Amazon.com: Customer reviews: TCL 43-inch 4K UHD Smart LED TV

Top positive review

Beautiful picture. Good value.

Reviewed in the United States on May 29, 2021

We bought this to use with an Apple TV 4K in our dining/gaming room. There were a couple surprises, but no actual problems. We’re very happy with this, especially at this price.

The TV has only one button. You push it multiple times to pick an input (or power it off) as indicated on the screen. I don’t see a way to control the volume that way, but admit I didn’t look long.

I kind of hate the remote, but never intended to use it, so that makes no difference to me. If you intend to use the Roku features, it might be fine. I really don’t want my TV to be smart, just a monitor for my Apple TV, so the buttons on the remote for specific streaming services are an annoying waste of space, and some day will refer to service that don’t exist or are called something else now.

I used my Roku account to set the TV up. I’m not sure you can avoid that.

I was able to get the TV to power on with a specific HDMI input selected, and let the Apple TV control the TCL TVs power and volume. Now we don’t need the Roku remote at all.

The TV has AirPlay support built in. None of my other (older) TVs have that. That would be very useful if I wasn’t already using this as a monitor for an Apple TV. It also seems to have HomeKit integration. I can turn it on and off via HomeKit (separately from the Apple TV). I haven’t looked to see if it supports any other actions.

The sound is OK. I didn’t expect much. We don’t really want booming theater sound in this room anyway. I haven’t connected any external speakers to this (probably never will), so can’t comment on how the ARC function works, and if all the volume and power control signals get passed to the external audio device or not (our other TV didn’t reliably turn off its sound bar via HDMI). I expect it will work. The software in this seems to be pretty good. IDK if that’s due to TCL or Roku. Someone seems to know what they’re doing.

The only problem is that now that I’ve seen 4K HDR my “good” TV doesn’t look so good to me anymore.

6 people found this helpful

Top critical review

Critical reviews›

Debra Shirley

Can't use wireless headphones with sound on TV

Reviewed in the United States on February 24, 2024

I like the TV but should have read reviews outside of Amazon when getting info. My 93-year-old Mother lives with us. We use wireless headphones so she can hear the TV. The HUGE problem is if you plug into the Headphones plug you loose sound on the TV. So me and my husband can watch TV with NO SOUND or my Mom can watch with sound and not hear the TV. That and not having Bluetooth is unreal for a new TV.

We finally worked around it by plugging the soundbar into our Xfinity box, but if I want to watch ROKU I have to unplug her headphones from the back of the TV. Right now she is watching and hearing Heartland while my husband and I are listening to NASCAR.

TCL really needs a software update to fix this. We've only had TV for a few days. May look at returning TV and buying one that actually works.

23,777 total ratings, 2,707 with reviews

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From the United States

Scott Peterson

Beautiful picture. Good value.

Reviewed in the United States on May 29, 2021

Size: 43 inStyle: TV OnlyVerified Purchase

6 people found this helpful

Helpful

Daddy Devil Dog Sauces

Nice 4k ROKU TV for starters in 4K

Reviewed in the United States on March 30, 2022

Size: 50 inStyle: TV OnlyVerified Purchase

OK, first off, please read this:

This is a ROKU TV system. Yes you can use it with cable TV or with an Over The Air antenna, but it is still a Roku. And let me explain one part about Roku.

In order to use Roku, you MUST set up an account, and the reason for a payment method on file is so that if you wish to enable a Netflix or Hulu subscription (for example), the payment is automatic.

The only time you pay ANYTHING is when you either take a subscription or buy a rental. But at no time are you charged any fees.

We cut the cable cord two years ago with Roku Express+ 4K on our HD TV sets, and at that time, when I created the account, I did put my card on file, and have NEVER once been charged without my knowledge, since I DID set the account up to require a PIN. And we only rented one movie in all that time. No extra fees whatsoever.

Now, let's move on to the TV itself.

Country of Manufacture is China.
In the box you get:

TV
Two TV Stand legs with screws
6 foot Power Cord
Remote Control with two batteries. Remote is a Roku remote that is pre-paired to the TV. Even easier than the Roku 4K Express+

Quick Start guide with warranty photo registration code

Setup was quick and easy. I attached the legs, put batteries into the remote, plugged the TV in and went through the setup process. In about 15 minutes, I was watching OUR channels that we had selected, and seeing things from a whole new perspective

4K is an awesome way to start and yes, this is a starter system. Colors will brilliant and vibrant and life-like, and the set will automatically adjust to your source resolution. Some of the things I like, is that I can attach an Ethernet cord instead of using wireless and ensure a constant streaming experience, although I have tweaked our wi-fi network enough that there is no buffering.

