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Updated January 10, 2024·
The TCL S446 is typically much less expensive and offers a good balance for general content like news, talk shows, reality TV, and animation, performing well in bright rooms. However, in dark rooms, its picture quality is limited, and it has no local dimming to improve contrast. The TCL R745, on the other hand, is typically much more expensive. It provides a superior gaming experience and supports advanced HDR formats like Dolby Vision and HLG. This TV comes with more HDMI ports and better sound quality but shares the same performance in bright rooms as the S446. It doesn't excel in dark room settings either. Both models struggle with picture quality in dark environments and offer comparable bright room performance. If gaming and advanced HDR support are priorities and you're willing to pay more, go with the R745. However, for regular TV watching and a budget-friendly choice, the S446 would suffice. 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 R745 (LCD)
- Good for gaming
Advantages of the TCL S446 (LCD)
- Good viewing angle
Key differences
Gaming
7.4
5.8
6.1/10
RESPONSE TIME SCORE
6.2/10
10.0/10
INPUT LAG SCORE
8.0/10
4.6/10
MOTION PROCESSING
4.6/10
0.0/100
GAMING LOCAL DIMMING
0.0/100
5.7/10
GAME HDR BRIGHTNESS SCORE
5.6/10
The TCL R745 (LCD) is good for gaming, while the TCL S446 (LCD) is poor.
The TCL S446 has a fair response time and very good input lag, which may not be enough for fast-paced gaming that demands quick screen transitions without delays. On the other hand, the TCL R745, while having similar response time, offers the best input lag, making it more suitable for gaming as it can handle rapid inputs more effectively and reduce delay during gameplay.
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Key similarities
Picture Quality
5.6
5.8
4.97/10
CONTRAST
5.37/10
5.8/10
COLOR VOLUME SCORE
6.0/10
LED
PANEL TYPE
LED
VA
PANEL SUB-TYPE
IPS
The TCL S446 (LCD) and TCL R745 (LCD) both have poor picture quality.
Movies & TV
5.2
5.4
4.97/10
CONTRAST
5.37/10
5.0/10
BLACK UNIFORMITY
4.8/10
7.5/10
UPSCALING
7.5/10
Yes
HDR10 SUPPORT
Yes
No
HDR10+ SUPPORT
No
Yes
DOLBY VISION SUPPORT
No
The TCL S446 (LCD) and TCL R745 (LCD) are both poor for movies & TV.
The TCL S446 struggles with movies and cinematic TV due to its fair contrast and lack of local dimming, leading to poor black uniformity, which is crucial for dark scenes. Meanwhile, the TCL R745 also performs poorly in the same content due to its similarly modest contrast and lack of local dimming, contributing to subpar black uniformity and color volume that make it less ideal for vibrant, high-contrast viewing experiences.
Sports
6.4
6.4
4.6/10
MOTION PROCESSING
4.6/10
120Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
10.0/10
INPUT LAG SCORE
8.0/10
7.5/10
UPSCALING
7.5/10
5.8/10
SDR BRIGHTNESS SCORE
6.0/10
Yes
HLG SUPPORT
Yes
The TCL R745 (LCD) and TCL S446 (LCD) are both only fair for sports.
The TCL S446 and the TCL R745 both have fair response times which are critical for watching fast-moving sports, but their viewing angles are different with the S446 having wider angles, better for group viewings, whereas the R745 has narrower angles leading to color washout when seen from the side. While both handle reflections decently well, neither has an advantage in gray uniformity, which is somewhat important for displaying an even color across the screen such as when watching sports with large areas of uniform color like a football field.
Cartoons & Animation
5.9
6.4
6.5/10
COLOR GAMUT SCORE
5.8/10
5.8/10
COLOR VOLUME SCORE
6.0/10
5.8/10
SDR BRIGHTNESS SCORE
6.0/10
7.7/10
COLORS OUT OF THE BOX SCORE
9.1/10
6.0/10
GRAY UNIFORMITY
6.0/10
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers TCL S446 (LCD) to be only fair for cartoons & animation, while the TCL R745 (LCD) is poor.
News, Talk, & Other TV
6.1
6.4
5.8/10
SDR BRIGHTNESS SCORE
6.0/10
7.5/10
UPSCALING
7.5/10
The TCL S446 (LCD) and TCL R745 (LCD) are both only fair for news, talk, & other TV.
