We've bought and tested more than 15 TCL TVs. TCL TVs have shown to offer great value over the past few years, and although they aren't as established in the United States as other brands, they've made a name for themselves. While they're traditionally known for their basic models with limited features, some of their recent releases feature the latest technology, including Mini LED backlighting and variable refresh rate (VRR) support. They're often available at a lower cost than competitors, and most people will be pleased with their higher-end models. They mainly compete with Hisense, but they release models to compete with brands like Sony and Samsung.
Most brands have started releasing their 2023 lineups, so make sure to vote on which ones you want us to buy and test first. If you want to find out more about what TCL has planned for their 2023 lineup, check out our 2023 TV lineup page.
Updates
- 02/23/2023 TCL 6 Series/R646 2021 QLED updated
- 02/22/2023 TCL 4 Series/S446 2021 updated
- 02/13/2023 TCL 5 Series/S546 2021 QLED updated
- 11/24/2022 TCL 6 Series/R655 2022 QLED reviewed
- 11/23/2022 TCL 5 Series/S555 2022 QLED reviewed
Best TCL Smart TVs
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Best TCL TV
Mixed Usage8.5Movies8.7TV Shows8.2Sports8.1Video Games8.8HDR Movies8.6HDR Gaming8.7PC Monitor8.0The best TCL TV we've tested is the TCL 6 Series/R655 2022 QLED. It's an impressive TV that delivers great picture quality and has an impressive selection of extra features. It looks great in any room thanks to its high peak brightness, excellent reflection handling, and superb contrast. It features a Mini LED local dimming feature to improve the appearance of dark scenes, resulting in very little blooming around bright areas of otherwise dark scenes.
It's surprisingly well-equipped for the price. It supports HDMI 2.1 bandwidth on two of its ports, meaning you can take full advantage of 4k @ 120Hz gaming on the new-gen consoles, and unlike almost every other TV on the market, it has a maximum refresh rate of 144Hz, which is great for PC gamers. It also supports variable refresh rate technology, which helps reduce tearing in games. Like all TCL TVs running Roku TV, its smart features are limited. That said, it comes with the more recent Roku Voice remote, so you can search for content with your voice directly from the remote instead of using the companion app with most other TCL TVs.
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Best Mid-Range TCL TV
Mixed Usage7.6TV Shows6.9Sports7.1Video Games8.1HDR Movies7.8HDR Gaming8.2PC Monitor8.1If you want something cheaper than the TCL 6 Series/R655 2022 QLED, the best mid-range TCL TV we've tested is the TCL 5 Series/S555 2022 QLED. It's a great TV that delivers similar picture quality to the more expensive 6 Series, but it's not as well-equipped for gamers. It's about as good as the 6 Series for watching movies in the dark, thanks to its superb contrast ratio and fantastic black uniformity. However, its local dimming feature isn't quite as effective at making bright highlights stand out.
It's also a great gaming TV, but stepping down to the 5 Series limits its gaming power. It supports variable refresh rate technology to help reduce tearing, but it's limited to a 60Hz refresh rate and doesn't support HDMI 2.1 bandwidth. It has a very good response time, resulting in clear motion when gaming, and it's still a good choice for next-gen gamers, especially if you prefer graphically intense games over fast-paced action.
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Best Budget TCL TV
Mixed Usage7.6Movies8.7TV Shows6.9Sports6.7Video Games7.8HDR Movies7.7HDR Gaming7.9PC Monitor7.1TCL's 4 Series lineup is a budget-friendly lineup whose TVs don't cost much. Like the 6 Series and 5 Series models, TCL has released them in the past few years with different smart platforms. The TCL 4 Series/S446 2021 is the current Google TV available, while the TCL 4 Series/S455 2022 is the latest Roku model and performs better than the S446, making it the best TCL TV you can get on a budget. The Roku platform is great, with an easy-to-use interface, and there are tons of apps you can download through the app store. The remote doesn't have a mic built-in, but you can use the Roku app on your phone for voice control.
