TCL S4 43S450G 43"

The TCL S4 43S450G is a budget 4K TV with Dolby Vision and Google TV that's hard to beat at $285 USD. HDR support is best-in-class for the price, but the display itself is mediocre. Buy it for streaming and casual use, skip it if you want a premium picture.

HDR support is the standout here, sitting in the 88th percentile. Dolby Vision on a budget TV is rare, and it makes a real difference with streaming content. The Motion Rate 240 with MEMC helps smooth out fast scenes, though it's not true 120Hz. Gaming is a mixed bag. You get ALLM and Game Mode, which keeps input lag low, but the 60Hz panel and 39th percentile gaming score mean serious competitive players will want something faster. Audio is surprisingly decent for built-in speakers, landing in the 71st percentile thanks to Dolby Atmos and DTS Virtual:X support. Picture quality overall sits at 36th percentile, so temper expectations on brightness and color accuracy.

Against the Roku Pro Series 55R8C5, the TCL wins on HDR format support but loses badly on display quality and gaming performance. The Hisense U8 Series 65U8QG is in a completely different league for brightness and contrast, but it costs significantly more. The Samsung Neo QLED QN70F and LG OLED evo G5 are premium sets that make the S4 look like a toy in terms of picture quality. But here's the thing: none of those compete at this price point. The TCL S4 is for people who want 4K and Dolby Vision without spending $800+.

At $285 USD, this TV is a steal if you want 4K with Dolby Vision and a good smart platform. The Canadian price of $738 CAD is a different story, that's a much harder sell when you can find better panels for similar money. For US buyers, this is one of the best budget 4K options we've seen. The HDR support alone justifies the price, and Google TV is a bonus. Just know you're trading picture quality for features.

The TCL S4 43S450G is a 43-inch 4K TV that punches above its weight on HDR support. You get Dolby Vision, HDR10, and HLG, which is more than you'd expect at this price. The Google TV interface is a genuine plus if you're already in that ecosystem. It's not going to blow anyone away with brightness or motion handling, but for a budget set, the feature list is stacked.

That said, the display itself lands in the 13th percentile in our database. It's a Direct LED panel without local dimming, so contrast and black levels are just okay. The real story here is value. For under $300 USD, you're getting a lot of smart features and solid HDR format support. Just don't expect it to compete with OLEDs or Mini-LED sets that cost three times as much.

Skip this if you care about picture quality above all else. The display lands in the 13th percentile, so blacks are gray and brightness is limited. If you're a serious gamer who wants 120Hz or VRR, look elsewhere. And if you're in Canada, the $738 CAD price makes this a bad deal when better panels are available for similar money.

This TV is for budget-conscious buyers who prioritize smart features and HDR format support over raw picture quality. If you're a casual streamer or need a solid bedroom TV, the S4 delivers. It's also a sneaky good option as a 4K monitor, several owners use it that way and love it. But if you care about deep blacks, high brightness, or serious gaming, save up for something better.