Should you buy a TCL TV? Our verdict on TCL, Roku TVs and more

TCL is one of the major players in the TV market, particularly at the budget end of things, where it competes with the likes of Toshiba, Insignia, Amazon and Hisense. But are TCL TVs good?

As with those brands, TCL offers a wide range of TVs at different sizes and price points with different technologies and features. But its TVs are usually cheaper than equivalent sets from big brands such as Sony and LG.

Whether you’re in the UK or the US, TCL’s ranges of television run the gamut, and while being able to pick out the display tech of your choice or the smart platform you like the best might be useful, it can make deciding on a TCL TV quite complicated.

So, to help you figure out which TCL TV might work the best for you, we have outlined the primary TV ranges that TCL sells in both US and UK, as well as what they offer and how they stack up against the many competitor brands out there in the budget TV space.

We’ve reviewed some TCL TVs at What Hi-Fi? – such as the Award-winning C845K – though even the ones that haven’t passed through our test room doors can tell us a lot from their spec sheets. So sit back – here's everything you need to know about TCL TVs and whether they're worth buying.

Should you buy a TCL TV? The short answer…

Across the US and the UK, TCL TVs are serious competitors in the budget TV space – especially during peak shopping periods. You’ll often find TCL TVs with competitive features and specs sold at some of the lowest prices around.

If you’re in the market for a reasonably cheap TV but don’t want to get stuck with a tiny display running at a low resolution, TCL is there for you, offering up a slew of 4K TVs that’ll get the job done when it comes to streaming whatever content you could want on a budget.

TCL TVs may not be the best for gamers – many of its TVs don't support features like VRR or 120Hz, but that's hardly surprising at the price. But TCL TVs will be fine for casual gaming, especially if you’re still playing on PS4 or Xbox One.

In general, premium TCL TVs that run up into the thousands and support Mini-LED tech or 8K might be harder to justify when up against sets from established brands like Sony or LG. But the budget and mid-range TCL TVs on offer are usually tough to beat in terms of value.

Should you buy a TCL 4-Series?

• Sizes: 43-inch, 50-inch, 55-inch, 65-inch, 75-inch, 85-inch

• Display type: LED

• Resolution: 4K

• Refresh rate: 60Hz

• HDR: Dolby Vision, HDR10, HLG

• Audio: Dolby Atmos, Dolby Digital Plus

• HDMI: eARC

TCL’s 4-Series is the brand's flagship mid-range US TV. It spans almost every size of TV you can imagine, and it comes with LED panels, 4K support, and HDR.

You get HDR10, Dolby Vision and HLG alongside HDMI eARC instead of just ARC; plus, you’ll get the Google TV platform and virtual assistant support, too. All told, this is about what you’d expect from a relatively basic, modern 4K TV, but you might not expect the 4-Series’ pricing.

TCL’s 4-Series starts off at just $250 for the 43-inch model, $280 for the 50-inch model, and $300 for the 55-inch model, while it scales up to $1000 for the 85-inch model. In terms of the larger budget TV market, these are just about the best prices you can find on 4K TVs today without nabbing something on sale.

Accordingly, if you’re looking for a modern 4K smart TV that won’t either break the bank or sacrifice too many features, the TCL 4-Series is a good choice. Unless you find a strong sale on another similar TV, you probably won’t be beating this price, and unless you care a lot about image quality or gaming performance, you might not find spending more worth it.

Should you buy a TCL 5-Series?

• Sizes: 50-inch, 55-inch, 65-inch, 75-inch

• Display type: QLED

• Resolution: 4K

• Refresh rate: 60Hz

• HDR: HDR10, HLG, HDR10+, Dolby Vision

• Audio: Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby Atmos

• HDMI: eARC

TCL’s 5-Series is a major step up over the 4-Series without too much of a price bump. These TVs come in four different sizes, and they all manage to pack in QLED displays – that should mean a substantial increase in image quality over the traditional LED displays of the 3-Series and 4-Series TCL TVs.

On top of QLED panels, the 5-Series also gets HDR10+ and Dolby Vision as well as Dolby Atmos support for spatial audio fans. For gamers, the 5-Series adds in VRR and ALLM support, too, though it’ll only do 4K/60Hz. All told, the 5-Series upgrades image quality, audio, and gaming performance in key areas over the 4-Series.

What’s more, the 5-Series starts off at $400 for the 50-inch and $430 for the 55-inch, while the 65-inch will run you $550 and the 75-inch goes for $1500. Very competitive.

Should you buy a TCL C64K Series?

• Sizes: 43-inch, 50-inch, 55-inch, 65-inch, 75-inch, 85-inch

• Display type: QLED

• Resolution: 4K

• Refresh rate: 60Hz

• HDR: Dolby Vision, HDR10, HDR10+, HLG

• Audio: Dolby Atmos, DTS Virtual:X

TCL's C64K Series is one of its cheapest recent ranges – the 43-inch model starts at ￡330. It spans a huge range of sizes, going all the way up to 85 inches, and offers 4K visuals and the Android TV platform.

