If you're looking for a better picture quality for movies and a slightly cheaper price, the TCL S435 would be a suitable option. However, it performs less well in bright rooms and for sports content. The TCL S446, on the other hand, offers better performance for gaming and sports, as well as a wider viewing angle, making it a good fit if these are priorities for you, but it comes with a slightly higher price and reduced picture quality for movies. 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 S435 (LCD)
Good for cartoons & animation
Advantages of the TCL S446 (LCD)
Good for upscaling
Good viewing angle
Good reflections
Key differences
Picture Quality
6.6/10
5.8/10
7.50/10
CONTRAST
5.37/10
6.6/10
COLOR VOLUME SCORE
6.0/10
LED
PANEL TYPE
LED
VA
PANEL SUB-TYPE
IPS
The TCL S435 (LCD) has only fair picture quality, while the TCL S446 (LCD) has poor picture quality.
Movies & TV
6.1/10
5.4/10
7.50/10
CONTRAST
5.37/10
6.7/10
BLACK UNIFORMITY
4.8/10
5.9/10
UPSCALING
7.5/10
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 TCL S446 (LCD) is poor.
The TCL S435 offers better performance for movies and cinematic TV because it has higher contrast and better black uniformity, which make for deeper blacks and more defined dark scenes, essential for a good movie experience. In contrast, the TCL S446, despite having excellent colors out of the box, falls short with lower contrast and poorer black uniformity, which can lead to grayer blacks and less detail in dark areas.
Cartoons & Animation
7.0/10
6.4/10
6.0/10
COLOR GAMUT SCORE
5.8/10
6.6/10
COLOR VOLUME SCORE
6.0/10
5.2/10
SDR BRIGHTNESS SCORE
6.0/10
9.0/10
COLORS OUT OF THE BOX SCORE
9.1/10
5.9/10
GRAY UNIFORMITY
6.0/10
The TCL S435 (LCD) is good for cartoons & animation, while the TCL S446 (LCD) is only fair.
The TCL S435 displays cartoons and animation better primarily because it has vibrant colors straight out of the box and a fair color gamut, essential for animation to look appealing. In contrast, the TCL S446, although it shares the same excellent colors out of the box, offers a lower color gamut, which can affect the richness and variety of colors in animated content.
News, Talk, & Other TV
5.8/10
6.4/10
5.2/10
SDR BRIGHTNESS SCORE
6.0/10
5.9/10
UPSCALING
7.5/10
The TCL S446 (LCD) is only fair for news, talk, & other TV, while the TCL S435 (LCD) is poor.
The TCL S435 performs poorly for watching news and TV programs largely because of its subpar upscaling of lower-resolution content and its low SDR brightness, making it less suitable for watching content that doesn't utilize its full resolution or in well-lit rooms. The TCL S446 fares better due to its more effective upscaling and fair SDR brightness, which enhances the viewing experience of regular broadcasts, especially in brighter environments.
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers TCL S446 (LCD) to be only fair for sports, while the TCL S435 (LCD) is poor.
The TCL S435 has a lower response time and poorer reflection handling, making it less suitable for sports watching where fast movements are frequent and lighting conditions can vary. In comparison, the TCL S446 offers better motion processing and reflections handling, contributing to a clearer and more consistent viewing experience during sports events, despite it having a somewhat narrower viewing angle which may affect those viewing from the side.
Gaming
5.5/10
5.8/10
6.2/10
RESPONSE TIME SCORE
6.2/10
5.8/10
INPUT LAG SCORE
8.0/10
3.2/10
MOTION PROCESSING
4.6/10
0.0/100
GAMING LOCAL DIMMING
0.0/100
5.3/10
GAME HDR BRIGHTNESS SCORE
5.6/10
The TCL S446 (LCD) and TCL S435 (LCD) are both poor for gaming.
Both the TCL S435 and TCL S446 have lower scores in areas very important for gaming, specifically with poor response time and input lag, which can lead to motion blur and delayed reaction times during fast-paced action, compromising the gaming experience. Additionally, both models have a refresh rate of 60Hz, which is adequate for casual gaming but might not be as smooth for competitive or high-speed gaming that benefits from higher refresh rates.
Bright Room
5.6/10
5.8/10
5.0/10
VIEWING ANGLE
7.5/10
5.2/10
SDR BRIGHTNESS SCORE
6.0/10
5.1/10
HDR BRIGHTNESS SCORE
5.4/10
5.9/10
REFLECTIONS SCORE
7.2/10
The TCL S446 (LCD) and TCL S435 (LCD) are both poor for bright room.
The TCL S435 struggles with bright room viewing due to its poor SDR and HDR brightness and its poor handling of reflections, whereas the TCL S446 also faces challenges in bright rooms with its fair SDR brightness, poor HDR brightness, but has good reflection handling. Although both TVs have issues in a bright environment, the S446 might be slightly better due to its capability to handle reflections more effectively than the S435.
Cost
$337
$335
$150
$200
$250
$300
$350
$400
$450
$500
The TCL S435 (LCD) has a price of $337 and the TCL S446 (LCD) costs $335.
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How the TCL S435 (LCD) and the TCL S446 (LCD) compare to other TVs
"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 TCL S435 (LCD) or the TCL S446 (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
385
TVs evaluated
33,110
TVs stats compiled
21
Proprietary TVs ratings developed
99,030
Recommendations made
14,855
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.