We can find TCL R646 and S546 are introduced as part of TCL’s 2021 TV lineup. TCL R646 is introduced as TCL’s 2021 6-Series that positioned higher than TCL S546 that introduced as TCL’s 2021 5-Series. TCL R646 comes with 3 screen size options : 75-Inch (75R646), 65-Inch (65R646) and 55-Inch (55R646) while TCL S546 comes with 4 screen size options : 75-Inch (75S546), 65-Inch (65S546), 55-Inch (55S546) and 50-Inch (50S546). As the series that positioned higher, why is TCL R646 better than TCL S546? It’s necessary for us to know more about the key differences of TCL R646 and S546 before we can find out why TCL R646 is better than TCL S546.
TCL R646 Short Introduction
TCL R646 is 4K LED TV that comes with Mini-LED QLED technology. Mini-LED backlight of TCL R46 is completed with Contrast Control Zones. There are up to 240 contrast control zones integrated with TCL R646. It’s able to delivers excellent contrast vibrancy between the bright and dark part of its screen while it’s also able brings superior light uniformity across the LED screen of this TV. QLED technology is able to delivers Quantum Dot Color that allows us to enjoy rich and accurate color details with its Wide Color Gamut. We can enjoy excellent picture clarity from both of original 4K content sources and non 4K content sources with Smart 4K Upscaling integrated with AiPQ Engine of TCL R646. AiPQ Engine is also able to optimizes the picture quality delivered on the screen of this TV. TCL R646 already supports Dolby Vision, HDR10, HDR10+, and HLG so that we can enjoy enhanced details and expanded contrast from wide range of HDR content sources. The motion technology of TCL R646 is Natural Motion 480 that based on 120Hz native refresh rate. It’s able to brings smooth motion images for our favorite action movies and sports while also allows us to enjoy minimum input lag when we use this TV as our gaming monitor. TCL R646 already comes with THX Certified Game Mode that supports Variable Refresh Rate (VRR) and Auto Low Latency Mode (ALLM) to brings more immersive gaming experience. Google TV is integrated as operating system of TCL R646. It can delivers wide range of premium entertainment from our favorite content providers with fast internet connection provided by 802.11ax (WiFi 6) integrated with this TV. TCL R646 comes with RC902N Voice Enabled Remote that allows us to control this TV conveniently with our voice. We can also use Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa to control this TV since they are already supported. The speaker system that integrated with TCL R646 is 2CH 30W (75-Inch : 2Ch 34W) that support Dolby Atmos so that we can enjoy good sound quality. We can also enjoy higher quality audio formats with additional AV system since TCL R646 already supports eARC (Enhanced Audio Return Channel).
The key specs and features of TCL R646 can be summarized with the table below.
| TCL R646 | ||||
| Introduced | 2021 | |||
| Screen Size |
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| Resolution | 4K UHD | |||
| Display Technology | LED | |||
| Upscaling Technology | Smart 4K Upscaling | |||
| Backlight Technology | Mini-LED | |||
| Contrast Technology | Contrast Control Zones (up to 240 Zones) | |||
| Color Technology | Quantum Dot Color | |||
| Picture Engine | AiPQ Engine | |||
| HDR Support |
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| Motion Technology | Natural Motion 480 (120Hz Native) | |||
| Gaming Technology |
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| Operating System | Google TV | |||
| Remote Control | RC902N Voice Enabled Remote | |||
| Control Support |
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| Built-in Wifi | 802.11ax (WiFi 6) | |||
| Sound Technology |
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| HDMI/USB |
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| Price |
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TCL S546 Short Introduction
TCL S546 is 4K LED TV series that introduced as TCL’s 2021 5-Series. It comes with QLED display technology that brings Wide Color Gamut for rich and accurate color details. The backlight technology of TCL S546 is Full Array LED that completed with contrast control zones. We can find up to 60 contrast control zones integrated with TCL S546. Full Array LED with contrast control zones is able to brings good contrast vibrancy and light uniformity across the LED screen of this TV. 4K UHD resolution of TCL S546 is completed with upscaling technology powered by AiPQ Engine so that we can enjoy excellent picture clarity from both of original 4K content sources and non 4K contents that upscaled into near 4K picture quality. AiPQ Engine is also able to enhances the picture quality delivered on the screen of this TV. We can enjoy enhanced details and expanded contrast from wide range of HDR content sources since TCL S546 already supports HDR10+, HDR10, Dolby Vision and HLG. TCL S546 comes with Natural Motion 240 as its motion technology. Although Natural Motion 240 is only based on 60Hz native refresh rate, we can still enjoy fluid motion images from our favorite action movies and sports. To brings better gaming experience, TCL S546 also supports Auto Low Latency Mode (ALLM) and Variable Refresh Rate (VRR). We can enjoy wide range of premium entertainment from our favorite content providers with Google TV integrated as the operating system of this TCL S546 combined with its attached 802.11ac wireless. The remote control that included with TCL S546 is RC902N Voice Enabled Remote that allows us to control this TV conveniently with our voice. Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa are also supported by TCL S546 that give us more options to control this TV with our voice. TCL S546 comes with quite basic 2CH 16W speaker system ( 75-Inch : 2Ch 30W). Although it’s quite basic speaker system, we can still enjoy good sound quality as It already supports Dolby Atmos. We can also attach additional AV system to enjoy higher quality audio since TCL S546 already supports eARC (Enhanced Audio Return Channel).
