TCL 4-Series Roku TV (S435) review

Our Verdict

The TCL iv-Series demonstrates that 4K is mainstream now, with respectable picture quality and the very convenient Roku Goggle box smart interface.

For

Splendid value-priced 4K
Good color fidelity
Solid Roku skills

Confronting

No Dolby Vision back up
Minimal sound adjustments
Pic adjustments are hard to observe

Tom's Guide Verdict

The TCL 4-Series demonstrates that 4K is mainstream now, with respectable picture quality and the very convenient Roku Television receiver smart interface.

Pros

+
Excellent value-priced 4K
+
Good color fidelity
+
Solid Roku skills

Cons

-
No Dolby Vision support
-
Minimal sound adjustments
-
Moving picture adjustments are hard to notice

TCL four-Series Roku Television (43S435): Specs

Cost: $289
Model number: 43S435
Screen size: 43 inches
Resolution: 3840 ten 2160
HDR: HDR10, and HLG
Refresh rate: 60 Hz
Ports: 3 HDMI 2.ane (one ARC); 1 USB; 1 headphone jack; 1 blended; RF; digital audio; Ethernet
Audio: 8 watts by 8 watts, Dolby Digital Plus
Smart TV software: Roku TV
Size: 38.two x 22.3 x iii.3 inches [w/o stand]
Weight: xv.4 pounds [w/o stand]; fifteen.6 pounds [w. stand]

Not everyone can be the best Boob tube and the brightest screen, and that's okay. Sometimes it'southward really simply as important to evangelize respectable operation at an affordable price. That'south the sweet spot for TCL's 4-Series sets.

The TCL 4-Series Roku Telly (S435) cements 4K resolution with HDR (high dynamic range) support as de rigueur today, with this 43-inch LCD model for less than $300. It'due south too a smart TV and able to handle most streaming and online entertainment sources cheers to the inclusion of the Roku TV software. It makes for a total-featured little package that'south simple to use and that surprisingly only makes a few compromises in eliminating a handful of high-terminate features.

TCL 4-Serial Roku Telly (S435) review: Pricing and availability

Available now, TCL unflinchingly offers more options in the four-Series line than y'all can milk shake a remote at. Sets in the 4-Series are available in sizes from the 43-inch model we tested all the way up to 85 inches. List pricing starts at $289.99 for the 43-inch set and goes all the way up to $1,599.99 for the big 85-incher.

43-inch (model 43S435) - $289.99
50-inch (model 50S435) - $349.99
55-inch (model 55S435) - $399.99
65-inch (model 65S435) - $529.99
75-inch (model 75S435) - $799.99
85-inch (model 85S435) - $1,599.99

The visitor as well offers the 4-Series in two different smart TV flavors, Roku Telly or Android TV. Our review focuses on the Roku version, indicated by the S435 model number. Android-equipped sets are distinguished by the S434 model number, but the hardware used on both versions of the 4-Series is identical. (To exist fair, though, there is no 85-inch Android TV model.) Nonetheless, because our reviews wait at both hardware performance and user experience, which can exist greatly influenced by software and app selection, we won't be discussing the Android Idiot box models at length in this review.

That said, across both the TCL 4-Series Roku TV (S435) and Android Telly (S434) models, nosotros expect to see the same level of performance on all models. From port choice to features like HDR support and display technology, our recommendations should carry over from one model to the next.

Out of half-dozen different TV model families, the TCL iv-Serial is the company's entry-level 4K line. There is ane model family unit below information technology, the three-Series, but information technology doesn't support 4K and starts with a 32-inch 720p set for just $159. If you're considering going in the other direction and looking at an upgrade over the 4-Series, the TCL 5-Series Roku Tv set (S535) includes features that are lacking in the four-Series, such equally a quantum dot brandish and Dolby Vision support for just a bit more.

TCL 4-Series Roku TV (S435) review: Design

Dressed in basic black, the TCL iv-Series follows what has become a standard design with splayed legs on either end to support it on a tabletop. The V-shaped legs are steady enough, but it doesn't accept much to support a set that weighs less than xvi pounds. If you'd prefer a wall mount for this gear up, you should buy a standard VESA 200 x 200 millimeter bracket, which can exist establish on our listing of the best Telly mounts.