Although it's a basic TV and doesn't have as many features as the TCL 5 Series/S555 2022 QLED, it's still an okay TV that performs well for a low-cost model. It has a fantastic native contrast ratio that results in deep blacks and has remarkable black uniformity with minimal blooming. It doesn't have any upscaling issues, and it has okay out-of-the-box accuracy. There are some drawbacks, as it doesn't get bright enough to fight glare, but it has decent reflection handling if you have a lamp in your room.
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Best Cheap TCL TV
Mixed Usage5.9Movies5.7TV Shows6.6Sports6.8Video Games6.3HDR Movies4.5HDR Gaming4.1PC Monitor6.8TCL is one of the few big brands left that still makes cheap 1080p and 720p TVs in smaller sizes. These types of TVs are great for kitchens or bedrooms as they come with a smart system built in, and you can easily stream your favorite shows without needing an external device. If that's something you're looking for, the TCL 40S325 is a good choice. Although it's a 2019 model, you can still find it available, and it's a cheap TV that isn't bad overall. It has a 1080p resolution, so while you can't watch content in 4k, you can still get a sharp 1080p image. The built-in Roku smart platform has fewer features than higher-end models and feels slower, but it still has all the same great apps.
If you're getting a cheap TV like this one, there are a few compromises you have to make. It doesn't perform well in a bright room as it has low peak brightness, but it has good reflection handling and displays deep blacks if you want to use it in a moderately-lit or dark room. It also doesn't support HDR, but that's normal for a 1080p TV. Luckily, it has excellent out-of-the-box accuracy, which is important, as you can't calibrate it.
Compared to other brands
- Inexpensive. TCL is one of the more budget-friendly brands on the market, and their TVs offer great value for their cost.
- Great smart OS. TCL TVs either use Roku or Google TV smart platforms, which are user-friendly and have many apps you can download.
- Starting to include extra features. As of their 2021 lineup, TCL started to include extra gaming features like HDMI 2.1 bandwidth and VRR support on their higher-end models.
- Low peak brightness. Besides the premium models, most TCL TVs we've tested have low brightness measurements.
- Not very polished. TCL TVs aren't as polished as other brands, as there are often issues with upscaling and local dimming.
- Not good for wide seating areas. Except for a few entry-level models, their TVs usually have VA panels with narrow viewing angles, so they're not good if you have a wide seating arrangement.
TCL vs Hisense
Hisense and TCL are direct competitors in the budget TV market. Their TVs usually offer the same features and similar performance, although some TCL TVs don't get as bright. They each have flaws, as TCL tends to have picture quality issues, while Hisense has motion problems.
TCL vs Vizio
Vizio and TCL aim to produce TVs in the budget market, although Vizio makes a few more high-end models. Vizio TVs tend to have better dark room performance and more gaming features, but the Roku platform on the TCLs is much better and easier to use than the Vizio SmartCast system.
Overall, TCL TVs offer good picture quality and great features at a low price. Although some models aren't as feature-packed or as well-built as more expensive options, their TVs typically offer great value compared to similarly-priced options. If you need a simple TV with a good smart system, you'll be happy with most of their offerings.
Lineup
TCL's lineup in the United States is usually smaller than other brands, and unlike other companies, their models are available for a few years. TCL is one of the few brands to announce a good mix of premium, high-end TVs and smaller budget models for their 2023 lineup. Their lineup is split in two this year, and they've changed their naming scheme to make it easier to differentiate between their entry-level models and their high-end models with Quantum Dot technology. They're advertising their flagship QM8 series to have an impressive Mini LED backlight with over 2300 local dimming zones. Like LG, TCL has abandoned 8k TVs at this point, with no new 8k models announced for 2023. Interestingly, TCL originally announced that their QD-OLED TV, which was originally announced for 2022, would finally be available towards the end of this year. They've since adjusted their press release, removing all mention of the QD-OLED TV, so it's now unclear if or when that TV will come out.
Learn more about the 2023 TCL lineup here.
TCL Smart Features
While the majority of TCL's TVs use Roku, there are a few from 2021 that use Google TV. They're both great smart platforms, and choosing one of the other comes down to personal preference. Generally speaking, Roku is easier to learn and feels quicker than Google TV, but Google is more customizable, and the Google Play Store has even more apps.
