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TCL S3/S350G TV Review

Tested using Methodology v1.11
Reviewed Nov 12, 2024 at 10:15 am
TCL S3/S350G Picture
5.4
Mixed Usage
Value for price beaten by
: none
6.1
TV Shows
Value for price beaten by
: none
5.0
Sports
Value for price beaten by
: none
5.3
Video Games
Value for price beaten by
: none
5.8
HDR Movies
Value for price beaten by
: none
4.0
HDR Gaming
Value for price beaten by
: none
4.4
PC Monitor
Value for price beaten by
: none

The TCL S3/S350G is an entry-level 1080p TV and sits below the 2024 4k entry-level TCL S5/S551G. Even though it's a basic TV, it supports HDR10 alongside Google TV 11. While it doesn't support any advanced gaming features, it does come with a Game Mode. It comes with the same remote as some of TCL's other 2024 models, which has an integrated microphone with Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant support. It also comes with Chromecast built-in, providing easy casting from an Android device. We reviewed the 32-inch model, but it also comes in 40 and 43-inch model sizes.

Our Verdict

5.4 Mixed Usage

The TCL S3 is a disappointing TV overall. It doesn't excel in any usage due to its underwhelming peak brightness in SDR and HDR, inadequate image processing, narrow viewing angle, and low-resolution options. Its worst feature, however, is its awful response time: it's high enough to provide an unpleasant viewing experience when watching sports and also impacts the TV's ability to provide an adequate gaming or PC monitor experience.

Pros
  • Good reflection handling.

Cons
  • Dim TV in HDR and SDR.

  • Inadequate image processing features.

  • Narrow viewing angle.

  • Awful response time leads to substantial motion blur behind fast moving objects.

6.1 TV Shows

The TCL S3 is a mediocre TV for watching shows. While it has good reflection handling, it is extremely dim in SDR, so it can't handle rooms with any lights. It also has a narrow viewing angle, so it's not a good choice for any wide seating arrangement. It does have a wide array of smart features, including access to a huge selection of streaming apps, so you can easily find your favorite shows. Unfortunately, its image processing is disappointing at best, so it can't clean up low-bitrate or low-resolution shows.

Pros
  • Good reflection handling.

Cons
  • Dim TV in HDR and SDR.

  • Inadequate image processing features.

  • Narrow viewing angle.

  • Awful response time leads to substantial motion blur behind fast moving objects.

5.0 Sports

The TCL S3 is a poor choice for watching sports. While its reflection handling is good, it is simply too dim in SDR to be used in any room with lights or windows. Plus, it has a narrow viewing angle, so it's not a good choice for a wide seating arrangement. Its gray uniformity is inadequate, so there's visible dirty screen effect when watching sports with large areas of bright uniform color, like hockey. Its most glaring issue, however, is its awful response time; there is an extremely noticeable motion blur behind fast-moving players, making for an unpleasant viewing experience.

Pros
  • Good reflection handling.

Cons
  • Dim TV in HDR and SDR.

  • Inadequate image processing features.

  • Narrow viewing angle.

  • Awful response time leads to substantial motion blur behind fast moving objects.

  • Inadequate uniformity with large areas of bright, uniform colors.

5.3 Video Games

The TCL S3 is inadequate for playing games. It has a few redeeming features, such as input lag that is low enough for a pleasant, if unimpressive, gaming experience. It also has good reflection handling, but it doesn't matter much due to the TV's very low SDR brightness; turn off any lights when gaming on this TV. The TV's biggest issue, however, is its awful response time, which introduces a ton of motion blur behind fast-moving objects. This makes it almost unusable for action games. It's also limited to 1080p @ 60Hz on its two HDMI 1.4 ports, with no VRR.

Pros
  • Good reflection handling.

  • Relatively low input lag.

Cons
  • Dim TV in HDR and SDR.

  • Inadequate image processing features.

  • Awful response time leads to substantial motion blur behind fast moving objects.

  • Limited to 1080p on its two HDMI 1.4 ports.

5.8 HDR Movies

The TCL S3 is a disappointing TV for watching movies. Its contrast is mediocre, but it makes for relatively deep blacks when no highlights are present. Unfortunately, the entire screen is blue whenever bright highlights are there, which is unpleasant when viewed in a pitch-black room. When paired with the TV's disappointing HDR brightness, it results in a rather underwhelming HDR presentation. The TV's pre calibration accuracy in SDR is barely mediocre, so it's not a good TV to watch SDR content if you care about image accuracy.

