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What we think
The PerfectRec TV team Learn more
Updated January 10, 2024·
The TCL S435 offers a budget-friendly price but sacrifices overall picture quality, brightness in both SDR and HDR, and local dimming capabilities, which results in weaker performance in a bright room and less impressive contrast handling in darker environments. However, it is a good choice for casual TV watching and those prioritizing cost over advanced features. On the other hand, the Vizio M-Series commands a higher price but provides a significant step up in overall picture and sound quality, which makes it a much better option for movie enthusiasts or anyone looking to enjoy higher quality viewing experiences. It also has better performance in both dark and bright rooms, offers more effective local dimming, and supports advanced HDR formats. Gamers would also appreciate the Vizio M-Series for its higher gaming performance. If you're willing to invest more for these improvements, the Vizio M-Series would be the better choice. 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)
- The TCL S435 (LCD) has no clear advantages over the Vizio M-Series (LCD).
Advantages of the Vizio M-Series (LCD)
- Good for dark room
- Good for movies & TV
- Good for news, talk, & other TV
- Very good for cartoons & animation
Key differences
Picture Quality
6.6
7.6
7.50/10
CONTRAST
7.88/10
6.6/10
COLOR VOLUME SCORE
7.8/10
LED
PANEL TYPE
LED FALD
VA
PANEL SUB-TYPE
VA
The Vizio M-Series (LCD) has good picture quality, while the TCL S435 (LCD) has only fair picture quality.
Movies & TV
6.1
7.6
7.50/10
CONTRAST
7.88/10
6.7/10
BLACK UNIFORMITY
6.7/10
5.9/10
UPSCALING
6.6/10
Yes
HDR10 SUPPORT
Yes
No
HDR10+ SUPPORT
Yes
No
DOLBY VISION SUPPORT
Yes
The Vizio M-Series (LCD) is good for movies & TV, while the TCL S435 (LCD) is only fair.
The Vizio M-Series is better for watching movies and cinematic TV than the TCL S435 due to its higher contrast, local dimming feature, and better black uniformity, all of which are crucial for deep blacks and detailed dark scenes. While both TVs offer similar viewing angles and struggle with color accuracy out of the box, the Vizio also has a more robust color volume, which contributes to more vibrant and varied colors on screen.
Gaming
5.5
6.4
6.2/10
RESPONSE TIME SCORE
6.7/10
5.8/10
INPUT LAG SCORE
8.7/10
3.2/10
MOTION PROCESSING
4.6/10
0.0/100
GAMING LOCAL DIMMING
60.0/100
5.3/10
GAME HDR BRIGHTNESS SCORE
6.0/10
The Vizio M-Series (LCD) is only fair for gaming, while the TCL S435 (LCD) is poor.
The TCL S435 has lower gaming performance because it has fair response time and poor input lag, which can impact the fluidity and responsiveness during gaming. Meanwhile, the Vizio M-Series offers an improved gaming experience due to its fair response time but very good input lag, making it more responsive to user inputs, crucial for gaming.
Cartoons & Animation
7.0
8.3
6.0/10
COLOR GAMUT SCORE
8.1/10
6.6/10
COLOR VOLUME SCORE
7.8/10
5.2/10
SDR BRIGHTNESS SCORE
7.5/10
9.0/10
COLORS OUT OF THE BOX SCORE
8.3/10
5.9/10
GRAY UNIFORMITY
6.8/10
The Vizio M-Series (LCD) is very good for cartoons & animation, while the TCL S435 (LCD) is good.
The Vizio M-Series excels at displaying cartoons and animation due to its "very good" colors out of the box and color gamut, ensuring vibrant and diverse colors immediately upon setup. In comparison, the TCL S435, while providing excellent colors out of the box, doesn't match the Vizio in color gamut, potentially leading to a less diverse range of colors, which is a significant advantage for animated content that heavily relies on color variety for visual appeal.
News, Talk, & Other TV
5.8
7.6
5.2/10
SDR BRIGHTNESS SCORE
7.5/10
5.9/10
UPSCALING
6.6/10
The Vizio M-Series (LCD) is good for news, talk, & other TV, while the TCL S435 (LCD) is poor.
The TCL S435 struggles with upscaling lower resolution content and producing vibrant colors out of the box, which are essential for watching news and TV programs clearly and with appealing visuals. In contrast, the Vizio M-Series excels in these areas, with better upscaling and more accurate colors straight out of the box, resulting in a superior viewing experience for such content.
