I upgraded my old 4K TV to the gorgeous, glowing TCL C8K – but there is one thing I miss

I'll admit it: when I used to think of premium televisions, I'd default to big brands like LG, Samsung, Sony and Panasonic. It's not that I wasn't aware of the many alternative brands out there but, in my mind, if you wanted premium pictures, those mainstream brands were the ones to go for. That's no longer the case.

Increasingly, brands like TCL and Hisense have been taking the fight to the industry giants, often delivering sets that can rival them for color, clarity and brightness for less money. That piqued my curiosity, so when I saw my colleague and TV Hardware Staff Writer James Davidson had given TCL's 65-inch mini-LED screen 4.5 stars in his TCL C8K review, I decided I had to check it out.

My last TV purchase was firmly from a mainstream brand. I bought ...