Effectually the motion-picture show is what we consider to be an average-sized bezel. Information technology's well-nigh half an inch thick on the top and sides, and slightly wider along the bottom. The bezel doesn't backbite from the moving picture, although the TCL badging on the bottom of the frame is a little distracting given the size of this set up. And as with almost LCD sets, while the display itself is thin, the supporting electronics, connections, and rear mounted speakers arrive thicker, bringing it to almost 3.5 inches at its widest point.

TCL 4-Serial Roku TV (S435) review: Ports

If yous're putting this 43-inch set into a bedroom or home role, you'll find it has all the needed connections to arrive piece of work. On the left dorsum side is the lone ability plug, with all the source connections on the opposite right side.

There are 3 HDMI two.1 ports with one offering ARC (sound return channel) back up for sound bars. Also here is a USB port, a headphone jack, composite video plugs, digital sound output, an RF coaxial port, and an Ethernet port. Most people volition apply the congenital-in Wi-Fi 802.11ac with dual band support to make the necessary Internet connectedness.

TCL 4-Series Roku Boob tube (S435) review: Operation

The TCL 4-Series set up doesn't deviate from the Roku setup script. Enter your language, location and wireless network essentials, and yous're good to go. It didn't automatically recognize components we connected to it, but information technology has a long list of options to choose from. In picture settings, in that location are 5 preset modes: Brighter, Bright, Normal, Dark, and Darker. (There'due south no Filmmaker Manner support, which we generally prefer.)

Even so, if yous go into individual input settings y'all tin brand further adjustments the backlight, contrast and color temperature. For further tweaks, such as noise reduction and gamma aligning, you tin can use the Roku app on a smart telephone. In our own viewing tests, we determined that Normal rendered the most accurate motion picture for most material.

All the same, the TCL four-Series did a respectable job displaying virtually of the programming we threw at it. For "Those Who Wish Me Dead" in 4K we establish Angelina Jolie as compelling as e'er and colors in the thriller were rendered fairly accurately throughout. The opening raging forest burn was brilliant without excessive haloing around the flames. On the other mitt, the light-green palm fronds in Florida looked appropriately verdant and vivid isolated elements, similar a fake aureate badge, glinted clearly without a loss of focus. In a kitchen scene, the reflections and shine off a toaster looked crisp while yellowish bananas adjacent to oranges in a fruit bowl produced realistic hues.

The TCL iv-Series does not have active localized dimming, which is arguably unnecessary in a 43-inch set up. Be that as it may, in our go-to shady scenes from the Mandalorian in 4K we didn't detect any overt difficulties with contrast. Most of the shadings were good, with alien lizards conspicuously visible scurrying around inside a dim cavern. In Affiliate two: The Child, there also wasn't any really noticeable banding in color transitions, similar what y'all might come across in challenging scenes showing the sky at dusk.

If you lot're looking for a filmic quality, the TCL 4-Serial as well did well enough with visuals like those in Uncut Gems. Golden and blue tones jumped out without being overbearing, and a gem-encrusted Furby was accordingly scintillating and garrish at the same time.

Without more sophisticated dimming engineering science, the blackness bands of letterboxing did not expect equally inky dark equally they tin can exist on more expensive sets, only we didn't find this excessively distracting. Screen uniformity was practiced and while off-axis viewing was less so, it should exist much less of an upshot with a set up this size where yous're more than probable to be sitting up close.

TCL 4-Serial Roku TV (S435) review: Test Results

Nigh 4K sets are able to reproduce most of the standard Rec 709 colour spectrum and the TCL 4-Series was no exception. Information technology was able to display 99.55% of the standard total color gamut, which is within a few tenths of a percentage of almost 4K models, including those similar the 43-inch Insignia 4K Ultra HD Fire Tv set Edition (99.45%) and the 99.92% of the Vizio Thou-Series Quantum (M658-G1). Furthermore, the TCL 4-Series produced meliorate overall color than the directly competitor from Vizio, the 50-inch 5-Series (97.59%) which was about 2 percent back from the TCL prepare.

The range of colors i can produce is critical to picture quality but color allegiance is but equally important. The TCL iv-Serial did a respectable chore in this regard with Delta E consequence of 2.8. Although lower numbers hateful amend color accuracy–and we like to come across Delta E numbers effectually 2.two or lower–the TCL results actually bested the comparable aforementioned Insignia prepare (iii.6) and the Vizio M-Series Quantum (3.1).

The one functioning weakness was in terms of brightness. With a 10 percent pattern, the TCL 4-Serial hit roughly 292 nits. That is not terrible for a bargain-priced Tv merely it is considerably less bright than many sets, which typically tiptop over 600 nits.