Pros
Cons
  • Dim TV in HDR and SDR.

  • Inadequate image processing features.

  • Awful response time leads to substantial motion blur behind fast moving objects.

  • Limited color gamut.

  • Mediocre pre calibration accuracy in SDR.

4.0 HDR Gaming

You shouldn't buy the TCL S3 for HDR gaming. Its HDR peak brightness is extremely low, making for a dull HDR experience overall. It doesn't matter much anyhow, as this TV's response time just isn't good enough for gaming; there's a noticeable motion blur behind any fast-moving elements of the scene. It's even worse in dark titles, as there's an overwhelming amount of black smearing during dark transitions. Finally, it's also limited to 1080p @ 60Hz on its two HDMI 1.4 ports, with no VRR.

Pros
  • Relatively low input lag.

Cons
  • Dim TV in HDR and SDR.

  • Awful response time leads to substantial motion blur behind fast moving objects.

  • Limited to 1080p on its two HDMI 1.4 ports.

  • Limited color gamut.

4.4 PC Monitor

The TCL S3 shouldn't be bought to be used as a PC monitor. It caps out at 1080p, resulting in a very low pixel density when used as a monitor. It's also not quite bright enough in SDR to overcome any lights from an office, even with its good reflection handling. It also has a narrow viewing angle, so the sides of the screen are not uniform with the center when you're sitting close to it. Its most glaring weakness, however, is its awful response time, which results in a ton of motion blur behind fast-moving objects, such as a mouse cursor. It's even worse during dark transitions, so moving bright windows on a dark background will result in an inordinate amount of black smearing, making for a very unpleasant user experience.

Pros
  • Good reflection handling.

  • Relatively low input lag.

Cons
  • Dim TV in HDR and SDR.

  • Narrow viewing angle.

  • Awful response time leads to substantial motion blur behind fast moving objects.

  • Limited to 1080p on its two HDMI 1.4 ports.

  • Inadequate uniformity with large areas of bright, uniform colors.

  • 5.4 Mixed Usage
  • 6.1 TV Shows
  • 5.0 Sports
  • 5.3 Video Games
  • 5.8 HDR Movies
  • 4.0 HDR Gaming
  • 4.4 PC Monitor
  1. Updated Nov 12, 2024: Review published.
  2. Updated Nov 07, 2024: Early access published.
  3. Updated Oct 31, 2024: Our testers have started testing this product.
  4. Updated Jun 19, 2024: The product has arrived in our lab, and our testers will start evaluating it soon.
  5. Updated Jun 04, 2024: We've purchased the product and are waiting for it to arrive in our lab.

Differences Between Sizes And Variants

We bought and tested the TCL 32S350G, which is also available in 40- and 43-inch sizes. Our model uses the Google TV smart OS, but the TV is also available with Roku TV as well as Fire TV. While all variants share a similar feature set, there are some differences: the Fire TV variant doesn't come with a Game Mode, while the Roku variants have three HDMI ports instead of two and come with Apple HomeKit and Airplay2 support. In Canada, only the Roku and Google TV variants are available.

SizeGoogle TV model (US/Canada)Roku TV modelFire TV model
32"TCL 32S350G/32S350G-CATCL 32S350R/32S350R-CATCL 32S350F
40"TCL 40S350G/40S350G-CATCL 40S350R/40S350R-CATCL 40S350F
43"TCL 43S350G/43S350G-CATCL 43S350R/43S350R-CA-

Our unit was manufactured in February 2024, as shown on the label.

Compared To Other TVs

You shouldn't buy the TCL 32S350G. While it's a very cheap television, its performance leaves a lot to be desired. It is dim in SDR and HDR, has inadequate image processing, and is limited to 1080p on its two HDMI 1.4 ports. Worse of all, however, is its awful response time, which makes the TV almost unusable for sports, gaming, or use as a PC monitor. You really should consider the similarly priced but much better Hisense A6N and Roku Select Series, as they'll both offer a vastly better experience overall.

See our recommendations for the best budget TVs, the best TVs under $300, and the best smart TVs.

