With the 65-inch TCL 6-Series Roku TV (R635) selling for $949, even the more premium TCL TVs skew lower in price than other sets with similar screen sizes and features from competing brands like LG and Samsung. The most expensive of these is the TCL 6-Series Roku TV (R635) which ranges between $700 and $1,400 depending on the screen size.

The TCL 5-Series Roku TV (S535) offers QLED displays without mini-LED backlighting, reducing prices significantly. With screen sizes ranging from 50 inches up to 75 inches, the TCL 5-Series Roku TV (S535) is priced between $429 and $999.

The TCL 4-Series represents one of the most affordable 4K Smart TVs on the market, ranging in price from $259 for a 43-inch set, up to $749 for a 75-inch model, and sells with either the Roku operating system or Android TV, both at the same prices. A recently added 85-inch screen size can be bought for $1,599, but it’s only available with Roku.

TCL TVs: Roku or Android?

In the last year TCL TVs have begun selling that use Android TV software instead of TCL mainstay Roku. While TCL and Roku continue to have a close operating relationship, the addition of Google’s smart TV platform into the mix is a welcome addition for budget TV shoppers, providing another great option at excellent prices.

Roku offers many things, including a huge selection of apps and services, called channels, as well as one of the easiest navigation experiences available on a modern smart TV. Offered on both Roku TVs and several Roku-branded streaming devices, it’s one of our favorite smart TV platforms.

But some TCL TVs are also available with Android TV, Google’s competing smart TV operating system. With a huge selection of apps and content through the Google Play store and the various free and paid versions of YouTube, it’s actually got a better ecosystem than Roku, and built-inch features like Google Assistant and Chromecast give it an edge over Roku’s more basic feature set, especially on the smart home front. The only caveat here is that TCL doesn’t offer Android on it’s best TVs, the 5 and 6-Series models, only on the 4-Series.

Regardless of which system you prefer, both Roku and Android smart TVs offer great ways to enjoy streaming content and sign up for the latest apps. The navigation styles and feature sets are a little different, but both are a great match to TCL’s rock solid quality and price-conscious value.

What is QLED?

TCL’s top models use QLED displays, but what does that mean? QLED is shorthand for displays that use quantum-dots and LED backlight to produce brighter and richer color, using nano-scale crystals that react to light by glowing at different wavelengths, literally creating brighter colors in response to a TV’s backlight. 

Originally popularized by Samsung, QLED displays offer a big improvement over traditional LCD panels, delivering a brighter picture with a wider color gamut. And when paired with a backlight array that has local dimming zones, the same displays offer better contrast and HDR performance, edging closer to the sort of pixel-perfect lighting you’ll get with more premium OLED displays.

Not all TCL TVs have QLED enhancement, but it’s a feature that’s worth paying a little more to get, since it delivers a noticeably better picture.

What is Mini-LED?

Mini-LED refers to the type of LEDs used in a TV’s backlight. With mini-LEDs measuring about one-fifth the size of a standard LED – measuring just 0.008-inch (200 microns) across – the dimming zones that modern TVs use to provide a more dynamic picture and better contrast get shrunk down.

Along with color and contrast, brightness makes a huge difference in how well a TV can display an image. Instead of a single LED backlighting zone illuminating several square inches of a screen, mini-LEDs are limited to a mere handful of pixels, providing tighter lighting control to eliminate haloing and provide better brightness where it’s needed.

Back in 2019 TCL introduced the first mini-LED TV, a move that other manufacturers are emulating in 2021. (Finds out more in our article Year of the mini-LED TV: Samsung, LG and TCL getting this huge upgrade.) 

It’s one of the best innovations TVs have seen in recent years, and we recommend opting for a Mini-LED set if you budget allows it.

How to choose the best TCL TV for you

When it comes to TCL TVs, shoppers can feel safe buying any of the TCL TVs on the market. Though relatively new in the North American TV market, TCL has earned a reputation for offering high-quality TVs that punch above their weight in terms of picture quality, features and affordability.

But the different models in the TCL lineup are also clearly differentiated with specific features and capabilities that make it easy to see not only what makes one better than another, but also how those differences factor into the price-to-value ratio that each set offers.

The TCL 4-Series Roku TV and Android TV models offer entry level prices for a basic 4K HDR Smart TV, with 60 Hz LCD panels and a trio of HDMI ports.

The TCL 5-Series steps up in quality with the addition of QLED for better brightness and color, local dimming for improved HDR performance and 4 HDMI ports. It also adds Dolby Vision HDR support.

The TCL 6-Series is the best of the bunch, with the combination of QLED and mini-LED. The 4K display has a refresh rate of 120 hz, and rich support for features like THX Game Mode, Dolby vision HDR and Dolby Atmos sound. Of the TVs on this list, it is the most expensive, but still offers great affordability compared to sets with similar features and quality.

In the end, a TCL TV delivers a great TV experience at a great price, and the only real question is what features are you willing to pay a little more for. As our testing and reviews have shown, you’ll get great quality for a great price on any model.