There are THREE HDMI input ports for whatever you wish to connect to the TV as well as an HDMI ARC port if you have a sound bar setup. You also have a USB port for movies. songs and photos, an Ethernet port, a coaxial cable port for either an External Antenna or Cable TV Feed, an AV In adapter port (adapter NOT included) for older video equipment and headphone out for either Headphones or external audio equipment.

Unit comes with a 1 year warranty and you can opt to buy additional protection if you so choose. The set will upscale 1080P sources to near 4K UHD and there is also a special Roku Channel for 4K to get you started.

The set weighs 26 pounds, so if you wish to mount it to a wall mount you will want a VESA 200x300 capable mount. Those are easy enough to find here on Amazon. VESA 200x300 mount will use (4) M6x12mm screws if you already have a wall mount.

Is this a Super high end 8K or QLED or OLED TV? NO. But if you are looking to start out into 4K with something that is affordable and easy to set up, then the Class-4 series will be a good choice for you.

5 stars and two thumbs up, as well as a recommended buy from us.

JPL

135 people found this helpful

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Rian S. Macmahon

i love this tv got it 2021. but ..

Reviewed in the United States on April 5, 2024

Size: 50 inStyle: TV OnlyVerified Purchase

love RokuTv. and ease of streaming..great picture is important . I watch a LOT of the real Football. in the past few months the left side of the screen has gotten darker!! i am not pleased. i mean its 3 years old! and no service support is available any longer. that support ended 12/2033.

my tv is on AlL the time so maybe i wore it out. looks i am in the market again! sheesh

Helpful

J. Faxon

Best TV on the Market for the Price

Reviewed in the United States on March 29, 2021

Size: 50 inStyle: TV OnlyVerified Purchase

I was looking to buy an affordable ~50" 4K TV for my new home, and I bought this one for my living room and a Vizio V series for my office/man cave. Well, the TCL was the clear winner of the two to the extend that I actually returned the Vizio (lots of issues with software and speakers) and bought another TCL to replace it (so I have a 50" and 43" of this model now).

Biggest pluses:
- Roku software is top-notch, reliable, and intuitive/good UI. Yes, you need to sign-up for a (free) account if you don't already have one, but the plus there is when you buy another one, it'll auto-install the apps you already use
- Every video app you can imagine is supported (MLB.TV, Netflix, HBO Max, and Hulu are my most used)
- Sound is pretty good, although I did buy a sound bar to take advantage of eARC port, which was also super-easy to setup once and forget about (soundbar used automatically -- volume controlled from TV remote)
- I know some people have complained about the remote, but I actually quite like it once you get used to it, outside of two caveats listed below -- the sound controls on the side of the remote is very intuitive and I way prefer it to the way most remotes do it
- EASY to connect to AirPlay or Windows Wireless Remote Display, which is key for me
- I like customization of the input names (and icons) so you don't need to remember that Input 2 is Cable Box while Input 3 is Playstation etc
- Good HRD for gaming from what I could tell, but I'll admit I'm not a big expert

The only downsides I have, which I think are FINE considering the low price of these models:
- The remote doesn't light-up ever, and since I like to watch movies with the light down it can make me fumble to find the pause button when needed
- No way to change from one input to another without going to the homescreen (that I can tell), which makes flipping between a game on Live TV (via Cable Box input) to my game on pause (on PS4 Pro input) take a bit longer -- those couple of seconds make a difference when you're watching March Madness and the commercial breaks are short

Overall, I can't imagine you'll find a better TV without going up an order-of-magnitude on price. TCL is my new go-to brand for screens.

6 people found this helpful

Helpful

Brett T

Like it a lot!

Reviewed in the United States on April 13, 2021

Size: 55 inStyle: TV OnlyVerified Purchase

I've had this TV for a few weeks now and I only have a lot of positive things to report! I haven't experienced any major issues minus the delivery person who actually left it at the wrong address but thankfully my neighbor told him that he was at the wrong address and it was delivered to me shortly after.

