TCL is one of the brands that has opted most forcefully for LCD televisions with mini LED backlighting. I had the opportunity to try their first proposal equipped with this technology more than three and a half years ago, in January 2020. And it left me very good taste in the mouth. The image quality of that television, the X10 model, placed it at a level comparable to that of LG’s OLED C9 and Samsung’s Q90R. Big words.
I was able to test these three televisions simultaneously and in almost ideal conditions, and I was surprised by the audacity with which the X10 beat these two high-end models from Samsung and LG in some sections, such as maximum brightness delivery capacity or recovery of detail in shadow regions. The X955 model is TCL’s current flagship television, and it has inherited many of the qualities of that great X10. However, it has in its favor how much this brand’s engineers have refined its mini LED technology since then.
TCL X955: technical specifications
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characteristics
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panel
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10-bit, 144 Hz, 16:9, 98% DCI-P3 color space coverage VA 4K UHD LCD
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resolution
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3,840 x 2,160 points
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sizes available
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85 and 98 inches
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hdr
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Dolby Vision IQ, HDR10+, HDR10 and HLG
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backlight
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Mini LED with 5,184 independent local dimming zones
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typical brightness
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720 nits
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maximum brightness
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5,000 nits (peak)
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contrast
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6,000:1
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image processor
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AiPQ Processor 3.0
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OS
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Google TV
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sound
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4.2.2 channels
Total power (RMS): up to 160 watts
Dolby Atmos DTS-HD Calibrated by Onkyo |
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gaming technologies |
VRR, ALLM, Game Master 2.0 and AMD FreeSync Premium Pro |
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connectivity |
2 x HDMI 2.1 and 2 x HDMI 2.0 |
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wireless connectivity |
Wi-Fi 6 Bluetooth 5.2 |
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dimensions |
2,178 x 418 x 1,287 mm (with feet) (98 inches) |
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weight |
69 kg (with feet) (98 inches) |
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price |
From 4,599 euros |
Its 5,000 nits are impressive, but this is not its only strong asset
At the moment this television is available in Spain in 85 and 98 inches, although an even larger version will arrive later. Its panel has been manufactured by TCL, and is a 10-bit VA type LCD matrix, with 4K UHD resolution and a frequency of 144Hz native refresh. A sheet of nanocrystals is responsible for color reproduction, which, according to this brand, is capable of covering 98% of the DCI-P3 color space. All of this sounds good, but the most impressive thing is the maximum brightness delivery capacity of this TV.
Its mini LED backlight array brings together several tens of thousands of diodes organized into 5,184 independent local dimming zones.
And TCL assures us that its backlighting system is capable of delivering peaks of 5,000 nits in a window that occupies 10% of the panel surface. This specification is impressive, but the numbers are often not supported by the actual performance of some televisions, so I am not usually intimidated by the figures. It is not the case. The images I have taken to illustrate this article do not do justice to the brightness delivery capacity of this television when it is in front of you. I assure you that it is overwhelming.
Its mini LED backlight array brings together several tens of thousands of diodes organized into 5,184 independent local dimming zones. TCL announces a 6,000:1 contrast ratio which fits well with what I have been able to perceive during this first contact. Yes, its blacks are extremely deep, not as deep as those provided by a good OLED television, which usually has a lower residual brightness, but in this section it easily rivals the best LCD televisions I have tested.
Still, its ability to recover detail in shadow regions impressed me more than the density of its blacks. The credit goes to the algorithm that is responsible for managing the mini LED backlight matrix and image processing, but the truth is that in this area this television is devastating. I would have liked to be able to try it with my own material (perhaps in the future the appropriate circumstances will arise to do so), but during this first contact it has shown me that in this area it fights head to head, for example, with the X95L of Sony, which is an outstanding LCD TV.
Its ability to recover detail in highlights (they are the most illuminated areas of each frame) does not seem as notable to me as what it offers us in the shadow regions, but here it also exhibits a high level. And when it comes to color I have nothing to object to. When the video signal it receives is up to par, this TV solve colorimetry with a lot of richness and a notable level of saturation. Nanocrystals have evolved a lot since they emerged in 2015, and the ones that TCL engineers have developed for this television are not the same ones that the X10 model had when I tested it in January 2020.
I’ve purposely saved the best for last. During this first contact, I have not been able to confirm with a spectrophotometer if it really delivers the 5,000 nit brightness peaks that TCL promises us, but I would bet that it does. It seems reasonable to question the impact that this monstrous brightness delivery capacity can have on our experience, and yes, if the contents are not up to par it is impossible to take advantage of these brightness peaks.
However, when we feed the panel with Dolby Vision content, its capacity for expression is spectacular. The realism that gives the images the possibility of delivering so much brightness in some limited regions of the panel is undoubted, which together with a very well-tuned image processing capable of minimize high frequency noise and reproducing foreground objects in great detail allows the X955 to shine. In my opinion this is one of the best mini LED LCD televisions on the market, although it is clear that its size and price put it out of the reach of most movie buffs.
