The TCL 4 Series/S434 Android 2020 is an entry-level 4k TV. It's a variant of the TCL 4 Series/S435 2020, running the Android TV smart interface instead of the Roku TV smart interface usually found on past TCL 4 Series TVs. The Android TV interface is easy-to-use, and there's a huge selection of additional streaming apps available through the built-in Google Play Store. Its VA panel has an amazing contrast ratio and great black uniformity, resulting in deep, uniform blacks when viewed in the dark. Sadly, this also results in narrow viewing angles, so it's not a good choice for a wide seating arrangement. It has really low input lag for gaming, but it doesn't support any advanced gaming features like variable refresh rate (VRR) support to reduce screen tearing, and its HDMI ports are limited to HDMI 2.0 bandwidth.
Our Verdict
The TCL S434 is an okay TV overall. It isn't bad for watching movies in dark rooms because it has an amazing contrast ratio and great black uniformity, but it lacks a local dimming feature to improve contrast. It's decent for gaming, thanks to its low input lag and decent response time, but it doesn't support any advanced gaming features like variable refresh rate technology. Lastly, although it supports HDR, this adds very little, as it can't get bright enough to bring out bright highlights, and it can't display a wide color gamut.
- Amazing contrast ratio.
- Decent reflection handling.
- Excellent low input lag.
- Doesn't get bright.
- Narrow viewing angles.
- Noticeable motion blur.
The TCL S434 isn't bad for watching movies in a dark room. It has an amazing contrast ratio and great black uniformity, so it's a great choice for watching movies in dark rooms, as blacks are deep and uniform. It upscales lower resolution content well, great if you like watching movies on DVD or Blu-ray. Sadly, it doesn't have a local dimming feature to improve contrast, and it can't remove judder from any source when watching low frame rate content, like movies.
- Amazing contrast ratio.
- Great black uniformity.
- Can't remove judder from any source.
- No local dimming feature.
The TCL S434 is alright for watching TV shows in a bright room. It upscales lower-resolution content without any issues, like from cable boxes, and the built-in Android TV smart interface has a huge selection of streaming apps. It has decent reflection handling, but it doesn't get bright enough to combat glare in well-lit rooms. Also, it has narrow viewing angles, so it's not ideal for a wide seating arrangement or if you like to move around with the TV on.
- Decent reflection handling.
- Upscales lower-resolution content well.
- Doesn't get bright.
- Narrow viewing angles.
The TCL S434 is okay for watching sports. It has a decent response time, but there's some noticeable motion smearing with fast-moving content in dark scenes. It performs best in dim to moderately-lit rooms, as it has decent reflection handling, but it doesn't get bright enough to combat glare in well-lit rooms. Lastly, it has narrow viewing angles, so it's not ideal for watching the big game if you have a wide seating arrangement.
- Decent reflection handling.
- Upscales lower-resolution content well.
- Doesn't get bright.
- Narrow viewing angles.
- Noticeable motion blur.
The TCL S434 is decent for gaming. It has low input lag, ensuring your actions are in-sync with the action on-screen. The response time is decent, but there's significant smearing behind fast-moving dark objects. It has an amazing contrast ratio and great black uniformity, ideal for dark room gaming. Unfortunately, it lacks advanced gaming features like variable refresh rate support, and its HDMI ports are limited to HDMI 2.0 bandwidth, so you can't game at 4k @ 120Hz from the PS5 or Xbox Series X.
- Amazing contrast ratio.
- Excellent low input lag.
- Noticeable motion blur.
- No extra gaming features like VRR support.
The TCL S434 is mediocre for watching HDR movies in a dark room. It looks good in a dark room thanks to its amazing contrast and great black uniformity, but sadly, there's no local dimming feature to improve the contrast. It can't display a wide color gamut, so vivid colors in some HDR content look dull and muted, and it's not bright enough for small highlights to stand out.
- Amazing contrast ratio.
- Great black uniformity.
- Can't remove judder from any source.
- No local dimming feature.
- Doesn't get bright.
