The TCL 6 Series 2018 is also known as the R615 or R617 depending on the manufacturer variant.
Our Verdict
Very good TV for mixed usage. The R617 is a versatile TV that's good for pretty much everything. There are some gray uniformity issues, which makes it a less good choice for sports due to the dirty screen effect, and the image degrades rapidly when viewed at an angle, which is bad for those with wide seating.
- Very bright in HDR and SDR.
- Excellent low input lag for gaming.
- Good local dimming and native contrast produce deep blacks.
- Picture quality degrades at an angle.
- Uniformity could be better.
Great TV for watching movies in a dark room. The TCL 6 Series has an excellent native contrast ratio, and the local dimming feature is decent for dimming darker areas of the screen. There may be some issues with uniformity, depending on your specific panel.
Good TV for watching TV in a brightly lit room. The R617 is able to get very bright and can overcome most glare, but the reflection handling isn't as good as high-end TVs, so some direct glare might be bothersome. The picture quality also degrades rapidly when viewed at an angle, which is bad for those with wide seating.
The TCL R617 is a good TV for watching sports. It has a great response time that makes fast-moving motion look clear. This TV can get really bright and it does a decent job with reflection handling, so you can still place it in a bright room. The gray uniformity is mediocre, so there's visible dirty screen effect that you'll notice when watching sports. Additionally, the viewing angles are poor, so it's not a good TV to watch with a big group of people.
The 55R617 is amazing for playing video games. Gamers will enjoy the incredibly low input lag and great response time, plus it has a black frame insertion feature to help reduce motion blur. This TV has a great contrast ratio, resulting in deep blacks if you game in the dark. Unfortunately, if you're looking for an immersive gaming experience, the sound quality is disappointing. However, this TV displays 1080p content, such as from older consoles, almost as well as 4k content.
Great TV for watching HDR movies. The TCL 6 Series gets very bright in HDR, and the excellent native contrast and decent local dimming make for a good dark room viewing experience. It also has a good wide color gamut, but it isn't as wide as higher-end TVs.
Impressive TV for HDR gaming. The R617 has excellent low input lag in game mode, and it has a great response time so games are free of annoying trails. The native contrast and good color gamut help games look their best. It doesn't support a 120Hz input, so some gamers might be disappointed.
Good TV for use as a PC monitor. The 6 Series 2018 supports chroma 4:4:4 when in PC mode, so text looks sharp and clear. It has low input lag and a good response time which keeps it responsive. The viewing angle is quite limited, so if sitting too close, the edges of the screen might fade and lose detail. There are also many reports of uniformity issues, so using it for web browsing might be a problem for some people.
Changelog
- Updated May 21, 2020: Converted to Test Bench 1.5.
- Updated Feb 21, 2020: Converted to Test Bench 1.4.
- Updated Feb 28, 2019: Converted to Test Bench 1.3.
- Updated Jan 09, 2019: We retested the DTS passthrough with the new firmware and now it works properly. The corresponding review section has been updated.
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Differences Between Sizes And Variants
We tested the 55" (55R617). For the most part, we expect our review to be valid for the 65" version (65R617) as well. We have received wide reports of issues with gray uniformity. While we expect our results to be representative of most people's experience, results may vary.
If someone comes across a different type of panel or if their TCL R617 doesn't correspond to our review, let us know and we will update the review.
The variant found at Bestbuy (55R615) is the same TV, but it has a simpler IR remote that requires line-of-sight and doesn't have the voice control feature.
Warehouse outlets will sell the R613, which is identical to the R617 including the voice remote, but still doesn't include the private listening feature of the P607.
| Size | Model | Best Buy Variant | Warehouse Variant |
| 55" | 55R617 | 55R615 | 55R613 |
| 65" | 65R617 | 65R615 | 65R613 |
| 75" | 75R617 | 75R615 | - |
In Europe, the TCL models are completely different and do not directly correspond with the U.S. models.
Update 01/07/2019: TCL has released a 75" model. It has more local dimming zones, but we expect it to perform about the same. Note that some initial reports indicated that it had a 120Hz panel, but we've received confirmation from multiple owners that this isn't the case. Some retailers incorrectly indicate that the 75" model is a 2019 model. It shouldn't be confused with the TCL 6 Series 2019 R625; they aren't the same model.
Popular TV Comparisons
The TCL 6 Series is a great, versatile TV that offers excellent value. It outperforms most of the competition in the same price bracket and is the best Roku TV we've tested so far. See also our recommendations for the best TVs under $1,000.
The TCL 6 Series 2018 is somewhat better than the TCL P Series/P607 2017. The TCL 6 Series has a motion interpolation feature, which will please the soap opera effect fans, and a slightly better SDR peak brightness, which is great if you watch TV shows in a brighter room. The 6 Series also has better black frame insertion (BFI) that clears the image blur in fast action. On the other hand, the TCL P607 has slightly better contrast, which is great if you watch movies in a dark room, and a lower input lag to please those who play video games.
The TCL 6 Series/R625 2019 is very similar to the TCL 6 Series 2018. The R625 has a more premium design and a much better local dimming feature, but the 6 Series 2018 is brighter and has better reflection handling. The R625 has a higher backlight flicker frequency, but a slower response time, and motion doesn't look as good.
The TCL 6 Series 2018 is significantly better than the TCL S517. The TCL 6 Series incorporates local dimming support to improve blacks in a dark room, and at the same time, it can get brighter, which is great for a bright room with glare. The TCL 6 Series has better response time, so only a small blur trails the image when you watch sports and has an optional black frame insertion to introduce flicker and make the image crisper. Finally, the TCL 6 Series has much better HDR performance.
The TCL 6 Series 2018 and the LG UM7300 use different panel technologies, each with their strengths and weaknesses. The TCL is better for watching movies or gaming in a dark room, as it has much better contrast, a full array local dimming feature, and an optional black frame insertion feature. The UM7300, on the other hand, is better suited for watching sports or TV shows in a bright room with wide seating.
We buy and test dozens of TVs yearly, taking an objective, data-driven approach to deliver results you can trust. Our testing process is complex, with hundreds of individual tests that take over a week to complete. Most of our tests use specially designed test patterns that mimic real content, but we also use the same sources you have at home to ensure our results match the real-world experience. We use two main tools for our testing: a Colorimetry Research CR-100 colorimeter and a CR-250 spectroradiometer.
Test Results
Older Test Bench: This product has been tested using an older TV test methodology, before a major update. Some of the test results below aren't directly comparable with other TVs. Learn more
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