TCL 32S327 Review: One of TCL’s Finest Televisions

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TCL 32S327: At First Glance

If you’ve been looking for a budget television for a while, you would have probably come across TCL. This is because the company is well-known for producing some of the finest low-cost televisions available.

However, while most of the company’s affordable televisions offer a 4K display, the TCL 32S327 features a Full-HD display. Besides that, the TCL 32S327 is the smallest model in the company’s 3-series lineup.

Therefore, making it the cheapest television in the TLC 3-series television lineup. It is no surprise then that its price tag was about $217.50 in October 2021 when I wrote this review.

However, will the TCL 32S327 be able to compete with other televisions with a 4K display? Well, that is a question I am going to answer in the rest of this review.

TCL 32S327: Design, Dimension & Weight

As far as television design goes, the TCL 32S327 has a pretty decent design. The bezels around the television’s display have a glossy finish, slim, and are made out of plastic.

Additionally, the bottom bezel of the display features a TLC logo in the center. Also, it features a ROKU TV logo at the right edge.

Furthermore, the back of the television consists of two distinct parts – the upper part and the lower part. The upper part of the television’s back is made of metal, and it has a triangle pattern running through it.

The lower part, on the other hand, houses most of the television’s ports, and it is made of plastic. However, the lower part is quite thicker than the upper part.

Therefore, the TCL 32S327 will stick out slightly from the wall if you wall-mount it. However, if you decide not to wall-mount the TCL 32S327, it comes with a pair of V-shaped legs.

These V-shaped legs are made of plastic and they support the television very well. However, they flex a little bit and they are very close to the edges of the television.

Moving on, the TCL 32S327 is very solid and durable. There are no gaps or loose ends in any part of the television’s chassis.

Now for the TCL 32S327’s dimension and weight. The TCL 32S327 has a dimension of 731.5 x 76.2 x 434.3 mm and weighs 4218.4 g.

However, even with its decently lightweight, the TCL 32S327 is heavier than most of its competitors. For instance, the Samsung UN32J4001 weighs 4082.3 g while the Hisense 32H4F weighs 3810.1 g.

Regardless, the TCL 32S327 is lightweight enough to be carried or assembled by just one person.

In conclusion, the TCL 32S327 design and build quality are quite impressive. Therefore, I will be rating the TCL 32S327 a nine out of ten in this design review section.

TCL 32S327: Display Features

The TCL 32S327 ships with a 32-inch LED display. As mentioned in the “My initial Thoughts” section earlier, the TCL 32S327’s display isn’t a 4K display.

Therefore, the TCL 32S327’s display features an FHD (1920 x 1080) screen resolution. Even though an FHD display isn’t as sharp as a 4K display, it is adequate for relaxed viewing.

Moreover, the TCL 32S327’s display has an impressive contrast ratio of 3426:1. You must be wondering what a contrast ratio means, let me explain more about that.

Contrast ratio can be defined as the ratio between the brightest white and darkest black on a displays screen. Moreover, the contrast ratio is a significant factor in determining the quality of a display screen.

Thankfully, the TCL 32S327’s display excels in that area. As a result of its impressive contrast ratio, the TCL 32S327’s display’s black level will be superb.

Therefore, dark or shadowy movie scenes on the TCL 32S327’s display will be extremely accurate. Besides that, black color, in general, will look very sharp and dark as it is supposed to be.

Unfortunately, the TCL 32S327’s display lacks a local dimming feature that would further improve the appearance of blacks. Local dimming is a method for improving the contrast ratio in dark scenes on LED televisions by reducing backlight zones.

However, despite featuring an impressive contrast ratio, the TCL 32S327’s display has a disappointing brightness. The TCL 32S327’s display recorded a mere maximum brightness of 196 cd/m².

With this display maximum brightness, you can’t use the TCL 32S327 in bright areas or at noon without closing your blinds. However, you should be able to use it in an average-lit or dim area.

Furthermore, the TCL 32S327’s display not only has disappointing brightness but also has poor viewing angles. Once you start watching the TV from the side or anywhere off-center, image accuracy and quality will decrease drastically.

However, I wasn’t really surprised that the TCL 32S327 has poor viewing angles because of its competitive price. Therefore, if you want a television with better viewing angles, you will probably need to spend a little bit more.

On a bright note, the TCL 32S327’s display is really amazing in terms of color reproduction. The display reproduced 98.2% of the sRGB color gamut in a color reproduction test.

This percentage score is slightly better than the 97.9% achieved by VIZIO D-Series’s 24-inch display. Therefore, making the TCL 32S327’s display one of the top performers when it comes to displays on inexpensive televisions.

Furthermore, the TCL 32S327’s display handles reflection pretty effectively. This is all thanks to its semi-gloss coating, which retracts reflection from the display.

In addition to its impressive reflection handling, the TCL 32S327’s display is very suitable for gaming. This is because it has a low lag time of 12.3 milliseconds.

A display lag time is the number of times it takes a display to register a signaled input. The lower the lag time the better.

In conclusion, the TCL 32S327’s display isn’t particularly great, but it isn’t bad as well. Moreover, the display is very adequate for gaming thanks to its low lag time.

Therefore, I will rate the TCL 32S327 an eight out of ten in the display review section.

TCL 32S327: Sound Features

The TCL 32S327’s audio quality isn’t particularly exceptional, but I think it should be adequate. Specifically, the television features a pair of 5-watt speakers, which produces pretty average sound. 

