If you frequently watch movies, the Sony X90L provides a better experience with deeper blacks and superior local dimming which enhances the picture quality in dark scenes. For sports fans or action-packed content, its higher refresh rate will offer smoother motion. The Sony's brightness is also advantageous for rooms with ambient light. However, these benefits come at a higher cost. On the other hand, the TCL S435 is more affordable but doesn't match the Sony in picture quality or motion handling. If you're a casual viewer and price is a significant concern, the TCL could still be a satisfactory option for day-to-day viewing needs. 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 Sony X90L (LCD)
Very good for bright room
Good for dark room
Very good for gaming
Good for movies & TV
Good for sports
Excellent for news, talk, & other TV
Very good for cartoons & animation
Good for use as monitor
Best in class for upscaling
Best in class motion processing
Advantages of the TCL S435 (LCD)
The TCL S435 (LCD) has no clear advantages over the Sony X90L (LCD).
Key differences
Picture Quality
7.8/10
6.6/10
7.125/10
CONTRAST
7.50/10
8.8/10
COLOR VOLUME SCORE
6.6/10
LED FALD
PANEL TYPE
LED
VA
PANEL SUB-TYPE
VA
The Sony X90L (LCD) has good picture quality, while the TCL S435 (LCD) has only fair picture quality.
Movies & TV
7.6/10
6.1/10
7.125/10
CONTRAST
7.50/10
6.0/10
BLACK UNIFORMITY
6.7/10
10.0/10
UPSCALING
5.9/10
Yes
HDR10 SUPPORT
Yes
No
HDR10+ SUPPORT
No
Yes
DOLBY VISION SUPPORT
No
The Sony X90L (LCD) is good for movies & TV, while the TCL S435 (LCD) is only fair.
The Sony X90L excels in watching movies and cinematic TV largely because of its contrast, local dimming, and black uniformity that enhance deep black scenes, which is important for dark room viewing. In comparison, the TCL S435 shows weaker performance in local dimming and black uniformity, which could result in less impressive dark scenes, but it also offers good contrast which is essential for maintaining deep blacks.
Sports
7.2/10
5.9/10
10.0/10
MOTION PROCESSING
3.2/10
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
7.0/10
INPUT LAG SCORE
5.8/10
10.0/10
UPSCALING
5.9/10
9.4/10
SDR BRIGHTNESS SCORE
5.2/10
Yes
HLG SUPPORT
Yes
The Sony X90L (LCD) is good for sports, while the TCL S435 (LCD) is poor.
The Sony X90L enhances sports watching experiences with excellent motion processing and fast response time, ensuring smooth action without much blur. In contrast, the TCL S435 falls short, with poor motion processing and response time, resulting in less clarity during fast-moving scenes.
Gaming
8.1/10
5.5/10
8.0/10
RESPONSE TIME SCORE
6.2/10
7.0/10
INPUT LAG SCORE
5.8/10
10.0/10
MOTION PROCESSING
3.2/10
73.0/100
GAMING LOCAL DIMMING
0.0/100
8.6/10
GAME HDR BRIGHTNESS SCORE
5.3/10
The Sony X90L (LCD) is very good for gaming, while the TCL S435 (LCD) is poor.
The Sony X90L has a higher response time score and a better input lag score, making it great for gaming as it provides smoother motion and reacts faster to your controls, whereas the TCL S435 has lower scores in both aspects which can lead to noticeable delay and less fluid motion during gaming.
Cartoons & Animation
8.6/10
7.0/10
7.7/10
COLOR GAMUT SCORE
6.0/10
8.8/10
COLOR VOLUME SCORE
6.6/10
9.4/10
SDR BRIGHTNESS SCORE
5.2/10
8.0/10
COLORS OUT OF THE BOX SCORE
9.0/10
6.6/10
GRAY UNIFORMITY
5.9/10
The Sony X90L (LCD) is very good for cartoons & animation, while the TCL S435 (LCD) is good.
The Sony X90L is rated very good for watching cartoons & animation due to its commendable color performance out of the box and its good color gamut and volume, which provide vibrant and consistent colors. In contrast, the TCL S435, while also having excellent colors out of the box, is limited by its less impressive color gamut and volume, leading to less richness and variety in the display of animated content.
News, Talk, & Other TV
9.0/10
5.8/10
9.4/10
SDR BRIGHTNESS SCORE
5.2/10
10.0/10
UPSCALING
5.9/10
The Sony X90L (LCD) is excellent for news, talk, & other TV, while the TCL S435 (LCD) is poor.
The Sony X90L excels in upscaling lower resolution content and provides very good colors out of the box, making it suitable for watching news and TV programs. In contrast, the TCL S435 has lower performance in upscaling and its colors out of the box are not as accurate, which may result in a less ideal experience for the same type of content.
Bright Room
8.6/10
5.6/10
5.5/10
VIEWING ANGLE
5.0/10
9.4/10
SDR BRIGHTNESS SCORE
5.2/10
8.3/10
HDR BRIGHTNESS SCORE
5.1/10
5.9/10
REFLECTIONS SCORE
5.9/10
The Sony X90L (LCD) is very good for bright room, while the TCL S435 (LCD) is poor.
The Sony X90L excels in a bright room due to its excellent SDR brightness and very good HDR brightness, along with a good reflections handling score, which means it can maintain picture quality even in well-lit environments. In contrast, the TCL S435 struggles in bright conditions because of its poor SDR and HDR brightness and inferior reflections handling, leading to a washed-out image when there's ambient light.
Cost
$998
$700
$200
$400
$600
$800
$1,000
$1,200
$1,400
$1,600
The Sony X90L (LCD) has a price of $998 and the TCL S435 (LCD) costs $700.
"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 Sony X90L (LCD) or the TCL S435 (LCD)
About Sony
Sony stands as a highly experienced and widely trusted TV manufacturer, earning a reputation that surpasses all others. A Japanese company, Sony has been making TVs for far longs than it has been making Playstation game consoles. Sony's high-end TVs are often regarded as the ultimate choice for videophiles, representing the epitome of quality, albeit at a premium price point. Renowned for their advanced and precise motion handling, as well as their cutting-edge local dimming algorithms, Sony consistently delivers unparalleled performance in these areas. They include Google TV software with all their TV sets, which grants access to the largest selection of apps available and they also include Bravia Core which is a movie streaming platform specifically for Sony TVs that offers higher picture quality by using more bandwidth.
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
120,330
Recommendations made
18,050
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.
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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
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