Tcl 5 series review

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For the first time, TCL has released a 4K television line that gives consumers the choice between the Roku operating system or Google TV at the point of purchase. The introduction of Google TV should have been something to celebrate, but at least in the case of the TCL 5-Series, the road was pretty bumpy. The 5-Series has a very thin bezel, simple base, and straightforward legs. As far as ports are concerned, the TCL 5-Series features composite video inputs, a 3. For wireless connectivity, the television supports dual-band WiFi and Chromecast. If you are dead set on AirPlay, pick up the Roku version which does support it.

Tcl 5 series review

Well, the S — which you can still buy, by the way — performed a little better. And although it was a bit buggy at the time, as is the case with its more premium sibling, the 6-Series S , those bugs have now been largely worked out. That being the case, I feel like I knew exactly what to expect from this TV — no surprises in store. This TV is still going to be relevant for many months to come. Above, I said I expected no surprises from this TV. What does that mean? Well, starting with getting the TV out of the box, it means the S looks and operates a lot like I thought it would. Still, far from a surprise. Now, the feet only go in one spot on this TV. In the case of the inch model, about Like most decent TVs these days, it has minimal bezels on the top and sides, and a matte black strip along the bottom. There is a light under the TCL logo in the center that can be turned off in the Roku menu if you prefer.

From time to time, clicking around at a fast pace will get you hung up.

It all adds up to a serious bargain for the discerning shopper. Recommendations are independently chosen by Reviewed's editors. Purchases made through the links below may earn us and our publishing partners a commission. The TCL 5-Series is available in four different sizes. We received a inch model on loan from TCL for our review. Pricing for the available sizes are as follows:. We expect performance across sizes to be similar, particularly color and grayscale accuracy, viewing angle, and gaming performance.

It has a VA-type panel which can produce deep dark scenes, but doesn't support more advanced features such as local dimming to improve the performance further. It also supports HDR10 and Dolby Vision, and can produce great vivid colors but can't produce bright highlights. For gamers, it has a low input lag which is excellent. Decent TV for mixed usage. It is well suited for use for gaming or as a PC monitor. HDR is supported and the TV has a wide color gamut but it doesn't add much. The viewing experience is decent for movies and TV shows, but it doesn't get bright enough to overcome glare and the viewing angle is poor. Decent TV for watching movies in a dark room. It isn't very bright, and while it does support HDR, there isn't much advantage to using it.

Tcl 5 series review

By focusing on delivering a solid, quantum-dot 4K picture at an affordable price, the TCL 5-Series is a great choice for anyone on a budget. Why you can trust Tom's Guide Our writers and editors spend hours analyzing and reviewing products, services, and apps to help find what's best for you. Find out more about how we test, analyze, and rate.

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It's available in inch, inch, inch, and inch sizes, so there are options available for many different needs, and all sizes perform the same. 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. Thank You! Advanced Options. It should be noted that if you want more light output in SDR and choose to increase the backlight setting from the default of 40, the color temperature gets slightly cooler the brighter it gets, adding some blue tint. In addition, the TV received the latest firmware updates at the time of testing. Editor's note: Although we tested the version of the 5-Series with Google TV's smart platform, we expect our performance results and data to be essentially the same for the Roku TV 5-Series models in the same year. The S is an upgraded version of the S, and while it gets better in some areas, it gets worse in others. However, it has a narrow viewing angle, so the image degrades when viewed from the side, making it a poor choice for a wide seating arrangement. Red Luminance. The Q7 has slightly better contrast and black uniformity, helped by a better local dimming feature. The side and top bezels are extremely thin, and other than a small gap of dead space between the frame and the first pixels, it blends into your surroundings well. There's an optional backlight strobing feature, commonly known as black frame insertion. The processor also can't quite keep up even with slow-moving objects, so the leading edge appears darker than the rest, as it's not turning on the zones in time.

Find out more about how we test. The TCL 5-Series S is a prime example of high-end technology trickling down from more expensive models to budget sets.

Calculated Direct Reflections. IMD Max. 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. CEC Yes. Borders 0. Email us and we'll compare notes. This TV supports a variable refresh rate to reduce screen tearing when gaming. Cast Capable. Variable Refresh Rate. You also have access to Google Assistant through the built-in mic on the TV for hands-free voice control. The local dimming features perform similarly as they raise the black level in real content, but there's less blooming on the R If you simply want a great 4K TV that's a step or two above the baseline options, the 5-Series with Google TV is an excellent compromise—especially in a marketplace where TVs like this are hard to come by.