The TCL 3 Series is a very basic 720p TV with poor overall performance. The built-in Roku TV is easy-to-use and there's a large selection of apps available to download, so you don't have to worry about buying an external box for streaming. It has a VA panel that provides a great contrast ratio, but the narrow viewing angles make the image look too bright when viewing off-center. The 32S330, also known as the 32S331 at Walmart, displays 480p and 720p content well and can display chroma 4:4:4 if you want to use it as a computer monitor. It has a decent response time, but its input lag may be too high for some gamers. As expected from a TV in this price range, it's limited on extra features and doesn't support HDR.
Our Verdict
The TCL 3 Series is a poor all-around TV. It's limited to a 720p resolution, so it's only suitable for watching cable TV or DVDs. It displays deep blacks if you want to watch content in dark rooms, but it has narrow viewing angles that make the image look inaccurate when viewing from the side. It has a decent response time but its input lag may be too high for some gamers.
- Great native contrast.
- Decent reflection handling.
- Decent response time.
- Limited to a 720p resolution.
- Doesn't get bright.
- Narrow viewing angles.
- Fairly high input lag for gaming.
The TCL 3 Series is poor for watching movies. Its great contrast ratio helps it display deep blacks, but it has poor black uniformity. It's limited to a 720p resolution, so it's not suitable for watching high-resolution content, such as from Blu-rays.
- Great native contrast.
- Limited to a 720p resolution.
- No local dimming.
The TCL 3 Series is sub-par for watching TV shows. It has decent reflection handling, but it doesn't get bright enough to combat glare in well-lit environments. It also has narrow viewing angles, and the image loses accuracy when you view it from the side. Luckily, it displays 720p content well.
- Decent reflection handling.
- Limited to a 720p resolution.
- Doesn't get bright.
- Narrow viewing angles.
The TCL 3 Series is okay for watching sports. It has a decent response time that makes fast-moving content look fairly smooth. It has decent reflection handling but doesn't get bright enough to battle glare. It displays 720p content, such as from cable TV, well.
- Decent reflection handling.
- Decent response time.
- Limited to a 720p resolution.
- Doesn't get bright.
- Narrow viewing angles.
The TCL 3 Series is disappointing for gaming. It has a decent response time but its input lag may be too high for reaction-based games. Also, the 720p resolution is too low for most modern games. Luckily, it displays deep blacks if you want to game in dark rooms.
- Great native contrast.
- Decent response time.
- Limited to a 720p resolution.
- No local dimming.
- Fairly high input lag for gaming.
The TCL 3 Series doesn't support HDR.
The TCL 3 Series doesn't support HDR.
The TCL 3 Series isn't bad to use as a PC monitor. It displays chroma 4:4:4 and has a fairly low input lag that should be good enough for computer use. However, its 720p resolution may be too low for some.
- Decent reflection handling.
- Displays chroma 4:4:4.
- Limited to a 720p resolution.
- Doesn't get bright.
- Narrow viewing angles.
Changelog
- Updated Sep 26, 2025: We uploaded the latest brightness measurements and uniformity photos for the Accelerated Longevity Test.
- Updated Jul 08, 2025: We uploaded the latest brightness measurements and uniformity photos for the Accelerated Longevity Test.
- Updated Apr 17, 2025: We uploaded the latest brightness measurements and uniformity photos for the Accelerated Longevity Test.
- Updated Feb 11, 2025: We uploaded the latest brightness measurements and uniformity photos for the Accelerated Longevity Test.
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Differences Between Sizes And Variants
We tested the 32 inch TCL S330 with Roku TV, which is also sold at Walmart as the TCL 32S331. There's a larger variant with Android TV, and the differences are listed below. TCL's lineup outside North America is very different, so we're not aware of any equivalents outside Canada and the United States.
| Size | US | Walmart | Resolution | Smart Platform |
| 32" | 32S335 | 32S331 | 720p | Roku |
| 32" | 32S330 | - | 720p | Android |
| 40" | 40S330 | - | 1080p | Android |
If someone comes across a different type of panel or if their TCL 32S330 or 32S331 doesn't correspond to our review, let us know and we'll update the review. Note that some tests such as gray uniformity may vary between individual units.
You can see the label for our unit here.
Popular TV Comparisons
The TCL 3 Series is a cheap TV that's available in a 32 inch size, which is starting to become more uncommon with TVs in 2020. However, it doesn't offer as good overall performance as other cheap TVs, such as the Hisense H4F. Also see our recommendations for the best budget TVs, the best small TVs, and the best TVs under $300.
The Hisense H4F is a bit better than the TCL S335. The Hisense feels better built, and it has wide viewing angles, much better gradient handling, and lower input lag. However, the TCL has a better contrast ratio and slightly better reflection handling.
The TCL S Series/S305 2018 is a bit better than the TCL S335, but the units we tested have different resolutions. The 40-inch S305 we tested has a 1080p resolution, much lower input lag, and it removes 24p judder from native apps. The 32-inch S335 we tested has a 720p resolution, and it also has a much quicker response time.
The TCL S325 and the TCL S335 are similar TVs. We tested the 40-inch S325, which has a 1080p resolution, but the 32-inch variant S335 that we tested has a 720p resolution. The S325 model feels better built, has better reflection handling, a quicker response time, and lower input lag. However, the S335 model's Roku interface is smoother to navigate.
The Toshiba Fire TV 2020 is much better than the TCL S335. The Toshiba is a 4k TV, and it has better uniformity, a quicker response time, lower input lag, and HDR support. However, the TCL has wider viewing angles.
We buy and test dozens of TVs yearly, taking an objective, data-driven approach to deliver results you can trust. Our testing process is complex, with hundreds of individual tests that take over a week to complete. Most of our tests use specially designed test patterns that mimic real content, but we also use the same sources you have at home to ensure our results match the real-world experience. We use two main tools for our testing: a Colorimetry Research CR-100 colorimeter and a CR-250 spectroradiometer.
Test Results
Older Test Bench: This product has been tested using an older TV test methodology, before a major update. Some of the test results below aren't directly comparable with other TVs. Learn more
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