TCL 55S425: At First Glance
TCL is best recognized for delivering high-quality TVs at an incredibly low price, and the TCL 55S425 is no expectation. The TCL 55S425 has a reasonable price tag of $446 when I wrote this article in October 2021.
However, the TCL 55S425 offers a lot more than just a low price. This television also features an excellent ROKU smart TV operating system.
Additionally, it has an impressive response time, which makes the television not just ideal for viewing but also for gaming. However, a television this cheap can’t have it all.
Therefore, it should have a few drawbacks. Well, if you want to find out about its drawbacks and more about its features, you have to continue reading.
TCL 55S425: Design, Dimension & Weight
As far as TV designs go, the TCL 55S425 is simple and sleek. It has standard slim glossy black bezels surrounding its display.
Furthermore, the bottom bezel has a thin strip of textured black plastic that adds to the television’s aesthetic design. Additionally, the bottom bezel features a silver TCL logo in the center and a ROKU TV logo in the right corner.
Moving on, the TCL 55S425’s plastic chassis includes a matte-black finish across the back. Additionally, the top of the television’s matte-black plastic back is decorated with a row of polygonal triangles.
The lower half of the back, on the other hand, has a ridged stripe running through it. However, these are just for decoration, with no functional purpose.
Additionally, the lower half of the television’s plastic back is pretty chunkier than the rest of the television. I believe this adds to the television’s weight.
Besides that, due to its chunky lower half, the TCL 55S425 will stick out from the wall if you get it wall-mounted.
Moving on, just like most flat-screen televisions, the TCL 55S425 comes with a pair of V-shaped legs. These legs are made of plastic and they should keep the television standing sturdily if you don’t wall-mount it.
In terms of the television’s dimension and weight, the TCL 55S425 measures 1244.6 x 78.7 x 721.3 mm. However, the television is pretty heavy, weighing a massive 12110.9 g.
Comparatively, a competing 55-inch television, Samsung UN55NU6900 is lighter than the TCL 55S425. Specifically, the Samsung UN55NU6900 measures 1239.5 x 58.4 x 713.7 mm and weighs 7800 g.
In conclusion, the TCL 55S425 is a decent-looking television with a sleek design. However, the television’s weight is kind of a drawback.
Therefore, I will rate the TCL 55S425 an eight out of ten in this design review section.
TCL 55S425: Display Features
Just like the “55” in its name implies, the TCL 55S425 features a 55-inch display. This television’s 55-inch display has a 4K UHD (3840 x 2160) screen resolution.
Furthermore, the television’s display has direct backlighting and it supports HDR 10 (high dynamic range). Additionally, the picture quality of this display is sharp and it offers a decent viewing experience.
In terms of color reproduction, the TCL 55S425’s display reproduced 97.2 percent of the Rec. 709 color gamut. This percentage score is better than VIZIO’s V505-G9 50-inch display, which produced 96.75 percent of the color gamut.
However, the display’s color accuracy is a bit off, with orange colors often looking a little bit more like pink. It is, nonetheless, better than displays found on other inexpensive television like LG UM7300PUA.
For example, in a color accuracy test, the TCL 55S425 performs better than most television in its price range. Specifically, the TCL 55S425 delivers a Delta-E rating of 1.4, while Samsung’s 40-inch NU7100 delivers a rating of 2.5.
Delta-E is a metric for determining how well a display displays color differs from its original color. The lower the Delta-E rating, the better the color accuracy.
However, despite having a decent color accuracy, the TCL 55S425’s HDR performance is nothing to write home about. This is due to the lack of local dimming – so, the display’s black level will be affected.
Therefore, dark and shadowy movie scenes on the TCL 55S425’s display will lose their depth. Additionally, black in general will look more like dull gray.
Tough, this is expected from a television with this price range. So, if you want a better display black level or better HDR performance, you’re going to need to spend more.
Furthermore, the TCL 55S425’s display has an issue with motion handling. Therefore, you will frequently experience undesired motion blur when watching fast-paced action scenes.
This is because of the display’s poor motion handling, so it will find it difficult to display fast movement smoothly. However, turning on the motion smoothing option in the television’s settings might fix the issue.
Moving on, when it comes to gaming, the TCL 55S425’s display is pretty good at it. This is because it has an impressively fast response time of 14 ms and a 120 Hz refresh rate.
The time it takes for display pixels to transition from black to white is known as response time. The refresh rate, on the other hand, is the number of times or how fast a display device displays a new image per second.
Comparatively, the TCL 55S425 has a faster response time than most inexpensive television. The Samsung 40-inch NU7100, for example, has a response time of 17.9 ms.
However, despite featuring a fast response time, the TCL 55S425’s display brightness isn’t particularly great. It records a maximum brightness of 244.02cd/m2.
In addition to its poor display brightness, the TCL 55S425’s display also has bad viewing angles. Therefore, when viewing the television from the side, image accuracy will rapidly deteriorate.
On the plus side, the TCL 55S425’s display handles reflection pretty decently. Its semi-glossy coating reduces light reflection, so you shouldn’t have any trouble using it in a moderately bright room/area.
In conclusion, the TCL 55S425’s display isn’t particularly exceptional, but it is adequate. Therefore, I will rate the TCL 55S425 an eight in this display review section.
TCL 55S425: Sound Features
Unfortunately, audio/sound quality is one area where the TCL 55S425 really falls short. The TCL 55S425 features a pair of 8-watt speakers that produces some rather weak sound.
Additionally, with these speakers, the bass is almost non-existent. Moreover, the television’s speakers have poor frequency response.