Roku Select Series
24" 32" 40" 43" 50" 55" 65" 75"

The Roku Select Series is much better than the TCL S3/S350G. The TCL does one thing better than the Roku: upscaling, and not by much. Otherwise, the Roku is the brighter TV in HDR and SDR, with slightly better contrast, offering a more impactful viewing experience in all content. It's also much better for gamers due to its vastly faster response time and up to 4k @ 60Hz resolution support; the TCL is limited to 1080p @ 60Hz on its two HDMI 1.4 ports.

Hisense A6N [A6, A65N]
43" 50" 55" 65" 70" 75" 85"

The Hisense A6N is better than the TCL S3/S350G. While the TCL has the better contrast of the two, the Hisense is brighter in HDR and SDR, with a wider color gamut, delivering a more impactful viewing experience overall. It's also the more accurate of the two TVs. The Hisense is vastly better for gamers due to its far quicker response time. Finally, it offers a wider range of resolution to users, as the TCL is limited to a maximum of 1080p @ 60Hz.

Samsung DU6900
43" 50" 55" 60" 65" 70" 75" 85"

The Samsung DU6900 is better than the TCL S3/S350G. While the TCL has the better contrast, the Samsung is brighter in HDR and SDR, with a wider color gamut, offering a more impactful viewing experience with all content. The TCL is the more accurate of the two TVs in SDR out-of-the-box, but inversely, the Samsung is more accurate in HDR content. The Samsung is also the better option for gamers due to its wider resolution range, barebones VRR feature, and faster response time. The TCL, for its part, is limited to 1080p, has no VRR, and has a truly awful response time.

Test Results

perceptual testing image
Design
Design
Style
Curved No

The design is extremely basic and lightweight and doesn't look very premium. The bezels are rather thick, and overall, the entire package looks a bit cheap.

Design
Accelerated Longevity Test
Uniformity Pictures N/A
Design
Stand

The V-shaped feet are set near the ends of the TV, and there's no narrow position. The screen sits about 2.6 inches above the table, so most soundbars won't fit in front of it without blocking a portion of the screen.

Footprint of the 32-inch stand: 26.8" x 7.1" x 2.6"

Design
Back
Wall Mount VESA 100x100

The back of the TV is very plain and looks cheap. The inputs are housed in a larger section of the back, near the center of the TV. There's no cable management.

Design
Borders
Borders 0.35" (0.9 cm)
Design
Thickness
Max Thickness 3.07" (7.8 cm)
6.0
Design
Build Quality

The TCL 32S350G has mediocre build quality. It's mostly made of cheap plastic, and there's some flex in the plastic panels around the inputs. Fortunately, the TV barely wobbles on its stand due to being so lightweight.

Picture Quality
6.1
Picture Quality
Contrast
Contrast
5,240 : 1
Native Contrast
5,240 : 1

The TCL S350G has mediocre contrast. It's decent enough to display dark scenes well, but there's no local dimming feature, so blacks are noticeably raised in scenes with bright highlights.

10
Picture Quality
Blooming

The TV doesn't have a local dimming feature, so there's no blooming around bright objects or subtitles during dark scenes. That said, it can't brighten highlights without impacting the rest of the image, so dark scenes look washed out.

10
Picture Quality
Lighting Zone Transitions
Local Dimming
No
Backlight
Direct
Dimming Zones Count Of Tested TV
N/A

This TV doesn't have a local dimming feature, so it can't adjust the backlight of individual zones to brighten up highlights without impacting the rest of the image. That means that there are no distracting flickers or brightness changes as bright highlights move across the screen.

6.5
Picture Quality
Contrast And Dark Details In Game Mode

Switching to Game Mode doesn't result in any noticeable difference in dark scene performance.

4.8
Picture Quality
HDR Brightness
Hallway Lights (~1950 cd/m²)
195 cd/m²
Yellow Skyscraper (~700 cd/m²)
147 cd/m²
Landscape Pool (~300 cd/m²)
154 cd/m²
Peak 2% Window
205 cd/m²
Peak 10% Window
205 cd/m²
Peak 25% Window
205 cd/m²
Peak 50% Window
205 cd/m²
Peak 100% Window
205 cd/m²
Sustained 2% Window
205 cd/m²
Sustained 10% Window
205 cd/m²
Sustained 25% Window
205 cd/m²
Sustained 50% Window
205 cd/m²
Sustained 100% Window
205 cd/m²
Automatic Brightness Limiting (ABL)
0.000

Unfortunately, the peak brightness in HDR is bad. Specular highlights are dull and flat, and bright areas of the scene don't stand out.

