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To try to better understand how long a TV should last, we're running 100 TVs through an accelerated longevity test for the next two years. We've just posted our 1-year video update with our latest findings on temporary image retention, burn-in, and more!

TCL FS3750 TV Review

Tested using Methodology v1.0
Review updated Mar 01, 2017 at 06:31 am
TCL FS3750 Picture
6.7
Mixed Usage
Value for price beaten by
: Not at the latest test bench
6.1
Movies
Value for price beaten by
: Not at the latest test bench
6.8
TV Shows
Value for price beaten by
: Not at the latest test bench
7.2
Sports
Value for price beaten by
: Not at the latest test bench
7.5
Video Games
Value for price beaten by
: Not at the latest test bench
5.2
HDR Movies
Value for price beaten by
: Not at the latest test bench
4.7
HDR Gaming
Value for price beaten by
: Not at the latest test bench
4.9
PC Monitor
Value for price beaten by
: Not at the latest test bench
This TV was replaced by the TCL S Series/S305 2018

The TCL FS3750 1080p Roku Smart LED TV offers a good picture quality and one of the best smart TV platform around. Its very simple interface is also part of its strengths which makes this TV appealing to a very broad audience. Unfortunately, it's picture deteriorates when viewed from the side.

Our Verdict

6.7 Mixed Usage

Average performance for a range of usages. Picture quality is decent but lacks advanced features found on higher end TVs. Fast motion is well handled and even low quality content appears quite clear. Unfortunately the picture quality degrades even at a slight angle.

Pros
  • Great for video games.
  • Excellent smart platform with tons of apps.
  • Good basic picture quality.
Cons
  • Picture deteriorate when watched from the side.
  • Average uniformity.
6.1 Movies

Movie performance is average. The picture quality is okay but lacks more advanced features such as local dimming. Blacks appear deep. Colors are decent but can't be adjusted.

6.8 TV Shows

TV shows in a bright room appear average. Not bright enough to counteract strong glare. Good upscaling of low quality content. Picture quality is decent but degrades quickly when viewed from the side. Great app support for a range of content.

7.2 Sports

Above average sports performance. Motion is handled very well. Uniformity is average with some dirty screen effect visible.

7.5 Video Games

Great for gamers. Very good motion handling for fast camera movements. Good input lag so feels responsive. Decent picture quality.

5.2 HDR Movies

Doesn't support HDR. Limited colors only suitable for SDR content. Can't get very bright highlights. Average picture quality.

4.9 PC Monitor

Slightly worse than average as a PC monitor. Doesn't support a wide range of resolutions or 120Hz content. Lack of chroma support means some text appears blurry.

  • 6.7 Mixed Usage
  • 6.1 Movies
  • 6.8 TV Shows
  • 7.2 Sports
  • 7.5 Video Games
  • 5.2 HDR Movies
  • 4.7 HDR Gaming
  • 4.9 PC Monitor
  1. Updated Mar 01, 2017: Review published.
  2. Updated May 11, 2016: Our testers have started testing this product.
  3. Updated May 09, 2016: We've purchased the product and are waiting for it to arrive in our lab.

Differences Between Sizes And Variants

We tested the 48" (48FS3750). For the most part, we expect our review to be valid for other sizes of the FS3750.

If someone comes across a different type of panel or if their TCL FS3750 doesn't correspond to our review, let us know and we will update the review.

Size Model
40" 40FS3750
48" 48FS3750
55" 55FS3750

Compared To Other TVs

Comparison picture

Top row, from left: Sony W600D (KDL32W600D), TCL FS3750 (48FS3750), TCL FS3800 (40FS3800). Bottom: Sony R510C (KDL48R510C), Vizio D Series 1080p (D50-D1), LG LF5500 (49LF5500). Unlike our other photographs, this picture wasn't taken under a controlled environment, so do not draw conclusions from it.

TVs in the same price range of the TCL FS3750 usually don't offer as much smart features which makes the FS3750 kind of unique and somewhat hard to compare. Something is clear though, that amount of features combined with a picture quality this good is really hard to beat for the price.

Test Results

Design
6.0
Design
Style
Curved No

The TCL FS3750 doesn't look bad but its added labeling at the bottom part of the television frame and its fair thickness doesn't make it stand out.

Design
Stand

The two plastic stands are quite stable, the television does not wobble when being pushed.

Footprint of the 48" TV stand: 37" x 9.5"

Design
Back
Wall Mount VESA 200x200

The back of the television is bulky and unattractive. If wall mounted you may not be able to have access to the composite inputs.

Design
Borders
Borders 0.67" (1.7 cm)

The borders are made with reflective plastic.

