We called the TCL 85C805K the “home cinema bargain of the year” when we initially reviewed it, and have since bestowed it the “best budget 85-inch TV” Award; so what could possibly make it a more tempting option for those in the market for a super-sized screen?
How about a tasty discount of £280? Yes, the 85-inch TCL 805K is now even cheaper thanks to this early Black Friday deal at Amazon, which drops the price from £1579 to just £1299. This is the lowest price we’ve seen this XL TV drop to – for reference the previous lowest price was £1423.
The TCL 85C805K is, in our opinion, the best bang for your buck in the 85-inch TV sector. Simply put, if you want a quality big-screen picture without breaking the bank, this model strikes the perfect balance. While cheaper models are competing (a majority of which are also produced by TCL), this Mini LED model scores highly for picture and sound without verging on the eye-watering price of similarly sized OLED TVs.
We’ll start with the impressive specification which, for the money, should appease movie buffs and gamers alike. We’ve already mentioned the Mini LED backlight, however, the 880 dimming zones combined with the impressive local dimming engine ensures a clean, crisp and contrast-rich image without the clouding and blooming issues we usually spot on larger LCD TVs.
Furthermore, it features support for all of the major HDR formats including HDR10, HDR10+, Dolby Vision and HLG, meaning your content should look rich and dynamic regardless of your preferred streaming service or Blu-ray disc. Speaking of streaming services, the Google TV system features support for all of the major players, such as Netflix, Disney Plus, Amazon Prime Video and Apple TV – though we must mention that it is lacking a few key UK streaming apps including BBC iPlayer (though support is reportedly on the way).
Gamers looking to play their favourite titles on the big screen will be happy to hear that the C805K supports 4K/120Hz over HDMI 2.1 (two of the four sockets are rated as HDMI 2.1) with VRR and ALLM, and PC gamers can also take advantage of the higher 144Hz refresh rate providing their rig is powerful enough.
A plentiful list of specs is one thing, but how does this TV perform for picture and sound? There is a lot to like when it comes to the 85C805K’s picture performance, especially the dazzling brightness. This has a knock-on effect on HDR performance, with crisp and bright highlights that dodge the dull look that we see on other TVs in a similar price region to this TV.
Despite the high brightness, this TV is equally talented at delivering darker scenes, with convincing black depths by backlit TV standards. This is backed up by minimal blooming and punchy colours (thanks to the QLED panel tech), resulting in a truly impactful image.
Sound is no slouch either, with a 2.0 channel 30W system designed in conjunction with legendary audio brand Onkyo. Despite its formidable frame, the speakers project the sound surprisingly far without losing focus when it comes to dialogue and on-screen effects. While it’s not the most Atmos-y sounding TV (that’s to say height effects don’t really surpass the upper border of the frame), there is a sense of surround effects flanking to the left and right of the viewing position. We do, of course, recommend hooking a Dolby Atmos soundbar up to the HDMI eARC socket for an improved sound experience.
With an impressive feature set, bold picture and expansive sound, the TCL 85C805K was already a five-star, Award-winning TV at its original price of £1579. Now that you can get it for just £1299 at Amazon, it becomes a no-brainer for those looking for big-screen thrills minus the super-sized price tag. With this deal popping up ahead of Black Friday and the festive season, we think this could be the perfect TV for Christmas movie nights and competitive split-screen Mario Kart tournaments alike.
MORE:
Read our full TCL 85C805K review
Check out the best early Black Friday TV deals
And our picks for the best Mini LED TVs