Therefore, the speakers cannot produce any buzzing sound. On a bright note, the speakers produce clear dialogue sounds.
Dialogue sound can be defined as a conversation between two or more characters in a film or movie. Additionally, the speakers on the TCL 55S425 can get decently loud, but not loud enough for noisy environments.
Moving on, the speakers have little to no distortion if they are at a moderate volume level. However, at maximum volume level, distortion may be pretty noticeable.
However, that depends on the type of content you are watching, and not everyone may hear the distortion.
Moreover, in a THD test, the TCL 55S425’s speakers registered a score of 0.764%. THD, also known as Total Harmonic Distortion is a measurement that evaluates the amount of distortion a sound system produces.
The THD score is usually given as a percentage. So, the lower the percentage, the better, or the higher the percentage, the higher the distortion generated.
In conclusion, the TCL 55S425’s speakers may be weak and lack bass but their lack of distortion is pretty impressive. Therefore, I will rate the TCL 55S425 a seven out of ten in this sound feature review section.
TCL 55S425: Ports & Connectivity Features
All the ports of the TCL 55S425 are located on the right side. However, the only exception is the power port which sits on the left side of the television back.
Furthermore, the ports on the television’s right side include three HDMI ports, with one being an ARC HDMI port. The ARC (audio return channel) HDMI port can be used to connect a compatible soundbar to the television.
Furthermore, the TCL 55S425 also features a single USB 2.0 port, a composite video input, and an RF connector for antenna. That is not all, the television also comes with a 3.5mm headphone jack and an optical digital output.
Also, there is an Ethernet port for wired internet connectivity. However, for wireless internet connectivity, the TCL 55S425 features a built-in 802.11 ac (2×2) WIFI.
Moving on, the TCL 55S425 comes with remote control, a Roku TV RC282 remote control to be precise. This remote control is quite simple, it has a pill-shaped design.
Furthermore, the remote control features plus-shaped navigation buttons and four dedicated streaming service/apps buttons. The dedicated streaming service buttons include HULU, Netflix, Sling TV, and NOW.
However, the volume rocker is on the right side of the remote and they can be difficult to locate for first-timers. Unfortunately, the remote doesn’t have voice control, unlike the high-end microphone-equipped ROKU TV remote.
However, you can use voice control through the ROKU app, which you can download on your smartphone or any mobile device. Additionally, to increase your voice control options, you can pair Google Home devices or Amazon Echo with the TV.
In conclusion, the TCL 55S425 has a decent number of ports. Moreover, all of its ports are located on the right side.
Therefore, making it easy for users to quickly attach a connector to a port when the television is wall-mounted. So, for all these reasons, I believe the TCL 55S425 deserves a nine out of ten ratings in this ports and connectivity review section.
TCL 55S425: Smart Features
As expected from a ROKU TV, the TCL 55S425 features ROKU smart TV operating system. The interface of this ROKU operating system is very responsive, straightforward, and has minimal lag.
Moreover, with the ROKU operating system, the TCL 55S425 can access a wide range of streaming services. The major streaming services include Amazon Prime Video, YouTube, Google Play Movies, Netflix, Hulu, Sling TV, and VUDU.
Unfortunately, Apple TV is missing from the list of streaming services and Google Music is also not available. However, you still get Amazon Music, Spotify, Pandora, and many more streaming services.
Interestingly, ROKU OS has ROKU Channel, which features a library of free TV shows and free movies. This is very handy for users who don’t have the money to subscribe to any of the paid streaming services.
Furthermore, the ROKU operating system also supports streaming from laptops or computers with the help of Miracast/Wi-Di. Additionally, you can also use the ROKU app on your mobile device to stream content to the television.
In conclusion, the TCL 55S425’s ROKU operating system is very impressive. Additionally, it has tons of paid streaming services, as well as a free streaming app called ROKU Channel.
As a result, I will rate the TCL 55S425 a nine in this smart feature review section
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, they are. TCL televisions are reliable for everyday usage, but they’re not ideal for high-intensity gaming or achieving excellent image quality.
However, for the most part, these televisions are excellent for casual TV viewers.
Both TVs offer a decent amount of features and good picture quality for reasonable prices. However, Hisense TVs have more features that offer powerful speakers and more TV ports.
TCL televisions, on the other hand, are more durable and come at a lower cost.
Despite the fact that TCL provides a number of high-end and expensive television models with better picture quality, Samsung is still better. Samsung TVs often come with better speakers and a wider range of ports.
Additionally, Samsung TVs do good jobs upscaling (converting HD to 4K). Also, they outperform their competitors when it comes to handling fast motion.
TCL is an abbreviation for Telephone Communication Limited. Additionally, TCL is a Chinese electronics manufacturer based in Huizhou, Guangdong Province.
The average lifespan of a TLC television is about seven years, even if under heavy usage and settings. However, with the right settings and maintenance, you can expect it to last much longer.
Under ideal conditions and with proper care, a TLC television may even last up to ten years.
Conclusion
The TCL 55S425 is a budget-friendly 4K TV that delivers good value and functionality for a fairly reasonable price. However, because this television lacks local dimming, HDR content will appear less vibrant.
Besides that, the television’s poor motion handling and subpar audio quality are also noticeable flaws. On the plus side, the television’s display has decent color accuracy and color production.
Additionally, the TCL 55S425 features an excellent ROKU smart TV operating system, which has a wide range of streaming services. Also, the television is an ideal choice for gamers, thanks to its fast response time and 120 Hz refresh rate.
Overall, the TCL 55S425 is a well-made 55-inch television with decent performance and exceptional smart TV OS.
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