The Samsung S90C is a higher-end OLED model that offers superior picture quality, better gaming performance, and excellent dark room viewing. It's well-suited for movie enthusiasts and gamers but comes with a premium price tag and may not be as bright in sunny rooms.
The TCL S435 is a budget-friendly LCD TV with decent performance for everyday viewing like news and cartoons. However, it has lower scores in picture quality, gaming, and is less impressive in both dark and bright room conditions. It's a more economical choice but with noticeable compromises in certain viewing experiences.
If you're looking for a high-performance TV and don't mind spending more, go for the Samsung S90C. If you're on a budget and mostly watch casual content, the TCL S435 could be sufficient. 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 Samsung S90C (OLED)
Very good for bright room
Excellent for dark room
Best in class for gaming
Excellent for movies & TV
Very good for sports
Excellent for news, talk, & other TV
Excellent for cartoons & animation
Excellent for use as monitor
Very good for upscaling
Very good motion processing
Best in class viewing angle
Best in class reflections
Advantages of the TCL S435 (LCD)
The TCL S435 (LCD) has no clear advantages over the Samsung S90C (OLED).
Key differences
Picture Quality
9.4/10
6.6/10
10.00/10
CONTRAST
7.50/10
9.2/10
COLOR VOLUME SCORE
6.6/10
RGB OLED
PANEL TYPE
LED
QD-OLED
PANEL SUB-TYPE
VA
The Samsung S90C (OLED) has excellent picture quality, while the TCL S435 (LCD) has only fair picture quality.
Movies & TV
9.4/10
6.1/10
10.00/10
CONTRAST
7.50/10
10.0/10
BLACK UNIFORMITY
6.7/10
8.0/10
UPSCALING
5.9/10
Yes
HDR10 SUPPORT
Yes
Yes
HDR10+ SUPPORT
No
No
DOLBY VISION SUPPORT
No
The Samsung S90C (OLED) is excellent for movies & TV, while the TCL S435 (LCD) is only fair.
Sports
8.7/10
5.9/10
8.2/10
MOTION PROCESSING
3.2/10
144Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
10.0/10
INPUT LAG SCORE
5.8/10
8.0/10
UPSCALING
5.9/10
7.8/10
SDR BRIGHTNESS SCORE
5.2/10
Yes
HLG SUPPORT
Yes
The Samsung S90C (OLED) is very good for sports, while the TCL S435 (LCD) is poor.
The Samsung S90C excels in watching sports due to its superior response time and motion processing, which reduce blur in fast-moving scenes, and its excellent handling of reflections and wide viewing angles ensure a clear picture from different seats. On the other hand, the TCL S435 falls short in sports viewing because of its poor response time and motion processing that could lead to more blur during action, limited viewing angles causing the picture to degrade from the side, and struggles with reflections which can be distracting in well-lit environments.
Gaming
10.0/10
5.5/10
10.0/10
RESPONSE TIME SCORE
6.2/10
10.0/10
INPUT LAG SCORE
5.8/10
8.2/10
MOTION PROCESSING
3.2/10
100.0/100
GAMING LOCAL DIMMING
0.0/100
8.4/10
GAME HDR BRIGHTNESS SCORE
5.3/10
The Samsung S90C (OLED) is best in class for gaming, while the TCL S435 (LCD) is poor.
The Samsung S90C stands out for gaming with a top response time and minimal input lag, ensuring smooth and responsive gameplay, making it favorable for fast-paced action or competitive gaming. In stark contrast, the TCL S435 falls short in gaming due to its fair response time and poor input lag, leading to potential motion blur and delayed reaction times, which can be a disadvantage in gaming scenarios.
Cartoons & Animation
9.3/10
7.0/10
9.2/10
COLOR GAMUT SCORE
6.0/10
9.2/10
COLOR VOLUME SCORE
6.6/10
7.8/10
SDR BRIGHTNESS SCORE
5.2/10
8.8/10
COLORS OUT OF THE BOX SCORE
9.0/10
9.8/10
GRAY UNIFORMITY
5.9/10
The Samsung S90C (OLED) is excellent for cartoons & animation, while the TCL S435 (LCD) is good.
The Samsung S90C OLED is excellent for watching cartoons and animation because of its superior colors out of the box and wider color gamut, ensuring vibrant and varied hues. The TCL S435 LCD is considered good for cartoons and animation, but it may not display colors as vividly and may exhibit less uniformity in gray areas compared to the Samsung S90C OLED.
News, Talk, & Other TV
9.1/10
5.8/10
7.8/10
SDR BRIGHTNESS SCORE
5.2/10
8.0/10
UPSCALING
5.9/10
The Samsung S90C (OLED) is excellent for news, talk, & other TV, while the TCL S435 (LCD) is poor.
The Samsung S90C provides a superior experience for news and talk shows because it has good upscaling for lower resolution content and better SDR brightness, which maintains picture clarity in various lighting conditions. The TCL S435, on the other hand, falls short due to its poor upscaling and inferior SDR brightness, which can result in lower picture quality particularly in well-lit rooms.
Bright Room
8.5/10
5.6/10
10.0/10
VIEWING ANGLE
5.0/10
7.8/10
SDR BRIGHTNESS SCORE
5.2/10
8.0/10
HDR BRIGHTNESS SCORE
5.1/10
10.0/10
REFLECTIONS SCORE
5.9/10
The Samsung S90C (OLED) is very good for bright room, while the TCL S435 (LCD) is poor.
The Samsung S90C is better for bright rooms because it has high SDR and HDR brightness levels and excellent reflection handling, which minimizes glare. In contrast, the TCL S435 struggles in bright conditions due to its poor SDR and HDR brightness and reflection handling, causing the screen to appear dim and reflective.
Cost
$1,375
$700
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
The Samsung S90C (OLED) has a price of $1,375 and the TCL S435 (LCD) costs $700.
"Samsung S90C is the company's attempt at making its QD-OLED technology more affordable. You get high-end pictures, great processing, top gaming tech, and a sharp design."
"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 Samsung S90C (OLED) or the TCL S435 (LCD)
About Samsung
Samsung, a South Korean electronics manufacturer, holds the title of being the largest global TV vendor in terms of units sold. They offer a diverse lineup of TV products that cater to various budget ranges. A notable achievement in recent years is the development of Quantum Dots, a technology that enhances color reproduction, resulting in richer and more vibrant hues. Samsung TVs are well-regarded for their high manufacturing quality and user-friendly software, making them an excellent choice for consumers seeking an intuitive viewing 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
122,130
Recommendations made
18,320
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
Jason is a staff expert and software engineer that has been making laptop recommendations for 7 years and moderates one of the largest laptop subreddits.
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.