Design
Thickness
Max Thickness 2.75" (7 cm)

The television is thick, but light at the same time. It might not be ideal to wall mount it as it will stick out.

Picture Quality
8.1
Picture Quality
Contrast
Native Contrast
3,390 : 1

The contrast ratio is average-good on this television. Although not the deepest, blacks appear good even in a low light environment.

0
Picture Quality
Local Dimming
Local Dimming
No
Backlight
Direct

There is no local dimming feature on this TV.

6.9
Picture Quality
SDR Peak Brightness
SDR Real Scene Peak Brightness
209 cd/m²
SDR Peak 2% Window
280 cd/m²
SDR Peak 10% Window
278 cd/m²
SDR Peak 25% Window
277 cd/m²
SDR Peak 50% Window
273 cd/m²
SDR Peak 100% Window
272 cd/m²
SDR Sustained 2% Window
280 cd/m²
SDR Sustained 10% Window
278 cd/m²
SDR Sustained 25% Window
277 cd/m²
SDR Sustained 50% Window
273 cd/m²
SDR Sustained 100% Window
272 cd/m²

Decent peak brightness values but cannot get extra bright like a TV that supports HDR.

not tested
Picture Quality
HDR Peak Brightness
HDR Real Scene Peak Brightness
N/A
HDR Peak 2% Window
N/A
HDR Peak 10% Window
N/A
HDR Peak 25% Window
N/A
HDR Peak 50% Window
N/A
HDR Peak 100% Window
N/A
HDR Sustained 2% Window
N/A
HDR Sustained 10% Window
N/A
HDR Sustained 25% Window
N/A
HDR Sustained 50% Window
N/A
HDR Sustained 100% Window
N/A

This TV does not support HDR.

6.5
Picture Quality
Gray Uniformity
50% Std. Dev.
3.039%
50% DSE
0.234%

The TCL FS3750 has an average screen uniformity. When watching sports, dirty screen effect (DSE) can be seen (darker spots) when camera pans over playing fields of uniform color.

4.1
Picture Quality
Viewing Angle
LCD Type
VA
Color Shift
20°
Brightness
30°
Black Level
11°

Even from a slight angle, the color of the TV shifts considerably, blacks look more grayish and the whole screen gets a yellow tint.

Update: We have changed the methodology of testing. Since this is an old TV which we don't have anymore, we extrapolated the results.

8.5
Picture Quality
Black Uniformity
Native Std. Dev.
1.218%

A totally black screen show several faint clouding spots. This isn't a big issue when watching regular content.

8.5
Picture Quality
Gradient
Color Depth
8 Bit

The TCL FS3750 has an 8 bit panel as can be noticed in the shift of colors in our gradient test pattern. This won't be an issue in regular content even though 8 bit banding can be seen in some scenes.

9.2
Picture Quality
Pre Calibration
White Balance dE
1.57
Color dE
1.3055
Gamma
2.27

Very good color and white balance dE for an out of the box state. Impressive for a low end TV like this one.

9.2
Picture Quality
Post Calibration
White Balance dE
1.59
Color dE
1.3911
Gamma
2.25

No white balance or color fine tuning possible on the FS3750. Increasing contrast to 100 is the only change we made so the TV can get a little brighter.

8.0
Picture Quality
480p Input

The TCL FS3750 delivers great details whatever the resolution used. Despite their lower resolution, DVDs looks great and detailed.

8.0
Picture Quality
720p Input

Cable TV also looks very good when upscaled.

10
Picture Quality
1080p Input

When playing greater quality content like Blu-rays, the picture also looks very crisp.

0
Picture Quality
4k Input
6.5
Picture Quality
Color Gamut
Wide Color Gamut
No
DCI P3 xy
71.17%
DCI P3 uv
78.67%
Rec 2020 xy
51.09%
Rec 2020 uv
57.47%

The range of colors the TCL FS3750 can display is good enough for Rec. 709 content.

5.1
Picture Quality
Color Volume
Normalized DCI P3 Coverage
56.178%
10,000 cd/m² DCI P3 Coverage
31.207%
Normalized Rec 2020 Coverage
40.941%
10,000 cd/m² Rec 2020 Coverage
22.7724%

The FS3750 can't produce saturated colors at any luminance level.

10
Picture Quality
Image Retention
IR after 0 min recovery
0%
IR after 2 min recovery
0%
IR after 4 min recovery
0%
IR after 6 min recovery
0%
IR after 8 min recovery
0%
IR after 10 min recovery
0%
8.0
Picture Quality
Reflections
Reflection
2%
Screen Finish
Semi-gloss

The TV handles reflections correctly and can get bright enough to fit for most living rooms.

