TCL 65S403 Review: The Best TCL Entry-level TV?

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TCL 65S403: At First Glance

TCL is one of the fastest-growing brands in the television market today. Best known for producing affordable 4K TVs, TCL launched its S-series lineup in 2018.

This S-series is a lineup consisting of entry-level 4K smart televisions and the TCL 65S403 is among them. Moreover, the TCL 65S403 doesn’t just offer a 4K display, this television comes with great features including the Roku TV OS.

However, for an entry-level television, the TCL 65S403 is a bit pricey. To give more details, when I wrote this article in February 2022, the TCL 65S403 had a price tag of $820.37.

Having introduced the TCL 65S403, let us proceed to the other sections below to find out more about the TV.

TCL 65S403: Design, Dimension, and Weight

When talking about the TCL 65S403’s design, it would be an offense not to mention the TV’s ultra-slim bezels. For real, this television’s bezels should be one of the slimmest I have ever seen.

To be more specific, these bezels measure only 0.39-inch and give the television a sleek look. However, the bottom bezel is a bit thicker than the others due to the fact that it houses a white “TCL” logo in the center.

In addition to this TCL logo, you will also find a white “ROKU TV” inscription at the right edge of the bottom bezel. Moreover, these bezels are made of plastic and feature a glossy-black finish.

Moving on, the TCL 65S403 comes with a pair of V-shaped plastic legs. However, unlike the bezels, these legs are somewhat thick.

Moreover, the legs feature a silver finish and are positioned very close to the edges of the television. Therefore, if not wall-mounted, you will be needing a large desk to place the TCL 65S403 on.

Nonetheless, the legs are very sturdy and prevent the TCL 65S403 from wobbling too much when pushed with force.

Turning to the back of the TCL 65S403, you will discover a black plastic panel. This plastic back panel features three horizontal stripes at the upper part.

The lower part, however, is plain and quite chunky. The reason behind this is that it houses the television’s ports as well as electronics and components.

Still on the back, you will find four 300 x 300 mm VESA mount compatible holes for wall-mounting the TV. However, due to the chunky lower back panel, the television will stick out of the wall a bit if mounted on the wall.

Having said all that, now let us examine the TCL 65S403’s dimensions and weight. The TCL 65S403 measures 1468.1 x 78.7 x 845.8 mm (W x D x H) and weighs 20320.9 g.

Impressively, when compared to the Hisense 65H6D, the TCL 65S403 weighs less. To be more specific, the Hisense 65H6D weighs 25000 g and measures 1452 x 85 x 837 mm (W x D x H).

In conclusion, the TCL 65S403 features a brilliant design with super-thin bezels. Therefore, I will offer the TCL 65S403 a rating of nine out of ten in this design review section.

TCL 65S403: Display Features and Picture Quality

To begin with, the TCL 65S403 offers an average display performance. To give more details, this television features a 65-inch LED display with a 4K UHD (3840 x 2160) resolution.

As a result of its 4K UHD resolution, this LED display should be able to deliver crisp, realistic, and well-detailed pictures. For context, a 4K resolution display is about four times better than a typical HD display.

Asides from the 4K resolution, this TCL 65S403’s 65-inch display features an impressive contrast ratio of 4,162:1. For clarity, contrast ratio refers to the difference between the brightest white and the darkest black produced by a display.

In addition to that, a high contrast ratio indicates that the display can produce deep blacks. As a result, the TCL 65S403’s display should be able to generate deep blacks due to its high contrast ratio of 4,162:1.

Thus, the TCL 65S403 is great for watching movies with a lot of shadowy and dark backgrounds or scenes. Also, due to the display’s high contrast ratio, this television is suitable for dark room viewing. 

In order to further improve its picture quality, the TCL 65S403’s display supports HDR (High Dynamic Range). What does HDR mean, though?

HDR is a picture technique that LED/LCD displays employ to increase their contrast and color accuracy. Therefore, when watching HDR-supported movies on the TCL 65S403, colors will look sharper and the realisticness will be top-notch.

Just in case you are wondering, HDR-supported movies are mostly found on streaming services such as Netflix and HULU.

On the downside, this television’s display offers poor viewing angles due to the fact that it is made with a VA panel. Well, the result of its poor viewing angles is that colors will look washed out when viewing the TV off-center.

In addition to its poor viewing angles, the TCL 65S403’s display offers a poor maximum brightness of 180 nits. Honestly, for an entry-level television that costs close to $900, this maximum brightness is so disappointing.

In fact, the Toshiba 50UL3B63DG which costs a little over $400 offers a maximum display brightness of 350 nits. Well, as a result of the TCL 65S403’s poor display brightness, the television may not be suitable for use in a moderately lit or bright environment.

The only place where I believe you will enjoy viewing the television is in a dark or dimly-lit environment. On a positive note, the TCL 65S403’s display features a semi-gloss coating.

You may ask, what does this semi-gloss coating mean or does? The semi-gloss coating is a form of attachment to the screen that helps in preventing reflection and sun glare across the display.

Therefore, you should be able to view the TCL 65S403 in a bright room without the fear of reflection. However, I doubt if you will be doing that due to the fact that the television’s display offers poor brightness.

That said, the TCL 65S403’s display is excellent at handling fast-motion content. This is because the display offers a fast response time of 14.4 milliseconds.

