If you were to pick a 'best value' option - which would you pick? Is the Sony really worth an extra $300+ from the Hisense?
Is the Hisense really worth about 40% more than the TCL?
Which of These 55'' TVs Would You Choose? (TCL v Hisense v Sony)
colblair on 19/02/2021 - 15:46
Last edited 19/02/2021 - 16:37 by 1 other user
Last edited 19/02/2021 - 16:37 by 1 other user
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Assuming all the settings are accurate…
Display tv's can be adjusted to make one look better, which would be the one they make more commission from
Sony.
Do you plan on getting an XB:X or PS5, or have one already?
LG NANO86 is 120Hz, though limited availabilityNo current plans to get either at this point… still rocking an xbox360 :D
I'm more of a PC gamer really.
I have the 50" version of that TCL and pretty happy with it.
LG OLED
I wouldn't want to go over about $1700… the oleds all start around 3k it would appear. Not going to fit the budget this time.
LG OLEDs have a tendency to fail after 2-4 years for some people.
I have a Sony X9000H and it is superb. However if you are certain you will never use HDMI 2.1 for gaming in the future, the Hisense Q8 is fantastic value for what you get.
You've pulled 3 different brands from 3 different budget segments.
IMHO TCL and Hisense are much over muchness. Both make quality sub $1200 TV's.
Anything above that price range and you'd want to be sticking with a name brand such as Sony/Samsung etc. The name brands generally process lower quality video better.In this instance i'd go the Sony, although a Samsung would do nicely as well.
My gut feeling agrees with Drakesy. Take note, I have no hard evidence. But my thoughts lean exactly this way.
I've bought Sammy's, Sony's, and Hisense's over the years. Haven't regretted any of them except for maybe complaining about how sluggish the "smart" bit was. I don't even remember which one I was complaining about.
One likeable old fart salesperson told me something I've always agreed with. The best looking TV will be the one sitting in your space that you're watching. You won't be able to compare with other sets beside it at home.
Choice magazine rate the Hisense 58S5 highly and it's only $795. Unless 4K is a priority, where it's useless.
What's 4K for anyway? I haven't kept up. It's only good for the paid streaming services on the premium plans isn't it?
Wow 4K has been out for a while now
Streaming
Xbox one S and onwards for 4k discs
Xbox one X and onwards for 4k gamingMy non 4K 43" seven year old LG is still going good enough for me not to want to get rid of it. The Xbox somebody gave me years ago is still unused. The premium streaming with the big 4K tv seems mildly interesting but I know that after a month or two I will be back on the hedonic treadmill no better off than I am now.
Big (noticeable) difference in PPI for a 43" @ 1080p, vs 55"+ @ 4K. Not to mention HDR as well.
4K TVs also upscale content, whether it's TV, streaming or videos from your USB. There's a very significant difference when watching Full HD channels.
To be honest, there is not a huge difference for a 32" tv screen from a normal viewing distance. The larger the screen however the more noticeable it becomes. For a 65in TV 4k would be minimum, but for 100in you would want 8k or more, unless you are sitting much further away, which defeats the point of the large screen.
Ot does depend on content though. If you are still watching only free to air there's quite little 2k content, and even on streaming services like Netflix or Apple T, YouTube, etc. it can vary depending on your plan. Gaming and blurays are always going to offer 4k or better.
I have a 75" Sony and love it and would buy again.
I haven't looked at the others but it's better than my GFs Samsung and the Panasonic I bought 10 years back
sony, though you should be able to get it down to around $1550ish
I have the Hisense Q8 in a 55 inch and it's an amazing TV for the price - the Full Array Local Dimming is a massive plus… movies and TV look crisp, blacks are great.
I did a side-by-side in store and it blows the S8 out of the water. TCL also no match.
It's great value and can highly recommend it.
First useful comment in here imo.
Did you compare against the Sony x90 by any chance?Not directly but the Sony wasn't in my price range. I reached a little for the Q8 as I thought it was worth the extra coin.
FYI JB Hi Fi seems to have an extra 5% off coupon this weekend - it may be able to get the prices down further if eligible.
I've looked at both Q8 and X90 in store and to my untrained eye they are very similar.
Agree than S8 is woeful in comparison to Q8. I wouldn't go S8.
