This five-star TV is ridiculously cheap for Cyber Monday – so why don’t I recommend it?

(Image credit: What Hi-Fi? / Amazon Prime Video, Invincible)

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The Black Friday deals are continuing as we head into Cyber Monday, and there's literally no cheaper five-star TV than the 50-inch Amazon Omni QLED, which can currently be bought for just £300 at Amazon.

That's because the newer 50-inch TCL 50C6KS is even better, and is available for just a little more money – £345 at Amazon.

That additional £45 is well worth paying, in my view.

Unlike the Omni QLED, the TCL 50C6KS is a Mini LED TV with 160 dimming zones. It's much brighter than the Amazon model, and has much better contrast.

The panel also features TCL's new HVA technology, which helps it deliver deep blacks, refined shadow detail, and better halo control than cheaper TVs normally manage.

Like the Omni QLED it supports all current HDR formats (HLG, HDR10, HDR10+ and Dolby Vision), but its superior hardware means its better able to make use of them, delivering a brighter, more dynamic and more colourful picture.

Bright highlights pop without washing out, and the colour is both punchy and natural – skin tones, skies and foliage all feel balanced, not over-saturated.

On the design side, the TV is mostly plastic, but nothing about it seems cheap when you’re actually watching it. The bezels are reasonably slim and the stand is serviceable.

Performance for gaming is pretty solid: there’s VRR and ALLM support, and the input lag is very low (9.9 ms). It’s only a 60Hz panel, but that's to be expected at this level, and the HDR in games feels satisfying and punchy.

The smart platform is Google TV, which gives you all the usual streaming apps plus voice control. Every major streaming service is supported, including all of the UK catch-up apps.

Surprisingly, the audio is very capable for a TV at this price. It supports Dolby Atmos and DTS Virtual-X, and it delivers more clarity and detail than you’d expect – dialogue stays clean, and there’s good separation, though the bass isn’t powerful. It’s not going to replace a soundbar, but for everyday viewing it’s very decent.

There are a few drawbacks: motion can look a little soft, and very bright HDR highlights sometimes suffer clipping or colour banding. But this is still, as we said in our review, “one of the year’s biggest bargains”.

It overdelivers in pretty much every area where you’d normally compromise on a budget TV, which is why it's a What Hi-Fi? Awards 2025 winner.

So, yes, the Amazon Omni QLED is great value for £300, but the improvements offered by the TCL C6KS are well worth the extra £45 it currently costs.

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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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