Moreover, the TCL 32S327 doesn’t feature a subwoofer, which would have enhanced the audio quality of the speakers. Unfortunately, the TCL 32S327’s speakers have a disappointing frequency response.

The amount of a sound system’s output compared to its input as a function of frequency is known as frequency response. To put it another way, it refers to how well a sound system reproduces each frequency of audio content.

So, the frequency response of the TCL 32S327’s speakers is about 170 Hz. This practically means that the speakers don’t have any bass.

Furthermore, when you increase the speakers’ volume to about 75 percent or more, you will definitely notice some sound distortion. Not to mention, the TCL 32S327’s speakers don’t produce loud sound even though you increase the volume to the maximum level.

On the plus side, the TCL 32S327’s speakers can produce impressive dialog sounds. A conversation between multiple people in a film or movie is referred to as dialogue sound.

In conclusion, the TCL 32S327’s speakers aren’t that impressive, but I believe they should be adequate for casual viewing. Moreover, considering the television’s price tag, I knew the speakers won’t be exceptional.

Therefore, if you really want to enjoy excellent audio quality with the television, I highly recommend a soundbar.

Lastly, I will rate the TCL 32S327 a seven in this sound review section.

TCL 32S327: Ports & Connectivity Features

Port selection on the TCL 32S327 is pretty impressive considering its price tag. Additionally, all of the ports are housed on the right side of the television.

The ports on the TCL 32S327 include three HDMI ports. One of the HDMI ports supports ARC (Audio Return Channel).

You can connect a soundbar or external speaker using the ARC-compatible HDMI port. Furthermore, the TCL 32S327 also includes one USB 2.0, a Composite audio and video input, and an optical out.

Additionally, the TCL 32S327 also features a 3.5mm headphone jack as well. Unfortunately, the TCL 32S327 doesn’t have an Ethernet port for wired internet connectivity.

The Lack of an Ethernet port is a huge drawback considering that most inexpensive television features an Ethernet port. On a bright note, the TCL 32S327 has a dual-band 802.11 (2×2) WIFI for wireless internet connectivity.

Furthermore, the TCL 32S327 comes with a ROKU TV remote control. This remote control is very basic and is very easy to use.

The remote has blue navigation buttons and a few dedicated buttons for streaming services. The streaming services with dedicated buttons include Netflix, Sling TV, Amazon Prime Video, and HULU.

Less I forget, the remote control has a matte-black finish. Furthermore, the volume control buttons on this remote control are located on the right side of the remote.

However, locating the volume control buttons on the remote may be difficult for first-time users. On a positive note, the remote control is compact enough to be operated with one hand but large enough to avoid getting lost on the couch.

In conclusion, the TCL 32S327 comes with a decent port selection and impressive remote control. However, it doesn’t feature an Ethernet port.

Therefore, the TCL 32S327 deserves nothing more than an eight out of ten rating in this Ports & Connectivity review section.

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TCL 32S327: Smart Features

The TCL 32S327 uses ROKU smart TV operating system. This operating system has a very basic and straightforward user interface.

Unfortunately, navigating the interface or choosing applications is a pain. This is because the interface lags too much.

Additionally, some applications might hesitate for a few seconds before responding to your input. On the plus side, you can access up to 4000+ streaming services or apps on ROKU operating system.

The major streaming services include Netflix, HBO Now, Amazon Prime Video, HULU, and Disney Plus. However, you have to pay a certain fee or subscribe to either streaming service to use them.

For users who don’t have the means to subscribe to a certain streaming service, however, ROKU OS got you covered. To be more specific, ROKU operating system features a few streaming services that are free to watch.

The free streaming services include ROKU channel, Pluto TV, Crackle, Tubi, and so on. Moreover, setting up or logging into the ROKU operating system is a very simple task.

You just need a smartphone or a computer close by to validate your ROKU information or login details. Additionally, you can add your preferred streaming services during the setup or you can install them individually after the setup. 

Although there aren’t ads on some TLC ROKU smart TV, the TCL 32S327’s ROKU operating system features ads. Additionally, ROKU operating system collects data from users viewing habits using automatic content recognition.

It does this to personalize user recommendations and show them relevant advertisements. You can, however, opt-in or out of the data collection at any moment through the ROKU OS settings menu.

Simply go to the settings menu, select “Privacy,” then click “Smart TV experience,” and disable “Use info from TV input.”

Impressively, the TCL 32S327 supports Google Assistant and Alexa voice commands. However, the television doesn’t have a microphone.

Therefore, to use the voice command function, you will have to connect a Google Home speaker or Amazon Echo speaker to the television.

In conclusion, the TCL 32S327 features a brilliant ROKU operating system, which offers thousands of streaming services and apps. However, the interface of the operating system isn’t impressive due to its excessive lag.

After thorough consideration, I believe the TCL 32S327 deserves an eight out of ten ratings in this review section.

Frequently Asked Questions

Conclusion

The TCL 32S327 is a budget-friendly Full-HD smart TV with plenty of features. For just $217.50 you will have access to tons of streaming services and apps, thanks to the television’s ROKU operating system.

However, the television’s display isn’t bright enough and it has poor viewing angles. On the plus side, the display has decent color reproduction and accuracy, and it has a low input lag.

Therefore, it is not only ideal for streaming movies, but also adequate for playing games. Furthermore, the television offers an adequate number of ports, but unfortunately, it lacks an Ethernet port.

Overall, the TCL 32S327 is a decent 32-inch FHD television that you can purchase without needing to break the bank.

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