Are you looking to get a TCL television with decent picture quality at an affordable price? If yes, this TCL 43S425 review will be useful to you.
Essentially, I’ll be delving into every feature of the TCL 43S425. Specifically, I’ll go through the design, display features, sound features, ports, connectivity features, and smart features of the television in detail.
Moreover, this objective assessment of the TCL 43S425’s performance will also assist you in identifying the TV’s strengths and drawbacks. Additionally, I will be comparing the TCL 43S425 to other competing television brands.
Finally, because the goal of this review is to examine the features and performance of the television, it will ultimately assist you in making an informed purchase decision.
TCL 43S425: At First Glance
TCL has grown to be one of the most popular budget television manufacturers, offering excellent quality and features at a low price. The TCL 43S425 continues with this impressive legacy with its outstanding features and affordability.
Moreover, the TCL 43S425 is part of TCL’s 4-series lineup of television. Additionally, the TCL 4-series lineup is the company’s entry-level lineup of 4K televisions.
Therefore, the TCL 43S425 features a 4K display screen. Also, TCL’s 4-series televisions use the same impressive ROKU TV OS as its 6-series televisions, and they even support HDR.
Well, that’s enough tips on what to expect from the TCL 43S425. Now let get down to business in other sections below.
TCL 43S425: Design, Dimension, and Weight
The TCL 43S425 has a simplistic design that is similar to other TCL televisions. The television is mostly made out of plastic and lacks a premium appearance.
However, its build quality is superb and you shouldn’t have a problem with it. Furthermore, the TCL 43S425 has thick plastic bezels that border its display screen.
Moreover, these bezels have a glossy black finish and aren’t too thick to cause distraction when watching movies on the television. Additionally, there is a small strip of textured black on the bottom bezel that gives the TCL 43S425 a little bit of elegance.
Also, on the bottom bezel, there is a silver TCL logo on the center. In addition to that, a ROKU TV logo is also on the bottom bezel, but on the right corner.
Moving on, TCL equipped the TCL 43S425 with a pair of V-shaped legs. These V-shaped legs are made of plastic and they also have a glossy black finish.
Moreover, the legs are pretty sturdy and they support the television very well. However, if poked too hard, the television will wobble a little bit.
Moving on, the back of the TCL 43S425 looks very plain and simple. The top part of the back is made of metal, while the bottom half is plastic.
Unfortunately, there is no cable management on the back of the TCL 43S425. On a positive note, the TCL 43S425 itself isn’t very thick and shouldn’t stick out from the wall if wall-mounted.
Having mentioned how thick the TCL 43S425 is, now let me give you details on its dimension and weight. Specifically, the TCL 43S425 measures 970.2 x 76.2 x 568.9 mm and weighs 7393 g.
Comparatively, the LG 43LM5650PTA is larger and pretty much heavier than the TCL 43S425. Specifically, the LG 43LM5650PTA measures 977 x 615 x 187 mm and weighs 8100 g.
In summary, the TCL 43S425 is a simple-looking television that doesn’t try too hard to stand out. Moreover, the television is well-built and it is lighter than one of its competitors.
As a result, in this design review section, the TCL 43S425 deserves a nine out of ten rating.
TCL 43S425: Display Features
The TCL 43S425 comes with a 43-inch LED display that has a resolution of 4K UHD (3840 x 2160). Furthermore, it is essential to note that the TCL 43S425’s LED display is actually a VA LED display.
Basically, VA displays are a type of LED/LCD display that is known for having some of the best contrast ratios. Therefore, the TCL 43S425’s LED display has an impressive contrast ratio, as expected of a VA display.
To be more specific, the TCL 43S425’s display has an impressive contrast ratio of 6,054:1. A display’s contrast ratio determines how deep blacks are going to be on the display screen.
Therefore, with such an impressive contrast ratio, blacks will be very deep on the TCL 43S425’s display. As a result, films with lots of dark scenes will be very ideal to watch on the TCL 43S425.
Unfortunately, the TCL 43S425’s display doesn’t support local dimming, which would have further deepened the blacks it produces. On a positive note, the TCL 43S425’s display supports HDR (high dynamic range) contents in HDR 10.
However, it doesn’t support any other HDR content type or Dolby Vision.