4.6
Picture Quality
HDR Brightness In Game Mode
Hallway Lights (~1950 cd/m²)
189 cd/m²
Yellow Skyscraper (~700 cd/m²)
133 cd/m²
Landscape Pool (~300 cd/m²)
132 cd/m²
Peak 2% Window
204 cd/m²
Peak 10% Window
205 cd/m²
Peak 25% Window
206 cd/m²
Peak 50% Window
206 cd/m²
Peak 100% Window
206 cd/m²
Sustained 2% Window
204 cd/m²
Sustained 10% Window
205 cd/m²
Sustained 25% Window
205 cd/m²
Sustained 50% Window
205 cd/m²
Sustained 100% Window
205 cd/m²
Automatic Brightness Limiting (ABL)
0.000

The brightness in Game Mode is nearly identical to the brightness in 'Movie,' so bright highlights in games still don't stand out at all.

8.5
Picture Quality
PQ EOTF Tracking
600 Nit Tracking Delta
0.0096
1000 Nit Tracking Delta
0.0098
4000 Nit Tracking Delta
0.0111

The PQ EOTF tracking on this TV is excellent. Most HDR content is displayed close to the brightness level intended by the content creator. Near-blacks are raised, so some shadow details appear washed out, mainly due to the lack of a local dimming feature. It's also severely limited by its extremely low peak brightness, so bright scenes are too dim. The TV does roll-off when it reaches its peak brightness to try and preserve some detail in bright specular highlights.

4.2
Picture Quality
SDR Brightness
Real Scene Peak Brightness
151 cd/m²
Peak 2% Window
172 cd/m²
Peak 10% Window
171 cd/m²
Peak 25% Window
171 cd/m²
Peak 50% Window
171 cd/m²
Peak 100% Window
171 cd/m²
Sustained 2% Window
171 cd/m²
Sustained 10% Window
171 cd/m²
Sustained 25% Window
171 cd/m²
Sustained 50% Window
171 cd/m²
Sustained 100% Window
171 cd/m²
Automatic Brightness Limiting (ABL)
0.000

The peak brightness of this TV in SDR is bad. It's not bright enough to handle even moderate amounts of glare, so it's not a good choice for a room with any lights or windows.

5.9
Picture Quality
Color Gamut
Wide Color Gamut
No
DCI P3 xy
64.18%
DCI P3 uv
72.08%
Rec 2020 xy
46.15%
Rec 2020 uv
52.75%

The TCL S3's color gamut is sub-par. It can't fully display the commonly used DCI-P3 color space, as most colors are undersaturated, with frequent color accuracy errors. It's even worse in the wider Rec. 2020 color space, as here colors are inaccurate and undersaturated. There are also important color mapping issues throughout, more so in saturated greens and cyans.

5.0
Picture Quality
Color Volume
1,000 cd/m² DCI P3 Coverage ITP
32.7%
10,000 cd/m² Rec 2020 Coverage ITP
14.1%
White Luminance
205 cd/m²
Red Luminance
40 cd/m²
Green Luminance
149 cd/m²
Blue Luminance
12 cd/m²
Cyan Luminance
163 cd/m²
Magenta Luminance
53 cd/m²
Yellow Luminance
187 cd/m²

This TV's color volume is poor. It's limited by its low peak brightness and narrow color gamut, so bright colors don't stand out. It also struggles to display dim saturated colors due to its mediocre contrast.

5.9
Picture Quality
Pre Calibration
White Balance dE
4.66
Color dE
4.24
Gamma
2.30
Color Temperature
6,023 K
Picture Mode
Movie
Color Temp Setting
Warm -5
Gamma Setting
2.2

Unfortunately, the overall accuracy of this TV in SDR before calibration is mediocre. The white balance is noticeably off, as blues are underrepresented in all shades of gray, even more so in brighter grays, making the TV's color temperature too warm overall. When it comes to color accuracy, most saturated colors are noticeably off, and all cyans strongly deviate from what they should be. The gamma is close to our 2.2 target, but all scenes are too dark.