- Can't display wide color gamut.
The TCL S434 is alright for HDR gaming. It has fairly low HDR input lag, ensuring a responsive gaming experience. The response time is decent, but there's noticeable smearing behind dark objects. It has an amazing contrast ratio that helps it display deep blacks; however, HDR content doesn't look good because it can't display a wide color gamut and isn't bright enough for highlights to pop.
- Amazing contrast ratio.
- Great black uniformity.
- Fairly low HDR input lag.
- Doesn't get bright.
- Noticeable motion blur.
- Can't display wide color gamut.
The TCL S434 is decent for use as a PC monitor. It has low input lag, and chroma 4:4:4 is displayed properly from a PC, which is important for reading text. Unfortunately, although it has decent reflection handling, it's not bright enough to combat glare in well-lit rooms. It has narrow viewing angles, so the edges of the screen are appear washed out if you're sitting too close to the screen.
- Decent reflection handling.
- Excellent low input lag.
- Displays chroma 4:4:4.
- Doesn't get bright.
- Narrow viewing angles.
- Noticeable motion blur.
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Differences Between Sizes And Variants
We tested the 55 inch TCL 4 Series Android TV and expect the results to be valid for the 43 inch (43S434), 50 inch (50S434), 65 inch (65S434), 70 inch (70S434), and 75 inch (75S434) models as well. The 55 inch, 65 inch, and 75 inch models are also available in Canada, but we don't know about any variants outside of North America. This TV is a variant of the TCL 4 Series/S435 2020, which is extremely similar but with Roku TV.
| Size | Android Model (S434) | HDMI Ports |
| 43" | 43S434 | 3 |
| 50" | 50S434 | 3 |
| 55" | 55S434 | 3 |
| 65" | 65S434 | 3 |
| 70" | 70S434 | 3 |
| 75" | 75S434 | 3 |
If someone comes across a different type of panel or their TCL 55S434 doesn't correspond to our review, let us know, and we'll update the review.
You can see the label for our unit here.
Popular TV Comparisons
The TCL S434 is a basic, entry-level 4k TV with okay overall performance. It's extremely similar to the TCL 4 Series/S435 2020, with the only major difference being its built-in Android TV instead of Roku TV; choosing one over the other really comes down to personal preference. If you don't mind spending just a bit more money, the TCL 5 Series/S535 2020 QLED offers much better overall performance.
Also see our recommendations for the best budget TVs, the best TCL TVs, and the best smart TVs.
The TCL 4 Series/S435 2020 and the TCL 4 Series/S434 Android 2020 are variants of each other, with few differences. The S435 has Roku TV as its operating system, while the S434 has Android TV. Roku is generally easier to use, but there's a larger selection of apps available on the Google Play store on Android. Each TV has nearly the same performance, except the S435 removes 24p judder, which helps with the appearance of motion in movies. Our unit of the S434 also has much better black uniformity, but this may vary between units.
The Hisense H6510G is slightly better overall than the TCL 4 Series/S434 Android 2020. The Hisense is better for watching movies because it has slightly better contrast and improved black uniformity, but each of these may vary between units. It also gets brighter and has better reflection handling, so it's a better choice for fairly well-lit rooms. However, the TCL has lower input lag for gaming and it has significantly better out-of-the-box accuracy, so you may not need to get it calibrated.
The TCL S535 is much better than the TCL 4 Series/S434 Android 2020. The S535 has a local dimming feature, which can help improve picture quality in dark scenes. It's also better for watching HDR content because it displays a wide color gamut and gets brighter. The S535 has Roku TV, which is easier to use than the Android TV on the 4 Series. The S434 has better reflection handling, so it performs better in bright environments.
The Samsung TU7000 is a bit better overall than the TCL 4 Series/S434 Android 2020. The Samsung is better for gaming because it has a lower input lag and for watching TV shows and sports because it gets brighter. However, the TCL has much better out-of-the-box accuracy, and even though this can vary between units, you may not need to get it calibrated to enjoy it to the fullest.
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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