The TCL 6 Series/R635 2020 QLED is TCL's flagship 4k LED TV for 2020. It's part of TCL's 6 Series lineup that includes the TCL 6 Series/R646 2021 QLED and the TCL 6 Series/R648 2021 8k QLED, and this model has Roku TV as its built-in smart interface. It's user-friendly and has a ton of apps available to download. It features Mini LED backlighting that allows the screen to get bright and is meant to provide greater control over the local dimming zones. It has most advanced features people are looking for in a high-end TV in 2020, like a 120Hz panel and variable refresh rate (VRR) support, but it doesn't have HDMI 2.1 bandwidth. It's been replaced in 2022 by the TCL 6 Series/R655 2022 QLED.
Our Verdict
The TCL R635 is a very good TV overall. It's great for watching movies in dark rooms thanks to its fantastic contrast ratio, but sadly, its local dimming feature causes blooming around bright objects. HDR content looks great as the TV displays a wide color gamut, and it gets bright enough to make highlights pop. It also has great gaming features like a quick response time and VRR support, but it doesn't have HDMI 2.1 bandwidth. It's good for watching sports and shows in bright rooms thanks to its high SDR peak brightness and decent reflection handling. Unfortunately, it has a narrow viewing angle, so it's not a good choice if you have a wide seating arrangement, as anyone sitting to the sides of the screen sees a degraded image.
- Fantastic contrast ratio.
- Excellent SDR peak brightness.
- Easy-to-use Roku interface.
- Displays wide color gamut for HDR content.
- Mini LED local dimming is mediocre.
- Narrow viewing angle.
- Uniformity issues.
The TCL R635 is very good for watching movies in a dark room. It has a VA panel that displays deep blacks, thanks to its fantastic contrast ratio. Sadly, the local dimming feature is mediocre, as there's noticeable blooming around bright objects. It also has some uniformity issues that are distracting in dark scenes. Fortunately, the TV automatically removes 24p judder from any source.
- Fantastic contrast ratio.
- Automatically removes judder from any source.
- Upscales lower-resolution content without any issues.
- Mini LED local dimming is mediocre.
The TCL R635 is good for watching TV shows in a bright room. It gets very bright and has decent reflection handling, so it combats glare very well. The built-in Roku OS is easy to use, and you can download a great selection of apps. Unfortunately, the TV has a narrow viewing angle, so it's not ideal for wide seating arrangements, as the image looks washed out from the sides.
- Excellent SDR peak brightness.
- Easy-to-use Roku interface.
- Upscales lower-resolution content without any issues.
- Narrow viewing angle.
The TCL R635 is good for watching sports in a bright room. It has a quick response time, so fast-moving content has minimal motion blur. It performs well in bright rooms because it gets bright enough to combat glare and handles reflections decently. Unfortunately, it has a narrow viewing angle, so it's not a good choice if you have a wide seating arrangement, as anyone sitting to the sides of the screen sees a degraded image. There's also some dirty screen effect in the center, which is distracting during sports with large areas of the same color, like hockey.
- Great response time.
- Excellent SDR peak brightness.
- Upscales lower-resolution content without any issues.
- Narrow viewing angle.
- Uniformity issues.
The TCL R635 is great for video games. It has a great response time, resulting in minimal motion blur, and there's a backlight strobing feature to improve the appearance of motion. It has low input lag for a responsive experience, but it's higher than other TVs, especially when gaming in 4k. The TV supports VRR for minimal screen-tearing and is capable of 120Hz, but since it lacks HDMI 2.1 bandwidth, you have to choose between 4k @ 60Hz or up to 1440p @ 120Hz. It's a great TV for dark-room gaming because it has a fantastic contrast ratio, but its local dimming feature is mediocre as it causes blooming.
- Fantastic contrast ratio.
- Great response time.
- VRR support.
- 120Hz panel.
- Mini LED local dimming is mediocre.
- No HDMI 2.1 bandwidth.
The TCL R635 is very good for HDR movies. It has a fantastic contrast ratio, resulting in deep blacks when viewed in the dark. Unfortunately, its local dimming feature is mediocre and causes blooming around bright objects when they're against a dark background. Fortunately, it displays a great wide color gamut for HDR content and gets bright enough to truly bring out highlights.
- Fantastic contrast ratio.
- Displays wide color gamut for HDR content.
- Gets bright enough to make highlights pop in HDR.
- Mini LED local dimming is mediocre.
