The Insignia F30 is a bit less expensive compared to the TCL S435. If you're looking to save money, the Insignia might be more appealing. The TCL S435, while costing a bit more, generally provides a better picture quality and is considered a better option for movies. Additionally, while both TVs might not be the best in bright rooms, the TCL has a slight edge in this aspect. For gaming, the differences are negligible. Neither TV is particularly well-suited for dark rooms, but the TCL performs slightly better. Keep in mind, the TCL also has one more HDMI port, which can be convenient if you have multiple devices to connect. Give Feedback
this description is based on the product variant with some specs and product variant with some specs. At the time of writing, the variant with some specs cost some dollars and the variant with some specs cost some dollars.
Advantages of the Insignia F30 (LCD)
Good viewing angle
Advantages of the TCL S435 (LCD)
Good for cartoons & animation
Key differences
Picture Quality
5.6/10
6.6/10
4.29/10
CONTRAST
7.50/10
6.2/10
COLOR VOLUME SCORE
6.6/10
LED
PANEL TYPE
LED
IPS
PANEL SUB-TYPE
VA
The TCL S435 (LCD) has only fair picture quality, while the Insignia F30 (LCD) has poor picture quality.
Movies & TV
5.3/10
6.1/10
4.29/10
CONTRAST
7.50/10
5.5/10
BLACK UNIFORMITY
6.7/10
5.5/10
UPSCALING
5.9/10
Yes
HDR10 SUPPORT
Yes
No
HDR10+ SUPPORT
No
No
DOLBY VISION SUPPORT
No
The TCL S435 (LCD) is only fair for movies & TV, while the Insignia F30 (LCD) is poor.
The Insignia F30 falls short for movies and cinematic TV due to its lower contrast, lack of local dimming, and poor black uniformity, which are crucial for deep blacks and detail in dark scenes. The TCL S435, while still facing challenges with local dimming and bright room performance, offers better contrast and black uniformity, leading to more satisfying viewing in low-light conditions.
Cartoons & Animation
5.9/10
7.0/10
5.9/10
COLOR GAMUT SCORE
6.0/10
6.2/10
COLOR VOLUME SCORE
6.6/10
5.4/10
SDR BRIGHTNESS SCORE
5.2/10
8.1/10
COLORS OUT OF THE BOX SCORE
9.0/10
7.5/10
GRAY UNIFORMITY
5.9/10
The TCL S435 (LCD) is good for cartoons & animation, while the Insignia F30 (LCD) is poor.
The Insignia F30 is considered poor for watching cartoons and animation because it has poor color gamut, affecting the richness and accuracy of colors, which is less than ideal for the vibrant palettes typically used in such content. On the other hand, the TCL S435 is rated as good for this type of content, with an excellent score for colors out of the box, meaning it can display cartoons and animations with bright and accurate colors without the need for customization.
Cost
$320
$700
$0
$200
$400
$600
$800
$1,000
$1,200
The Insignia F30 (LCD) has a price of $320 and the TCL S435 (LCD) costs $700.
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Insignia F30 (LCD) to be only fair for sports, while the TCL S435 (LCD) is poor.
The Insignia F30 is fair for watching sports as it has a better response time and motion processing capabilities, and it handles reflections and has wider viewing angles slightly better than the TCL S435, which struggles with motion due to poorer response times and less effective reflection handling, making it less ideal for sports viewing.
Gaming
5.6/10
5.5/10
5.8/10
RESPONSE TIME SCORE
6.2/10
8.7/10
INPUT LAG SCORE
5.8/10
2.5/10
MOTION PROCESSING
3.2/10
0.0/100
GAMING LOCAL DIMMING
0.0/100
5.8/10
GAME HDR BRIGHTNESS SCORE
5.3/10
The Insignia F30 (LCD) and TCL S435 (LCD) are both poor for gaming.
The Insignia F30 and the TCL S435 both have poor response times, making them less ideal for fast-paced gaming where quick screen transitions are critical. Additionally, they exhibit poor input lag performance, which can delay the translation of your actions into in-game responses, creating a less responsive gaming experience.
