We’ve bought more than 15 TCL TVs and tried them out. Over the past few years, TCL TVs have proven to be a great value, and even though they’re not as well-known in the US as other brands, they’ve made a name for themselves. Even though they are known for making simple models with few features, some of their newer models have the latest technology, such as Mini LED backlighting and support for variable refresh rate (VRR). They are often less expensive than similar products, and most people will be happy with their higher-end models. Most of the time, they compete with Hisense, but they also make models that compete with Sony and Samsung.
1. TCL 6 Series/R655 2022 QLED
The TCL 6 Series/R655 2022 QLED is the best TCL TV we’ve tried. It’s a great TV that does a great job of dealing with reflections and has a high peak brightness, which means it can easily handle glare in a bright room. It also has great contrast and a good full array local dimming feature, which is great for watching movies in a dark room because dark scenes look the best. It comes in many different sizes, from a standard 55-inch screen to a huge 85-inch one.
For the price, it has a lot of useful things. It has two HDMI 2.1 ports, so you can play 4k @ 120Hz games on new-generation consoles. Unlike almost every other TV on the market, it has a maximum refresh rate of 144Hz, which is great for PC gamers. It also has technology that lets you change the refresh rate, which helps reduce tearing in games. It has a limited number of smart features, like most TCL TVs that run Roku TV, but it comes with the more recent Roku Voice remote, so you can search for content by voice directly from the remote instead of using the companion app, as you have to do with most other TCL TVs.
2. TCL 5 Series/S555 2022 QLED
If you want something a little less expensive than the TCL 6 Series/R655 2022 QLED, the TCL 5 Series/S555 2022 QLED is the best mid-range TCL TV we’ve tested. It’s a great TV overall, and the picture quality is about the same as the more expensive 6 Series, but it doesn’t have as many features for gamers. Its great contrast ratio and great black uniformity make it about as good as the 6 Series for watching movies in the dark. Its local dimming feature, on the other hand, doesn’t do as good a job of making bright highlights stand out.
It’s also a great TV for playing games, but going down to the 5 Series makes it less good for games. It has technology that lets you change the refresh rate to help reduce tearing, but it can only refresh at 60Hz and doesn’t support HDMI 2.1 bandwidth. It has a very good response time, which makes gaming motion clear, and it’s still a good choice for next-gen gamers, especially if you prefer graphically intense games over fast-paced action games.
3. TCL 4 Series/S455 2022
The TVs in TCL’s 4 Series are easy on the wallet because they don’t cost much. TCL has released them in the past few years with different smart platforms, just like the 6 Series and 5 Series models. The latest Google TV is the TCL 4 Series/S446 2021. The latest Roku model is the TCL 4 Series/S455 2022, which works better than the S446 and is the best TCL TV you can get on a budget. The Roku platform is great. It has an easy-to-use interface, and the app store has a lot of apps that you can download. The remote doesn’t come with a microphone, but you can use the Roku app on your phone to control the TV with your voice.
Even though it’s a basic TV and doesn’t have as many features as the TCL 5 Series/S555 2022 QLED, it’s still a good TV that works well for a low-cost model. It has a great native contrast ratio, which gives it deep blacks and a very uniform black color with little blooming. It doesn’t have any problems with upscaling, and it works well right out of the box. There are some problems with it, like the fact that it doesn’t get bright enough to fight glare, but if you have a lamp in your room, it does a good job with reflections.
4. TCL 40S325
TCL is one of the few big companies that still makes small, cheap 1080p and 720p TVs. These kinds of TVs are great for kitchens or bedrooms because they already have a smart system built in and you can easily stream your favorite shows without needing an extra device. If that’s what you want, then the TCL 40S325 is a good choice for you. Even though it’s a 2019 model, you can still buy it, and it’s a cheap TV that’s not too bad. It has a 1080p resolution, so even though you can’t watch content in 4k, you can still get a sharp 1080p image. The built-in Roku smart platform doesn’t have as many features or feel as fast as higher-end models, but it still has all the same great apps.
When you buy a cheap TV like this one, you have to give up a few things. It doesn’t work well in a bright room because its peak brightness is low, but it handles reflections well and shows deep blacks if you want to use it in a room that isn’t too bright or too dark. Also, it doesn’t work with HDR, which is normal for a 1080p TV. Since you can’t calibrate it, it’s a good thing that it’s accurate right out of the box.
Conclusion
Most of TCL’s products are low-cost, and they do a great job in that area. Their smart platforms are just as good as the best, and they have more than one smart platform, which is something that no other brand does. Plus, the quality of their pictures has been good across all of their models. Overall, it’s hard to beat them when it comes to cheap TVs, which makes them a pretty safe bet. If you want a high-end TV, though, there are other brands to choose from.