Moving on, the TCL 43S425’s display has poor brightness. It doesn’t get bright enough to combat glare in well-lit rooms.
Specifically, the TCL 43S425’s display has a mere peak brightness of 168 cd/m². Therefore, placing or using the TCL 43S42 in a bright area isn’t advisable.
Furthermore, the TCL 43S425’s display has mediocre viewing angles. However, I was actually expecting the display to have poor viewing angles – so, no disappointment here.
This is because VA displays are also known for having poor viewing angles. Therefore, you will quickly lose picture quality when viewing the TCL 43S425 off-center or from the side.
On a positive note, the TCL 43S425’s display is capable of handling reflection pretty decently. The display is coated with a semi-gloss finish, which limits the amount of light reflected on it.
As a result, you shouldn’t have any issues using the TCL 43S425 in a moderately-lit room. However, the semi-gloss finish on the display may struggle to fend off direct sunlight reflecting on the display.
Furthermore, as a 4K display, the TCL 43S425’s display should be able to display sharp and crisp pictures. In addition to that, 4K displays often offer greater color reproduction and accuracy.
Moreover, 4K displays are far better than HD displays or FHD displays.
Moving on, the TCL 43S425 is a very suitable television for playing video games, either from an XBOX or PlayStation. This is because the television’s display has a 120 Hz refresh rate and a low input lag of 12.9 milliseconds.
What do refresh rate and input lag have to do with gaming though? That’s what you are about to find out.
A display’s refresh rate indicates how many times per second it can draw a new image. For example, the TCL 43S425’s display’s refresh rate is 120 Hz, which means the display refreshes a new image 120 times per second.
Therefore, fast motion contents will have less blur trail when viewed on the TCL 43S425. Moreover, as we all know, videos games, as well as sports, are fast-motion content.
Input lag, on the other hand, is the most crucial factor when deciding if a display is ideal for gaming. This is due to fact that input lag is the time it takes a display to register an input.
Additionally, the lower the input lag, the better the gaming experience. Therefore, with such a low input lag of 12.9 milliseconds, the gaming experience on this will be pleasant on the TCL 43S425.
To clarify, it will only be taking the television’s display 12.9 milliseconds to register an input from a gamepad. With these, I believe I have answered the question “What does refresh rate and input lag has to do with gaming?”
In conclusion, the TCL 43S425’s display is a pretty decent display for casual viewing. An added perk to this display is its ability to play video games, all thanks to its refresh rate and input lag.
However, the television’s brightness is somewhat disappointing. Hence, I will rate the TCL 43S425 an eight in this display features review section.
TCL 43S425: Sound Features
The sound quality on the TCL 43S425 is pretty decent. To be more specific, the TCL 43S425 features a pair of 8-Watts down-firing speakers.
These speakers can get really loud. However, they are not loud enough for noisy environments or a very large room.
Unfortunately, these speakers don’t produce enough bass for banging movies or music. Additionally, the speakers can’t produce any rumbling or thumping sounds.
On a positive note, the speakers produce clear dialogue. Dialogue can be defined as the audio generated when two or more people are discussing in a movie.
Furthermore, the distortion performance of the TCL 43S425’s speakers is decent. The speakers don’t generate much distortion at moderate volume levels.
However, at the maximum volume level, distortion may get more noticeable. Although, the distortion the speakers produce depends on the type of content you are viewing.
Also, not everyone may hear the distortion.
Overall, the sound on the TCL 43S425 is very adequate for watching your favorite shows. However, movies with plenty of bass-heavy sounds may be difficult to watch on the TCL 43S425.
Therefore, I will rate the TCL 43S425 an eight out of ten in this sound features review section.
TCL 43S425: Ports and Connectivity Features
The TCL 43S425’s ports are all located on the left side of the television’s rear. The power cord connector, positioned on the right side of the television, is the only exception.
The TCL 43S425’s ports include one USB port, three HDMI ports, an antenna/cable connection, and an Ethernet port. In addition to that, the ports also include optical and 3.5mm audio outputs, and a 3.5mm composite video input.
Additionally, a small Reset button is also located above all of the ports. In terms of wireless connectivity, the TCL 43S425 features 802.11ac (2×2) 2.4GHz & 5GHz WIFI.
Unfortunately, the television doesn’t come with Bluetooth.
