The TCL R648 offers a higher overall picture quality and is better for gaming with a faster response time and lower input lag, which results in a smoother experience. It's also a good choice for bright rooms due to its higher bright room score. Additionally, the R648's miniLED technology and support for Dolby Vision enhance the HDR experience significantly.
On the other hand, the TCL S435 is a budget-friendly option with a lower picture quality compared to the R648. It doesn't perform as well in dark or bright rooms and lacks features like local dimming and advanced HDR formats. However, it still offers good color accuracy out of the box and the same number of HDMI ports as the R648.
If you prioritize a premium watching and gaming experience and can afford a higher price, go for the R648. If you're looking for a budget-friendly TV that does the job for casual watching, consider the S435. 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 R648 (LCD)
Very good for bright room
Good for dark room
Very good for gaming
Good for movies & TV
Good for news, talk, & other TV
Very good for cartoons & animation
Good for use as monitor
Very good reflections
Advantages of the TCL S435 (LCD)
The TCL S435 (LCD) has no clear advantages over the TCL R648 (LCD).
Key differences
Picture Quality
7.7/10
6.6/10
7.00/10
CONTRAST
7.50/10
7.6/10
COLOR VOLUME SCORE
6.6/10
miniLED FALD
PANEL TYPE
LED
VA
PANEL SUB-TYPE
VA
The TCL R648 (LCD) has good picture quality, while the TCL S435 (LCD) has only fair picture quality.
Movies & TV
7.6/10
6.1/10
7.00/10
CONTRAST
7.50/10
6.5/10
BLACK UNIFORMITY
6.7/10
5.9/10
UPSCALING
5.9/10
Yes
HDR10 SUPPORT
Yes
No
HDR10+ SUPPORT
No
Yes
DOLBY VISION SUPPORT
No
The TCL R648 (LCD) is good for movies & TV, while the TCL S435 (LCD) is only fair.
Sports
6.5/10
5.9/10
5.3/10
MOTION PROCESSING
3.2/10
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
7.6/10
INPUT LAG SCORE
5.8/10
5.9/10
UPSCALING
5.9/10
9.0/10
SDR BRIGHTNESS SCORE
5.2/10
Yes
HLG SUPPORT
Yes
The TCL R648 (LCD) is only fair for sports, while the TCL S435 (LCD) is poor.
The TCL R648 has a better response time, which means less motion blur during fast sports scenes, and it handles reflections well, providing a clearer picture in bright rooms. On the other hand, the TCL S435 has a slower response time which might result in more motion blur and doesn't handle reflections as effectively, making it less suited for viewing sports, especially in well-lit environments.
Gaming
8.2/10
5.5/10
8.2/10
RESPONSE TIME SCORE
6.2/10
7.6/10
INPUT LAG SCORE
5.8/10
5.3/10
MOTION PROCESSING
3.2/10
70.0/100
GAMING LOCAL DIMMING
0.0/100
8.3/10
GAME HDR BRIGHTNESS SCORE
5.3/10
The TCL R648 (LCD) is very good for gaming, while the TCL S435 (LCD) is poor.
The TCL R648 excels in gaming with a very good response time and good input lag, which are crucial for fast-paced gameplay and ensuring minimal delay between input and on-screen action. In contrast, the TCL S435 has a fair response time and poor input lag, resulting in slower reaction times and a less responsive gaming experience.
Cartoons & Animation
8.6/10
7.0/10
7.8/10
COLOR GAMUT SCORE
6.0/10
7.6/10
COLOR VOLUME SCORE
6.6/10
9.0/10
SDR BRIGHTNESS SCORE
5.2/10
9.0/10
COLORS OUT OF THE BOX SCORE
9.0/10
7.0/10
GRAY UNIFORMITY
5.9/10
The TCL R648 (LCD) is very good for cartoons & animation, while the TCL S435 (LCD) is good.
The TCL R648 delivers very good performance for watching cartoons and animation due to its excellent colors out of the box and good color gamut, ensuring vibrant and accurate hues. On the other hand, the TCL S435, while also presenting good out-of-the-box colors, offers only a fair color gamut, resulting in a less diverse color representation and potentially less dynamic cartoon images.
News, Talk, & Other TV
7.5/10
5.8/10
9.0/10
SDR BRIGHTNESS SCORE
5.2/10
5.9/10
UPSCALING
5.9/10
The TCL R648 (LCD) is good for news, talk, & other TV, while the TCL S435 (LCD) is poor.
The TCL R648 offers excellent upscaling and well-maintained brightness in standard dynamic range (SDR), which enhances the clarity and visibility of news and talk shows, while its superior out-of-box colors and color gamut help deliver a more vibrant and accurate picture. In contrast, the TCL S435's poor SDR brightness and lack of local dimming result in a less clear and less consistent image, compromising the viewing experience for such content.
Bright Room
8.1/10
5.6/10
5.2/10
VIEWING ANGLE
5.0/10
9.0/10
SDR BRIGHTNESS SCORE
5.2/10
7.9/10
HDR BRIGHTNESS SCORE
5.1/10
8.0/10
REFLECTIONS SCORE
5.9/10
The TCL R648 (LCD) is very good for bright room, while the TCL S435 (LCD) is poor.
The TCL R648 is better suited for bright rooms as it has excellent SDR and HDR brightness and very good reflection handling, compared to the TCL S435's poor performance in these same areas. While both have good contrast and color performance, the superior brightness and reflection handling of the R648 make it the better choice for environments with a lot of ambient light.
Cost
$2,000
$478
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
The TCL R648 (LCD) has a price of $2,000 and the TCL S435 (LCD) costs $478.
"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 R648 (LCD) or the TCL S435 (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.
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