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TCL Televisions
TCL TVs
When purchasing a new television, you may need to examine various factors, which makes the selection process overwhelming. This article will help you determine whether TCL TV, a Chinese brand, is a good fit for you.
TCL televisions have proven to be of excellent value in recent years. TCL has produced TVs that compete yearly with well-known brands like Sony, LG, Hisense, and Samsung. While they're known for their inexpensive versions with fewer capabilities, some of their most recent models include cutting-edge technology such as Mini LED backlighting and variable refresh rate (VRR) compatibility. Just like the standard LEDs found in television, the mini-LEDs are used to power the television’s backlight.
Main Features
TCL's current best TVs include but are not limited to the TCL 6-Series Roku TV (R635), TCL 5-Series Roku TV (S535), and TCL 5-Series Google TV (S456). TCL TVs employ the Roku or Google TV smart platforms, which are user-friendly and offer a wide range of apps. TCL is starting to integrate extra gaming capabilities like HDMI 2.1 bandwidth and VRR support into its higher-end models as part of its 2021 portfolio.
Even though the Roku interface is simple to use, it isn't the best or most visually appealing in the industry. Netflix, Prime Video, HBO Max, Peacock, Hulu, Disney+, YouTube, Apple TV+, Vudu, Google Play Movies & TV, Sling TV, FuboTV, ESPN+, Paramount+, Spotify, and more are all available with the built-in Roku TV.
TCL TVs are at the cutting edge of technology, with features like THX Game Mode and mini-LED illumination, giving high-end touches at extremely low prices. The THX game mode offers low dark-to-light transitions to deliver vibrant colors so that nothing is missed in fast-paced gameplay. TCL also gives excellent value by combining Roku’s smart TV software with high-quality manufacturing.
Picture quality
TCL televisions are known for using a lot of picture processing, which can result in off-color images and low contrast. The demands of high-resolution television may be too much for simple processors to handle. When it comes to ultimate 4k HDR performance, going for other brands like Sony and Samsung might be a better alternative. However, TCL TVs like the C71 and the C81 offer a decent range of QLED displays.
Sound quality
TCL has smartly chosen to emphasize the mids and highs over booming bass. That implies TCL TV does well in shows and movies where conversations are the most significant or prominent type of audio but falls short in music or games where explosions are central to the experience. Generally, TCL TVs have an average speaker frequency range of 50-60.
Price
TCL televisions are often less expensive than those made by Samsung, Sony, and LG. Despite the low cost, TCL does not compromise on functionality. Many TCL TVs start at $259 for a 43-inch model and go up to $749 for a 75-inch one.
Conclusion
TCL TVs are affordable and have good picture quality and functionality. Many TCL TV models don't have as many features or aren't as comfortable as more expensive brands, but their TVs are usually easily affordable and can do as much as these high-end brands. If you are looking for a TV with many smart features at an affordable price, a TCL TV is worth buying.
LG Televisions
LG TVs
If you’re in the market for a new TV right now, one of the top options on your list will be LG TVs, and rightly so. LG has set itself on a pedestal in the tech industry, producing quality television sets as well as many other electronics. If it's been ages since you last bought an LG TV and you’re not sure about what to expect from the brand, this article will serve as a guide into the company’s latest products.
Main Features
Among the best LG TVs on the market right now are the LG C1 OLED, LG QNED90, and the LG UP8000. In terms of standout features, only a few companies are capable of competing with this South Korean top brand. Looking at the smart TV attributes, LG features its proprietary smart TV platform called webOS. WebOS 6. was one of the best of 2021, providing access to streaming platforms like YouTube and Netflix.
In addition to that, LG TVs employ OLED technology, a panel type that emits light rather than having a backlight through it. This ensures that you get the most vibrant colors along with top-notch dimming qualities when enjoying movies or gaming.
Besides its panel and smart TV OS tech, LG has mastered the art of motion technology with most of its TVs offering quick response times. This ensures that you can game in high resolution with minimal flickering.
Picture quality
Since LG offers a range of TVs at various prices, there may be stark differences in the quality of pictures that you get from your television. In budget products, you may witness image duplication with fast-moving content due to the 120Hz backlight flicker. Nevertheless, you can expect top picture quality thanks to the inclusion of an infinite contrast ratio. The switching off of individual pixels also ensures that you get perfect blacks from your TV even in dim environments. LG is not the best in its range of color gamut but high-end TV sets have wide color gamuts, making them great for HDR movies.The biggest challenge of products from this brandmay come in the form of interpretation of bright colors. Still, the output is not abysmal and it makes up for it by providing excellent picture qualities at wide angles.
Sound quality
Sound quality is not exactly LG's forte in televisions but the company doesn’t do badly in this regard. One thing worth noting however is that price matters a lot when it comes to the sound output of LG TVs. Mid-range products come with atleast a 2.2ch 40W set-up on the bottom for excellent clarity.In the higher-end models, you’ll get more robust bass and loudspeakers. This however not something to worry about too much, because you can always purchase a soundbar for better sound quality.
