The TCL S4/S470G is an entry-level 4k TV released in 2023. It's part of the TCL S4 series of budget TVs, which offer a limited selection of extra features but are available in a wide variety of sizes. It's similar to the TCL S4/S450G, which is a lower-end model with a different panel. Powered by the Google TV smart interface, there's a plethora of streaming apps available and the smart interface is feature-packed and easy to use.
Our Verdict
The TCL S470G is a mediocre TV overall. It's best suited for watching shows or gaming in a moderately-lit room with a wide seating arrangement, as it doesn't look good in a dark room. It has a low contrast ratio, low peak brightness, and no local dimming feature, so it's not very versatile. It has low input lag and an okay response time, so it's okay for gaming. It supports HDR, but there's no point, as this adds next to nothing to this TV as it can't get bright enough to bring out bright specular highlights.
- Decent reflection handling.
- Wide viewing angle.
- Very low contrast; blacks are raised and shadows are washed out.
- Low peak brightness.
- Poor sound quality.
The TCL S470G Series is an okay TV for watching shows, but only in a moderately-lit room. It has decent reflection handling but very low peak brightness, so it can't handle glare in a bright room. It has a wide viewing angle, so it's an acceptable choice for a wide seating arrangement. It also has a wide array of smart features, including access to a huge selection of streaming apps, so you can easily find your favorite shows.
- Wide selection of streaming apps.
- Decent reflection handling.
- Wide viewing angle.
- Low peak brightness.
- Poor sound quality.
- Mediocre picture processing.
The TCL S470G is a mediocre choice for watching sports. Its wide viewing angle makes it an acceptable choice for a wide seating arrangement or if you want to watch the big game with a large group of friends. It can't get very bright, though, so despite its decent reflection handling, it's not a good choice for a bright living room. It has an okay response time, so fast-motion in sports is clear overall, but there's some blur behind fast-moving objects. It also has bad sound quality, so it's best to pair it with a soundbar or audio receiver for parties.
- Wide selection of streaming apps.
- Decent reflection handling.
- Wide viewing angle.
- Low peak brightness.
- Poor sound quality.
- Mediocre picture processing.
The TCL S470G is an okay choice for gaming, but only in a moderately-lit room. It has fantastic low input lag, ensuring a responsive gaming experience with minimal delay between your actions on your controller and what you see on the screen. It doesn't support advanced gaming features like VRR, though, and it can't get very bright, so it's best used in a moderately-lit room. It also looks bad in a dark room due to its low contrast ratio and lack of a local dimming feature.
- Low input lag.
- Decent reflection handling.
- Very low contrast; blacks are raised and shadows are washed out.
- Low peak brightness.
- 60Hz refresh rate and limited gaming features.
- Poor sound quality.
The TCL S470G is a disappointing TV for watching movies, especially if you're in a dark room. It has a low contrast ratio, sub-par black uniformity, and no local dimming feature, so dim scenes are washed out and patchy. It was a wide color gamut, so colors are vivid and realistic, but it can't get very bright, and highlights don't stand out at all.
- Wide color gamut.
- Very low contrast; blacks are raised and shadows are washed out.
- No local dimming feature to improve contrast.
- Low peak brightness.
- Poor sound quality.
The TCL S470G is an okay TV for gaming in HDR, but mainly due to its gaming performance and low input lag. It feels very responsive, as there's very little delay between your actions on your controller and the action on-screen, and it has an okay response time with just a bit of blur behind fast-moving objects. HDR adds almost nothing, though, as it can't get very bright and lacks a local dimming feature to improve its dynamic range.
- Low input lag.
- Wide color gamut.
- Very low contrast; blacks are raised and shadows are washed out.
- No local dimming feature to improve contrast.
- Low peak brightness.
- 60Hz refresh rate and limited gaming features.
- Poor sound quality.
The TCL S470G is just okay for use as a PC monitor. It displays chroma 4:4:4 properly, which is essential for clear text from a PC, and it has low input lag so your mouse movements feel responsive. It has an okay response time, with just a bit of blur behind fast-moving objects. It also has a wide viewing angle, so the sides of the screen remain uniform when you're sitting close to the screen. On the other hand, it can't get very bright, so glare is distracting if you're in a bright room.
- Low input lag.
- Chroma 4:4:4 is displayed properly for clear text from a PC.
- Decent reflection handling.
- Wide viewing angle.
- Low peak brightness.
- Poor sound quality.
Check Price
Differences Between Sizes And Variants
We bought and tested the 50-inch TCL S470G, which is part of the TCL S4 lineup, and these results are also valid for the 43-, 55-, 58-, 65-, 70-, 75, and 85-inch sizes. There are a few different models in TCL's S4 series, which share a similar design but slightly different features and picture quality. The TCL S450G is very similar to this one but has a different panel with much better contrast, a worse viewing angle, and a narrower color gamut. All sizes perform the same, but the 75-inch and 85-inch models have slightly different stands and an additional USB port.
| Size | Model Number |
|---|---|
| 43" | 43S470G |
| 50" | 50S470G |
| 55" | 55S470G |
| 58" | 58S470G |
| 65" | 65S470G |
| 75" | 75S470G |
| 85" | 85S470G |
Our unit was manufactured in May 2023; you can see the label here.
Popular TV Comparisons
The TCL S470G is a very basic entry-level TV with very few additional features and poor picture quality. Its main selling feature is its wide color gamut, which is uncommon for a TV in this price range. Unless you only care about vivid colors, pretty much any other budget TV is a better choice than this one overall, and most competing models offer a wider range of extra features.
See our recommendations for the best budget TVs, the best TVs under $300, and the best smart TVs.
In an odd twist, the lower-end TCL S4/S450G is better than the higher-end TCL S4/S470G. The S450G delivers much better picture quality, with a much higher contrast ratio, resulting in better dark room performance. The S470G has a wider color gamut, so HDR content looks a bit better, and it has a wide viewing angle, which is great if you have a wide seating arrangement. Despite these improvements, the overall picture quality and viewing experience on the S450G is better.
The Hisense A6H and the TCL S4/S470G are pretty similar overall, but the TCL is slightly better. They deliver a very similar viewing experience, and both models look best in moderately-lit rooms, as they have low peak brightness and terrible contrast. The TCL has a much wider color gamut thanks to its PFS Phosphor coating, so HDR content looks more vivid and realistic, whereas the Hisense looks dull.
The LG UR8000 is significantly better than the TCL S4/S470G. The LG delivers much better picture quality, with better contrast, higher peak brightness, and better handling of low-quality content. The LG also has better motion handling, with less blur behind fast-moving objects. The TCL has a wider viewing angle, but the LG is still a better choice, even if you have a wide seating arrangement.
The Hisense A65K is much better than the TCL S4/S470G. The Hisense delivers much better picture quality thanks to its better contrast, higher peak brightness, and better accuracy. The Hisense also has better motion handling with less blur behind fast-moving objects. The TCL has a wider viewing angle, but the Hisense is still a better choice, even if you have a wide seating arrangement.
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
for pictures & test results
for pictures & test results
for pictures & test results
for pictures & test results
for pictures & test results
for pictures & test results
for pictures & test results
for pictures & test results
for pictures & test results
for pictures & test results
for pictures & test results
for pictures & test results
for pictures & test results
for pictures & test results
for pictures & test results
for pictures & test results