The TCL S446 delivers fair performance for watching news and talk shows since it provides excellent upscaling to enhance lower-resolution content, and its IPS screen ensures good viewing angles. However, its performance might suffer from lacklustre SDR brightness and limited color gamut. Meanwhile, the TCL R745, with a similar fair evaluation for these programs, offers an improved experience for fast-moving content with superior motion processing, but its lower contrast ratio might result in less deep blacks compared to other TVs.
Bright Room
5.8
5.8
6.8/10
VIEWING ANGLE
7.5/10
5.8/10
SDR BRIGHTNESS SCORE
6.0/10
5.5/10
HDR BRIGHTNESS SCORE
5.4/10
7.8/10
REFLECTIONS SCORE
7.2/10
The TCL R745 (LCD) and TCL S446 (LCD) are both poor for bright room.
The TCL S446 struggles in bright rooms due to its fair SDR brightness and lack of local dimming, which leads to lower peak brightness, while its good reflections handling is not enough to overcome these shortcomings. Similarly, the TCL R745, despite having good reflections handling, is also poor for watching in bright rooms because of its poor SDR and HDR brightness and the absence of local dimming to enhance contrast.
Cost
$1,700
$1,800
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
The TCL R745 (LCD) has a price of $1,700 and the TCL S446 (LCD) costs $1,800.
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How the TCL R745 (LCD) and the TCL S446 (LCD) compare to other TVs
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| TCL R745 (LCD) | TCL S446 (LCD) |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$1,700 | $1,800 | ||
Brand | |||
Brand | TCL | TCL | |
Release Date | |||
Release Date | April 1, 2021 | September 6, 2021 | |
Full name | |||
Full name | 85R745 | 85S446 | |
Screen Size | |||
Screen Size | 85" | 85" | |
Screen Resolution | |||
Screen Resolution | 4K | 4K | |
TV FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Operating System | |||
Operating System | Roku TV | Android TV | |
Sound Quality Score | |||
Sound Quality Score | 6.1/10 | 6.1/10 | |
NextGen Ready | |||
NextGen Ready | No | No | |
HDMI Ports | |||
HDMI Ports | 4 | 3 | |
Coax Ports | |||
Coax Ports | 1 | 1 | |
DISPLAY QUALITY SCORES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Picture Quality Score | |||
Picture Quality Score | 5.7/10 | 5.8/10 | |
Bright Room Score | |||
Bright Room Score | 5.8/10 | 5.8/10 | |
Gaming Score | |||
Gaming Score | 7.4/10 | 5.9/10 | |
Movies & TV Score | |||
Movies & TV Score | 5.3/10 | 5.5/10 | |
Sports Score | |||
Sports Score | 6.4/10 | 6.4/10 | |
PHYSICAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Dimensions w/o Stand (H x W x D) | |||
Dimensions w/o Stand (H x W x D) | 42.8" x 75.6" x 3.7" | 43.1" x 74.9" x 3.9" | |
Dimensions with Stand (H x W) | |||
Dimensions with Stand (H x W) | 46.7" x 75.6" | 46.8" x 74.9" | |
Weight without Stand | |||
Weight without Stand | 110.7 lbs | 102.1 lbs | |
VESA Mount | |||
VESA Mount | 600 x 400 | 600 x 400 | |
DISPLAY | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Color Depth | |||
Color Depth | 11 bit | 10 bit | |
Black Frame Insertion | |||
Black Frame Insertion | Yes | Yes | |
Auto Low Latency Mode | |||
Auto Low Latency Mode | Yes | Yes | |
Contrast | |||
Contrast | 5/10 | 5.4/10 | |
Local Dimming | |||
Local Dimming | 2.5/10 | 2.5/10 | |
SOUND | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Speaker Setup | |||
Speaker Setup | 2.1 | 2.0 | |
Speaker Power | |||
Speaker Power | 50 W | 24 W | |
Dolby Atmos | |||
Dolby Atmos | Yes | Bypass only | |
DTS:X | |||
DTS:X | Yes, Bypass only | No | |
Get a great deal on the TCL R745 (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.
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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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