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TCL C8K review: Two minute review
The TCL C8K’s picture is bright, with striking colors, strong contrast, and realistic-looking textures. Its motion processing requires some setup, but once this is done, it’s one of the best TVs for sports and fast-paced action movies. Its backlight is well controlled, with only minimal occurrences of blooming during my testing. Like its step-down siblings, the C7K and C6K, the C8K has screen uniformity issues that prevent it from being best-in-class, but its picture is otherwise excellent.
Boasting a 6.2.2-channel Bang & Olufsen speaker system, the C8K delivers solid built-in sound. Bass is powerful and punchy, sound effects are accurately mapped to the on-screen action and speech is clear with most content. Still, its sound feels surprisingly contained to the screen for a 6.2.2-channel speaker system. Some people will be happy with the C8K’s sound, but I’d recommend pairing it with one of the best soundbars.
The C8K is a chunkier TV than most, but its design feels functional and solid. Its Google TV smart platform offers great app access, but has large, distracting banner ads. For viewers who like to tweak their picture and sound, the C8K offers plenty of setup options.
Gaming is well covered by the C8K, with 4K 144Hz, AMD FreeSync Premium Pro, ALLM and Dolby Vision gaming all supported. Its 13.2ms measured input lag time is respectable, and it delivers strong gaming performance, though there are only two HDMI 2.1 ports.
The C8K is well-priced for the features and performance it offers, and I expect its price will continue to drop over the coming months. It really is great value for money, and a strong contender in a saturated mini-LED TV market.
TCL C8K review: Prices & release date
- Release date: July 2025 (65-inch) TBA (other sizes)
- 65-inch: £1,599/AU$2,495
- 75-inch: TBA/AU$3,295
- 85-inch: TBA/AU$4,295
- 98-inch: TBA/AU$7,995
The TCL C8K is one of the flagship mini-LED TVs in TCL’s 2025 lineup and sits above the entry-level C6K and mid-range C7K models. It is currently TCL’s flagship TV for the UK, though two additional models, the C9K and X11K, will be available in Europe.
The 65-inch model I tested launched at £1,599/AU$2,495. We don’t have pricing yet for the 75-, 85-inch or 98-inch models in the UK, which are arriving later this year. These are available in Europe for €1,799 (roughly £1,550) for the 75-inch, €2,299 (roughly £1,999) for the 85-inch and €3,299 (roughly £2,850) for the 98-inch, though we expect prices to be higher in the UK.
Prices for the C8K’s other sizes are as follows in Australia: 75-inch (AU$3,295), 85-inch (AU$4,295) and 98-inch (AU$7,995).
TCL C8K review: Specs
|
Screen type |
Mini-LED |
|
Refresh rate |
144Hz |
|
HDR support |
Dolby Vision IQ, HDR10+, HDR10, HLG |
|
Audio support |
Dolby Atmos, DTS:X |
|
Smart TV |
Google TV |
|
HDMI ports |
4 (2x HDMI 2.1) |
TCL C8K review: Benchmark results
TCL C8K review: Features
- Halo Control tech for improved local dimming
- Dolby Vision and HDR10+ support
- Audio by Bang & Olufsen
The TCL C8K uses a CrystalGlow WHVA display panel with up to 3,840 local dimming zones in the 65-inch model. That’s a significant step-up over its predecessor, the TCL C855, which had 1,344 dimming zones in its 65-inch model. Its mini-LED backlight uses Halo Control technology for more precise local dimming, and the new panel has glare reduction and an Ultra Wide Viewing Angle feature for improved off-axis performance.
The C8K supports the Dolby Vision and HDR10+ HDR formats, along with HDR10 and HLG. It is IMAX Enhanced and has a Filmmaker Mode picture preset, a first for a TCL TV.
A 6.2.2-channel Audio by Bang & Olufsen speaker array on the C8K supports both Dolby Atmos and DTS Virtual: X audio formats. It comes with a custom BeoSound setting, and also features the usual array of other sound presets.
For gaming, the C8K features 4K 144Hz, AMD FreeSync Premium Pro, ALLM and Dolby Vision gaming, and also supports up to a 288Hz refresh rate at 1080p resolution. There are only two HDMI 2.1 ports, however.