You get a lot of TV for your money. There are multiple HDR formats, Dolby Atmos audio, and the Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa voice assistants for hands-free controls.

The 43-incher is very competitively priced, being ￡20 cheaper than a similar-specced Hisense at the same size. And that's before any discounts are applied – remember, TCL is usually front of the queue come sales time, so look out for a healthy discount.

And it's not even the cheapest decently-specced TV that TCL makes...

Should you buy a TCL RC630K Series?

• Sizes: 43-inch, 50-inch, 55-inch, 65-inch

• Display type: QLED

• Resolution: 4K

• Refresh rate: 60Hz

• HDR: HDR Premium

• Audio: Dolby AC4

The RC630K is cheaper than the C645K – the 43-incher starts at ￡279. But it's similarly specced, and spans a similar range of sizes.

One of the biggest differences is that it runs the Roku OS operating system, which has a different layout to Android TV, but many of the same apps. It's another QLED TV – hardly surprising, given TCL's enthusiasm for the technology – but has more basic audio-visual technologies.

While it has a game mode, serious gamers will want to spring for the more expensive C745K below.

Again, the RC630K is competitively priced. It's again cheaper than a similarly specced Hisense equivalent at the same size, and gives you a lot of tech for not very much money. It doesn't go as big as some TCL TVs though, with the range topping out at a 65-incher that costs ￡549. Which is still very reasonable.

Should you buy a TCL C745K Series?

• Sizes: 55-inch, 65-inch, 75-inch

• Display type: QLED

• Resolution: 4K

• Refresh rate: 120Hz/144Hz

• HDR: HDR10, HLG, HDR10+, Dolby Vision IQ

• Audio: Dolby Atmos, DTS Virtual:X

TCL's C745K Series is one of the budget brand’s more premium TV offerings, and it's built with gamers in mind. As well as a refresh rate of 120Hz (or 144Hz for PC gamers), it has a wealth of gaming features built-in, like Gaming Master 2 aiming aid, shadow enhancement, gaming picture mode, VRR and ALLM.

It has other features we would only expect of a much pricier TV, too. IMAX Enhanced gives you cinema-style visuals, while Dolby Atmos and DTS Virtual:X provide immersive audio.

And how much do you pay for all this? Not as much as you would think. The 55-inch model starts at ￡649 – certainly not cheap, but for a QLED TV of this size, with these specs, it's very reasonable. It's around ￡50 cheaper than Hisense's closest alternative, a Mini LED of the same size, and about ￡100 cheaper than the equivalent Amazon Omni Fire TV.

It earned four stars in our review, thanks to its exceptional value, very good contrast and colour and gaming chops.

Should you buy a TCL C845K Series?

• Sizes: 55-inch, 65-inch, 75-inch, 85-inch

• Display type: Mini LED

• Resolution: 4K

• Refresh rate: 120Hz/144Hz

• HDR: HDR10, HLG, HDR10+, Dolby Vision IQ

• Audio: Dolby Atmos, DTS Virtual:X

TCL's flagship set, the Mini LED-powered C845K is a truly impressive TV. It's the brand's highest-end model, offering flagship screen tech and specs to match. Built for gamers and movie fans alike, it utilises a Mini LED panel to deliver a dazzlingly bright and punchy picture.

It won us over in our review, earning itself five stars and a subsequent What Hi-Fi? Award as a result, due to its sheer performance per pound proposition. Its contrast-rich and vivid colours secured it the win, making a case for opting for this cheaper model over the more expensive OLED sets on the market.

So how much is this TV exactly? Well, at ￡1049, it's a fair bit more expensive than some of TCL's other models, but that still undercuts many other brand's flagships. It's occasionally available with a decent discount, too.

It's since been replaced by the C855, which we haven't yet reviewed. But that could bring the price down...

Should you buy a TCL C805K Series?

• Sizes: 50-inch, 55-inch, 65-inch, 75-inch, 85-inch, 98-inch

• Display type: Mini LED

• Resolution: 4K

• Refresh rate: 120Hz/144Hz

• HDR: HDR10, HLG, HDR10+, Dolby Vision

• Audio: Dolby Atmos, DTS Virtual:X

We recently reviewed the TCL 85C805K, calling it the home theatre bargain of the year. It's quintessentially TCL, packing phenomenal specs into a very affordable package.

You get all four types of HDR, a Mini LED panel, 120Hz refresh rate for console gaming (and 144Hz for high-end PCs), a dedicated game mode and the Google TV operating system. True, only two of its four HDMI ports are certified as 2.1 for full-fat gaming, but you can't have everything.

And while the picture isn't perfect, it is endlessly watchable, and far better than a screen this price has any right to be. The 85-inch model we tested comes in at just ￡1575, while the 98-incher is ￡3000. The smallest model in the range is 50 inches, and will set you back ￡699.

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