The TCL 5 Series/S555 2022 QLED is a budget 4k TV released in 2022 that runs the Roku OS smart interface. It sits below the much more advanced TCL 6 Series/R655 2022 QLED and replaces the TCL 5 Series/S535 2020 QLED. It's available along with the TCL 5 Series/S546 2021 QLED, which runs the Google TV smart interface instead of the Roku OS smart interface. It has a few new features compared to the S535, including variable refresh rate support, but like the S546, it's limited to a 60Hz refresh rate and doesn't support HDMI 2.1 bandwidth. It has a full array local dimming feature, but like most budget models, it doesn't use Mini LED backlighting and has a small number of dimming zones. It's available in 50-inch, 55-inch, 65-inch, and 75-inch sizes, so there are options available for many different needs, and all sizes perform the same.
Our Verdict
The TCL S555 is a good TV for mixed usage. It's an impressive TV for watching movies in a dark room thanks to its superb contrast, fantastic black uniformity, and decent local dimming feature. It looks good in a bright room, with high peak brightness and decent reflection handling, but it's not a good choice for a wide seating arrangement, as the image fades and looks washed out when viewed at an angle. It delivers a great gaming experience, with low input lag and a very good response time, but it's a bit limited by its 60Hz refresh rate and lack of HDMI 2.1 bandwidth.
- Superb contrast ratio results in deep blacks in a dark room.
- Great selection of streaming apps.
- Decent reflection handling.
- High peak brightness in SDR.
- Image degrades rapidly when viewed from the side.
The TCL S555 is good for watching shows in a bright room. It has great peak brightness and decent reflection handling, so it overcomes moderate amounts of glare with no issues. It upscales most lower-quality content well, but it doesn't display 480p sources properly, so it's not good for watching shows on DVD if you have an older player. The built-in Roku smart interface has a great selection of streaming apps, so you can quickly find your favorite shows. Unfortunately, it has a narrow viewing angle, so it's not a good choice for a wide seating arrangement, as the image appears dull and washed out from the side.
- Great selection of streaming apps.
- Decent reflection handling.
- High peak brightness in SDR.
- Image degrades rapidly when viewed from the side.
- 480p content isn't upscaled properly.
The TCL S555 is good for watching sports in a bright room. Thanks to its great peak brightness and decent reflection handling, it easily overcomes glare in moderately-lit rooms. The response time is very good, so there isn't much blur behind fast-moving objects. It has decent gray uniformity, but there are a few uniformity issues that are distracting when watching sports that have large areas of the same color, such as hockey or football. Unfortunately, it has a narrow viewing angle, so it's not a good choice in a group setting, as the image fades and colors look washed out when viewed from the side.
- Great selection of streaming apps.
- Decent reflection handling.
- High peak brightness in SDR.
- Image degrades rapidly when viewed from the side.
- 480p content isn't upscaled properly.
- Uniformity issues.
The TCL S555 is great for playing video games. It has a very good response time, so there's just a bit of blur behind fast-moving objects. It also has superbly low input lag, ensuring a responsive gaming experience, and supports a variable refresh rate to reduce tearing in games. Unfortunately, it's a bit limited by its 60Hz refresh rate, as it can't take full advantage of the performance modes offered by the PS5 and Xbox Series X.
- Superb contrast ratio results in deep blacks in a dark room.
- Superb low input lag for a responsive gaming experience.
- Variable refresh rate support.
- High peak brightness in SDR.
- Limited 60Hz refresh rate.
The TCL S555 is very good for watching movies in a dark room. It has a superb contrast ratio and fantastic black uniformity, so dark scenes are displayed well, but there is blooming around bright objects. It has alright peak brightness in HDR, so bright scenes aren't as bright as they should be, but midtones are displayed well. The TV has a wide color gamut, ensuring HDR content looks vibrant and lifelike. It also has great gradient handling, with minimal or no banding across all colors except for dark grays.
- Superb contrast ratio results in deep blacks in a dark room.
- Great selection of streaming apps.
- Removes judder from 24p sources.
- Wide color gamut with HDR content.
- Excellent PQ EOTF tracking.
- Low peak brightness in HDR.
- Doesn't support Dolby Atmos or DTS:X.