8.9
Picture Quality
Post Calibration
White Balance dE
0.45
Color dE
2.60
Gamma
2.20
Color Temperature
6,568 K
White Balance Calibration
20 point
Color Calibration
No

This TV looks much better after calibration, although colors can't be fully calibrated. This means that while most issues regarding white balance are solved, there are still some noticeable color accuracy issues, especially in bright, saturated colors.

See our full calibration settings here.

5.9
Picture Quality
Gray Uniformity
50% Std. Dev.
4.839%
50% DSE
0.258%
5% Std. Dev.
2.101%
5% DSE
0.112%

The TV's gray uniformity is disappointing. The edges of the screen are noticeably darker, and there's noticeable dirty screen effect, leaving dark spots in the upper and lower regions of the image. There are also noticeable uniformity issues on very dark content, with the sides of the screen being noticeably brighter than the center.

5.6
Picture Quality
Black Uniformity
Std. Dev.
N/A
Native Std. Dev.
2.262%

The TCL 32S350G has disappointing black uniformity. The entire screen looks blue due to the low contrast ratio, and it doesn't look good in a dark room.

5.5
Picture Quality
Viewing Angle
Color Washout
36°
Color Shift
20°
Brightness Loss
48°
Black Level Raise
11°
Gamma Shift
12°

The TCL S3's viewing angle is sub-par. The image degrades rapidly as you move off-center, so it's a bad choice for a wide seating arrangement.

7.6
Picture Quality
Reflections
Screen Finish
Semi-gloss
Total Reflections
4.8%
Indirect Reflections
0.4%
Calculated Direct Reflections
4.4%

The TV has good reflection handling overall. Its semi-gloss screen does an especially good job of reducing the intensity of indirect reflections. However, direct reflections from light sources directly facing the screen are more distracting.

6.5
Picture Quality
HDR Native Gradient
100% Black to 50% Gray
4.0
50% Gray to 100% White
8.0
100% Black to 50% Red
6.0
50% Red to 100% Red
8.0
100% Black to 50% Green
6.0
50% Green to 100% Green
6.0
100% Black to 50% Blue
6.0
50% Blue to 100% Blue
8.0

In HDR, gradients aren't displayed well on this TV. There's noticeable banding in almost all colors except for bright grays, reds, and blues. The banding is especially noticeable in darker shades of gray.

4.8
Picture Quality
Low-Quality Content Smoothing
Smoothing
3.0
Detail Preservation
9.0

The TCL S3 doesn't remove any macro-blocking and pixelization in content from low-quality sources. On the flipside, this means that there's no noticeable loss of fine detail, as no smoothing is done.

6.0
Picture Quality
Upscaling: Sharpness Processing

The sharpness processing on this TV is mediocre. Text and fine details aren't upscaled well and look soft. Some fine details are lost, and upscaled text is hard to read.

Picture Quality
Pixels
Subpixel Layout
BGR
Type LED
Sub-Type
VA

The TV uses a BGR (Blue-Green-Red) subpixel layout instead of the traditional RGB layout, and in this case, it's rotated 90 degrees on its side. It results in obvious color fringing when looking at the TV from a close distance. This doesn't cause any issues for video or gaming content, but it can be a problem for PC monitor use as it impacts text clarity.

The TV doesn't use quantum dots, nor does it use a KSF phosphor coating to produce its colors, as confirmed by the TV's spectral power distribution (SPD). Color purity isn't very good, as there's little separation between each color.

Motion
0.5
Motion
Response Time
80% Response Time
16.0 ms
100% Response Time
34.0 ms

The TCL S3's response time is downright awful. There's extremely noticeable motion blur in almost all transitions, which is excellent for watching movies but makes the TV a terrible choice for gaming or sports. Dark transitions are even worse, resulting in excessive black smearing in shadow details.

2.1
Motion
Flicker-Free
Flicker-Free
No
PWM Dimming Frequency
150 Hz

This TV uses pulse width modulation (PWM) to dim its backlight. It flickers at 150Hz, which is low enough to be noticeable by users who are sensitive to it, especially since it doesn't flicker in time with the TV's refresh rate. Unfortunately, there's flicker in every picture mode, but the TV is flicker-free when the brightness is set to 29 or above.

