4K, HDR PRO, Dolby Vision e Wide Color Gamut: sulla carta TCL 50EP680 has everything it takes to satisfy consumers looking for an inexpensive LED TV. The problem? It's Android TV. Google's operating system ruins an otherwise satisfying experience.
TCL 50EP680 review: elegant and light
Esthetically TCL 50EP680 i liked it very much. Sure, it doesn't have the hyper-thin panel typical of OLEDs and not even a very original design, but on the other hand it is elegant, with frames reduced to a minimum and a base as robust as it is not bulky.
The shell then skilfully mixes aluminum and plastic, restoring a feeling of robustness, quality and solidity. In short, you will not have the feeling of having a cheap and perhaps very fragile TV in your hands.
Assembly is also being promoted. Ours didn't have assembly instructions inside but honestly, we didn't need them. It took a few seconds to understand how to join the four pieces (the panel and the 3 elements for the base) and a few minutes to be operational.
On the back - on the right - you will find all the inputs you need: 2 USB 2.0, 3 HDMI 2.0b, an Ethernet port, the 3,5 mm jack, the Component, the digital optical output, the input for the antenna, that of the dish and the slot for a possible card. All of the entrances are lateral, a solution that facilitates any anchoring to the wall.
On board, of course, also WiFi 802.11 b / g / n, Bluetooth and the integrated Chromecast. Worried about the new digital terrestrial? Don't worry: TCL 50EP680 supports the DVB-T2 standard.
TCL 50EP680 review: how it looks and how it feels
TCL 50EP680 monta a 50-inch VA (Vertical Alignment) Direct LED panel, with resolution 4K, an update rate of 60 Hz and a color depth of 10 bits. This TV also integrates theHDR PRO, supports the Dolby Vision and exploits la tecnologia Wide Colour Gamut to give more intense colors.
Ok, that's a lot of information. Let's try to simplify a bit and understand what this TV can offer.
First of all we have available 5 modes: Dynamic, Standard, HDR Enhancement, Sports and Cinema. It goes without saying that there is not one that fits any type of content or is objectively better than the others. The choice should therefore depend on your preferences, the type of movie you are watching and the environment you are in. Personally, considering my fondness for movies and TV series, I liked the Cinema mode which offers more natural and less "pumped" colors.
Of course, you don't have to settle for the presets offered by the Asian company. You can indeed manually change Brightness, Color Saturation, Contrast, Black Levels and much more. So if you have a bit of experience or just want to experiment, you can indulge yourself until you find the combination that best suits you.
Don't panic anyway: the present modes allow the least geeks among you to enjoy clear, bright images with vivid and pleasant colors. On the other hand, the black that is not too deep is less satisfactory but this depends on the panel. Micro Dimming and Direct LED unfortunately cannot offer the same results as an OLED despite doing a good job.
Finally we come to the audio, entrusted to two 10-watt speakers and Dolby Atmos. Here too we have different modes to choose from but the differences are really minimal. If you are a big movie lover, you should definitely buy dedicated speakers.
Televisore LCD Tcl TCL TV 50" 50EP680 LED 4K UHD HDR PRO...
- Display Size: 50 "
- Technology: HDR
- Panel: LED
Android TV: this is not the case
That Android TV isn't exactly the best OS on the market is well known, but we still expected something better.
The TV employs about 45 seconds to turn on. An endless time in which you will not be able to do anything, not even turn it off.
However, this is the default setting. Actually, consulting the manual, we found an option that enables quick start. A good news? Yes and no. Yes, because now it takes 2/3 seconds to turn on the TV. No because it's absurd that this doesn't happen by default.
But this is only the tip of the iceberg. The system in fact is generally slow, unresponsive to commands and subject to occasional crashes. The integrated System Accelerator is of little use since it only frees up space.
To be promoted on the other hand is the offer of applications in the store. In fact, we have everything we need at our disposal: Netflix, Prime Video, Rakuten TV, YouTube, Rai Play and much more. Of course, the layout on the homepage does not excite us but in any case it is all within reach.
On the other hand, our experience with the integrated Chromecast was negative. THEIn fact, mirroring was often slow and unsatisfactory and no, it is not the fault of the connection. We have in fact connected an external Chromecast to TCL 50EP680, recording much higher performance.
Following our review and the numerous reports received from those of you who have purchased this and other TCL TV models equipped with Android TV, we have had the opportunity to speak with the company that suggests update the software to the version released in the first week of February, version compatible with EP64, EP66, Ep68, EC78, X10 and ES56. The release of the update to the Android 9.0 operating system is certified by Amazon Prime and will allow users to access all the contents of the Prime Video application, pre-installed and available directly on the Home. All owners of a TCL TV can enter the model in their possession on the site at the following link https://www.tcl.com/it/it/service/service-model.html
Two remote controls and a voice assistant
But how do you control this TV? Package Includes two different remote controls. The first is small, thin and essential, while the second is just as compact but longer and more complete. However, keys and dimensions are not the only aspects that differentiate them. The shorter remote control in fact provides the button dedicated to Google Assistant which should allow you to search and control your smart home. I say "should" because also here the slowness is almost exasperating and using Big G's assistant becomes practically impossible.
And Alexa? Another sore point. In theory there is. In short, the box says “Works with Alexa” so why not take advantage of it? Simple: because we couldn't get it to work. During the pairing phase, the TV boasted the absence of a connection, despite being present and absolutely functional. A problem that, judging by the comments associated with the Alexa skill, seems to have encountered many customers. However, we are confident in a future update that will also allow you to use Amazon's voice assistant.
TCL 50EP680 review: buy it or not?
A 649 € TCL 50EP680 is still a good investment, at least for those looking for a versatile TV, with good picture quality and that can handle TV shows, some healthy Netflix and some 4K movies or TV series.
If, on the other hand, the "Smart" part counts a lot for you, if you are looking for a product that integrates with your Smart Home, then the general slowness of the system, the suboptimal performance of the integrated Chromecast and the problems with Alexa's skill hardly will make it your ideal television.
TCL 50EP680
For 
- Elegant and robust
- Good image quality
- All the apps you need
Cons 
- slow OS
- Voice assistants unusable