Google TV is the C8K’s smart TV platform, and it features all the big streaming apps such as Netflix, Disney+ and Prime Video, along with major UK streaming services such as BBC iPlayer and ITVX.
TCL C8K review: Picture quality
- High brightness and strong contrast
- Vibrant colors
- Some screen uniformity issues
The first thing to know about the TCL C8K’s picture is that it’s bright. Measuring the C8K’s out-of-the-box peak HDR brightness, it hit 4,539 nits in Standard mode, 3,144 nits in Filmmaker Mode and 3,988 nits in Movie mode. Those are impressive numbers, but a quick trip to the settings revealed that this was with the Boost peak brightness setting turned on. Turning peak brightness down to High, the setting below Boost, it yielded results of 3,417 nits and 3,050 nits in Standard and Movie, respectively. Those are still staggeringly high numbers, but it means you get roughly 1,000 nits additional brightness in Boost mode.
The C8K’s measured fullscreen HDR brightness is equally impressive at 776 nits and 685 nits in Standard and Filmmaker Mode/Movie mode, respectively. Those results rival the more pricey Samsung QN90F, which hit 669 nits fullscreen HDR brightness in its Movie picture mode when we tested it.
Watching high-definition content, the C8K did a solid job with upscaling, giving a stream of Fight Club a crisp look while also boosting color and black levels. I found that the TV’s picture looked too dim in Filmmaker Mode when watching standard dynamic range programs, however, so I switched to using Movie mode. The C8K’s upscaling of standard-definition content wasn’t as impressive, especially as compared to more premium mini-LED TVs like the Samsung QN90F or OLED TVs we’ve tested in 2025, like the LG G5.
Color rendition is where the C8K shines most. Watching a Disney+ stream of Elemental, the reds, purples and oranges looked vibrant and punchy. A 4K Blu-ray of Wicked demonstrated vivid pinks in a shot of flowers while also showing accurate greens in the trees and in Elphaba’s skin. Colors had plenty of depth and detail, rivalling the Samsung QN90F in this regard. Both of these movies were in Dolby Vision, and while I found that Dolby Vision Dark provided a more accurate picture, colors looked surprisingly better using the Dolby Vision IQ preset.
Measuring the C8K’s HDR colour gamut, it hit 96.8% of the DCI-P3 and 78.8% of the BT.2020 colour spaces, both of which are great numbers for a TV in this price range.
The C8K also exhibited very good contrast and shadow detail. Watching a 4K Blu-ray of The Batman in Dolby Vision Dark mode, there was a solid balance between lamps and torches and the dark walls and floors in the opening crime scene sequence. The C8K also maintained good shadow detail, with Batman’s chestplate and facial details remaining visible in darker sequences.
I did find that black levels were raised on the C8K when watching The Batman, especially in pitch black room lighting conditions. It demonstrated great backlight control with very little blooming, however, even in dimly lit conditions and dark scenes.
Throughout testing, I was impressed by the C8K’s rendering of textures. Facial features and skin tones looked refined, with a crisp, yet natural look. Objects also had plenty of refined detail, again without ever looking overly sharp.
Motion handling on the C8K was good, but only after I’d spent some time adjusting settings. For sports such as a football match on Prime Video in Standard mode, setting motion clarity to low with Dynamic Color turned off yielded the most accurate picture with smooth motion and no motion artifacts. The same was true for movies with these settings applied, with a scene from No Time To Die where a panning shot of Bond walking across a cliffside appeared smooth with minimal judder. Setting judder reduction to 5 and blur reduction to 3 in the C8K’s Custom motion settings also demonstrated good results.
The C8K’s picture falls short in the same way as its C7K and C6K step-down siblings: screen uniformity. Watching the black and white scenes in Oppenheimer, the C8K struggled to display gray tones on the screen evenly, revealing some brown tint on the borders of the screen. This wasn’t obvious in any other content aside from black and white images, however.
