The TCL 3 Series S325 is an entry-level 1080p LED TV with mediocre picture quality. It has a very good contrast ratio but lacks a local dimming feature to deliver a great dark room performance. It can't get very bright to fight glare and is more suitable for a dim or an average-lit room where blacks will also look better. The TV doesn't support HDR, but on the upside, its SDR image accuracy is excellent. The gray uniformity is mediocre and some dirty screen effect is evident. Motion handling is decent and the input lag is very low for the highest supported resolution of 1080p @ 60Hz. The TV's Roku smart interface is the same as higher-end models, but it's not as smooth.
The TCL 3 Series is a mediocre TV for mixed usage. It can't deliver a great dark room performance, so watching movies is disappointing. It's more suited for watching sports or TV shows in an average lit room where it can handle reflections well. The S325 is a good TV for casual gaming, but more serious gamers will find its features limiting.
The TCL 3 Series has a disappointing movie performance. The contrast ratio can produce deep blacks, but there is no local dimming feature to improve dark room performance. It only has a resolution of 1080p and can only display judder-free movies from a 24p signal like a DVD or a Blu-ray.
This is a decent TV for watching TV shows. It's more suitable for an average-lit room like a kitchen or a garage, as it can't get very bright to fight glare, but will handle reflections well. The S325 runs the Roku Smart TV, which gives you access to a large number of streaming channels. You will certainly find the one that hosts your favorite TV show.
This is a decent TV for watching sports. It's more suitable for an average lit room, as it can't get bright to fight glare. The gray uniformity is mediocre and there is some dirty screen effect that might bother serious sports fans. The response time is fast but most sports fans will notice a small blur trail behind fast-moving balls or pucks.
This is a good TV for playing video games. It has a very low input lag and it feels very responsive. The response time is fast, but you will notice a small blur trail behind fast-moving content. Unfortunately, the supported resolutions are limited to a maximum of 1080p @ 60Hz, and the TV doesn't support FreeSync or any other advanced gaming features, which will disappoint the more serious gamers.
The TCL 3 Series does not support HDR. If you are looking for a TCL that supports HDR, check out the TCL 4 Series S425.
HDR is not supported. If you are looking for a TCL that supports HDR checkout the TCL 4 Series S425.
The TCL 3 Series has decent performance as a PC monitor. It can display proper chroma 4:4:4 when in 'PC" mode, but the TV has a maximum 1080p @ 60Hz resolution. The viewing angles are only mediocre and you will notice some uniformity issues at the sides if you sit up close. The input lag is very low, and the TV feels very responsive, but the response time, although fast, will still leave a small blur trail behind fast-moving content. The TV has a VA panel so permanent burn-in should not be a concern.
The TCL 3 Series S325 is a budget VA panel TV. It sits below the TCL 4 Series S425 and it is the replacement of 2017's TCL S Series S305. The S325's main competitor is the entry-level Samsung N5300, as most of the other budget models from other manufacturers are quite different TVs.
The TCL 3 Series S325 has a decent design. It has a plastic stand that supports the TV well but allows a little wobbling if you accidentally nudge the TV. The back has two distinct parts. The lower compartment houses most of the electronics, whereas the upper part is thinner and is made of metal. Unfortunately, there is no provision for cable management. The build quality is decent, and you should have no issues with the TV.
The back of the TV has two distinct parts: the top part, which is made of metal, and the lower part, which houses most of the electronics and is made of plastic. There is no provision for any cable management. The back resembles the S425 a lot.
The TV is an average thickness, but is thinner than the 2017's S305. It will protrude slightly if you wall-mount it, but the inputs are facing sideways so you can reach them with ease.
The build quality of the TCL 3 Series is decent. The TV feels solid with no gaps or loose ends, and it's very similar to the S425. You should have no issues with it.
Disappointing SDR peak brightness for the TCL 3 Series. Although it's slightly better than the S425, the TV can't get bright enough for a bright room. It is more suitable for an average-lit or dim room.
We measured the peak brightness after calibration, using the 'Movie' Picture Mode and Color Temperature set to 'Warm.'
If you don't care about image accuracy, you can obtain higher brightness levels. We were able to reach 251 nits with the 'Vivid' Picture Mode, Contrast set to 'Max' and Color Temperature set to 'Cool.'
The TCL 40S325 does not have a local dimming feature. The video is for reference only.
HDR is not supported.
The gray uniformity is mediocre. There is evident clouding all around the screen and a significant amount of dirty screen effect which will disappoint sports fans. In dark scenes, there are obvious uniformity issues at the sides of the screen, but the center is a little better.
The TCL 40S325 has decent black uniformity. Backlight bleed is evident throughout the screen, but it is most noticeable in very dark scenes when watched in a dark room. This performance is slightly worse than 2017's S305.
The TCL 40S325 has mediocre viewing angles. Gamma shifts quickly as you move off center, and this affects the scene brightness. Although black levels don't rise quickly, all grays converge towards the same lightness, which causes the image to wash out and to look less lively. Those sitting from the side will not enjoy the same image accuracy. This is very similar behavior to the Vizio V Series. If you want a TV with better viewing angles, check out an IPS TV like the LG UK6300.
The pre-calibration accuracy is excellent. There are a few inaccuracies both in the grays and in the colors, but even enthusiasts will have a hard time spotting them.
The gamma follows the curve relatively well, but some dark scenes are darker and other brighter scenes are brighter than they should be. The color temperature is a little cold, giving the screen a slightly bluish tint.
Native 1080p content looks excellent.
Note: the 32" models of the S325 and S321 variants are 720p, as you can also see here.
The 3 Series does not have a wide color gamut, but rather a standard color gamut. It's only good enough for non-HDR content using the Rec 709 color space. When compared to the S305, the performance is just a bit better but not noticeable with the naked eye.
Mediocre color volume. The TV only has a standard color gamut and is unable to produce a full range of colors in the various luminosities.
We don't expect VA panels to experience permanent image retention, as the VA panel in our long-term test appears immune.
The TV doesn't have BFI option to make motion crisper. However, when you dim the backlight below a certain level (31/100) the TV introduces flicker. This acts as a BFI feature and makes motion look clearer.
Just like in the higher-end model S425, there's no motion interpolation feature on the S325.
You should not have serious issues with stutter on this TV. The TV's response time is such that each frame of a movie, or low fps content, does not stay on the screen for too long, and the transition looks smoother.
The TCL 3 Series can display judder-free movies only over a 24p signal like a DVD or a Blu-ray. In all other cases, including native apps, movies have judder. There is no specific feature to turn on to remove judder.
The TCL 40S325 has a 60Hz panel and does not support more advanced features such as FreeSync.