The TCL S446 is slightly more expensive than the TCL S455. The S446 offers a better gaming experience and is more suited for watching cartoons and animation, with a wider viewing angle which makes it a better choice if you often have a group watching together from various seating positions. However, it struggles in dark environments as it doesn't display deep blacks well.
The S455, on the other hand, performs better with movies and series due to its higher contrast, making it more suitable for viewers who prioritize cinematic content. It also performs slightly better in bright rooms and offers better black uniformity, which means it will handle dark scenes better, but its narrower viewing angle may limit the view for those sitting off to the side.
Both models are budget-friendly LCD TVs and will not be the best choice for very bright or very dark rooms. If your priority is gaming or watching with a large group, the S446 could be a better choice. If you prefer watching movies and want a TV that performs slightly better in a variety of lighting conditions, the S455 might suit you better. 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 S455 (LCD)
The TCL S455 (LCD) has no clear advantages over the TCL S446 (LCD).
Key differences
Picture Quality
5.8/10
6.5/10
5.37/10
CONTRAST
6.43/10
6.0/10
COLOR VOLUME SCORE
6.3/10
LED
PANEL TYPE
LED
IPS
PANEL SUB-TYPE
VA
The TCL S455 (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
6.43/10
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
No
The TCL S455 (LCD) is only fair for movies & TV, while the TCL S446 (LCD) is poor.
The TCL S446's performance is considered poor for watching movies and cinematic TV due to its low contrast, lack of local dimming, and poor black uniformity, which are critical for a good movie-watching experience. In comparison, the TCL S455 has a higher contrast ratio and excellent black uniformity along with some local dimming capability, leading to a fair performance and making it better suited to handling dark scenes essential for movies and cinematic content.
The TCL S446 (LCD) and TCL S455 (LCD) are both only fair for sports.
The TCL S446 and TCL S455 are both recognized as having fair capabilities in watching sports; this is due in part to their similar motion processing performance and challenges they face with reflections handling. The S446 benefits from slightly better viewing angles, making it a better option for wider seating arrangements, while the S455 has somewhat better gray uniformity, which might reduce visual distractions during sports viewing.
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 S455 (LCD) are both poor for gaming.
The TCL S446 has a fair response time and very good input lag, which might lead to noticeable delays and less smooth motion for gaming. In contrast, the TCL S455, while also having a fair response time that can result in motion blur, offers the best possible input lag, making it more responsive, which is preferable for gamers who need quick reaction times..
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 S455 (LCD) are both only fair for cartoons & animation.
Both the TCL S446 and TCL S455 offer a fair experience for watching cartoons and animation due to their color performance; the S446 has excellent colors out of the box which means less need for adjustment, while the S455's colors out of the box are fair, accompanying their poor color gamut which can limit the range of colors displayed. When considering overall picture quality for animated content, the S446's LED IPS screen may offer more consistent colors at wider angles, but the S455's LED VA panel can provide deeper blacks due to better contrast.
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 S455 (LCD) and TCL S446 (LCD) are both only fair for news, talk, & other TV.
The TCL S446 and TCL S455 are both fair at upscaling lower resolution content and have similar SDR brightness, making them adequate for watching news and TV programs in moderately-lit environments. However, the S446 comes with better colors out of the box, which might enhance the viewing experience without additional calibration, while the S455 offers stronger contrast, benefiting content with dark scenes.
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 S455 (LCD) to be only fair for bright room, while the TCL S446 (LCD) is poor.
The TCL S446 struggles in bright environments due to its fair performance at handling reflections and poor HDR brightness, meaning it fails to overpower glare and can't make HDR content pop under bright lights. The TCL S455 fares somewhat better in brightness with a fair rating for both SDR and HDR brightness and a fair reflection handling ability, meaning it can handle ambient light a bit more effectively, but still may not be ideal for very bright rooms.
Cost
$230
$228
$100
$150
$200
$250
$300
$350
The TCL S446 (LCD) has a price of $230 and the TCL S455 (LCD) costs $228.
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How the TCL S446 (LCD) and the TCL S455 (LCD) compare to other TVs
"A highly affordable but reliably kitted-out 4K Roku TV that, while far from perfect, still punches above its price and delivers a great user experience. If you want to soup up movie night for a bargain, the 4-Series won’t let you down. You may never need to plug in a set-top box or streaming device."
Get a great deal on the TCL S446 (LCD) or the TCL S455 (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
130,530
Recommendations made
19,580
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.