Bright Room
5.6
6.6
5.0/10
VIEWING ANGLE
5.0/10
5.2/10
SDR BRIGHTNESS SCORE
7.5/10
5.1/10
HDR BRIGHTNESS SCORE
5.8/10
5.9/10
REFLECTIONS SCORE
6.6/10
The Vizio M-Series (LCD) is only fair for bright room, while the TCL S435 (LCD) is poor.
The TCL S435 performs poorly in bright rooms mainly due to its lower SDR brightness and poor handling of reflections, making it difficult to watch television in well-lit environments. The Vizio M-Series offers better performance under these conditions with higher SDR brightness and fair reflection handling, making it a more suitable choice for rooms with more ambient light.
Cost
$500
$550
$200
$300
$400
$500
$600
$700
$800
$900
The TCL S435 (LCD) has a price of $500 and the Vizio M-Series (LCD) costs $550.
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Key similarities
Sports
5.9
6.2
3.2/10
MOTION PROCESSING
4.6/10
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
5.8/10
INPUT LAG SCORE
8.7/10
5.9/10
UPSCALING
6.6/10
5.2/10
SDR BRIGHTNESS SCORE
7.5/10
Yes
HLG SUPPORT
Yes
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers Vizio M-Series (LCD) to be only fair for sports, while the TCL S435 (LCD) is poor.
The TCL S435 is less suitable for sports due to its poor response to fast-moving images and higher reflection handling issues compared to the Vizio M-Series, which has better motion processing and is more capable of reducing glare from reflections, although both have limited viewing angles.
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How the TCL S435 (LCD) and the Vizio M-Series (LCD) compare to other TVs
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| TCL S435 (LCD) | Vizio M-Series (LCD) |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$500 | $550 | ||
Brand | |||
Brand | TCL | Vizio | |
Release Date | |||
Release Date | September 3, 2020 | July 2, 2021 | |
Full name | |||
Full name | 55S435 | M55Q7-J01 | |
Screen Size | |||
Screen Size | 55" | 55" | |
Screen Resolution | |||
Screen Resolution | 4K | 4K | |
TV FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Operating System | |||
Operating System | Roku TV | SmartCast | |
Sound Quality Score | |||
Sound Quality Score | 5.9/10 | 8/10 | |
NextGen Ready | |||
NextGen Ready | No | No | |
HDMI Ports | |||
HDMI Ports | 4 | 4 | |
Coax Ports | |||
Coax Ports | 1 | 1 | |
DISPLAY QUALITY SCORES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Picture Quality Score | |||
Picture Quality Score | 6.7/10 | 7.6/10 | |
Bright Room Score | |||
Bright Room Score | 5.6/10 | 6.7/10 | |
Gaming Score | |||
Gaming Score | 5.6/10 | 6.5/10 | |
Movies & TV Score | |||
Movies & TV Score | 6.2/10 | 7.6/10 | |
Sports Score | |||
Sports Score | 6/10 | 6.3/10 | |
PHYSICAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Dimensions w/o Stand (H x W x D) | |||
Dimensions w/o Stand (H x W x D) | 28.3" x 48.7" x 3.3" | 28.1" x 48.3" x 3.4" | |
Dimensions with Stand (H x W) | |||
Dimensions with Stand (H x W) | 30.4" x 48.7" | 29.3" x 48.3" | |
Weight without Stand | |||
Weight without Stand | 24.7 lbs | 30.5 lbs | |
VESA Mount | |||
VESA Mount | 300 x 300 | 300 x 200 | |
DISPLAY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Color Depth | |||
Color Depth | 10 bit | 10 bit | |
Black Frame Insertion | |||
Black Frame Insertion | No | Yes | |
Auto Low Latency Mode | |||
Auto Low Latency Mode | No | Yes | |
Contrast | |||
Contrast | 7.5/10 | 7.9/10 | |
Local Dimming | |||
Local Dimming | 2.5/10 | 5.7/10 | |
SOUND | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Speaker Setup | |||
Speaker Setup | 2.0 | 2.0 | |
Speaker Power | |||
Speaker Power | 16 W | 20 W | |
Dolby Atmos | |||
Dolby Atmos | Dolby Digital Plus Bypass Only | Bypass only | |
DTS:X | |||
DTS:X | No | Up to DTS Digital Surround, Bypass only | |
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TCL S435 (LCD)
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CNET
Geoffrey Morrison | June 2021
"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 Vizio M-Series (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.
About Vizio
Vizio is an American company. While they initially gained recognition for offering budget-friendly TVs, they have successfully expanded their product lineup to include high-end options as well. They manufacture TVs primarily in Mexico, China, and Vietnam. Similar to many Korean TV brands, Vizio developed its own smart TV software called SmartCast. In the past, SmartCast was not the best smart TV software, but it has evolved so that it is now good for using your TV and connecting to streaming services.
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