Sony Bravia 3 vs TCL C7K: which budget TV offers the best value?

Comparing a Sony and TCL TV is of even more interest now than it was just weeks ago, following the industry-shaking announcement that Sony is planning to sell 51 per cent of its home entertainment business to TCL.

Our experts have weighed in on what this could mean for Sony’s iconic home cinema range, but the deal has at least highlighted some of the relative strengths of each electronics giant: TCL excels at producing televisions with specification and picture quality well beyond their price points, whereas Sony tends to take its time to squeeze the most authenticity out of the hardware it has available.

Given that we are comparing two budget TVs, the Sony Bravia 3 and the TCL C7K, it might seem a foregone conclusion who will come out on top, especially given the review scores of each model.

Still, we have given each TV its due diligence and compared each TV category by category. Can relative newcomer TCL really topple a long-standing industry Titan such as Sony?

Sony Bravia 3 vs TCL C7K: price

The 65-inch TCL C7K launched at a good value price of £1399 / $1500 / AU$2295. The Sony Bravia 3 was released later in the UK than in other territories, with launch pricing a tad cheaper, at £1299 / $1000 / AU$1499.

However, we tested both at the same UK price of £899, and both have been on sale as low as £749.

Despite the Sony Bravia 3 launching a tad cheaper, the two TVs are now level pegging – so we’re going to call this one a draw.

** Winner: Draw**

Sony Bravia 3 vs TCL C7K: design

The Sony Bravia 3 is a well-built, if unremarkable-looking TV made from 100 per cent plastic, including the rather cheap-looking legs.

Still, assembly is super quick and easy, and there are both wide and narrow options for the feet. Bezels are fairly slim around the top three sides of the screen, with a slightly more pronounced chin.

The remote at least feels premium – it's the same (non-backlit) remote seen on the Sony Bravia 8 II.

The TCL C7K, however, has a much more premium look all round. The screen is wrapped in a slick, narrow brushed-metal trim on the front, with a Bang & Olufsen multi-channel speaker system protruding out slightly from the back.

Rather than feet, the C7K uses a metal central desktop mounting plate, with a wide-neck-with-detachable-cover arrangement that you can tidy your cabling into.

Unlike the Bravia 3, the C7K doesn’t get the same premium remote as its step-up brethren. Still, the plastic remote supplied has a nice brushed metal-style finish.

Despite being at similar price points, the designs of these two TVs are on opposite sides of the value spectrum. The C7K easily takes the win here for a premium look far above its price point.

** Winner: TCL C7K**

Sony Bravia 3 vs TCL C7K: features

Right off the bat, there are some pretty stark differences noticeable with the panel technology alone. The TCL C7K made headlines thanks to its Mini LED screen with 1008 independent dimming zones, a remarkably high number, especially given the price. A Quantum Dot colour system is also included.

In contrast, the Sony Bravia 3 sports a standard direct-lit LCD panel without any local dimming or Quantum Dots. It does, however, boast Sony’s Triluminous Pro technology to boost colour volume.

Despite Sony’s pedigree with video games, the Bravia 3 is also lacking when it comes to gaming features. The C7K can support 4K feeds all the way up to 144Hz, doubling to a ridiculous 288Hz with TCL’s Game Accelerator technology (though that comes with a resolution drop to Full HD). VRR is supported all the way up to the 288Hz maximum, and ALLM is also on board.

The Bravia 3, on the other hand, taps out at a considerably lower 4K/60Hz. Granted, this is where the majority of console games max out anyway, but the lack of even 4K/120Hz is disappointing. VRR is also off the table, but ALLM is at least supported.

Movie lovers are better catered for, however, as the Bravia 3 supports Dolby Vision, HDR10 and HLG. The C7K trumps it again, though, with support for all four high dynamic range formats, sporting the three mentioned previously as well as HDR10+.

On the sound front, the Bravia 3 sports a two-channel speaker system with a combined 20W of power. The system features Sony’s X-Balance drivers and Bass Reflex technology, which aims to produce deeper bass and enhanced vocal clarity.

We’ll see how much of a difference they make in the sound section, as they’re up against the C7K’s Bang & Olufsen sound system, which features new high-fidelity speaker designs fed by 60W of power.

Smart features are at least a bit more even, with both models running Google TV with the usual variety of domestic and international streaming apps.

The specification for the Bravia 3 may look disappointing in comparison with the C7K, but we do have to bear in mind Sony’s picture pedigree. As we say in our review: “The Japanese giant is renowned for creating TVs that are greater than the sum of their parts, thanks to clever processing and careful, considered tuning.”

Still, the Bravia 3 is up against an inordinate number of features. Other highlights of the TCL C7K include a claimed peak brightness of 2600 nits, a new AIPQ Pro picture processor and a whole host of ‘Halo Control’ technology to deliver better dark scene consistency.

Given the C7K’s class-leading feature set at this price, it seems almost unfair to pit it against the Bravia 3. But on pretty much every front, the C7K trumps the Bravia 3 when it comes to features – and often by some margin.

** Winner: TCL C7K**

Sony Bravia 3 vs TCL C7K: picture

Straight out of the box, we find the Sony Bravia 3 to be not particularly subtle. As our Sony Bravia 3 review states: “Colours are punchy and rich, and there’s a solid sense of three dimensionality, but motion is oversmoothed.”

