Tonight, 10 August, Chinese consumer tech maker TCL Electronics announced four new TVs in its C-series that it will be bringing to South Africa – the C645, C745, C755, and C845. If those sound familiar, that’s probably because they’re some the same TVs the company unveiled at its Middle East and Africa regional launch in June.
Now, it’s officially launching them on home turf. We’re as excited to try the new sets out now as we were then but other than the location, nothing has changed since. At least as far as the TV’s specs are concerned.
Flying the flagship high
The series-leading C845 succeeds the C835, which we reviewed last year, as the brand’s flagship QD Mini LED set. It sports a 4K resolution and uses thousands of tiny LEDs arranged into 576 local dimming zones, along with a layer of Quantum Dot nanocrystals, to blast up to 2,000 nits of HDR goodness into your eyes.
TCL clearly don’t have a problem paying certification costs (unlike another prominent TV brand) judging by the array of supported third-party formats. Dolby Vision IQ, HDR10, HDR10+, HLG, and IMAX Enhanced picture formats are supported. Onboard audio is provided by the 2.1 channel Onkyo speaker system which is backed up by support for DTS-HD, DTS Virtual X, and Dolby Atmos audio formats.
Based on the specs, gamers should pay special attention to this set and we’re not just saying that because TCL uses words like “Game Master” and “Game Accelerator”. As with last year’s model, the C845 supports a refresh rate of up to 144Hz and uses HDMI’s generic Variable Refresh Rate (VRR) tech and AMD’s Freesync Premium Pro to prevent screen tearing. Support for ALLM (Auto Low Latency Mode) is present for console gamers who might also be interested in the built-in aiming reticle.
TCL will bring a 65in model of the C845 to South Africa in the near future, priced at R23,000.
Plenty of TCL to go around
Stepping down from the flagship, the C755 also boasts a 4K resolution, Quantum Dot nanocrystals, thousands of mini LED backlights and over 500 local dimming zones, and a 144Hz variable refresh rate. It will be available in sizes ranging from 55in up to an enormous 98in. The biggest of which will set you back R80,000.
The similar-yet-slightly-different C745 sports a slightly less-accomplished spec sheet to go with its (hopefully) more palatable price tag. It too features a 4K resolution but uses a VA panel and QLED technology with 160 local dimming zones to produce its moving pictures. It won’t get as bright as the previous two but a 1,000-nit peak brightness is still nothing to scoff at.
Similarly, a 144Hz variable refresh rate, thanks to VRR and AMD Freesync Premium Pro, should still provide a decent gaming experience.
Read More: TCL C735 QLED TV review – Budgeting for gamers
The C745 features all the same third-party formats as the C845, including Dolby Vision IQ and Dolby Atmos. It will arrive in 55in and 65in models later this year and will fetch R12,000 and R15,000 respectively.
Rounding up TCL’s 2023 refreshes is the C645. It is the more value-oriented model and it shows. You’re still getting a 4K resolution but it lacks local dimming zones and won’t get as bright as the other two. Yet it still boasts the same lengthy list of supported third-party formats
Variable high-refresh-rate gaming should still technically be possible but with a native refresh rate of 60Hz, you won’t have the same results as its more expensive brethren. ALLM, VRR, and AMD Freesync support will probably help matters, however. No word on pricing for this one yet.
All of TLC’s new models ship with the company’s new AiPQ processor 3.0 and use Google TV as their operating system.