News, Talk, & Other TV
5.4/10
5.8/10
5.4/10
SDR BRIGHTNESS SCORE
5.2/10
5.5/10
UPSCALING
5.9/10
The TCL S435 (LCD) and Insignia F30 (LCD) are both poor for news, talk, & other TV.
The Insignia F30 is considered poor for watching news and TV programs partly because it has subpar SDR brightness and low contrast, making the image appear washed out, especially in a well-lit room. In contrast, the TCL S435 shares similar issues but reportedly possesses very good color accuracy out of the box, yet it also suffers in performance due to its lower upscaling quality, meaning lower-resolution content may not look as clear.
Bright Room
5.5/10
5.6/10
7.2/10
VIEWING ANGLE
5.0/10
5.4/10
SDR BRIGHTNESS SCORE
5.2/10
5.6/10
HDR BRIGHTNESS SCORE
5.1/10
6.0/10
REFLECTIONS SCORE
5.9/10
The TCL S435 (LCD) and Insignia F30 (LCD) are both poor for bright room.
The Insignia F30 and the TCL S435 both struggle with bright room viewing primarily due to their poor scores in SDR and HDR brightness, meaning they don't get bright enough to combat glare. Additionally, the Insignia F30 only offers fair reflections handling and has a lower contrast which makes it less suited for bright rooms compared to the TCL S435, which has poor reflections handling but a significantly higher contrast that can help maintain some image quality in well-lit environments.
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How the Insignia F30 (LCD) and the TCL S435 (LCD) compare to other TVs
"Still one of the best bargain TVs. The best feature remains its quick and responsive implementation of Fire TV OS and all the goodies that come with it. Having Alexa inside the Insignia 4K Ultra HD Fire TV Edition brings a lot of value, from voice control of TV functions to access to your smart home devices."
"The TCL 4-Series is so inexpensive and capable you might start to question why there are any multithousand-dollar TVs at all. The 4-Series setup is intuitive and easy. If you're just looking for an easy-to-use TV with decent picture, this is an excellent place to start."
Get a great deal on the Insignia F30 (LCD) or the TCL S435 (LCD)
About Insignia
Insignia is an in-house brand from BestBuy. It offers a range of TV sets that are lower-end and smaller size. They are manufactured in China by Hisense, which is another TV brand. Insignia TVs use Amazon's Fire OS as the smart TV software, providing users with a highly user-friendly experience.
About TCL
TCL, the highly recognizable TV brand from China, has firmly established itself as the second-largest manufacturer in terms of sales volume. Renowned for striking an impressive balance between affordability, picture quality, and design, TCL TVs deliver a compelling overall package. While they have traditionally excelled in the low-end and midrange TV segments, TCL has recently made remarkable strides in the realm of high-end televisions, introducing impressive models that rival top competitors. Most TCL TVs use Roku software which is very user friendly and easy to use, but they have a few other models that use Google TV which has the largest app selection, but is not as user friendly as Roku.
This information was produced and vetted by the PerfectRec TVs team. We are a product research and recommendation organization that meticulously reviews and evaluates the latest TV information and makes it digestible for you.
By the numbers
385
TVs evaluated
33,110
TVs stats compiled
21
Proprietary TVs ratings developed
122,430
Recommendations made
18,365
Consumer hours saved
About the TV team
Joe Golden, Ph.D
CEO and TVs Editor
Joe is an entrepreneur and lifelong electronics enthusiast with a Ph.D in Economics from the University of Michigan.
Jason Lew
Staff Expert & Software Engineer
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Chandradeep Chowdhury
Staff Expert & Software Engineer
Chandradeep is a staff expert and software engineer and expert in televisions and monitors. He’s been making monitor recommendations for ten years.
Jaime Roldán
TVs Expert
Jaime is a Colombia-based TV expert. He is an electronics engineer with 8 years of experience in the telecom sector and has been making TV recommendations for 12 years.