Thankyou for that feedback, very useful :)
TCL for sure
Sony
you get what you pay for.
both TCL and HiSense are low end TVs, though out of those 2 i'd go with HiSense
But the Sony beats both of them obviously.I recently got a 50" Samsung TU8000 for $799 - JB Hifi matched these guys https://www.appliancecentral.com.au/tv-audio/televisions/ult…
But there are bigger ones available, very happy with mine!https://www.samsung.com/au/tvs/uhd-4k-tv/tu8000-55-inch-crys…
https://www.jbhifi.com.au/products/samsung-tu8000-55-crystal…
https://www.appliancecentral.com.au/tv-audio/televisions/ult…What features do you NEED in your TV?
This is edge lit vs. the FALD of the Hisense. FALD is a no-brainer to me, especially after viewing side-by-side.
Samsung?
Sony
Sony picture quality and the overall tv quality
Sony is $1603 + Delivery on Jb Commercial. You may be able to price match in store and throw in that 5% off for $1522
CHOICE tested the Hisense and Sony models and did not find much difference in the picture quality.
I can't see the value in randoms asking randoms for comparative assessments when they only own one of the tvs in the assessment, if that.
Problem with Hisense is quality and software bugs. People buying their most expensive Dual Cell TVs have had significant defects out of the box.
The Sony is excellent. And if you're looking at it everyday it may be worth the extra. Skimp elsewhere imho
I had a look at all these and ended up choosing a Kogan. Delivered to my door $700 including extended warranty and delivery for a 55".
Picture quality great, android TV so you can run all the apps, chromecast built in etc
I struggled to find better value.
Just my 2c
https://www.kogan.com/au/buy/kogan-55-smart-hdr-4k-led-tv-an…
Sony
have a look at Kogan site also Soniq site,I purchased a Soniq refurbished 55inch smart tv including link and phone number for internet connection the keyboard is on the reverse side of the remote control for $389 in July 2019 I have had no problems what so ever,I purchased a 40inch Sonic $249 with 3 yrs free warranty refurbished approx 6 years ago from JB HIFI again no problems,
Completely different price points. The Sony or Hisense are 100% the best options over the TCL, and if it's within your budget go with the Sony. They both have full-array backlighting meaning proper blacks in dark movie scenes, and way getter HDR reproduction with greater contrast between darker and lighter areas of scenes.
The Sony has better build quality, motion smoothing and speakers, as well as the tight quality control and excellent colour reproduction Sony TVs are known for. Over the Hisense, it has better gradient handling, responds to remote inputs faster, and uses 55-65% less power (depending on brightness) according to rtings.com which does comprehensive tests. Looking at the specs, the X90H has the added benefit of HDMI 2.1 and 4K@120Hz to support gaming consoles. It also has the X1 chip which work to improve clarity and colours. I have used the cheaper X8000H version and it works and looks great.
Big difference with software is that Sony regularly releases firmware updates, and supports Apple Airplay 2 as well as Apple TV.
Hisense also does not support Disney+ nor Kayo from what I've read.
Kayo was added last week. Still waiting on D+.
Sony… the other two may not have all of the apps you might want on a smart TV. I know someone in my family got a Hisense and had to spend more money on another plug in device so that they could get Kayo.
I've got another device anyway, so couldn't care less what the 'smart' side to any TV is.
The smart side doesn't matter, but the display colour accuracy, contrast, black uniformity, brightness, viewing angles etc etc really matters, and that is where rtings.com comes in. You can't change the panel.
Pretty sure the Q8 is pretty good in all of these apart from perhaps some issue with motion blur?
But should still be miles better than the TCL due to local dimming, etc?
If budget allows probably go with the Sony, but if prefer to spend $1300ish the Hisense is much better than TCL?
Yes, if the budget is $1300 the Q8 (H8G in the US) makes the most sense and is far better than the TCLs.
The closest competitor from Sony is the X8000H with no local dimming (direct backlight), which has more accurate colours (as you'd expect from any Sony), 10% better HDR brightness, better viewing angles due to the IPS panel and slightly lower power consumption.
I had relatives who were able to get the price down to around $1350 from Bing Lee for the 55".However the Hisense has better contrast due to the VA panel and local dimming. The biggest downside IMO is the VIDAA OS which doesn't have Disney+, Kayo, Airplay, Apple TV, native screen and photo mirroring from Android phones, and isn't as easy to use.
Sounds like you need to go and physically check them out in store to see the physical differences. JB HiFi may have them on show in some of their bigger stores.
Once you physically see them you can make up your own mind which one you find is best value for what you have seen.