TCL 55RP620K Review: Plenty of smarts and value
Verdict
Another Roku TV – this fourth dimension from TCL – that packs in a terrific amount of value for an affordable cost. Build quality is unfussy, the smarts and connectivity are splendid; it's the less than expressive flick quality that lets the side down here.
Pros
- Excellent value
- Great smarts and accessible interface
- Dolby Vision back up
- Quick gaming performance
Cons
- Moving picture quality could use more expression
- Some overheating issues
Availability
- Britain RRP: £449
- U.s. unavailable
- Europe unavailable
- Canada unavailable
- Commonwealth of australia unavailable
Central Features
- Digital assistance Supports Google Assistant and Alexa (not natively), besides as Apple HomeKit
- Game style Features an automatic Game way
- Freeview Play Supports all the U.k. catch-up and on-demand apps
Introduction
Roku TVs accept proved popular since they arrived in the United kingdom with the first Hisense Roku Television set.
That success spawned another Hisense Roku set up, and now nosotros have another with TCL re-establishing the partnership they have with Roku in the United states of america with two new UK ranges.
We're reviewing the RP602K, TCL Roku's 4K HDR Dolby Vision TV. Like the Hisense Roku TVs, this set is aimed at budget buyers whose priority is value over outright performance, with the addition of Dolby Vision HDR metadata providing information technology a boost over standard HDR content.
Given how much we liked Roku'southward previous TVs, is this déjà vu?
Blueprint
- Functional looks
- Easy assembly
- Soundbars could potentially block IR receiver
It's rare that a cheaper TV is anything other than functional in its design and the TCL Roku adheres to that viewpoint. It's like the Hisense R50A7200GTUK Roku Telly, with a few changes.
The feet are positioned slightly differently, which ways the Hisense Roku is fractionally taller. This may exist problematic if you're looking to partner the TV with a soundbar, since there's potential to block the IR receiver.
The TCL weighs less and looks a little less bulky from behind. The IR receiver/LED indicator beneath the TV logo blinks to confirm remote control presses or flashes scarlet when the Telly encounters an issue, to name but two potential occurrences.
Assembly is super simple and involves tightening two screws for each human foot and inserting the ability cable. Much like the Hisense Roku, you'll reach the set-up screen within minutes of taking the TV out the box. There's also wall-mounting back up if that'due south of interest, with the VESA wall-mountain available separately. The slim-ish bezels are perfectly fine and in keeping with the fuss-free tone the TCL 55RP620K sets upward.
Interface
- Huge number of apps
- Stiff remote
- Roku Os is like shooting fish in a barrel to use
The remote is the same as the one that accompanies all Roku's TVs and I exercise wish information technology wasn't equally plasticky as information technology is. It's the one office of the experience that I feel is rather potent.
However, information technology's a remote – and it does what a remote needs to do. There are buttons for Netflix, Spotify, Rakuten TV and Apple TV, which replaces Google Movies in calorie-free of Roku's continuing tiff with the tech giant.
Elsewhere, in that location's a Freeview Play button, navigation and playback buttons, also equally a number keypad. Like most Roku streaming TVs and devices, there's no built-in voice control, although that isn't necessarily a feature you'd look at this price.
The interface is the aforementioned every bit what you'd find on every other Roku product – except it's coloured cherry-red, which is a dainty alter from the usual dark-green or purple. The Roku Bone has never had the wink of other interfaces, just information technology'southward never really been interested in that either.
What it is interested in is clarity and accessibility. I doubt you lot'll ever be dislocated by either the simple layout or how to navigate it. The ease of utilize of the Roku OS is perfectly suited for its prospective audience.
Separated into Home, My Feed, Freeview Play, Search, Streaming channels, and Settings; Dwelling, Search and Settings are adequately obvious as to what they offer. Freeview Play is where you lot'll find all the United kingdom catch-up and on-demand apps stored, while My Feed curates films and Television receiver, and Streaming Channels is home to the many, many apps bachelor on the Roku platform. This is besides where you'll find the Roku Aqueduct – habitation of the complimentary-to-spotter Roku Originals.