The TCL S555 is great for gaming in HDR. It has low input lag and a fast response time, which provides a responsive and clear gaming experience. Bright highlights stand out well in darker scenes thanks to its superb contrast ratio and local dimming feature, but there is blooming around bright objects when they are against a dark background. Unfortunately, it has just alright peak brightness in HDR, so very bright highlights don't pop as much as they could.
- Superb contrast ratio results in deep blacks in a dark room.
- Superb low input lag for a responsive gaming experience.
- Wide color gamut with HDR content.
- Variable refresh rate support.
- Low peak brightness in HDR.
- Limited 60Hz refresh rate.
- Doesn't support Dolby Atmos or DTS:X.
The TCL S555 is a very good TV for use as a PC monitor, but there are some limitations. It displays chroma 4:4:4 signals properly, which is important for clear text from a PC, and it has low input lag for a responsive desktop experience. On the other hand, it has a narrow viewing angle, so the sides of the screen appear dull and non-uniform if you're sitting up close. It also has some noticeable uniformity issues, which can be distracting when browsing the web.
- Decent reflection handling.
- Superb low input lag for a responsive gaming experience.
- Chroma 4:4:4 is displayed properly for clear text.
- High peak brightness in SDR.
- Image degrades rapidly when viewed from the side.
- Limited 60Hz refresh rate.
- Uniformity issues.
Changelog
- Updated Dec 13, 2023: We've updated the text in the review to reflect our latest test methodology changes and scores.
- Updated Aug 14, 2023: Added mention of the newly reviewed TCL Q7/Q750G QLED in the Black Uniformity section of this review.
- Updated Apr 28, 2023: We updated the text to match the latest changes to our test methodology and scores.
- Updated Apr 28, 2023: Converted to Test Bench 1.11. With this update, we've added a new Upscaling: Sharpness Processing test and revamped our Blooming test so the scores and picture better match the real world experience. With this change, it was necessary to remove the Black Crush test. Finally, we've updated our usage scores to better align our scores with user expectations.
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Differences Between Sizes And Variants
We bought and tested the 65-inch TCL 5 Series Roku TV, and our results are also valid for the 50, 55, and 75-inch models. The TCL 5 Series/S546 2021 QLED is a very similar TV, but it runs the Google TV smart platform instead of Roku.
| Size | Model Number |
|---|---|
| 50" | 50S555 |
| 55" | 55S555 |
| 65" | 65S555 |
| 75" | 75S555 |
Our unit was manufactured in July 2022; you can see the label here.
Popular TV Comparisons
The TCL 5 Series Roku TV is a good budget TV that performs well overall. It offers better picture quality than most other budget models, like the Hisense U6/U6H and the Vizio M6 Series Quantum 2022. There are a few uniformity and quality control issues, but you can find the same issues on any budget TV, so unless you're willing to spend a lot more, it's one of the best TVs in its price range.
See our recommendations for the best budget TVs, the best smart TVs, and the best 65-inch TVs.
The TCL 6 Series/R655 2022 QLED is a noticeable step up from the TCL S555. The R655 gets significantly brighter and has much better reflection handling, meaning it can handle more glare in a bright room. HDR also looks noticeably better on the R655 thanks to its higher peak brightness, and bright highlights stand out better. Finally, the R655 is a much better TV for gaming thanks to its faster refresh rate and HDMI 2.1 bandwidth, allowing for 4k @ 120Hz gaming from the latest consoles.
The TCL S555 is better than the TCL Q650G. The S555 has vastly better contrast, helped by its local dimming feature, which the Q650G doesn't have. It can reach higher peak brightness in HDR and SDR than the Q650G, so it emphasizes bright highlights better than the newer model can, although it comes at the cost of more brightness variation on a scene-by-scene basis. The Q650G does offer more to gamers, however, with a wider choice of available resolutions. That said, the S555 is vastly more color-accurate pre-calibration; you can buy that TV and start watching it without worrying about calibration, unlike the Q650G.
The TCL S555 is much better than the model it replaces, the TCL S535. The S555 is significantly brighter, so it can handle more glare in a bright room, and HDR content stands out better. The S555 is also better for gaming, as it supports a variable refresh rate feature to reduce tearing in games.
The TCL S555 is better than the TCL S546. The S555 has much better accuracy both before and after calibration, and it looks better in a dark room thanks to its better local dimming feature and better black uniformity.
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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