I have a new cheap mini-guided TV compared to a mid-range model, and here is why upgrading is worth more than a small price increase
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Some TV manufacturers now offer more models within their entire TV -Line -up, with smaller holes between them when it comes to functions and price, and this can make things confusing for potential TV buyers. Of course, if a TV level has a similar function list as a step-up model, is this the better deal, right? Well, that’s not always the case.
I recently tested two 2025 TVs guided by the UK TCLmakers of some of the Best TVs. The models are the entry-in-go and mid-range C7K, which earned 4 out of 5 stars in my TCL C7K Review. When I saw the 2025 C series Mini Guide for the first timeThe C7K seemed to be the Sweet Spot in terms of value, delivering the best image quality and functions for the price.
Because I had both TVs available, I decided to compare them side by side to see if the extra costs of the C7K were worth it.
For a price reference, the 55-inch C6K £ 599 and the 55-inch C7K costs £ 849. I compared the 55-inch C6K with the 65-inch C7K for my tests, however. If you are in the US, the nearest direct models are the TCL QM6K versus the TCL QM7K.
Brightness and color
Both TVs use mini-guided background lighting, which means that you get a higher brightness than with a standard LED TV. But crucial is that there are often brightness differences between entry and mid-range mini-guided models.
When I measured the peak clearance of both TVs (on a 10% white HDR Window in filmmaker -mode), the C6K hit 705 Nits, while the C7K hit 1,790 Nits – a considerable difference. But how do this translated into real-world?
The first area of comment was color, where it Best mini-guided TVs Often excel. Look at one 4k Blu-ray BadWith both TVs set on Dolby Vision Dark (which I found a more accurate viewing then Dolby Vision IQ), the advantage of the extra brightness of the C7K was clear.
In the Wizard & I Scene, the green of the skin of Elphaba, pink flowers, blue wall in blades and even the beige walls looked a lot of punchier and more lively on the C7K. The C6K did not look bad, but it also did not have the same level of definition that I expect to see in a film like BadWith the C7K that adds more color depth.
Even in the climax of the scene where Elphaba runs over a wheat field, it was yellow off the field and the sun more impact on the C7K. This showed that peak clearance, which is usually higher in more premium Gemini-conducted TVs compared to entry models, is a crucial factor for supplying vibrant colors.
Contrast and black levels
TVs with a background lighting, such as mini-guided models, use locally dimming to improve the contrast between light and dark areas on the screen. The more local dimming zones a TV has, the exactly it can dimming and light up of sections of the screen based on what is shown.
The 55-inch C6K has 180 local dim zones compared to the 65-inch C7K’s 1,008 local dim zones. Screen size has an impact on the number of local dim zones in a TV, but the 55-inch model of the C7K still has 720 zones, so there can be a considerable difference, even in models of the same size.
Looking at a 4K Blu-ray from NosferatuAgain in Dolby Vision Dark, scenes with extremely contrast, such as a black room that is only illuminated by a torch, fireplace or the moon, looked richer and more accurately on the C7K. Bright areas were brighter and the black shades were deeper, creating a much more dynamic and structured image.
The same was true in De BatmanWith the flash bumps of cameras and wall lamps better in contrast with the dark environment on the C7K. Even smaller details, such as light, reflected from Batman’s Cape, showed a stronger contrast, with a greater difference between the light and dark tones.
The higher number of local dimzones of the C7K also allowed it to show better shadow detail. In NosferatuWhile Hutler walks to the carriage to count Orlock’s at night, the C7K showed more of his face in the darkness, while the C6K crushed that level of detail.
Black and white – and shades of gray
It became even more interesting when viewing black -white films. Looking at the black and white scenes of OPPENHEIMERThe C7K still showed a greater contrast between deep blacks and white highlights and had a wider range of gray tones in between.
However, I noticed that the C6K had better screen uniformity (the possibility to display the same color evenly over larger areas of the screen) compared to the C7K. This was a problem that I had noticed as a problem in my C7K review, and it preferred me to view the C6K when viewing black -white content.
Conclusion
In summary, comparing these two TVs to each other proved that it pays to pay more. Yes, the C6K may have prevailed with black and white images, but the C7K surpasses color, contrast, black levels and also detail, with the C6K assuming a softer look in a side-to-side test.
That does not mean that the C6K is a bad TV. For his price it did well with every movie I threw on it, and it was a perfectly fine TV for Casual watching. But this is an example where, given the small £ 250 gorge in price of the respective 55-inch models, it is worth investing in the more premium option.
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