- Picture quality score: 4.5/5
TCL C8K review: Sound quality
- Audio by Bang & Olufsen
- Good bass
- Sound contained to screen
The C8K has a built-in Audio by Bang & Olufsen 6.2.2-channel speaker system totalling 90W of power. Both Dolby Atmos and DTS Virtual: X sound formats are supported.
For my testing, I primarily used the Movie sound preset. Watching the Batmobile/Penguin car chase from The Batman, the C8K’s built-in speakers delivered punchy bass that captured the rumble of the Batmobile’s engine, as well as the crushing impact of car crashes. The connection between sound and the action on screen was also accurate as the two cars swerved between traffic. Watching Wicked, sound effects and music were well-balanced, and speech and vocals were clear throughout most content.
While the C8K’s sound was clear and well-controlled, it also felt contained, never fully extending beyond the borders of the screen. This lessened the impact of some sound effects in Dolby Atmos soundtracks, such as rain in The Batman or the broom flight in Wicked.
The C8K’s sound is good overall, but I’d recommend investing in one of the best Dolby Atmos soundbars.
TCL C8K review: Design
- Zero-border screen
- Functional design
- Deeper than other TVs
The C8K has a mostly functional design. It’s lightweight for its size, but still feels solid when attached to its pedestal stand. The stand itself is weighty enough, but is on the deeper side, exceeding the depth of the TV stand in our testing lab – something that doesn’t happen often. And despite being made of plastic, it does have a nice faux-metal finish.
The 65-inch C8K I tested is noticeably thicker than most other TVs, presumably to house the speaker system. It features a ‘Zero Border’ design, and while not as trim as more premium OLEDs, the bezel is still very thin, allowing for more of the picture to feature on screen.
The C8K’s supplied remote is similar to the one that came with its TCL C855 predecessor. It features the major buttons needed and has a simple brushed silver finish that makes it feel more premium than other remotes in this price range. It’s worth noting that this may not be the included remote at retail, as by UK law, numbered buttons are required. So it’s possible the C8K will feature the same remote that the step-down C7K is supplied with.
TCL C8K review: Smart TV & menus
- Google TV
- Good number of picture and audio settings
- Large ads dominate homescreen
Like all TCL TVs, the C8K uses Google TV as its smart TV platform. Google TV provides access to a good number of apps, such as Netflix and Prime Video, but also UK-based ones such as BBC iPlayer and ITVX. It’s worth noting that a Google login is required to use apps, but this provides personalized recommended content on the homescreen, as well as a ‘continue watching’ feature for some apps.
As usual with Google TV, large banner ads are still something you have to contend with on the homescreen, pushing apps further down the page.
There are a good number of settings here for those who like to adjust their TV’s picture. And sound adjustments include a ‘Custom’ sound setting called Beosonic that lets you tailor the sound for a Bright, Warm, Relaxed or Energetic presentation. Menus are easy enough to navigate, and performance is generally stable while scrolling.
- Smart TV & menus score: 4/5
TCL C8K review: Gaming
- 4K 144Hz, AMD FreeSync Premium Pro and Dolby Vision gaming
- 13.2ms input lag
- Only two HDMI 2.1 ports
The C8K supports a strong list of gaming features, including 4K 144Hz, VRR (AMD FreeSync Premium Pro included), ALLM and Dolby Vision gaming. It can also support a 288Hz refresh rate at 1080p resolution for PC gaming.
The C8K’s gaming performance is very good overall. Its 13.2ms input lag time is below the 15ms threshold most gamers look for, and when playing Battlefield V on Xbox Series X, the action felt smooth and responsive, with chaotic battle sequences handled well.
The C8K only has two HDMI 2.1 ports. That’s typical for TVs other than LG and Samsung models, although the new Hisense U8QG provides three HDMI 2.1 ports.
TCL C8K review: Value
Image 1 of 2
- Competitive price
- Strong list of features for the money
- Better mini-LEDs available, but for much more
Launching at £1,599 / AU$2,495 for the 65-inch model, the C8K sits roughly between the Samsung QN80F (£1,299) and Samsung QN90F (£1,899 / AU$2,999) in the mini-LED TV market. Its closest rival, the Hisense U8QG, is slightly pricier at £1,699 / AU$2,795, with both TVs delivering great performance for the money.