Motion
Black Frame Insertion (BFI)
Optional BFI
No
Min Flicker For 60 fps
150 Hz
60Hz For 60 fps
No
120Hz For 120 fps
No
Min Flicker for 60 fps in Game Mode
150 Hz

This TV doesn't have an optional backlight strobing feature, commonly known as black frame insertion (BFI), to help reduce persistence blur.

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

This TV doesn't have a motion interpolation feature.

9.6
Motion
Stutter
Frame Hold Time @ 24 fps
7.7 ms
Frame Hold Time @ 60 fps
0.0 ms

Thanks to its extremely slow response time, there's no noticeable stutter when watching movies.

0
Motion
24p Judder
Judder-Free 24p
No
Judder-Free 24p via 60p
No
Judder-Free 24p via 60i
No
Judder-Free 24p via Native Apps
No

The TV doesn't remove 24p judder from any source.

0
Motion
Variable Refresh Rate
Native Refresh Rate
60 Hz
Variable Refresh Rate
No
HDMI Forum VRR
No
FreeSync
No
G-SYNC Compatible
No
4k VRR Maximum
N/A
4k VRR Minimum
No VRR support
1080p VRR Maximum
N/A
1080p VRR Minimum
No VRR support
1440p VRR Maximum
N/A
1440p VRR Minimum
No VRR support
VRR + Local Dimming No VRR Support

All sizes of this TV are limited to a 60Hz refresh rate and don't support VRR.

Inputs
8.1
Inputs
Input Lag
1080p @ 60Hz
28.4 ms
1080p @ 60Hz Outside Game Mode
50.8 ms
1080p @ 120Hz
N/A
1080p @ 144Hz
N/A
1440p @ 60Hz
N/A
1440p @ 120Hz
N/A
1440p @ 144Hz
N/A
4k @ 60Hz
N/A
4k @ 60Hz + 10-Bit HDR
N/A
4k @ 60Hz @ 4:4:4
N/A
4k @ 60Hz Outside Game Mode
N/A
4k @ 60Hz With Interpolation
N/A
4k @ 120Hz
N/A
4k @ 144Hz
N/A
8k @ 60Hz
N/A

This TV's input lag in Game Mode is low enough to provide a pleasant gaming experience, but it is still significantly higher than that of most other TVs.

1.4
Inputs
Supported Resolutions
Resolution 1080p
480p @ 59.94Hz (Widescreen)
Yes
720p @ 59.94Hz
Yes
1080p @ 60Hz @ 4:4:4
Yes
1080p @ 120Hz
No
1080p @ 144Hz
No
1440p @ 60Hz
No
1440p @ 120Hz
No
1440p @ 144Hz
No
4k @ 60Hz
No
4k @ 60Hz @ 4:4:4
No
4k @ 120Hz
No
4k @ 120Hz @ 4:4:4
No
4k @ 144Hz
No
8k @ 30Hz or 24Hz
No
8k @ 60Hz
No

The TCL 32S350G only supports 480p, 720p, and 1080p resolutions, all at 60Hz. When set to the 'PC' Picture Mode, it displays chroma 4:4:4 at 1080p properly.

Inputs
PS5 Compatibility
Auto Low Latency Mode (ALLM)
No
4k @ 120Hz
No
1440p @ 120Hz
No
1080p @ 120Hz
No
HDR
Yes
VRR
No

Since this TV is limited to a 60Hz refresh rate, it can't take full advantage of the PS5. It also doesn't support Auto Low Latency Mode, so it doesn't automatically switch to Game Mode when it detects a console.

Inputs
Xbox Series X|S Compatibility
Auto Low Latency Mode (ALLM)
No
4k @ 120Hz
No
1440p @ 120Hz
No
1080p @ 120Hz
No
HDR
No
VRR
No

Since this TV is limited to a 60Hz refresh rate, it can't take full advantage of the Xbox Series S|X. It also doesn't support Auto Low Latency Mode, so it doesn't automatically switch to Game Mode when it detects a console.

While the TV does support HDR, the Xbox consoles only support HDR when running at 4k. Thus, this TV can't do HDR on Xbox Series S|X.

