TCL S5-Series 65S551G 64.5"

The TCL S5-Series 65S551G is a feature-rich 65-inch 4K Google TV with excellent HDR format support and a bright LED backlight. Picture quality is average for its class, and the 60Hz panel limits gaming. At the low end of its price range, it's a great value, but you can do better if you're willing to spend a little more.

Let's talk numbers. The S551G has a 60Hz native panel, which is fine for movies and TV but tells you exactly where this TV sits for gaming. TCL markets it with "Game Accelerator 120" and "fast 120 Hz VRR," but that's a bit of marketing sleight of hand. The native refresh rate is 60Hz, and the 120Hz claim is about VRR handling, not true 120Hz output. It does have HDMI 2.1 ports, ALLM, and VRR support, so it'll work with a PS5 or Xbox Series X, but you're capped at 60fps. For most people that's plenty. Competitive twitch shooter players should look elsewhere.

In our database, the HDR support is where this TV actually shines. It lands in the 96th percentile for HDR, which sounds impressive until you remember that the benchmark measures format support, not necessarily real-world HDR pop. Dolby Vision, HDR10+, HDR10, and HLG are all there, which is great for compatibility. The picture quality overall sits at the 36th percentile, though, and the display itself is at 22nd percentile. Translation: the panel itself is pretty basic for this category. You'll get bright colors, but not the deep contrast or local dimming precision that makes HDR really sing. The smart features rank in the 94th percentile, so the Google TV experience is genuinely one of the better ones you'll find at this price.

Stacked against its main rivals, the S551G is a mixed bag. The LG C5 OLED55C5PUA is in a completely different universe picture-wise, but it's also a 55-inch OLED that costs way more. If you're comparing a budget LED to an OLED, you've already answered your own question. The more realistic fight is against the Hisense U8 Series 65U8QG and the Roku Pro Series 55R8C5. The Hisense brings mini-LED backlighting and far better contrast, making it a better pick for movie fans. The Roku Pro Series has a cleaner smart platform and better overall display performance, though it's slightly smaller at 55 inches.

The Samsung Neo QLED QN70F and Sony BRAVIA 5 K65XR50 are also on the competitor list, and both outclass the TCL on picture quality. But they also cost significantly more. What the TCL does better than most of these is pure feature-per-dollar. Google TV with all the HDR formats, VRR support, and a decent bright panel in a 65-inch size is a compelling package. That's the trade-off: you get features and size, but not image quality. For a bright room where you mostly stream and casually game, the TCL holds up. For a dark room cinephile setup, spend more elsewhere.

Here's where things get interesting. In the US, we're seeing this TV listed between USD 361 and USD 620 depending on the vendor. That's a spread of USD 259, which is wild for the same exact model. If you can snag it near that USD 361 mark, the value proposition gets a lot stronger. At the higher end, you're creeping into territory where better panels start showing up. The Hisense U8 Series and Roku Pro Series both offer better picture quality for not much more when this one's priced high. The budget score in our database comes in at 65 out of 100, which is solid but not spectacular. If you catch a sale, this is a smart buy. At full price, you should probably shop around.

The TCL S5-Series 65S551G sits in that crowded budget-to-midrange 4K TV space where you're trying to squeeze the most screen for the least cash. It's a 64.5-inch direct LED panel with Google TV built in, and TCL is leaning hard on its AIPQ processor and Motion Rate 240 as selling points. If you're searching for something like "best 65 inch TV under $500," this one tends to pop up, and for good reason. It does HDR formats well and the smart features are genuinely impressive for the class. But the picture quality itself is a compromise, which we'll get into.

People ask us all the time whether budget TVs are any good for mixed use, and the short answer with this one is: it depends on your room and your expectations. In a bright living room, the high brightness LED backlight helps it hold up better than some cheaper edge-lit sets. In a dark theater-style setup, though, the limitations of a basic direct LED panel without local dimming become pretty obvious. Blacks get gray, contrast flattens, and the HDR wow factor dims along with it.

This is a Google TV, so the interface is clean and fast, and you get Google Assistant, Alexa, and Apple AirPlay 2 support out of the box. That's a lot of flexibility for a TV in this price bracket. It's also got Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos decoding, which is not something every budget TV includes. TCL clearly spent money on the feature sheet. Whether they spent enough on the panel itself is the real question.

Skip this one if you're a home theater enthusiast who watches in a dark room or cares deeply about contrast and black levels. The direct LED panel without local dimming will frustrate you, and the 36th percentile picture quality score says it all. Hardcore gamers should also pass, since the 60Hz native refresh rate limits you even with VRR. If you can stretch your budget, the Hisense U8 Series and Sony BRAVIA 5 both deliver meaningfully better panels. If you just want the biggest screen for the lowest price and mostly stream in a bright room, that's where the S551G makes sense.

Should you buy the TCL S5-Series 65S551G? If you want a big screen with every HDR format and a genuinely good smart TV experience without spending a fortune, yes, especially if you can find it near that USD 361 mark. It's a classic TCL: strong on features, weak on panel quality. The Google TV interface is snappy, HDR compatibility is best-in-class, and the bright backlight makes it usable in rooms where cheaper TVs wash out.

But if picture quality is your top priority, this isn't the one. The 36th percentile picture score isn't just a number, it's visible in dark scenes and fast motion. And the gaming story is more complicated than the marketing suggests. This is a 60Hz TV with VRR, not a 120Hz gaming display. For casual and family use, it's a solid pick at the right price. For enthusiasts, you're better off saving a bit longer for the Hisense or the Sony.