TCL F7D Series 43F7D 43"

The TCL 43F7D has HDR support in the 96th percentile, which is absurd for a $300 TV. Dolby Vision, HDR10+, HDR10, and HLG all in one budget QLED. But the display panel itself ranks in the 25th percentile, so you're getting premium format decoding on a budget screen.

The HDR story is the star here. At the 96th percentile, this TCL handles more HDR formats than most TVs we've tested, including plenty that cost double or triple. Dolby Vision and HDR10+ both on board means you're covered no matter which streaming service or disc format you throw at it. The Quantum Dot layer helps with color volume, and TCL's marketing claims over a billion shades. In practice, the picture quality score of 36th percentile tells you the panel itself isn't a stunner. It's a Direct LED backlight, not full array local dimming, so contrast and black levels will be serviceable but not spectacular.

Motion handling is where TCL is making a big claim. They're calling it Motion Rate 240 with MEMC, and saying it's double the motion rating of typical competing QLEDs. That's their marketing math, not a native refresh rate. The panel is 60Hz. MEMC can smooth out sports and action, but some folks find the soap opera effect annoying. You can turn it off. Gaming lands at the 50th percentile, dead average. You get VRR, ALLM, and a Game Bar overlay, but the 60Hz panel means no 120Hz gaming despite the "Game Accelerator 120" branding in the description. That's a bit of a head-scratcher.

Stacked against the Sony BRAVIA 5 K65XR50 or the Samsung Neo QLED QN70F, this TCL gets smoked on raw picture quality and display performance. Those are bigger, brighter, more expensive sets with better panels. But here's the thing: the TCL's HDR score in the 96th percentile means it actually beats or matches many premium sets on format support alone. The Hisense U8 Series 65U8QG is probably the closest philosophical competitor, another value-focused QLED, but it's a larger and more capable panel. The LG G5 Series OLED65G5WUA is in a completely different universe for picture quality, but you're paying OLED money for it. The Roku Pro Series 55R8C5 is the closest in spirit, a budget smart TV, but Roku's platform is more limited than Fire TV when it comes to Apple ecosystem support.

At $300 USD, this TCL is priced like a budget TV but packs HDR format support that embarrasses sets costing twice as much. The value math is straightforward: you're paying for the HDR processing, the QLED color layer, and the Fire TV smarts. What you're not paying for is a premium panel or robust connectivity. The budget score of 48.4 out of 100 reflects that trade-off. If you're in Canada, the CAD 350 listing is in line with the US price. The MXN 7,925 listing in Mexico is a different market entirely, so don't try to compare those numbers directly. For a bedroom or secondary TV, this is a lot of format support per dollar.

The headline number here is the HDR support. This 43-inch TCL sits in the 96th percentile for HDR in our database, which is wild for a TV at this price point. You're getting Dolby Vision, HDR10+, HDR10, and HLG all in one box. That's the kind of format coverage you usually have to pay real money for. The QLED panel with Quantum Dot tech promises over a billion shades, and while the picture quality score lands at a middling 36th percentile, the HDR chops are doing some heavy lifting.

But let's be real about what this is. The total score comes in at 46.5 out of 100, with budget value at 48.4 and streaming at 46.9. It's a budget QLED that nails the HDR formats and smart features but cuts corners elsewhere. The display itself ranks in the 25th percentile, and connectivity is even lower at 24th. So you're getting a TV that's great at decoding premium HDR signals, but the panel showing them to you is more middle of the road.

If you care about picture quality above all else, this isn't your TV. The display ranks in the 25th percentile, and the overall picture quality score is 36th percentile. That means most TVs in our database look better. The connectivity is also a weak spot at the 24th percentile, so if you need lots of HDMI ports or advanced connection options, look elsewhere. And if you're a serious gamer who wants true 120Hz, the 60Hz panel here will leave you wanting. The corporate score of 24.1 out of 100 is the weakest area in our testing, which suggests the build quality and brand support aren't going to impress anyone.

The TCL 43F7D is a weird and kind of wonderful budget TV. It's got HDR format support that belongs in a much more expensive set, sitting at the 96th percentile, and the QLED color layer gives it a fighting chance at looking good with the right content. But the display itself ranks in the 25th percentile, and that's the thing you actually look at. For $300 USD, it's a solid bedroom or office TV, especially if you're deep in the Apple ecosystem and want AirPlay 2 plus HomeKit without paying Apple TV money. Just don't expect it to punch above its weight on raw picture quality.