mapping of the C855 produced clipping in the highlights. The same was true with Mad Max: Fury Road, which is another 4,000 nits grade. While the colours and brightness popped, the clipping robbed the image of some of its depth. To be fair, most content is graded at 1,000 nits and here the C855 looked superb, with no need to really tone map due to its inherent brightness.

To test the TCL C855 we used Portrait Displays Calman colour calibration software.

TCL C855 review: Gaming

The TCL 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 wonderfully immersive. There’s no danger of image retention or screen burn-in on its LCD panel, even after all-night gaming sessions, and the super-bright HDR images help create a visceral sense of reality that adds to the fun.

As with movies and TV shows, the C855 gets all the basics right. SDR and HDR performance are excellent and there’s support for all of the current HDR formats, ensuring bright, accurate and detailed images when gaming. There are several game modes including a Dolby Vision Game mode, all of which help to keep the input lag to a minimum and the gaming as responsive as possible.

TCL’s Game Master Pro 2.0 brings all the latest gaming-specific features to the C855, with ALLM (auto low latency mode) automatically detecting a game console and switching into the appropriate low latency mode. This is important because, in these dedicated modes, the input lag drops to anywhere from 15ms to 6ms – depending on the resolution and frame rate of the game.

These lightning-fast response times are even more impressive when combined with 4K/120Hz HFR (high frame rate) and VRR (variable refresh rate) features available in modern consoles. The result is a superbly smooth and enjoyable gaming experience. If you have a PC gaming rig, you can even play at refresh rates up to 4K/144Hz thanks to support for AMD Freesync Premium Pro.

TCL includes a pop-up Game Bar that provides information on the TV’s gaming status, such as ALLM, VRR, frame rate and HDR. There’s also a choice of useful features such as being able to take screenshots, adjust the shadow levels to bring out possible threats in dark areas of a game, and even an aiming aid.

Overall, the C855 is a near-perfect gaming TV, and my only issue relates to the picture mode issues I highlighted in the image quality and HDR performance sections. If you plan on primarily gaming in HDR it’s not a problem, but with only one game preset you can’t calibrate separate low-latency profiles for SDR and HDR, so you’ll need to remember to change the brightness setting.

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TCL C855 review: Sound quality

The TCL C855 is a little disappointing when it comes to sound quality, especially considering the sheer size of the 85in panel and the built-in Onkyo sound system. The good news is there’s a 2.2.2-channel layout using full-range speakers, with two firing forwards, a pair firing upwards and two woofers in the rear.

These speakers are powered by a total of 120W of built-in amplification. While that’s a surprising amount of power for a TV, the resulting sound quality often feels thin. The combination of full-range speakers and power means the C855 can go loud without distorting or losing composure, however. 

While there’s some decent stereo separation, the soundstage lacks the scale and depth to complement the huge screen and the bass is also wanting, despite the built-in woofers. I also struggled to hear any overhead effects, and couldn’t work out where the upfiring speakers are even located. On the plus side, clarity is often good, bringing out details in complex mixes, while dialogue is always clear and focused.

There’s an Intelligent Sound feature with an Adaptive Volume option and a seven-band equaliser. The C855 also supports Dolby Atmos and DTS Virtual:X, with the latter something of a rarity on TVs these days. While these formats can’t work miracles, they do add spatial cues to the overall sound. However, given the price of the 85in C855, you owe it to yourself to spend some of the money saved on a decent soundbar so you can enjoy big audio to complement that big screen.

TCL C855 review: Verdict

The TCL C855 confirms the brand’s status as a serious player in the big-screen TV market, not only offering extensive features and excellent performance but also exceptional value for money.

The Mini LED backlight and capable local dimming ensure a solid contrast performance with deep blacks and bright highlights that pop, plus the quantum dot colours are vibrant and punchy. The GoogleTV smart platform is intuitive and responsive, while the HDMI 2.1 inputs and a host of dedicated features also make this TV ideal for current-gen gamers.

It’s not perfect of course, with mild blooming on brighter HDR content, and clipping when tone mapping material graded at 4,000 and 10,000 nits. The HDR colour accuracy could be better as well, and the picture modes currently have a bug. The audio also feels a bit thin given the sheer size of this TV, and there are still no UK TV catch-up services.

However, at this price, I’m nitpicking and the reality is the 85in TCL C855 is the very definition of a big screen Best Buy.