Due to this, there will be minimal blur trails when viewing fast-motion content like sports on the TCL 65S403. For the record, the time it takes for a display to change colors is known as response time.

In addition to its fast response time, the TCL 65S403’s display offers a low input lag, which makes it suitable for gaming. To give more details, this display comes with an input lag of 14.9 milliseconds.

Input lag is the amount of time that it takes a display to respond to signal input from an external source. Essentially, since the TCL 65S403’s display offers 14.9 milliseconds, it will take the display that amount of time to register an input from a wireless gamepad.

Thus, improving a gamer’s gaming experience.

In conclusion, the TCL 65S403 comes with lots of amazing display features such as a 4K resolution and low input lag. However, this display has some questionable flaws including its poor brightness.

Notwithstanding, it will be ideal to rate the TCL 65S403 an eight out of ten in this display review section.

TCL 65S403: Sound Features

When it comes to the sound department, the TCL 65S403 offers a pair of 8-watts speakers. Although these speakers aren’t particularly loud, they are loud enough to fill a medium-sized room.

However, the TCL 65S403 lacks a subwoofer, meaning it won’t be able to produce enough bass. Therefore, I doubt if you will enjoy watching bass-heavy movies on the TV.

Nevertheless, if you are particular about bass-heavy movies or songs, then you should purchase a soundbar with this TV. On a positive note, this TCL 65S403 features some sound technologies that enhance its sound production.

Specifically, this television comes with Dolby Digital and Dolby Digital Plus. Dolby Digital is a digital audio coding technique that allows an audio device to deliver a cinematic sound experience.

Dolby Digital Plus, however, is an advanced audio enhancement technology that improves a speaker’s surround sound production. Also, this sound technology allows the TCL 65S403 to offer clear dialogue.

Dialogue simply means the conversation between two or more characters in a movie or TV show. On the downside, the TCL 65S403 produces a noticeable amount of distortion even at a moderate volume level.

Thus, viewing loud movies on this television might lead to less-appealing sound production. In case you are curious, distortion is the deformation of an audio device’s sound frequencies, resulting in the production of disturbing and less-pleasant sounds.

All things considered, I will be rating the TCL 65S403 a seven out of ten in this sound review section.

TCL 65S403: Ports and Connectivity Features

To start with, the TCL 65S403 features a decent number of ports. Some of these ports are on the right side of the television, while others are on the back.

To give more details, there are three HDMI ports on the right side of the TCL 65S403. Moreover, one of these HDMI ports is compatible with ARC (Audio Return Channel).

Hence, using that particular HDMI-ARC port, you can connect a soundbar to the TCL 65S403. Also found on the right side of the television include a USB 2.0 port, an RF port, and a 3.5 mm headphone jack.

Furthermore, there is optical audio out and a reset button on the right side of the TCL 65S403. On the other hand, you will find an Ethernet port and composite AV ports on the back of the TV.

When it comes to wireless connectivity, the TCL 65S403 features an in-built 802.11ac WIFI. Unfortunately, this television has no Bluetooth wireless connectivity.

As you would expect, the TCL 65S403 comes with a remote. To give more details, this television features a Roku TV RC282 remote.

This remote control is quite small and has only 13 buttons. Some of the buttons you will find on this remote include a blue plus-shaped navigation button.

Also, this remote features four dedicated buttons for quick access to Netflix, Amazon, HBO NOW, and Sling TV. Interestingly, the volume rockers and mute button of the remote are on its right side.

Moreover, for brand recognition, there are “TCL” and “Roku TV” logos at the bottom of the remote control. However, as a basic remote, this television’s remote doesn’t support voice input due to its lack of a built-in mic.

In conclusion, the TCL 65S403 offers a decent number of ports but lacks Bluetooth. Thus, in this ports and connectivity review section, I will offer the television a rating of seven out of ten.

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TCL 65S403 Smart Features

Like most TCL smart TVs, the TCL 65S403 employs the Roku TV operating system. This operating system offers a straightforward and easy-to-use interface.

Furthermore, the OS’ interface is very responsive, lag-free, and takes only 4 milliseconds to respond to input. Not just that, the operating system offers a wide range of streaming services.

Some of these streaming services include Netflix, HULU, Pandora, Amazon Prime Video, Spotify, and Sling TV. You will, however, have to pay a monthly subscription to obtain access to the majority of the streaming services offered by this OS.

Nevertheless, the operating system offers quite a number of free streaming services including Tubi, CBS, and Peacock TV. Besides, with the help of the Roku app, you will be able to share/stream content from your smart devices to the TCL 65S403.

Asides from sharing content to the TV, you can also control the television using the Roku app. Impressive right?

What’s more impressive is the fact that the Roku app is free for download on both the Google Play Store and App Store.

All things considered, I will be rating the TCL 65S403 a nine out of ten in this smart review section.

Frequently Asked Questions

Conclusion

The TCL 65S403 is an entry-level 4K smart TV with several excellent features. To give more details, this TV has a good contrast ratio, low input lag, fast response time, and HDR compatibility.

That’s not all, the television also comes with a user-friendly operating system that offers both free and paid streaming services. However, the TCL 65S403 comes with a number of disappointing drawbacks.

These drawbacks include poor viewing angles, subpar sound performance, lack of Bluetooth, and mediocre maximum brightness. Nevertheless, if you think you can cope with these flaws, I believe the TCL 65S403 is worth considering.

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