Inputs
Inputs Specifications
HDR10
Yes
HDR10+
No
Dolby Vision
No
HLG
Yes
HDMI 2.0 Full Bandwidth
No
HDMI 2.1 Class Bandwidth
No
CEC Yes
HDCP 2.2 Yes (HDMI 1, 2)
ATSC Tuner
1.0
USB 3.0
No
Variable Analog Audio Out Yes
Wi-Fi Support Yes (2.4 GHz)

This TV is limited to HDMI 1.4 bandwidth on its two HDMI ports.

Inputs
Input Photos
Inputs
Total Inputs
HDMI 2
USB 1
Digital Optical Audio Out 1
Analog Audio Out 3.5mm 1
Analog Audio Out RCA 0
Component In 0
Composite In 1 (adapter required, not incl.)
Tuner (Cable/Ant) 1
Ethernet 1
DisplayPort 0
IR In 0
Inputs
Audio Passthrough
ARC/eARC Port
ARC
eARC: Dolby Atmos Over Dolby Digital Plus
No
eARC: Dolby Digital Plus 7.1
Yes
eARC: LPCM 7.1 Over Dolby MAT
No
eARC: Dolby TrueHD 7.1
No
eARC: DTS:X Over DTS-HD MA
No
eARC: DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1
No
eARC: LPCM Channels (Bitstream)
2.0
ARC: Dolby Digital 5.1
Yes
ARC: DTS 5.1
No
Optical: Dolby Digital 5.1
Yes
Optical: DTS 5.1
No

The TCL 32S350G only supports ARC, but it can passthrough Dolby Digital Plus 7.1, alongside Dolby Digital 5.1. It doesn't support Dolby Atmos, as it instead downsamples it to 2.0. It also doesn't support any DTS audio formats.

Sound Quality
5.0
Sound Quality
Frequency Response
Low-Frequency Extension
213.57 Hz
Std. Dev. @ 70
5.58 dB
Std. Dev. @ 80
5.52 dB
Std. Dev. @ Max
6.62 dB
Max
90.8 dB SPL
Dynamic Range Compression
3.17 dB

The TV has a poor frequency response. There's no noticeable bass response, as the low-frequency extension (LFE) is incredibly high. Above the LFE, the frequency response is mediocre at low-volume settings, and dialogue can sometimes be hard to make out.

6.3
Sound Quality
Distortion
Weighted THD @ 80
0.154
Weighted THD @ Max
3.302
IMD @ 80
3.45%
IMD @ Max
24.25%

There's some noticeable distortion on this TV at moderate volume levels, but it's satisfactory. However, the amount of distortion above 75% volume is rather extreme, rendering it nearly unusable at high volume settings.

Smart Features
8.0
Smart Features
Interface
Smart OS Google TV
Version 11
Ease of Use
Average
Smoothness
Average
Time Taken to Select YouTube
1 s
Time Taken to Change Backlight
2 s
Advanced Options
Many

The TV uses version 11 of Google's popular Google TV OS. It's relatively easy to use and runs well enough, with a large selection of apps.

0
Smart Features
Ad-Free
Ads
Yes
Opt-out
No
Suggested Content in Home
Yes
Opt-out of Suggested Content
No

Like most TVs on the market, it has ads throughout the interface, and you can't disable them.

8.5
Smart Features
Apps and Features
App Selection
Great
App Smoothness
Average
Cast Capable
Yes
USB Drive Playback
Yes
USB Drive HDR Playback
No
HDR in Netflix
Yes
HDR in YouTube
Yes

It has a wide selection of apps, so it's easy to find your favorite content. You can also cast content from your phone to the TV or play videos directly from a USB stick. However, it doesn't support HDR playback through USB. 

8.5
Smart Features
Remote
Size
Medium
Voice Control
Many Features
CEC Menu Control
Yes
Other Smart Features
No
Remote App Android TV

The TV's remote is medium-sized and has a simple layout. It has motion-activated backlighting and buttons for popular streaming services. You can use the built-in microphone to switch inputs, change apps, search within apps, and ask for the weather and time. Unfortunately, you can't change the settings using the voice controls.

Smart Features
TV Controls

There's a single button on the bottom center-right of the TV that can be used to switch inputs, adjust the volume, change channels, and power on/off.

Smart Features
In The Box

  • Setup guide
  • Remote
  • 2x AAA batteries

Smart Features
Misc
Power Consumption 23 W
Power Consumption (Max) 38 W
Firmware V8-T221T04-LF1V096