Switching to Professional picture mode (aka Sony’s equivalent of Filmmaker mode), the Bravia 3 is a lot more balanced and natural. Colours look lush and verdant without veering into overblown, and motion is also greatly enhanced with minimal judder.

However, despite Sony’s picture-tuning efforts, there are numerous shortcomings that can’t be ignored.

“What strikes us most is how the entire picture is covered in a grey wash, which robs it of some solidity and makes dark sequences borderline unwatchable,” our review reads. “The panel seems to glow in sequences that demand blacks, which results in an overwhelming amount of detail being lost in darker scenes.”

Even in scenes with plenty of light, there’s a lack of contrast, compromising Sony’s usually excellent presentation of three-dimensionality.

When compared with the TCL C7K, however, there are some redeeming qualities for the Bravia 3.

The black and white scenes in Oppenheimer are richer and more cinematically warm on the Bravia 3, leaving the C7K looking a little blue.

Sony’s motion processing also comes into play on the sweeping panning shots of Los Alamos, though those issues with dark details are still noticeable.

Switching to SDR content with the Gravity Blu-ray, the picture has a degree of naturalness, with film grain that looks more intentional than the C7K’s efforts.

However, the lack of black depth and dull highlights really make this a less impressive experience than the C7K.

Conversely, the C7K excels at contrast and black levels.

“On the most basic contrast level, it can deliver both extremely intense, vibrant HDR peaks by sub-£1k 65-inch TV standards, and some of the deepest and most neutral, natural-toned blacks and dark scenes the mid-range LCD TV world, at least, has to offer,” our TCL C7K review reads.

“What’s more, it’s able to deliver its light and dark extremes on screen simultaneously, without either significantly compromising the other.”

Unlike the Bravia 3, the C7K also excels at shadow detail reproduction. The TCL set’s backlight system as a whole punches well above the TV’s weight, with no fluctuating dimming zones or noticeable jumps in brightness during cuts.

Again, the Standard picture preset is not particularly authentic, but the colours are so radiantly beautiful and impeccably balanced against each other that it’s hard not to enjoy. For those dedicated to as-the-director intended accuracy, however, the C7K’s Filmmaker Mode achieves this without looking drab or washed out.

The TCL C7K is impressively bright, too – twice as bright in some shots as even the best OLED TVs – adding to the excellent consistency of HDR images.

As you’d expect from Sony’s pedigree, the Bravia 3 manages glimmers of greatness despite some disappointing specs. The picture even manages to trump that of the far better-equipped TCL C7K in cinematic warmth and naturalness during certain scenes.

However, it can’t hold up against the C7K in most other areas. The C7K is flat-out one of the best-performing LCD TVs we have seen at this level, with explosive brightness, contrast and colour-boosting Quantum Dots, and TCL’s Halo Control Technology. It was always going to be an uphill battle for Sony, and the Bravia 3 falls rather short in this one.

** Winner: TCL C7K**

Sony Bravia 3 vs TCL C7K: sound

Here, the Bravia 3 is able to pick up some brownie points.

Dialogue is impressively clear and underpinned by a decent sense of low-level dynamics, injecting some much-needed emotion into heart-to-heart discussions in Civil War.

Sound also has a decent semblance of height, with larger effects such as explosions and jets coming across as surprisingly spacious.

The bass is a bit light, but we still prefer the Sony’s sound to that from the C7K’s Bang & Olufsen speakers, which sound thin in comparison. We have to crank up the C7K's volume quite high to match the loudness of the Bravia 3, which results in a forced and rather shouty sound from the TCL set.

The C7K’s speakers do offer a clean and prolific sound with impressively high treble and a nice open midrange, but the bass is far too reserved, resulting in a treble-heavy presentation.

Sony is generally quite reliable when it comes to built-in TV audio, and this rings true even for its more budget offerings. It’s no substitute for a soundbar, of course, but the Bravia 3 has a better integrated sound system than we usually see at this price – including the good but not great sound of the C7K.

** Winner: Sony Bravia 3**

Sony Bravia 3 vs TCL C7K: verdict

Recent years have seen Sony on a winning streak with its premium and flagship TVs, while TCL has specialised in offering budget and mid-range options with a performance well above their price points.

And that’s largely what we see here. Sony has used its careful tuning and Triluminous Pro technology to give the Bravia 3’s Direct LED screen warm and natural colours and impressive motion processing. And, as usual, Sony’s built-in sound is better than expected for the price.

But the Bravia 3 pales in comparison with its competition at this price – and that competition doesn’t get much better than the TCL C7K.

The C7K’s Mini LED screen, numerous dimming zones and Quantum Dot technology result in explosive brightness, contrast and colour not usually seen at this price. Throw in gaming features that go above and beyond, and it’s hard to make much of a case for the Bravia 3 when comparing the two sets side by side.

With its Direct LED screen, the Bravia 3 had an uphill battle, and not even Sony’s processing know-how can make up for it this time. The TCL C7K’s features and picture quality, on the other hand, are outstanding value at this price. It will take one impressive TV to topple this champion.

** Overall winner: TCL C7K **

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Read our review of the TCL C7K

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Read our Sony Bravia 3 review