If you're on a strict budget and want to save money, the TCL S450R could be a good option. This TV is better suited for a dark room and if you enjoy watching movies with deep blacks, as it has excellent black uniformity. However, it has poor local dimming, HDR brightness, and color performance which might not be ideal for vivid HDR content. On the other hand, the TCL S446, while a bit more expensive, has a better viewing angle making it suitable for wide seating arrangements, and good upscaling for watching lower resolution content like cable TV. It also supports more HDR formats but lacks HDR10+ support and has only fair sound quality. Neither of these models are optimal for gaming due to high input lag, and their motion processing and reflection handling are only fair, so they might not be the best choice for a very bright room or for fast-action sports. 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 TCL S446 (LCD)
Good viewing angle
Good reflections
Advantages of the TCL S450R (LCD)
The TCL S450R (LCD) has no clear advantages over the TCL S446 (LCD).
Key differences
Picture Quality
5.8/10
6.5/10
5.37/10
CONTRAST
6.428571429/10
6.0/10
COLOR VOLUME SCORE
6.3/10
LED
PANEL TYPE
LED
IPS
PANEL SUB-TYPE
VA
The TCL S450R (LCD) has only fair picture quality, while the TCL S446 (LCD) has poor picture quality.
Movies & TV
5.4/10
6.0/10
5.37/10
CONTRAST
6.428571429/10
4.8/10
BLACK UNIFORMITY
9.2/10
7.5/10
UPSCALING
7.5/10
Yes
HDR10 SUPPORT
Yes
No
HDR10+ SUPPORT
No
No
DOLBY VISION SUPPORT
Yes
The TCL S450R (LCD) is only fair for movies & TV, while the TCL S446 (LCD) is poor.
The TCL S446 (LCD) and TCL S450R (LCD) are both only fair for sports.
Gaming
5.8/10
5.7/10
6.2/10
RESPONSE TIME SCORE
6.0/10
8.0/10
INPUT LAG SCORE
10.0/10
4.6/10
MOTION PROCESSING
4.6/10
0.0/100
GAMING LOCAL DIMMING
10.0/100
5.6/10
GAME HDR BRIGHTNESS SCORE
5.8/10
The TCL S446 (LCD) and TCL S450R (LCD) are both poor for gaming.
Cartoons & Animation
6.4/10
6.0/10
5.8/10
COLOR GAMUT SCORE
5.9/10
6.0/10
COLOR VOLUME SCORE
6.3/10
6.0/10
SDR BRIGHTNESS SCORE
6.3/10
9.1/10
COLORS OUT OF THE BOX SCORE
6.6/10
6.0/10
GRAY UNIFORMITY
5.8/10
The TCL S446 (LCD) and TCL S450R (LCD) are both only fair for cartoons & animation.
News, Talk, & Other TV
6.4/10
6.4/10
6.0/10
SDR BRIGHTNESS SCORE
6.3/10
7.5/10
UPSCALING
7.5/10
The TCL S450R (LCD) and TCL S446 (LCD) are both only fair for news, talk, & other TV.
Bright Room
5.8/10
6.0/10
7.5/10
VIEWING ANGLE
5.1/10
6.0/10
SDR BRIGHTNESS SCORE
6.3/10
5.4/10
HDR BRIGHTNESS SCORE
5.6/10
7.2/10
REFLECTIONS SCORE
6.3/10
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers TCL S450R (LCD) to be only fair for bright room, while the TCL S446 (LCD) is poor.
Cost
$230
$240
$100
$150
$200
$250
$300
$350
The TCL S446 (LCD) has a price of $230 and the TCL S450R (LCD) costs $240.