Apps are plentiful. In terms of the major apps, I tin can't recollect of any (well, maybe Google Play Movies) that aren't here. Now, Netflix, Disney+, Apple Television, Amazon Prime number Video, BT Sport, Sky Store, Spotify, Tidal – there's a tonne of content; and that's non mentioning the multitudes of other apps available. When it comes to affordable smart TVs, Roku pretty much blows every upkeep brand out of the h2o.
There'south also the mobile app, which I think is a better alternative for operation than the remote. For one, information technology integrates features such equally Private Listening (great if you don't want to disturb anyone). Second, information technology's dwelling to more advanced picture features; and tertiary, it feels much faster and intuitive to control than the remote.
Features
- Congenital-in Game style
- Back up for Alexa, Google and Apple smart devices
- Chromecast and Bluetooth playback
Connectivity-wise, the TCL Roku boasts an extra HDMI input over the Hisense Roku, which is handy if yous're someone with plenty of sources. Connections tally at 4 x HDMI 2.0, 3.5mm audio out, CI+ slot, a DVB-T2/T UK tuner, USB, optical out and LAN. HDMI-CEC (or T-Link) only seems to embrace soundbars.
In that location's support for AirPlay 2 and HomeKit, if y'all're in the iOS ecosystem and want to either share video/audio content or add the TV to your listing of smart devices. Alexa and Google digital administration are covered but support isn't native – you'll need an external device to get either of them going.
Unlike the Hisense Roku TVs, the TCL Roku is graced with Bluetooth and supports Chromecast playback. There's plenty of options for sending content to this TV.
In one of its 2021 updates, Roku added a bonafide Game fashion. All that ways is the TV is automatically put into Game mode when it detects a indicate from a panel, so you don't accept to do it yourself. Latency is consequent with the Hisense Roku: 11.7ms at 1080p and 12ms at 4K resolution.
Picture
- Adept SDR functioning
- Rather common cold HDR operation
- Struggles with nighttime scenes
Given how like the TCL Roku has been to the Hisense Roku, you might expect moving-picture show quality to be along the same lines. It is in some ways, but in others information technology's clear TCL and Hisense have taken differing approaches.
Standard DefinitionHigh Definition
The same issues with SD upscaling I noticed with Hisense A7200G are nowadays. It isn't as poor as the Hisense, but it's nonetheless noticeable how complexions can veer from detailed to waxy when switching between SD and Hd signals of ITV's Tipping Signal.
As you'd wait, SD programming is softer, lacking item and clarity, and looking a fleck blurry with movement on certain channels. But the difference betwixt the SD and Hd signal isn't equally stark equally it often was with the Hisense.
HD is better managed with a good feel for punchy colours, as well as revealing levels of particular and clarity. The 55RP620K doesn't offer motion processing, and so at that place can be some blurriness to panning shots and fast sports. I don't think its omission is ane to dwell on, however, considering cheaper TVs never seem all that confident at treatment movement anyway.
Watching The Favourite on Blu-ray, the TCL Roku takes a plainer approach to painting colours than the Hisense. Viewing the same scenes, Emma Stone's complexion is less expressive, the blue of her apparel more than navy, and her pilus less golden, too.
Hisense Roku A7200G TCL Roku RP620K
It's an altogether cooler, less punchy and colourful image, and while it'due south probably more than accurate than the Hisense Roku, it also strikes me as less inviting.
That plainer experience extends to HDR content, as well. The TCL Roku is wanting for color expression. HDR content can await drab from time to time.
Give it content filled with vibrant colours, though, and it can spring into life: the reds, yellows, neon dejection, pinks and greens of Lamentis-1 in the Loki TV serial make for an attractive prototype.
Whites are crisply and purely divers, and with 4K SDR content – such as Netflix'south Sense8 – concerns virtually how punchy and vibrant the Television receiver can be dissipate. Turn to a stream of The Crown on Netflix in Dolby Vision HDR, though, and those issues rear their head over again. Complexions of the royal family take on a pallid tone, with the epitome less expressive.