The table below can summarizes the key specs and features of TCL S546
| TCL S546 | |||||
| Introduced | 2021 | ||||
| Screen Size |
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| Resolution | 4K UHD | ||||
| Display Technology | LED | ||||
| Upscaling Technology | Smart 4K Upscaling | ||||
| Backlight Technology | Full Array LED | ||||
| Contrast Technology | Contrast Control Zones (Up to 60 Zones) | ||||
| Color Technology | Quantum Dot Color | ||||
| Picture Engine | AiPQ Engine | ||||
| HDR Support |
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| Motion Technology | Natural Motion 240 (60Hz Native) | ||||
| Gaming Technology |
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| Operating System | Google TV | ||||
| Remote Control | RC902N Voice Enabled Remote | ||||
| Control Support |
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| Built-in Wifi | 802.11ac | ||||
| Sound Technology |
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| HDMI/USB |
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| Price |
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What are Their Key Differences?
From the two specs and features tables of TCL R646 and S546, we can find that there are few key differences between those two TV series. The first key difference of TCL R646 and S546 comes from their backlight technology and contrast control zones. TCL R646 comes with Mini-LED backlight with up to 240 Contrast Control Zones while TCL S546 comes with Full Array LED backlight with up to 60 Contrast Control Zones. Mini-LED backlight with 240 Contrast Control Zones is able to delivers more excellent contrast vibrancy and uniformity on the screen of TCL R646 than Full Array LED backlight with up to 60 contrast control zones of TCL S546. The second key difference of TCL R646 and S546 can be found in the motion technology of TCL R646 and S546. TCL R646 comes with Natural Motion 480 that based on 120Hz native refresh rate while TCL S546 comes with Natural Motion 240 that based on 60Hz native refresh rate. TCL R646 also comes with THX Certified Game Mode. With its Natural Motion 480 that completed with THX Certified Game Mode, we can enjoy more immersive gaming experience on the screen of TCL R646. We can also find another key difference of TCL R646 and S546 in the HDMI 2.1 that only can be found in TCL R646. With HDMI 2.1, we can enjoy better gaming experience on the screen of TCL R646. The next key difference can be found in the version of Built-in Wifi integrated with TCL R646 and S546. TCL R646 comes with 802.11ax (WiFi 6) while TCL S536 comes with 802.11ac (WiFi 5). 802.11ax is able to delivers faster internet connection than 802.11ac wireless. There’s also another key difference in the speaker system integrated with TCL R646 and S546. TCL R646 comes with 2Ch 30W speaker system (75-Inch : 2Ch 34W) while TCL S546 comes with 2Ch 16W speaker system (75-Inch : 2CH 30W). With 2Ch 30W speaker system, TCL R646 is able to delivers more powerful surround sound than TCL S546.
TCL R646 is positioned higher than TCL S546 so it’s also normally offered at the higher price for similar screen size option. To find their latest price difference, we need to check the price of TCL R646 and S546 as TV prices are changing from time to time.
Why is TCL R646 Better than S546?
We have talked about key differences of TCL R646 and S546. We can find that TCL R646 is better than TCL S546. Why is TCL R646 better than S546? TCL is better than TCL S546 since it comes with better contrast using its Mini-LED backlight and more Contrast Control Zones, better motion technology with its more advanced Natural Motion 480 that based on 120Hz native refresh rate, THX Certified Game Mode and HDMI 2.1. TCL R646 is also completed with 802.11ax wireless to brings faster internet connection and higher speaker output for more powerful surround sound. So if you have more budget, TCL R646 is the one that you should choose.
| TCL R646 Prices | |
| 75-Inch (75R646) | Check Today’s Price… |
| 65-Inch (65R646) | Check Today’s Price (BestBuy.com)… |
| 55-Inch (55R646) | Check Today’s Price (BestBuy.com)… |
TCL S546 is a good alternative choice of TCL R646 if you have more limited budget. TCL S546 is still able to delivers good contrast vibrancy with Full Array LED backlight and Contrast Control Zones although it’s less advanced than TCL R646. TCL S546 is also able to delivers fluid motion images with Natural Motion 240 that supports ALLM and VRR although it’s indeed less excellent in gaming experience than TCL R646. 802.11ac wireless is basically still able to delivers good internet connection although it’s not as fast as 802.11ax. We can also attach additional AV system to enjoy better sound quality since TCL S546 already supports eARC.
| TCL S546 Prices | |
| 75-Inch (75S546) | Check Today’s Price (BestBuy.com)… |
| 65-Inch (65S546) | Check Today’s Price (BestBuy.com)… |
| 55-Inch (55S546) | Check Today’s Price (BestBuy.com)… |
| 50-Inch (50S546) | Check Today’s Price (BestBuy.com)… |