The art of finding a good budget TV is a fine one.
There's no shortage of TVs under the £500 mark these days, but finding one that actually delivers the picture and sound goods amongst a sea of three and four-star sets has been a challenge.
The 50-inch TCL C6KS is now back at its lowest-ever price of £349 on Amazon. That's a good £70 off the price we tested at – and an absolute bargain for an Award-winning Mini LED TV.
The TCL C6KS is, quite simply, the best cheap TV we recommend right now.
One of its biggest draws is Mini LED backlighting with 160 dimming zones, a very rare find at this price.
The C6KS is also aided by TCL's new HVA technology, which brings benefits such as wider viewing angles, better contrast and stronger halo control than cheaper TVs can normally manage.
All in all, this results in what is arguably the best picture quality you'll find at this price.
"The 50C6KS’s colours retain better saturations during very dark shots than we would expect to see with a TV at this level, too, while colour volumes (the combination of saturation and brightness) leave the vast majority of similarly priced TVs looking murky and flat by comparison," our TCL C6KS review reads.
"That vibrancy does not come at the expense of subtlety, either. On the contrary, we’re pleasantly surprised by how much refinement and subtle toning the TV retains in areas that are notoriously tricky for affordable TVs, such as skin tones, blue skies, leafy trees and grassy meadows. Nothing feels clumpy or cartoonish."
While we were very impressed overall, it is worth noting that there were some issues with motion-handling, with some movements over-smoothed during movies.
Support for both Dolby Atmos and DTS Virtual X is very welcome at this price point, with the premium audio formats delivered with more volume and power than expected.
It's not a patch on even the most affordable soundbars, but it is still able to pick up subtle details in some Dolby Atmos soundtracks that other, more expensive models miss entirely.
All four main HDR formats are also pleasingly on board: HLG, HDR10, HDR10+ and Dolby Vision. Not even some flagships can say that!
In terms of connectivity, there are three HDMI ports and two media-capable USB ports. Gamers should note these are not HDMI 2.1 ports, however, so games will be limited to 4K/60Hz rather than the 120Hz modern consoles are capable of. VRR and ALLM are included, however.
Considering the price, the TCL C6Ks manages to overdeliver in most areas. It's a current What Hi-Fi? Award winner, and our overall pick for best budget TV – so we have no qualms in recommending the TCL C6KS for £349 at Amazon.
MORE:
Also consider the Amazon Fire TV Omni QLED
Check out the best Mini LED TVs on the market right now
And these are the best cheap TVs we recommend
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