Amazon Omni QLED vs TCL C6KS: which super-cheap Black Friday TV should you buy?

The 50-inch Amazon Fire TV Omni QLED and TCL C6KS TVs pictured against an abstract sci-fi background

(Image credit: What Hi-Fi? / Amazon / TCL)

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Amazon Fire TV Omni QLED
TCL C6KS

Buying a budget TV is a risky business. There are just so many absolutely awful models out there.

But there are also a couple of great models out there, and Black Friday is the ideal time to buy if you know where to look, as those already budget TVs can be bought for even less.

Until this summer, the 50-inch Amazon Fire TV Omni QLED was comfortably my favourite budget TV, but then the 50-inch TCL C6KS came along and beat it.

The thing is, because the Omni QLED has now been officially discontinued, it's now available for the ridiculously low price of £300 at Amazon.

But the TCL, while much newer, has also had a Black Friday discount, taking it to £349 at Amazon.

So, which of the two should you buy? I've compared them side by side to give you the definitive answer.

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Amazon Fire TV Omni QLED: £300 at Amazon
TCL C6KS: £350 at Amazon

Amazon Fire TV Omni QLED

If you’ve been hunting for a cheap 4K TV that punches above its price, the 50-inch Amazon Fire TV Omni QLED is a great choice. It brings together real smarts and solid performance – which isn’t something you see every day at this price.

For starters, the picture quality is impressively balanced. It’s not trying to wow you with over-the-top colour or brightness, but what you get is natural, cinema-style visuals that let you actually enjoy what you’re watching.

Skin tones, textures and shadows all feel more authentic than you might expect from a set in this bracket. Whether you’re watching in daylight or with the lights down low, the picture stays consistent, with decent contrast and minimal patchiness across the screen.

The feature list is refreshingly complete. You get QLED panel tech with full-array local dimming, along with support for all the major HDR formats, including Dolby Vision, HDR10, HDR10+ and HLG.

Fire TV is built in, so you’ve got easy access to all the big streaming services such as Netflix, Prime Video, Disney+ and Apple TV, plus catch-up apps and voice control via Alexa. The interface is straightforward and quick enough for everyday use.

For gamers, this isn’t a high-end gaming TV, but it still covers the basics well. The panel is 60Hz rather than 120Hz, but you do get VRR and ALLM.

There are a few compromises. Motion can get a little soft during very fast scenes, and while brightness is decent for the money, there are rivals (one of which is on this very page) with more punch.

Still, this is a really good TV for £300 at Amazon. For just a little more money, though, you can do even better...

TCL C6KS

If you want a 50-inch 4K TV that feels a step above the usual budget options, the TCL C6KS is a seriously strong choice – and in several key areas, it’s an upgrade on the Amazon Omni QLED.

The big difference is in the backlighting. The C6KS uses Mini LED tech with local dimming, which gives it much deeper blacks, better contrast and brighter highlights than the Omni.

Dark scenes look richer and more controlled, without that grey haze you sometimes get on cheaper LED sets, while bright scenes have more impact and sparkle. If you watch a lot of HDR movies or high-quality streamed TV shows, especially in the evening, this alone makes a noticeable difference.

Colours are also a step up. The TCL delivers more vibrant and precise colour while still keeping things natural. Skin tones look more lifelike, and colourful scenes (think sunsets, nature documentaries or animated films) have more depth and pop than on the Omni, which can sometimes look a little flatter by comparison.

HDR performance is another win. Like the Omni, it supports all the major formats including Dolby Vision and HDR10+, but the extra brightness and contrast from the Mini LED backlight mean HDR content actually looks more dynamic and convincing. Highlights stand out more, and you get more detail in both bright and dark areas at the same time.

Smart features are well covered too. Instead of Fire TV, the C6KS runs on Google TV, which is clean, customisable and packed with apps and catch-up services. It feels more neutral and less ad-heavy, which some people will definitely prefer.

Audio is surprisingly decent for a slim TV. Dialogue is clear, there’s a bit more space and weight to the sound than you might expect, and support for Dolby Atmos and DTS Virtual-X helps give a more immersive feel than the Omni’s built-in speakers. A soundbar is still, of course, well worth adding, though.

The TCL C6KS still isn't perfect – motion is better handled than it is by the Omni QLED, but it could still be a bit smoother. Like the Amazon model, there’s no 120Hz support, either, but that's really par for the course at this level.

Ultimately, the TCL C6KS is a more thrilling, more cinematic, and ultimately more satisfying TV than the Omni QLED, so it's well worth the extra £50 if you can stretch to it.

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Tom Parsons has been writing about TV, AV and hi-fi products (not to mention plenty of other 'gadgets' and even cars) for over 15 years. He began his career as What Hi-Fi?'s Staff Writer and is now the TV and AV Editor. In between, he worked as Reviews Editor and then Deputy Editor at Stuff, and over the years has had his work featured in publications such as T3, The Telegraph and Louder. He's also appeared on BBC News, BBC World Service, BBC Radio 4 and Sky Swipe. In his spare time Tom is a runner and gamer.

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