It isn't the sharpest 4K HDR prototype, with non quite equally much definition in clothes, surfaces and the faces as I'd expected. Blackness levels can be good with HDR content, and the lack of effulgence works in its favour on some occasions, finding more particular in the darkest part of an epitome than you'd get from an (uncalibrated, at least) OLED.
Despite that, the flip side to its lack of effulgence is trouble with nighttime scenes, with a few in Loki, Black Narcissus and Danny Boyle's Yesterday described with a distracting fuzziness. The TCL Roku's Dolby Vision support does help in some circumstances, benefitting from improved tone mapping that offers more visible detail over a respective HDR10 signal, as well as improved colour accuracy in Games of Thrones.
HLG content from iPlayer in Black Narcissus isn't the brightest or punchiest I've seen. Trying to extract greater brightness with the HDR Bright mode only upsets the color balance, pushing complexions to a reddish pinkish for some characters.
HDR Standard HDR Bright
The TV would overheat with HDR content, too. There was a period of fourth dimension where the LED light would wink ruby, and a notification popular up signalling the Goggle box was overheating. Information technology happened beyond a range of apps, and while it did occur during the twelvemonth's hottest days, the window was open and the area well ventilated. I'g not sure heat is a cracking excuse because nix else was afflicted.
There's mention of micro dimming in the specs, but considering the set up'southward brightness, in that location isn't much headroom for whatever drastic surge in brightness and dimming. The set's backlight control left me wanting for more than solid blacks, as black bars above and below a film are more than grayness, and at that place's some visible backlight issues towards the sides of the screen. Viewing angles aren't the all-time, then this is a TV best viewed head-on.
The TCL Roku 55RP620K shares its upsides and downsides with most budget 4K TVs, but compared to its Hisense Roku analogue, there's a lack of punchiness and expression to its HDR operation that makes the Hisense the more compelling performer, even without Dolby Vision.
Sound
- Flat, un-dynamic sound
- Decent dialogue clarity
"Ordinary" is the all-time discussion to describe the 55RP620K's sound. Song clarity is decent across multiple sources, and then you won't need to worry about not communicable the line of dialogue. If you lot're concerned, the Dialogue Enhancer feature makes it slightly more pronounced, simply not by much.
It struggles in terms of dynamism, with all content feeling very much on the same level, and the 2 x 8W drivers never provide a sense of expansion in terms of space. Information technology's lacking for bass – not surprisingly – simply information technology's decent plenty for casual watching. A soundbar would improve the sound by a significant amount, and is worth consideration if you're going to be streaming films and TV shows.
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Should y'all buy it?
An affordable 55-inch TV with a groovy selection of features You'd be hard-pressed to find another non-Roku TV 55-inch set with features as good equally this TCL Roku. Lots of apps, plenty of smarts, swift gaming performance and free content with the Roku OS – this is a persuasive statement for budget TVs.
For more than expressive picture quality 1 aspect that stops the TCL Roku from hitting the same mark as the Hisense Roku is that it isn't as colourful or as expressive equally its counterpart. Despite the Hisense missing out on Dolby Vision, HD and HDR content wait amend on that fix.
Final thoughts
The TCL Roku 55RP620K is a solid, affordable TV. The Roku Os is the highlight – the number of apps, the accessibility, the range of features; it's an absolute bargain from that perspective.
The picture performance does leave me a piffling common cold. Its Hisense Roku counterpart is more enjoyable from a picture quality point of view, and although the bonus of Dolby Vision HDR would drag it to a higher place the Hisense, I recollect the TCL set could be a bit bolder and expressive. It's still another thumbs up for Roku TVs, which go along to pack in an excellent level of value.
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How we test
We test every Idiot box nosotros review thoroughly over an extended menses of fourth dimension. We use industry standard tests to compare features properly. Nosotros'll always tell you what we find. Nosotros never, always, have money to review a product.
FAQs
Does the TCL 55RP602K support Freeview Play?
Yes, Freeview Play comes equally standard.
Is the TCL 55RP620K good for PS5/Xbox Series consoles?
No, the TCL doesn't support the advanced features needed to get the best performance from those gaming consoles.
Trusted Reviews test data
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Source: https://www.trustedreviews.com/reviews/tcl-55rp620k
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