Durability
Taking build materials into consideration, LG TVs are known to be among the most reliable on the market. Both budget and high-end products are durable and will likely serve you for years.
Price
LG television sets greatly vary in prices from high-end to budget products. Products can range from under $300 to thousands of dollars, depending on the unique features that they offer. Taking all things into account, LG TVs are affordable for the features that they possess.
Design
When it comes to design, you can expect the best from LG, especially looking at higher-end models including OLED and QNED TVs. Both models are super slim and fit stylishly to the wall or on a stand. The lower-end models are less impressive in design but it is to be expected from most budget TVs.
Conclusion
Despite being years in the game, there has been no dip in terms of TV-quality production from LG. The South Korean brand’s TVs remain some of the best on the market and they are worth a look if you’re in the market for a TV set.
TCL vs LG Televisions
TCL and LG are two large TV manufacturers that are very popular and sought-after on the modern market. They offer a large variety of Full HD and 4K TVs, endowed with many smart features.
LG, a South Korean company, is one of the biggest and well-known TV manufacturers in the world. It produces top-quality TVs with exclusive features and great picture quality. Of course, their TVs are not among the cheapest ones, but still, they are in great demand.
TCL is a Chinese company that, of course, can’t compete in popularity with LG. It became popular mostly thanks to its affordable prices and entry-level models. It also offers some high-end models that are still more affordable than some LG middle-class TVs. However, as the recent surveys show, TCL is one of the top 5 most demanded TVs nowadays.
Main Features
Most LG TVs are based on the quad-core processor which improves the picture quality and color accuracy, reduces video noise and motion blur, and enhances sharpness. Some models offer a unique Filmmaker mode which allows watching content “the way it was made”. TVs also have an AirPlay 2 built-in which allows casting anything from Apple devices to the TV. In order to provide superior gaming performance, LG uses Nvidia G-Sync, Auto Low Latency mode, etc. Except for offering Alexa and Google Assistant compatibility, LG also uses its own smart assistant — ThinQ AI.
TCL TVs work with the help of the AiPQ Engine which optimizes color, contrast, and clarity, and upscales non-4K content. For gamers, TCL offers the THX mode and Auto game mode. The voice control in TCL’s TVs is provided via Google Assistant, Amazon Alexa, or Roku Search.
As you can see, LG has developed a large number of its own technologies to improve the overall performance of its TVs. Let’s compare two identical 43-inch 4K UHD TVs from both brands: the TCL 43S525 and the LG 43UM7300PUA. The first model offers Dolby Vision, Auto game mode, and Google Assistant/Alexa compatibility. The second one provides ThinQ AI technology, Active HDR, AirPlay 2, and Ultra Surround sound.
So, as you can see, the LG 43UM7300PUA provides more exclusive, high-tech features, becoming a winner in this category of the TCL vs LG 4K comparison.
- Access AI-based entertainment with Webos
- LG THINQ, Alexa and Google Assistant
- Dolby Atmos 2.0 Ch 20W
- Quad core processor
- Wide viewing angle
- Metal Frame
- 4K resolution
Picture Quality
Both manufacturers offer a wide array of TVs with high-quality, detailed 4K resolution. They also support such popular formats as HDR, UHD, OLED, etc. However, the overall image quality of TCL TVs doesn't quite hit OLED levels as TCL uses cheaper technologies. LG TVs, in their turn, offer a very bright OLED picture.
The OLED displays in LG TVs are among the best ones (by the way, Sony buys its OLED displays from LG). LG OLED TVs are so good because they light up pixel by pixel instead of using simple backlight. This provides excellent contrast.
Cheaper models from LG use LED backlighting which gives good brightness and image clarity. More expensive LG TVs use an IPS display which provides the widest viewing angles.
Starting from mid-priced models, LG’s TVs come with Active HDR which supports a wide variety of formats (HDR, HDR10, and HLG) for scene-by-scene optimization. LG also uses the Triple XD Engine which enhances the picture quality, and, in addition, provides such features as deinterlacing and upscaling. It also can offer NanoCell technology that works perfectly in enhancing the picture brightness.
A lot of TCL TVs offer Dolby Vision support which provides a truly cinematic experience and exceptionally vivid colors. The TCL’s 6-Series, for example, offer such features as mini-LED tech which improves the image quality, provides superior contrast, brightness, and high dynamic range, and full-array local dimming which improves the black color performance.
TCL TVs also offer a Contrast Control Zones technology that works by optimizing image contrast across individual zones, providing striking contrast between bright and dark areas for a more realistic picture.
The TVs from both manufacturers demonstrate quite a decent picture quality. However, in the LG 50UN7300PUF and the TCL 50S425 side-by-side comparison, LG will be a winner thanks to a more vivid and more natural picture.
This way, the LG 50UN7300PUF wins in this LG vs TCL 4K TV picture quality comparison.