The TCL R635 is great for HDR gaming. It has a quick response time, low input lag, and a 120Hz refresh rate with VRR support for a smooth and responsive gaming experience. Unfortunately, it lacks HDMI 2.1 bandwidth, so you have to choose between 4k @ 60Hz or up to 1440p @ 120Hz. HDR content looks great because it displays a wide color gamut, and it gets bright enough to make highlights pop. It also can display deep blacks, but sadly, its local dimming feature is mediocre and there's blooming around bright objects when they're against a dark background.
- Fantastic contrast ratio.
- Great response time.
- Displays wide color gamut for HDR content.
- Gets bright enough to make highlights pop in HDR.
- Mini LED local dimming is mediocre.
- No HDMI 2.1 bandwidth.
The TCL R635 is a good choice to use as a PC monitor. It displays chroma 4:4:4, which helps render text clearly, but only with a 4k resolution and not at 1080p or 1440p. It has a low input lag that delivers a responsive desktop experience and a quick response time for minimal blur behind quick cursor movements. Sadly, it has a narrow viewing angle, so the image looks washed out at the sides if you sit too close to the screen.
- Displays chroma 4:4:4 with a 4k resolution.
- Excellent SDR peak brightness.
- Narrow viewing angle.
- Uniformity issues.
Changelog
- Updated Sep 26, 2025: We uploaded the latest brightness measurements and uniformity photos for the Accelerated Longevity Test.
- Updated Jul 08, 2025: We uploaded the latest brightness measurements and uniformity photos for the Accelerated Longevity Test.
- Updated Apr 17, 2025: We uploaded the latest brightness measurements and uniformity photos for the Accelerated Longevity Test.
- Updated Feb 11, 2025: We uploaded the latest brightness measurements and uniformity photos for the Accelerated Longevity Test.
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Differences Between Sizes And Variants
We bought and tested the 55-inch TCL R635 (55R635), but our results are also valid for the 65-inch (65R635) and the 75-inch (75R635) sizes. The 55-inch unit we tested has about 220 local dimming zones, and it's advertised to have up to 240 on the larger sizes, so local dimming should perform the same between each size. TCL's lineup outside North America is very different, so we're not aware of any equivalents outside Canada and the United States.
| Size | US | Canada | Adjustable Stand |
| 55" | 55R635 | 55R635-CA | No |
| 65" | 65R635 | 65R635-CA | Yes |
| 75" | 75R635 | 75R635-CA | Yes |
If someone comes across a different type of panel or if their TCL R635 doesn't correspond to our review, let us know, and we will update the review. Note that some tests, such as gray uniformity, may vary between individual units.
You can see the label for our unit here.
Popular TV Comparisons
The TCL R635 offers good performance for its price, and most people should enjoy this TV. However, it's not nearly as good as its main competitor, the Hisense H9G, as it has too many uniformity issues, and the local dimming feature doesn't perform as well as some other higher-end TVs in 2020.
Also, see our recommendations for the best budget TVs, the best TCL TVs, and the best 4k TVs.
The TCL R635 and the TCL 6 Series/R646 2021 QLED sit alongside each other in the TCL 6 Series lineup. The R646 was released a year after the R635, so it improves in a few areas. The main difference is that the R646 has much better local dimming as there's less blooming around bright objects, but it doesn't deliver as deep blacks with local dimming enabled. The R646 also has two HDMI 2.1 inputs, which the R635 doesn't have, meaning you can use it for 4k gaming up to 120 fps. They each have different smart systems, with the R646 using Google TV and the R635 using Roku.
The TCL R635 is slightly better overall than the TCL 6 Series/R625 2019. The R635 model performs much better in well-lit rooms because it has improved reflection handling and it gets much brighter, so it combats glare easily. It also has a faster response time that makes motion look smoother in video games or when you watch sports. However, the R625 version is a better choice for dark room viewing since the local dimming feature is much better; there's a lot less blooming, and it has significantly better black uniformity, but this may vary between units.
The TCL 8 Series 2019/Q825 QLED and the TCL R635 are similarly performing TVs. That said, the R635 has more advanced features, like VRR support and eARC capability. It also has a lower input lag and a faster response time, so it's a better option for gaming. On the other hand, there's a lot more backlight bleed with the R635, causing issues with black uniformity; however, this can vary between units.
The Hisense U8G is significantly better than the TCL R635. The Hisense has a much better local dimming feature, and the unit we tested has significantly better black uniformity, so it looks better overall in a dark room. The Hisense also has much better reflection handling, and although minor for most people, it's a bit more future-proof, with two HDMI 2.1 ports.
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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