If you want good performance at an even lower price, the step-down TCL C7K is £899 / AU$1,399 for the 65-inch model, which is outstanding value, and the 65-inch C6K is only £599 / AU$1,195. The C8K will give you a step-up in performance over these two cheaper models, however.
Compared to its rivals, the C8K hits the sweet spot with price vs performance and although it’s launching at £1,599, we’re already seeing listings of £1,299 online for the 65-inch model in the UK. I expect prices to drop even further as we head towards Black Friday.
Should you buy the TCL C8K?
|
Attributes |
Notes |
Rating |
|
Features |
Comprehensive HDR support and great gaming features |
4.5/5 |
|
Picture quality |
Bright and colorful with great detail and contrast but some issues with screen uniformity |
4.5/5 |
|
Sound quality |
Punchy bass and clear speech, but sound feels contained to the screen |
4/5 |
|
Design |
Solid but practical design, with a deeper than usual display panel and pedestal stand |
4/5 |
|
Smart TV & menus |
Google TV has a good number of apps and picture/sound settings, but large banner ads are distracting |
4/5 |
|
Gaming |
Great performance with strong list of features but only two HDMI 2.1 ports |
4.5/5 |
|
Value |
Excellent value for the performance and features on offer |
4.5/5 |
Buy it if…
Don’t buy it if…
Also consider
| Header Cell – Column 0 |
TCL C8K (2025) |
TCL C7K (2025) |
Hisense U8QG (2025) |
Samsung QN90F (2025) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Price (65-inch) |
£1,599 |
£1,399 |
£2,199 |
£2,499 |
|
Screen type |
Mini-LED |
Mini-LED |
Mini-LED |
Mini-LED |
|
Refresh rate |
Up to 144Hz (4K), up to 288Hz (1080p) |
Up to 144Hz |
Up to 144Hz |
Up to 144Hz |
|
HDR support |
Dolby Vision IQ/HDR10+/HDR10/HLG |
Dolby Vision IQ/HDR10+/HDR10/HLG |
Dolby Vision IQ/HDR10+/HDR10/HLG |
HDR10+/HDR10/HLG |
|
Smart TV |
Google TV |
Google TV |
VIDAA (UK) Google TV (US) |
Tizen |
|
HDMI ports |
4 (2x HDMI 2.1) |
4 (2x HDMI 2.1) |
4 (2x HDMI 2.1) |
4 x HDMI 2.1 |
How I tested the TCL C8K
- Subjective viewing tests using HDR and SDR sources
- Tested in TechRadar’s testing room for over a week
- Measurements made using Portrait Displays’ Calman color calibration software
I started testing with casual viewing to establish the C8K’s best picture modes for SDR, HDR and Dolby Vision viewing. I landed on Filmmaker Mode, Movie, Dolby Vision IQ and Dolby Vision Dark, depending on the content.
Subjective viewing tests were conducted using both SDR (HD and standard-definition) and HDR (4K Blu-ray and streaming) sources to analyse the C8K’s picture quality. I focused on colour, black levels and contrast, shadow detail, textures, motion handling and upscaling.
I then analysed the C8K’s built-in sound quality, focusing on bass , clarity and surround sound effectiveness.
For objective measurements, I used a test pattern generator and colorimeter and recorded the measurements with Portrait Displays’ Calman colour calibration software.
I analysed the C8K’s brightness using SDR and HDR white window patterns from 1-100% in size, focusing on 10% (peak brightness) and 100% (fullscreen brightness) in particular.
I also analysed the C8K’s SDR grayscale and colour accuracy, averaging out the Delta-E values (the margin for error between the test pattern and what’s shown on screen) for both.
I measured HDR colour gamut coverage for the UHDA-P3 and BT.2020 colour spaces, which reveals how well a TV can display the extended colour range in HDR sources.
Finally, I analysed the C8K’s input lag time using a Leo Bodnar 4K HDMI Input lag Tester.
For a full run-down of how we test TVs at TechRadar, check out the link.