- Apple Airplay 2 and Apple HomeKit
- Auto low latency mode (ALLM)
- Quad core processor 4K
- webOS platform
- Active HDR
- 50-inch display
- 4K resolution
Sound
Starting from a 43-inch screen size, the TVs from LG go equipped with 2-channel 20W speakers. More expensive models also can offer Dolby Atmos, DTS, and Ultra Surround sound technologies. Some more advanced models, based on α9 Gen 3 AI processor 4K, also offer such feature as AI Sound Pro which automatically adjusts the sound depending on what you are watching.
Meanwhile, TCL uses 16W speakers (sometimes with Dolby Atmos support) in most of its TVs.
If we compare the sound reproduction of the LG 43UM7300PUA which uses 2-channel 20W speakers with DTS-HD support with the TCL 43S425 that uses 16W speakers, it becomes obvious that LG model has a sound of better quality.
This way, the LG 43UM7300PUA is a winner in this TCL vs LG TV sound comparison.
- Access AI-based entertainment with Webos
- LG THINQ, Alexa and Google Assistant
- Dolby Atmos 2.0 Ch 20W
- Quad core processor
- Wide viewing angle
- Metal Frame
- 4K resolution
Operating System
TCL has a partnership with Roku, so most of its TVs are based on this platform. Roku is a better choice for movie and TV show lovers as it provides access to more than 500,000 movies and TV episodes and allows watching them in 4K with HDR. The Roku TV remote allows for easy navigation with voice control.
Most LG TVs use LG’s own WebOS interface. It works with the help of ThinQ AI. The included Magic Remote allows you to easily switch between streaming apps via dedicated buttons and find movies and TV shows, as well as information about them by voice. It also allows streaming such popular apps as Disney , Apple TV app, Netflix, Hulu, Sling, Prime Video, and more.
Both of these operating systems allow you to stream movies and TV shows fast and easily. However, if we compare the LG 50UN7300PUF that uses WebOs and the Roku-based TCL 43S425, we will notice that the WebOS is a more well-thought system than Roku. The ThinQ AI significantly simplifies the search of TV shows and movies and provides many other useful features while Roku can’t offer any kind of artificial intelligence.
This way, the LG 50UN7300PUF is a winner in this category of TCL vs LG Smart TV comparison.
- Apple Airplay 2 and Apple HomeKit
- Auto low latency mode (ALLM)
- Quad core processor 4K
- webOS platform
- Active HDR
- 50-inch display
- 4K resolution
TV Ports
Most TVs from LG, ranging from 43 – 70 inches screen sizes, have 3 HDMI and 2 USB ports. The large ones have 4 HDMI ports, as usual.
When it comes to HDMI ports, TCL has the same situation: large models have 4, and smaller have 3. However, LG tends to offer 2 USB ports in most of its models, while TCL offers one.
For example, the TCL 43S425 has 3 HDMI and one USB port while the LG 43UM7300PUA has 3 HDMI and 2 USB ports.
This way, the LG 43UM7300PUA appears to be better in this category as it offers more USB ports.
- Access AI-based entertainment with Webos
- LG THINQ, Alexa and Google Assistant
- Dolby Atmos 2.0 Ch 20W
- Quad core processor
- Wide viewing angle
- Metal Frame
- 4K resolution
Durability
Cheaper models from LG usually have smaller, less stable stands than more expensive ones. Some LG TVs are almost frameless. The others have a frame made of metal which ensures durability.
TCL offers some models with Full View design that have very thin bezels. However, its high-end models have a frame made of plastic. They only imitate metal with the help of a brushed metal finish. Most models stand on V-shaped stands that are quite stable.
This way, the TCL 43S525, for example, provides some cheap feeling when it comes to build quality while the LG 43UM7300PUA body feels thicker and more durable.
- Access AI-based entertainment with Webos
- LG THINQ, Alexa and Google Assistant
- Dolby Atmos 2.0 Ch 20W
- Quad core processor
- Wide viewing angle
- Metal Frame
- 4K resolution
Price
Comparing TCL vs LG TVs in terms of their pricing policy, it should be noted that LG is a great choice for those who want the best TV without budget limitations. The average price for the TV from this brand ranges from $500 to $800 while the TCL’s TVs are about $250 cheaper. However, when it comes to the premium segment, the high-end TVs from LG can be $1000 pricier than those from TCL.
For example, the LG 50UN7300PUF is more expensive than the TCL 50S425 despite the fact that these TVs are quite similar.
This way, the TCL 50S425 has a more pleasant price, so it wins in this category.
- Display Technology — LED
- Easy to use remote
- Easy voice control
- Wi-Fi, USB, HDMI
- Roku interface
- 44.1 x 8 x 28 inches and 23.6 pounds
- 4K Creative Pro upscaling
LG vs TCL: Conclusion
As it’s obvious from this TCL vs LG 4K TV comparison, LG surpasses TCL in almost all the categories. Thanks to its numerous innovative technologies, its TVs have better picture quality and sound, better operating system and durability, etc. However, TCL won’t make you overpay hundreds of dollars for the brand name. This makes TVs from a Chinese company a much beneficial deal for those who want a solid 4K TV for a moderate price.
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