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How the TCL S446 (LCD) and the TCL S450R (LCD) compare to other TVs
Spec Comparison
TCL S446 (LCD)
TCL S450R (LCD)
GENERAL
Price
Price
$230
$240
Brand
Brand
TCL
TCL
Release Date
Release Date
September 1, 2021
August 1, 2023
Full name
Full name
43S446
43S450R
Screen Size
Screen Size
43"
43"
Screen Resolution
Screen Resolution
4K
4K
Screen Type
Screen Type
LCD
LCD
Screen Sub-type
Screen Sub-type
LED IPS
LED VA
Smart TV
Smart TV
Yes
Yes
TV FEATURES
Operating System
Operating System
Android TV
Roku TV
Sound Quality Score
Sound Quality Score
6/10
6/10
NextGen Ready
NextGen Ready
No
No
HDMI Ports
HDMI Ports
3
4
Coax Ports
Coax Ports
1
1
Refresh Rate
Refresh Rate
60Hz
60Hz
Variable Refresh Rate
Variable Refresh Rate
No
No
HDR Supported formats
HDR Supported formats
HDR10, HLG
HDR10, Dolby Vision, HLG
Accessibility
Accessibility
None
Voice Commands
DISPLAY QUALITY SCORES
Picture Quality Score
Picture Quality Score
5.8/10
6.6/10
Bright Room Score
Bright Room Score
5.8/10
6/10
Gaming Score
Gaming Score
5.9/10
5.7/10
Movies & TV Score
Movies & TV Score
5.5/10
6/10
Sports Score
Sports Score
6.4/10
6.2/10
News, Talk, & Other TV Score
News, Talk, & Other TV Score
6.4/10
6.5/10
Cartoons & Animation Score
Cartoons & Animation Score
6.5/10
6.1/10
Use as Monitor Score
Use as Monitor Score
6.6/10
6.1/10
PHYSICAL
Dimensions w/o Stand (H x W x D)
Dimensions w/o Stand (H x W x D)
22.3" x 38.2" x 3.3"
22" x 37.7" x 3.1"
Dimensions with Stand (H x W)
Dimensions with Stand (H x W)
24.6" x 38.2"
23.7" x 37.7"
Weight without Stand
Weight without Stand
15.4 lbs
13.7 lbs
VESA Mount
VESA Mount
200 x 200
200 x 200
DISPLAY
Color Depth
Color Depth
10 bit
8 bit
Black Frame Insertion
Black Frame Insertion
Yes
No
Auto Low Latency Mode
Auto Low Latency Mode
Yes
Yes
Contrast
Contrast
5.4/10
6.4/10
Local Dimming
Local Dimming
2.5/10
3/10
Gaming Local Dimming
Gaming Local Dimming
0/100
1/100
Game HDR Brightness Score
Game HDR Brightness Score
5.6/10
5.8/10
SDR Brightness Score
SDR Brightness Score
6/10
6.4/10
HDR Brightness Score
HDR Brightness Score
5.5/10
5.6/10
Gray Uniformity
Gray Uniformity
6/10
5.8/10
Black Uniformity
Black Uniformity
4.9/10
9.3/10
Viewing Angle
Viewing Angle
7.5/10
5.2/10
Reflections Score
Reflections Score
7.3/10
6.3/10
Upscaling
Upscaling
7.5/10
7.5/10
Motion Processing
Motion Processing
4.6/10
4.6/10
Color Gamut Score
Color Gamut Score
5.9/10
5.9/10
Color Volume Score
Color Volume Score
6/10
6.4/10
Response Time Score
Response Time Score
6.3/10
6/10
Input Lag Score
Input Lag Score
8/10
10/10
Colors Out of the Box Score
Colors Out of the Box Score
9.2/10
6.6/10
Quality Control
Quality Control
6/10
6/10
Chroma Subsampling Score
Chroma Subsampling Score
7/10
7/10
SOUND
Speaker Setup
Speaker Setup
2.0
2.0
Speaker Power
Speaker Power
16 W
20 W
Dolby Atmos
Dolby Atmos
Bypass only
Yes
DTS:X
DTS:X
No
No
Get a great deal on the TCL S446 (LCD) or the TCL S450R (LCD)
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
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TVs evaluated
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TVs stats compiled
21
Proprietary TVs ratings developed
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Recommendations made
18,185
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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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Staff Expert & Software Engineer
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TVs Expert
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