Updated 21 Oct 2026
Is the TCL C8L 65-inch worth it?
Yes — if you want a brighter-than-OLED big screen.
It's dazzlingly bright with rich, natural colour and very deep blacks, and blooming is rare when you sit in front of it. All four HDMI ports take 4K at 120Hz, with 10ms input lag for gaming, and its 2.1.2 Bang & Olufsen speakers beat most TVs. The 65-inch costs far more than the 65-inch C7L, blooming shows from about 30 degrees off to the side, and bright lamps reflect.
Good to know
- Out of the box its power-saving Eco settings dim the picture; switch them off.
- Bright lamps and windows reflect off the screen.
- Leave noise reduction off: it's too aggressive.
- Extremely bright, rich colour
- Deep blacks with very little blooming
- Four HDMI 2.1 ports and B&O sound
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Get it if…
- Your room is bright and you want a big, punchy picture.
- You game on more than one console.
- You'd rather not add a soundbar straight away.
Skip it if…
- Seats are spread wide: blooming shows from the side.
- You can get a 65-inch LG C6 OLED for a similar price and watch mostly at night.
More on the TCL C8L
How we reached this verdict
What Hi-Fi praises its brightness, colour, black levels and gaming (10.1ms input lag, 4K/144Hz, all four HDMI at 4K/120Hz), calling it hard to beat. Its gripes are the 65-inch's £700 premium over the C7L, blooming from wider angles and sound that's good but not as weighty as its parts suggest.
We compared independent expert reviews with the manufacturer's specifications, then checked it's sold at a major retailer where you live. We don't test products ourselves.
Sources: What Hi-Fi, TCL (specs), RTINGS, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, Expert Reviews, Trusted Reviews, manufacturer specifications.
Updated 21 Oct 2026How we decide