Moving on, the ROKU TV remote control that comes with the TCL 43S425 is a standard, infrared-only type. This remote isn’t the same as the Enhanced ROKU TV remote, which has a microphone and allows you to utilize voice commands.
However, the remote looks very much like most ROKU TV remotes. The remote is small in size and has curved edges.
In addition to that, the remote has a blue plus-shaped navigation button. Also, it has four dedicated buttons for streaming apps like Netflix, HBO Now, HULU, and Sling TV.
However, the mute button and volume rocker are on the right side of the remote control. Furthermore, the remote control isn’t the only option for controlling the TCL 43S425.
Users can also control the TCL 43S425 through the ROKU app, which is free for download. You can download the ROKU app from the Google Play Store for Android users.
iPhone users, on the other hand, may download the ROKU app from the App Store. Even though the included remote control doesn’t feature voice control, you can use voice control through the ROKU app on your smartphone.
In summary, TCL really thought about its consumers when placing all of the TCL 43S425’s ports on the left side. I say this because ports on the left are much easier to access than down-facing ports when the TV is wall-mounted.
However, the TCL 43S425 doesn’t come with a Voice remote control. Well, one can’t have it all since the TCL 43S425 is a low-cost television.
Therefore, I don’t really count the lack of Voice remote control a major flaw. Hence, I strongly believe the TCL 43S425 deserves a rating of eight out of ten in this connectivity review section.
TCL 43S425: Smart Features
The “smart” department of the TCL 43S425 is handled by the ROKU TV operating system. Moreover, this was expected since most TCL smart TV uses the ROKU TV operating system.
Well, probably TCL loves using the ROKU TV OS on its smart televisions because of the operating system’s straightforward interface. Additionally, the interface of the ROKU TV OS isn’t only straightforward, but also responsive and has minimal lag.
The TCL 43S425 can also access a wide selection of streaming services thanks to the ROKU TV operating system. The major streaming services here include Amazon Prime Video, Google Play Movies & TV, Hulu, Netflix, Sling TV, and YouTube.
However, as expected, Apple TV+ is missing from the list of streaming services as well as Google Music. Nonetheless, you will still get Pandora, Amazon Music, Spotify, and a whole lot more streaming services that you can access.
However, most of these streaming services aren’t free to access, which most people are aware of. So, in case you don’t want to pay/subscribe to any of these streaming services, the ROKU TV OS offers a few free streaming services.
The free streaming services include the ROKU Channel, which has its own library of free movies and TV shows. Other free streaming services on the ROKU TV OS are Pluto TV, Tubi, NewsON, Crackle, and so much more.
In conclusion, TCL once again proves that its partnership with the ROKU TV OS is an incredible idea. Therefore, the TCL 43S425 gets a rating of nine out of ten in this smart features review section.
Frequently Asked Questions
They are, indeed. TCL televisions are affordable and offer good picture quality and a range of services. However, the majority of their televisions lack a good sound system.
For me, I believe VIZIO is better than TLC. This is because, in terms of 4K features and visual characteristics, VIZIO televisions are brilliant.
Additionally, VIZIO televisions come with a wide number of ports as well as an impressive sound system. TCL televisions, on the other hand, don’t come with most of these qualities.
Hisense TVs have better features, such as superior picture quality, better audio quality, and lots of ports. TCL televisions, however, are more durable and less expensive.
TCL TVs can survive up to seven years if used responsibly. The real longevity of a television, on the other hand, is determined by how it is used.
Yes, absolutely. The input lag on the TCL 43S425 display is quite low. Aside from that, the television offers a 120 Hz refresh rate. Because of these characteristics, the TCL 55S425 is ideal for gaming.
Conclusion
The TCL 43S425 is a good choice for anyone searching for a 4K TV that isn’t too expensive. This TV features an LED display with decent visual quality, a high contrast ratio, and HDR capability.
Furthermore, the ROKU Smart TV OS makes this set as powerful as any other smart TV in terms of media streaming. Moreover, the TCL 43S425 also comes with brilliant speakers that offer rich sound and minimal distortion.
The major flaw attached to this television’s brilliant performance is its display’s lack of brightness. Also, the TCL 43S425’s display has terrible viewing angles.
However, ignoring these few flaws, the TCL 43S425 offers one of the best performances from a low-cost television.
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