0
Picture Quality
3D
3D
No
3D Type
No
2D to 3D
No
Picture Quality
Pixels
Type LED
Motion
8.8
Motion
Motion Blur
Refresh Rate 60 Hz
Response Time
12 ms
Overshoot
0.8 ms

Pixels response time is good which doesn't produce a lot of blur on fast action sequences. Fast moving objects or players stays defined.

2.8
Motion
Image Flicker
PWM Dimming Frequency
120 Hz
BFI
No
BFI Frequency
120 Hz
BFI In Game Mode
No
7.1
Motion
24p Playback
Judder-free 24p
Yes
Judder-free 24p via 60p
No
Judder-free 24p via 60i
No

There is no judder when a movie is playing at 24p (blu-ray, DVD). However over 60p as well as 60i, judder is present.

0
Motion
Motion Interpolation
Motion Interpolation (30 fps)
No
Motion Interpolation (60 fps)
No

There is no motion interpolation option on the TCL FS3750.

Inputs
8.4
Inputs
Input Lag
1080p @ 60Hz
30.3 ms
1080p With Interpolation
N/A
1080p @ 60Hz Outside Game Mode
31.4 ms
1080p @ 60Hz @ 4:4:4
N/A
4k @ 60Hz
N/A
4k @ 60Hz @ 4:4:4
N/A
4k @ 60Hz + HDR
N/A
4k @ 60Hz @ 4:4:4 + 8 bit HDR
N/A

Whether you put 'Game Mode' on or off, the television has a similar input lag across all settings. Your gaming experience with this television will be responsive.

0
Inputs
Supported Resolutions
Resolution 1080p
1080p @ 60Hz @ 4:4:4
No
1080p @ 120Hz
No
4k @ 30Hz @ 4:4:4
No
4k @ 60Hz
No
4k @ 60Hz @ 4:4:4
No

4:4:4 isn't supported at all. When using the TV as a PC monitor, text sometimes appear blurry.

Inputs
Side Inputs
Inputs
Rear Inputs
Inputs
Total Inputs
HDMI 3
USB 1
Digital Optical Audio Out 1
Analog Audio Out 3.5mm 1
Analog Audio Out RCA 0
Component In 0
Composite In 1
Tuner (Cable/Ant) 1
Ethernet 0
DisplayPort 0
IR In 0
SD/SDHC 0
Inputs
Inputs Specifications
HDR10
No
5.1 Passthrough ARC Dolby Digital
Yes
Dolby Vision
No
5.1 Passthrough ARC DTS
No
5.1 Passthrough Optical Dolby Digital
Yes
5.1 Passthrough Optical DTS
No
HDMI 2.0 Full Bandwidth No
ARC Yes (HDMI 3)
USB 3 Yes (1)
HDCP 2.2 No
CEC No
MHL No
Variable Analog Audio Out Yes
Sound Quality
6.7
Sound Quality
Frequency Response
Std. Dev. @ 70
3.35 dB SPL
Std. Dev. @ 80
3.08 dB SPL
Std. Dev. @ Max
4.56 dB SPL
Max
89.1 dB SPL
Low-end Cutoff
160 Hz

Very poor low-end cut off, even for a TV. This TV doesn't produce much bass. However, the frequency response is decent, especially at moderate volumes. At higher volumes, pumping and compression may be present.

3.1
Sound Quality
Total Harmonic Distortion
Distortion @ 70
0.044
Distortion @ 80
0.4
Distortion @ Max
6.28

Poor distortion overall. At lower volumes the amount of harmonic distortion is acceptable. However, at moderate to high volumes, there is a big jump in harmonic distortion and noticeable amounts of aliasing may be present.

Smart Features
Smart Features
Apps

Literally tons of apps available, more than on any other TV smart platforms.

9.0
Smart Features
Interface
Smart OS Roku

With the integration of the Roku platform, the TCL FS3750 delivers excellent smart features with an overwhelming amount of available apps and very straightforward menu navigation. Even the TV settings, although scarce, are very simple to use and understand. The remote also helps with the simple experience with its minimalist design. People that likes to fiddle with a lot of options might be turned down by this approach but for the others, even the non-techy ones, the experience is great.

10
Smart Features
Ads
Ad-free
Yes
Opt-out
N/A
Smart Features
TV Controls

Controls on the TV are hidden behind the television near the left stand. They can be hard to access if the TV is wall mounted.

Smart Features
Remote
Remote Basic

The remote for the television feels comfortable in the hand. It is easy to navigate through menus with the remote and it has four quick access buttons dedicated to 'Netflix', 'Amazon', 'Radio' and 'Vudu'.

Smart Features
In The Box

- Remote
- Batteries
- Manuals

Smart Features
Misc
Power Consumption 44 W
Power Consumption (Max) 99 W
Firmware 7.1.0