The TCL S435 is slightly better for watching movies and general content in darker rooms, while the TCL S455 offers improved performance in bright rooms and slightly better quality for watching sports. The S455 also has slightly lower input lag, making it more suitable for gaming. Both models are budget-friendly and respond similarly to viewing cartoons and animation, and neither excels in sound quality. Neither supports advanced HDR formats like HDR10+ or Dolby Vision. If you value a gaming experience or watch TV in well-lit rooms, the S455 could be the better choice. However, if you're more into movies and content viewing in darker settings, the S435 has the edge. Both are similarly priced. 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 S455 (LCD)
Good for upscaling
Key differences
Cartoons & Animation
7.0/10
6.0/10
6.0/10
COLOR GAMUT SCORE
5.9/10
6.6/10
COLOR VOLUME SCORE
6.3/10
5.2/10
SDR BRIGHTNESS SCORE
6.3/10
9.0/10
COLORS OUT OF THE BOX SCORE
6.6/10
5.9/10
GRAY UNIFORMITY
5.8/10
The TCL S435 (LCD) is good for cartoons & animation, while the TCL S455 (LCD) is only fair.
The TCL S435 is rated higher for watching cartoons and animation due in part to its excellent colors out of the box, meaning you'll see vibrant and accurate colors as intended without adjustments, whereas the TCL S455 is only rated fair in this regard. Furthermore, the color gamut of the S435 is considered fair, which is important for getting a wide range of colors, while the S455 has a poor color gamut, indicating more limited color representation.
News, Talk, & Other TV
5.8/10
6.4/10
5.2/10
SDR BRIGHTNESS SCORE
6.3/10
5.9/10
UPSCALING
7.5/10
The TCL S455 (LCD) is only fair for news, talk, & other TV, while the TCL S435 (LCD) is poor.
The TCL S435 struggles with upscaling and has poor SDR brightness, making it less suited for watching news and standard TV programs, especially in well-lit environments. Conversely, the TCL S455 offers better upscaling and fair SDR brightness, leading to a clearer picture and better performance for the same content, particularly in brighter rooms.
The TCL S435 (LCD) and TCL S455 (LCD) both have only fair picture quality.
Movies & TV
6.1/10
6.0/10
7.50/10
CONTRAST
6.43/10
6.7/10
BLACK UNIFORMITY
9.2/10
5.9/10
UPSCALING
7.5/10
Yes
HDR10 SUPPORT
Yes
No
HDR10+ SUPPORT
No
No
DOLBY VISION SUPPORT
No
The TCL S435 (LCD) and TCL S455 (LCD) are both only fair for movies & TV.
Sports
5.9/10
6.1/10
3.2/10
MOTION PROCESSING
4.6/10
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
5.8/10
INPUT LAG SCORE
10.0/10
5.9/10
UPSCALING
7.5/10
5.2/10
SDR BRIGHTNESS SCORE
6.3/10
Yes
HLG SUPPORT
Yes
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers TCL S455 (LCD) to be only fair for sports, while the TCL S435 (LCD) is poor.
The TCL S455 tends to be better for watching sports than the TCL S435 as it has significantly better motion processing capabilities which reduce blur during fast action, and it also offers a superior response time, improving the sharpness of moving objects. However, both TVs struggle with reflections and have narrow viewing angles, making them less ideal for brightly lit rooms or for viewing from the side.
Gaming
5.5/10
5.7/10
6.2/10
RESPONSE TIME SCORE
6.0/10
5.8/10
INPUT LAG SCORE
10.0/10
3.2/10
MOTION PROCESSING
4.6/10
0.0/100
GAMING LOCAL DIMMING
10.0/100
5.3/10
GAME HDR BRIGHTNESS SCORE
5.8/10
The TCL S455 (LCD) and TCL S435 (LCD) are both poor for gaming.
The TCL S435 has a fair response time and poor input lag, making it less suitable for gamers who need fast reaction times and minimal delay between their inputs and actions on screen. Similarly, the TCL S455, while having a better response time, also has fair input lag, which means it still may not be responsive enough for competitive gaming or fast-paced action games.
Bright Room
5.6/10
6.0/10
5.0/10
VIEWING ANGLE
5.1/10
5.2/10
SDR BRIGHTNESS SCORE
6.3/10
5.1/10
HDR BRIGHTNESS SCORE
5.6/10
5.9/10
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 S435 (LCD) is poor.
Cost
$345
$336
$150
$200
$250
$300
$350
$400
$450
$500
The TCL S435 (LCD) has a price of $345 and the TCL S455 (LCD) costs $336.
Give feedback
We’re constantly working to improve.
How the TCL S435 (LCD) and the TCL S455 (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."
"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 S435 (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
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
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.