Televisions are getting bigger, and better. As Indian living rooms go larger and wider than ever, thanks to the shifts in the realty market and how home designs change over time, TV makers are now rolling out televisions with larger and thinner screens with swanky designs and better display, given that the broadband revolution has made streaking of ultra HD content affordable and accessible, even in small towns and rural India.

TCL, popular for a wide spectrum of electronics products including TVs, is one of the leading players in India that experiment with innovative features and impressive pricing. TCL’s recently launched premium television series -- the C815 -- sticks to the company’s legacy. The 4K QLED TV comes in three variants: 55-inch (Rs 69,990), 65-inch (Rs 99,990) and 75-inch (Rs 1,39,990).

Neat interface and design

The most noticeable feature about this QLED TV is the integrated speaker boxes, which are placed at the bottom of the slim TV. The device is a lean beauty. It has a less-bezels design and the entire form factor is quite appealing to the eye. The TV comes with basic table-top mounting stands, which are easy to set up. TCL doesn’t provide the wall-mounting gears along with the TV but the installation personnel will be able to help you with that.

We tested the 75-inch variant, wall-mounted. The Android TV with built-in Google Chromecast feature runs of a decent CPU (ARM’s 64-bit A55×4 900MHz ~ 1.1GHz) blacked by a power-efficient graphic chip, ARM’s Mali 470 (600MHz ~800MHz), which powers several power-sensitive smartwatches and IoT gadgets. The TV has a 2 GB RAM. We haven’t experienced any noticeable lags in the way the TV plays content, including 4K and UHD video, even though the booting experience takes a little longer than expected.

Once alive, the device is ready to kick. The TCL C815 comes with a neat user interface. Navigating through the UI is an easy task. The basic software setup takes only a few minutes. You can connect the TV to the network and start streaming right away. The TV features a neat row of useful ports: three HDMI slots, two USB 2.0 ports, one each for digital audio, DTH cable antenna, ethernet, AV-in and the headphone.

There is no option to link the TV to an external audio source via bluetooth, though. Usually at night, playing loud audio becomes an issue at most homes; so in general people love connecting the screen to an efficient headphone via bluetooth and enjoy the TV experience. You will miss that here and have to rely on the built-in speakers. The built-in ONKYO audio system offers an output of 2x15W+20W.

Even on a low-intensity broadband connection (less than 20 Mbps speed), the TV rendered video effortlessly, adjusting automatically to the resolution and optimising the performance -- which is an impressive feat, something we generally see in super-premium TVs. The launcher page shows Google Play, featured apps and the source menu. Most streaming apps are supported by the TCL C815. TCL also has an in-house app store from which you can install many entertainment (video and audio) apps.

Premium display and sound

The display panel feels a bit plasticky, but it is robust and strong. The 3840×2160 QLED display with a default aspect ratio of 16:9 is crisp and well-saturated and offers a good viewing angle of 178 degrees. For starters, QLED or quantum dot panels use a metallic quantum dot filter to improve colour and contrast. It helps play HDR and 4K content smoothly. We haven’t experienced any bleeds or blurs while playing videos, either via USB or while streaming. The TCL C815 supports most known codecs of video and audio, such as the H.265, H.264, MPEG2/4, VC1 and VP9. One of the most interesting facts about the display of the TCL C815 is that it offers a refresh rate of 120Hz, which means if you want to connect it to a gaming console and play games, this is a great option.

Considering the price, and the size, the TCL C815’s display performance is satisfyingly premium. The TV supports Dolby Vision and Dolby Audio. This faculty enables it to deliver a great home-theatre experience. We have tested it on a TATA SKY HD connection and the HD playback experience is quite impressive. The Dolby Audio effect is measured and meticulous. If you have a fairly enclosed living room, the TCL C815 can easily become your mini-theatre inside your home.

That’s mainly because of the built-in ONKYO audio system output, which is not jarring even at high levels. While streaming Netflix movies, we tried extremely high levels of audio and very rarely we experienced twisted audio or rendering lags. The Dolby Vision is also a delight to experience. Several OTT platforms now support the latest Dolby Vision and HDR 10+ content, making video viewing more personal and powerful. During Covid-19, which has hit the movie-going culture deeply, a lot of people, especially regular theatre-goers would miss the large screen, loud-audio experience. To say the TCL C815 can be a good solution to such woes is not an exaggeration.

The TV can be integrated with Google Assistant and can be controlled with voice commands. If you have a fast internet connection, the hands-free experience is smooth, else it’s a lot of pain. The voice-command faculty is a boon, especially considering that the small remote TCL provides along with the TV is prone to damage if you’re not really careful.

Users are recommended to keep it in a casing else it can malfunction even after a moderate fall on the floor as has happened in our case. Unlike in the earlier models of the TCL LED TVs, the standard remote is not available with the C815 so you don’t have a fallback option. That said, the TCL app features an online remote controller which you can connect to the TV via Wi-Fi. It doesn’t work offline. If your smartphone has the infrared remote faculty, that can also be used here. A lot of smartphones, such as those from Xiaomi, features TV remotes.

In sum, the TCL C815 is an efficient QLED TV with premium looks and specs and a price tag that fits your budget. Considering that buying a TV is an act most families do once in a few years, unlike in the case of a smartphone, the TCL 4K QLED TV can easily be a good choice for an Indian family that wants a bigger, louder and better TV experience.

Pros: Premium design, thin panels, great display, built-in speakers, superb audio

Cons: Fragile remote, handsfree experience is not up to the mark, no Alexa support, heats up during long hours of use

Price: Rs 69,999 (55 inch)

Rs 99,999 (65 inch)

Rs 1,39,990 (75 inch)

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