Electronics & Gadgets Blog
TCL 55EP658 Review, A Budget-Friendly 4K TV Option for Your Home Theater
by Samuel Kalenga on Sep 15, 2024
Shopping for a TV can often be like entering a massive maze of terms and technical specs, with more options than you can shake a Blu-ray at. Finding the right TV that delivers a great picture and intuitive smart features without taking the biggest bite out of your budget often seems like a fool’s errand. TCL’s 55EP658 is a surprisingly great starter 4K TV, bridging the gap between performance and price.
Unveiling the Features that Make the TCL 55EP658 Shine
This 55-inch TCL 55EP658 Roku 4K Ultra HD TV brings this model up to a respectable 55 inches that’s capable of offering a great and vibrant picture, quality sound, plenty of connections, and with the built-in Roku TV system can play all the common digital-media file types like music, photos and videos from a USB flash drive, networked computer, or from your phone playing through the TV’s speakers.
- 4K Ultra HD Resolution: see a world detailed like you’ve never seen before, with clarity that’s four times more perfect than Full HD for movies, TV shows and games with shockingly life-like detail and colour.
- HDR Support: See more of what you’ve been missing with high dynamic range – HDR10 allows content to have greater contrast and colour range than previously possible. Having deeper black levels and brighter whites, highlights will pop and the darkest shadows will come to life, delivering greater depth and the complete picture previously unseen to the eye. Your entertainment will look more lifelike and come alive like never before with HDR.
- Dolby Audio: Dolby Audio elevates the experience by delivering richer, more nuanced sound! When you’re presented with something better than flat sound, you feel like you are closer to the action. You see more and hear more. Dramatic moments strike you in a more visceral way. Dialogue boosts plots, giving you richer, deeper, more immediate storytelling. Song lyrics come to life when you hear them with more dimension. Choruses connect the audience and lift your spirit. Melodies swell to soaring heights and vocals echo across giant cinematic soundscapes. This is better than just true-to-life. This is richer, more nuanced, more immersive, more dimensional, more engaging. This is Dolby Audio. Whether you are rocking out to your favorite music or cringing at an intense film, Dolby Audio makes it a more entertaining experience.
- Features: 55″ LED, 4K UHD, Dolby Vision, Smart TV. With Smart TV on the TCL 55EP658, you’ll have access to all your favorite apps like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, YouTube and more. Stream the latest movies and TV shows, news, documentaries, live or on-demand with no extra equipment, all from the comfort of your couch. Smart TV lets you enjoy a wide range of viewing options so you’ll never miss a thing.
- Compatible with Google Assistant and Alexa: Want to turn on HBO Max using just your voice? Use the Google Assistant or Amazon Alexa with this TCL 55EP658 and control your TV from the comfort of your couch. We’re not in the Dark Ages anymore when we have to fumble for a remote control.
- HDMI Ports: Enhance your entertainment experience with an array of gaming consoles, Blu-ray players, streaming sticks, and any other HDMI-enabled devices. Connect all your gadgets using the multiple HDMI ports and eliminate the need for frequent cable connection changes. Switch between your favourite devices with ease.
- 2 USB Ports: Share your social life together! Easily connect and play USB drives or hard-drives containing multimedia content on the TV. Whether it's personal videos and photos or music, USB ports enable you to share your social life, listen to your music, and watch your videos all on your TV screen.
- User Review from the Warehouse: This TV I have provided, is a great all-rounder, the picture quality on its really good, decoder sound quality, and the extra bonus being: USB, really didn't use that but I imagine it will be a good feature in the future. Overall I am very happy with the TV.
Picture Quality: A Visual Feast for the Eyes
The TCL 55EP658 (2020) made no compromises in picture quality – and we suspect this TV will please many home cinema enthusiasts. We’re pleased to report that the 4K Ultra-high-definition, or UHD, display features plenty of detail, so the picture seems crisp and very sharp. You’ll notice intricate texture, fine detail, and vibrant colours displayed with a welter of small, individual dots – a great presentation of detail. That detail is enhanced by HDR10 support that expands details at the deep and bright ends of the spectrum of luminance and colour (high dynamic range), giving a feeling of greater realism.
Colours look accurately represented, with good deep, natural-seeming black tones. A night scene, or a setting sun casting a rich, low sky, brings out a sense of depth and dimension that an older TV display wouldn’t be able to replicate. A scene with both light and dark tones – for example, an explosion against a deep grey sky – will be reproduced with its full tones and stare-at-the-sky whites.
Sound Quality: Immersive Audio that Enhances the Viewing Experience
Sound is delivered through two 10W Full-Range speakers with Dolby Audio. It’s not in the same league as dedicated home theater systems with larger, dedicated woofers and internally amplified speakers, but you can fill an average sized room with satisfying movie and TV sound when you turn it up louder than half-volume. Dialogue is crisp and easy to understand, and music and sound effects hold fascinating amounts of detail and also seem to have distinctive textures to them. Action scenes are satisfying – the explosions and attacks are given the kind of impact that makes the experience immersive and convincing. If you do want more, the TCL 55EP658 integrates neatly with external audio that you pair with it, making it easy to add some simulated surround sound from a compatible soundbar.Smart TV Features: A World of Entertainment at Your Fingertips
The smart TV features of the TCL 55EP658 will make your experience as relaxing and entertaining as possible. The easy-to-use interface allows you to browse streaming services, apps, and settings with ease. Through built-in free apps such as Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, YouTube, and others, your go-to films, TV shows, docs, and more are just a click away from streaming. Browse through curated top picks, search for a particular title, or create user accounts with unique favourites for every household member. Google Assistant and Alexa compatibility add another level of simplicity, allowing you to interact with the TV through voice commands and have a more hand-free experience.Comparison with Other Budget-Friendly Options: TCL 55EP658 vs. the Competition
although this budget set is a good buy (along with many others in the sub-$1,000 4K TV market), be sure to compare it with strong rivals for your dollar: another 55-incher available at the same price as the TCL 55EP658:- LG OLED55B16LA: This 55-inch model with self-lighting pixels — each pixel lights itself, which gives it perfect blacks and infinite contrast — creates an unsurpassed image. The blacks are actually blacker and the colours are more varied than the TCL 55EP658. The LG OLED55B16LA comes at a higher price than others in the CNET Shop. If you want the best possible picture and are willing to pay top dollar for it, the LG OLED55B16LA is a formidable competitor.
- Samsung QN55Q60A: The other 4K 55-incher I recommend is the Samsung QN55Q60A, which sports Quantum Dot technology bringing colour and contrast together for a vibrant picture. The Q60A is a well-priced, solid alternative to the TCL 55EP658. Samsung’s Q60A doesn’t hit the infinite contrast of OLED, but it comes very close with plenty of punch to the picture.