Gamers, on the other hand, may desire to consider this model for a number of reasons, not the least of which is its excellent responsiveness. In our tests, its lag times were 14.1ms, well below our 17 ms threshold for solid gaming. That'due south too comparable to the Vizio 5-Series fifty-inch (V505-H9) which turned in 13.1 ms in our tests, and it was much ameliorate than laggards like the inexpensive Insignia Amazon Fire Telly (NS-43DF710NA19), which turned in a very slow 38.viii ms.

TCL 4-Serial Roku TV (S435) review: Audio

To exist honest, we didn't await much from the sound on this set. It'due south size and toll forestall any expensive internal speakers, and the TCL 4-Series doesn't back up formats like Dolby Atmos or DTS:X. But in many movies, nosotros plant the audio capabilities were practiced enough. The opening parachute scene of Those Who Wish Me Expressionless was still impressive with its rush of air and roaring brush fire.

Of class, the gear up's sonic skills are limited. On a music video, like the 4K version of Aha'south Accept On Me, the drum beats sound hollow and the keyboards lack a sure brightness. Midrange bass tracks sound fine, but there'southward a decided lack of dynamic range and those famous loftier notes of Morten Harket never quite reach the top.

Still, this set can brand lots of dissonance. We put it up to 90 percent of its stated volume and establish it could make full a very large living room. Songs, like Steely Dan'south Deacon Blues, are still missing the bottom end and the drums sound similar they have plastic skins, but in that location's surprisingly picayune distortion. Again, yous cannot make adjustments to the audio profile of the TCL 4-Series, and there are no congenital-in DSP-created audio effects available.

TCL 4-Serial Roku Tv set (S435) review: Smart Tv features

Roku'due south interface hasn't inverse much over the years and you won't discover anything new here. For virtually people, that's a practiced thing. Click on the left side of the screen and all your favorite channels (and thousands of not so favorite channels) appear on the right in conspicuously legible foursquare icons. True, Roku has of late been running into more disputes with content providers, which threatens to disrupt its universal appeal. Roku still hasn't reached an agreement with cablevision visitor Spectrum, for case, and it's recently been squabbling with Google over that company'due south demands for its YouTube Tv set (which should non exist confused with the more pop YouTube app). Still, Roku remains the streaming interface to beat.

Viewers should besides recognize, though, that while the easy-to-use Roku software is certainly admirable, what you gain in simplicity, you lot lose in terms of flexibility. Every bit previously mentioned, there aren't any options for tweaking the picture or audio quality. That can be frustrating.

TCL 4-Serial Roku Boob tube (S435) review: Remote control

The iv-Series comes with the basic Roku remote control. In that location's the four-manner directional pad with an entry "Ok" button in the middle. In that location are also defended buttons for Netflix, Sling, Disney+ and Hulu. Volume controls are on the right side along with a mute push button.

At that place is no microphone built into the remote, notwithstanding TCL touts voice command for the 4-Serial. The simply mode to make this work, yet, is to use the associated Roku app for smartphones, or replace the included remote with the microphone-enabled Roku Voice remote. Alternatively, y'all can use a Google Assistant enabled or Alexa enabled smart device and download the TCL skills for it. Information technology's a workaround for people who can't live with voice control, just not nearly every bit easy to use as when these services are built into the TV.

TCL 4-Series Roku Tv (S435) review: Verdict

A fine set for a secondary TV or for apply in a dorm room this fall, the TCL iv-Series Roku Boob tube (S435) is a capable model that can handle 4K streaming content easily. It delivers a decent picture for the price, while eliminating features that many owners would probably find superfluous anyway.

It besides compares well against similarly priced sets from the likes of the 43-inch Insignia Amazon Burn down Telly and the Vizio 50-inch V-Serial sets we've tested. In fact, to help you make your option we've pitched it head-to-caput with the Vizio in this TCL 4-Series vs. Vizio V-Series face-off.

If yous desire an even better and larger picture for just a piffling more than money, consider the l-inch version of the TCL 5-Serial Roku TV (S535), which is nearly $40 more.

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John R. Quain has been reviewing and testing video and audio equipment for more than xx years. For Tom's Guide, he has reviewed televisions, HDTV antennas, electrical bikes, electric cars, every bit well as other outdoor equipment. He is currently a correspondent to The New York Times and the CBS News television program.