It's the final countdown to Amazon Prime Day, meaning we are just hours away from an onslaught of AV and hi-fi deals. The sales will run from the 8th to the 11th of July, with hundreds of pounds off the best TVs. But not every deal will be worth your hard-earned cash.
Take, for example, this early Prime Day deal on a huge Hisense Mini LED TV. The 100-inch E7N, which originally launched for £1999, is down to just £1299 at Amazon.
That's a substantial £700 saving on a comparably substantial TV; however, that doesn't mean it should be the TV you buy this Amazon Prime Day.
For the same price, you can score the 85-inch TCL C805K. This affordable XL TV scooped up a What Hi-Fi? Award last year, and it's priced identically to the Hisense right now. We reviewed it at £1579, but you can save £280 at Richer Sounds currently.
Bigger isn't always better, as shown with this XL TV deal. While we haven't reviewed this particular Hisense, we did review its pricier sibling, the E7N Pro; and we weren't exactly enamoured of it.
It's worth mentioning that the E7N drops a few features from the E7N Pro. Most notably, it doesn't have local dimming, and its peak brightness is 100 nits lower than the Pro model.
Regardless, the E7N Pro proved to be a middling TV at the 75-inch size we reviewed it in. It offers average black levels, but distracting blooming and a dull, flat-looking picture in its supposedly most authentic picture mode.
Based on those findings we don't have high hopes for the standard variant. However, for the same price you can score a huge TV that offers a much more robust picture.
Now, 85 inches is, of course, a step down from the 100-inch screen that the Hisense offers, but it's still pretty huge. Furthermore, we would be willing to accept this compromise, considering the TCL C805K scooped up a five-star review and a What Hi-Fi? Award last year
This TV uses a Mini LED backlight instead of the E7N's direct LED system, meaning you should notice reduced blooming, more convincing blacks and higher peak brightness.
It supports the same HDR formats as the Hisense, including both HDR10+ and Dolby Vision, as well as 4K/120Hz on two of its four HDMI sockets.
Dolby Atmos audio is also on board, and it features Google TV for a wide range of supported streaming apps, including Netflix, Disney Plus, Amazon Prime Video and Apple TV+.
We complimented its spectacular peak brightness, rich colours and impressive light control and contrast in our full review, in which we called this TV "the home cinema bargain of the year"; and that was at full price.
If you're looking for a TV that delivers on big-screen theatrics and don't mind compromising a little on hitting the 100-inch mark, then the TCL 85C805K at £1299 is the early Amazon Prime Day deal for you.
MORE:
Find the best Amazon Prime Day home cinema deals here
Read our full TCL 85C805K review
And check out our picks for the best Mini LED TVs
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