The asking price of TCL’s 43-inch TCL 5-series smart TV (model number 43S525) is about $500, but I’ve found it selling online for a mere $260. That, my friends, is practically larcency for a 4K UHD TV with Dolby Vision. And while its picture quality will never have you ever misteking it for a QLED or OLED panel, the 43S525 delivers surprisingly good color and the maximum amount detail as 4K UHD TVs costing much more . Get details in TCL 43-Inch 4K UHD Smart LED TV (43P65US) Review.
TCL 43-Inch 4K UHD Smart LED TV (43P65US) Review
Design and specs
You can tell that the 5-series are budget TVs the minute you notice the legs, which attach via plastic screws instead of bolts. Once they’re on, nobody will know; more importantly, that’s almost the extent of obvious cut .
This is a 43-inch-class TV, meaning it’s a 42.5-inch (measured diagonally) display that gives up 4K UHD resolution (3840 x 2160 pixels) at a 60Hz refresh rate. you’ll ignore the 120Hz “Clear Motion Index” touted on TCL’s website; that’s just marketing, not the particular hardware refresh rate. there’s a gaming mode though, to chop down on latency and artifacts like screen tearing.
Weighing in at a mere 18 pounds, the TCL 43S525 isn’t the thinnest TV we’ve seen, but it’s still only 3.1-inches thick, which only at rock bottom . The bezel isn’t super thin, either; but if you’re noticing the bezel while watching a movie, watch a far better movie. The TV is edge-lit, which is par for the course at this price point.
Home network connectivity is provided via your choice of 802.11ac Wi-Fi and ethernet. There are three HDMI 2.0 ports with HDCP 2.2, including one that supports Audio Return Channel (ARC). Also onboard are one USB 2.0 port for media playback only (keyboards and mice aren’t supported), analog video/audio input (via an included 3.5mm adapter cable), headphone/line-level audio output, an optical digital audio output, and a coax connection for cable/satellite TV tuner or an over-the-air TV antennea. of these ports are located on rear right-hand side of the unit. the facility cord jack connects on the left-hand side.
Ports
TCLTCL includes all the ports the typical user is probably going to wish , including legacy analog connections.
The TCL 43S525 also will replay media files off USB storage devices and from your local network, although the latter requires the installation of Plex on both the TV and your server. I’ve suggested they attach with the VLC developers as I’m not a lover of making an account simply to stream video from my NAS box.
One weakness of this TV is that you simply can’t connect Bluetooth headphones or speakers (this model has no Bluetooth), only Roku speakers, which are useless outside of the Roku ecosystem.
Interface and remote
TCLTCL’s Roku remote is simplicity itself, although the shortcut buttons are labeled with various services. Interfaces don’t really get any simpler or easier than Roku, and like a Roku stick or adapter, there’s access to all or any the streaming content you’ll possibly want. Additional nice touches are input sensing and naming, and an honest channel guide.
The remote is equally simple, and once you’re wont to it, you won’t mind the shortage of backlighting. It’s very easy , and everything is so obvious that honestly, you won’t got to check out much. Note that instead of being blank, as within the image above, the coloured buttons are labeled with brand names for streaming services.
TCL 43-Inch 4K UHD Smart LED TV (43P65US) Performance review
As I said, TCL’s 5-series TVs will never be mistaken for a Samsung Q90-series QLED or an LG E9-series OLED; but with the bulk of fabric , it does quite well. My biggest gripe is that the lack of motion compensation (smoothing of jerky action, which Hollywood despises for a few reason), followed by some moiré in detailed pans, then some vertical streaking as a white logo was displayed on a not-so-black background. But we’re talking a few $260 TV while I’m picking nits as i might with a $1,000 TV.
The TCL 43S525 did quite well within the majority of our tests, and handled all the films I threw at it just fine, although it performed better with some than others. Put differently , if you’re easily irritated, spend extra money . If you follow the axiom that good content causes you to forget the TV (as I do), then you’ll suits the TCL 43S525’s foibles briefly order. More likely, you’ll never really care. We’re pretty spoiled lately . That said ….
43s525 front
As i discussed up top, the TCL 43S525 sports Dolby Vision, which does help somewhat with HDR content. But there’s not an entire lot Dolby Vision can do on a TV that generates just 350 nits of peak brightness. Also, the sting lighting this TV uses means black is far closer to charcoal . If you’re trying to find laser blasts that cause you to jump, again, spend extra money . you’ll see a small uptick in highlights and contrast in content encoded with Dolby Vision, but not much. Standard dynamic range material works just fine on this TV.
I did, however, encounter a problem connecting to our company network via ethernet. I had no such trouble with Wi-Fi or a standard home network. If you run into this issue, TCL says upgrading the firmware should fix resolve the matter . If you’ve got no viable internet connection for the TV, use a computer and surf to the present site to download the firmware to a USB drive and update the TV that way.
A great deal
As with everything, the TV you purchase depends on what proportion you would like to spend. I happen to love 43-inch-class TVs, especially for smaller spaces. And for $260? Come on now. the image is sort of a touch better than what a way costlier TV would have delivered just a couple of short years ago.
My only true nits are the shortage of motion compensation and Bluetooth connectiviy. the opposite weaknesses, like moiré, are shared by even expensive TVs to a point . With motion smoothing and Bluetooth, the TCL 43S525 would likely be sitting in my bedroom immediately .
TCL 43-Inch 4K UHD Smart LED TV (43P65US) customer Review
Works well as 4K Monitor
I researched several TVs to use as a 4K monitor, and this one was mentioned frequently. That’s due to the HDMI compression that it used allowing it to clearly render text. That’s about as technical as I can get explaining that, but there’s a lot online about it if you want more info. Bottom line, it works well with my MacBook Pro through a USB C hub, though I think the hub is limiting the refresh rate to 30hz. The picture is very clear, text is easy on my eyes and it gives me tons of space to work with. I have it mounted on a swing arm that fit the 100mm VESA mount holes also freeing up space on my desk. Probably not something that a professional that needs a high degree of color accuracy would use, but it’s a great monitor for the price.
By MikeA at Best Buy