Interface
Roku's interface is very basic, with simple graphics and limited animations. It results in a very easy-to-use, fast interface that's relatively bug-free. It's also one of the few smart interfaces that support themes, meaning you can customize it a bit.
As for Google TV, it consists of multiple rows that you can customize to include which apps you see first and which apps you don't want to see. It's great if you're already used to it, but it can feel overwhelming if you aren't, so it takes a bit of time to learn.
Ad-free
Unfortunately, both Roku and Google TV have large, intrusive ads in the main home menu and throughout the interface, and it's impossible to disable them completely.
Apps & Features
TCL TVs use a mix of Roku OS and Google TV, so the app store and channel lineup vary depending on which model you get. Roku-powered TVs give you access to the Roku Channel Store, and it offers a good selection of streaming channels.
Android and Google TV-powered TCL TVs both give you access to the Google Play Store, and if you've ever used an Android-powered phone, you'll find many of the same apps available. It's also easy to sideload unofficially supported apps on Google TV, so overall, the platform offers the widest selection of streaming apps available on any smart TV.
Voice Controls
Some TCL TVs support voice controls, either from the advanced remote or the remote app, but they only support basic commands. You can launch certain apps through voice control and search across multiple apps for content. Unlike some TVs, you can't control the TV's settings through voice controls.
This is where Google TV has an advantage because the remote supports voice control, and it's also compatible with other Google devices, so you can easily open apps and stream your favorite shows. Some of TCL's Google models even have a mic built into the TV.
Remote
The Roku TVs come with a small remote, which isn’t a bad thing since it's very comfortable and responsive. The TCL branding is impressively minimal, and much like the interface, it’s a carbon copy of the ones you can find with the Roku boxes.
There are different versions of the remote, and the differences are usually with the features. Some have better wireless capabilities, so you don't need to point directly at the TV for it to work. Usually, the higher-end models come with a built-in mic on the remote.
TCL's version of the Google remote is similar as it has quick-access buttons and a circular pad for navigation.
Remote App
One of the best features of the Roku platform is its remote app you can find on both iOS and Android. It can do everything the smart remote can and more, so it's fully featured. All the basic remote controls are available, even powering the TV on and off. You can plug in headphones to your device and listen to the TV privately through the app. Lastly, the app also allows you to access settings that aren't available on the TV, like the calibration settings. Roku is better than Google TV in this regard, mainly because Google TVs let you do everything you need to by just using the remote.
Recent Updates
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Apr 05, 2023: Verified our picks for availability and consistency, and refreshed the text throughout. Updated the lineup information with the 2023 lineup.
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Nov 30, 2022: Replaced the TCL 6 Series/R646 2021 QLED with the TCL 6 Series/R655 2022 QLED, and the TCL 5 Series/S546 2021 QLED with the TCL 5 Series/S555 2022 QLED.
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Aug 29, 2022: Updated structure to cover more of TCL's lineup; renamed the TCL 5 Series/S546 as 'Best Mid-Range' and replaced the TCL S435 with the TCL S446 in the budget category because it's easier to find. Added the TCL 3 Series as the 'Best Cheap TV', added a Lineup section, and updated the Smart Features section to talk about Google TV.
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Mar 04, 2022: Replaced the TCL 5 Series/S535 2020 with the newer TCL 5 Series/S546 2021 because it has more features; updated the Smart Features section to be consistent with the current Roku platform.
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Nov 04, 2021: Replaced the TCL 6 Series/R635 2020 QLED with the TCL 6 Series/R646 2021 QLED, as the newer model is much better overall for about the same price.
Conclusion
TCL's lineup is mostly budget-oriented, and they do very well in that area. Their smart platforms rival the very best, and TCL offers different smart platforms, which isn't something other brands do. Plus, their picture quality has been consistently good across their models. Overall, it's tough to beat them when it comes to budget TVs, and that makes them a pretty safe bet, but if you want a premium TV, you can find more options with other brands.