There are many great aspects of this TV but the best part about it to me is the ease of setup and use. I took it out of the box carefully. It was very well packaged. Once the plastic straps are cut the bottom of the box separates from the sides to reveal your new TV. Then I installed the legs with the included hardware once I found a screwdriver. Ended up somehow putting one of the legs the wrong way but that was an awkward but fairly simple fix. Setting up each streaming platform/account wasn't difficult and everything was was easy to download. The remote is super handy and user friendly. It already has buttons to pull up Disney +, Netflix and hulu plus sling Tv for those that use it. The volume and mute are on the sides which is different than other remotes but it isn't a bad thing.

The picture quality is excellent! I love having the built in Roku as my other TV has a fireTV stick which is also nice. I've easily learned and adjusted to both. Overall I really really enjoy everything about it.

If an app says it struggles to connect for example I just turn the TV off wait a second and turn it back on and everything works normally/perfectly again. I've had to do this several times so I'm hoping that it won't become a bigger issue especially in the future. I can handle turning it off once in awhile and turning it back on fully functioning again.

I definitely would recommend this TV at this point! I love the affordable price and great quality. If for some reason that changes and I jinxed myself (hopefully I didn't) then I will be sure to update my review pronto!

16 people found this helpful

Helpful

Phil

Excellent entry-level 4K TV at a good price with a 1 year warranty!

Reviewed in the United States on July 24, 2022

Size: 43 inStyle: TV OnlyVerified Purchase

Hi Everyone,

This is an excellent entry-level 4K TV at a good price with a 1-year warranty! I have been using this TV for over 3 months before writing any reviews or comments. I did a lot of research before buying a new TV and this was considered the best lower-cost 4K TV with Roku that was available. I Highly recommend this TV.

You do need to have an Internet connection and email address to register with Roku to use all the superb streaming options. You can always create a free email account just for TV stuff if you don't want to use your main email. You do not need to add a payment method (credit card or debit card, etc...) unless you want to, otherwise, just select to skip that. You can always sign up for additional streaming services, called channels, on the internet using your computer or smartphone and they will work when added to your Roku channels.

So far, I am very impressed with the picture quality, especially when streaming any of the Roku channels (streaming services), or viewing video files, or DVD + Blu-Ray discs, or through the Live TV over the air (OTA) antenna. Anything with 720p resolution or higher looks great, very nice upscaling, and anything with HDR is awesome. Even on my low speed 5 Mbps internet connection, the streaming looks really good, yet for 4K video streaming it is recommended to have a min. 15 Mbps to 25 Mbps+ internet connection.

Totally recommend using a quality surge protector or UPS (battery backup) with any electronics you care about.

I suggest running a software update in the system settings after setting up the TV for the first time, it is automatic after that. Also, this TV has a large bright LED activity light that stays on disturbing my sleep which you can disable in the settings. You can also select a default startup option like the HDMI input 1 (HDMI cable box on mine), Live TV (coax cable or antenna), or the main Roku menu (the default setting), etc...

Initially, I was disappointed with the HOA-required Comcast Xfinity cable service because the picture quality was not nearly as good as the streaming options, or when viewing video files from my media server or USB or DVD Blu-Ray discs or Live TV antenna. But, that is because the Xfinity Comcast cable DTA box is only at 480i and even the free upgraded HDMI DTA cable box is only at 720p or 1080i and the picture quality is just okay. FYI: Progressive (p) video format is better than Interlaced (i). I find that the cable box picture looks better at 720p or 1080i with the TV picture gaming setting enabled and it is still not nearly as good as 720p or 1080p from streaming channels or antenna or video files or discs. Any dark scenes using cable box HDMI are almost too dark to distinguish details, very annoying. I tried 3 HDMI cables, HDMI 2, high speed HDMI 2, and 4K HDMI 2.1 which didn't help. The coaxial connection has lower resolution, but the dark scenes look better and whatever your watching will stabilize and look better overall. The only way to get higher quality video from Xfinity Comcast cable is through their free Streaming app and your Internet service provider (ISP) or by using their free TV WiFi box which I think requires using their Xfinity Internet Service (X1 Wireless TV Box (Xi5 or Xi6) or Flex streaming TV Box (Xi5, Xi6 or XiOne).

Additional comments: I was surprised that a TV purchased in April 2022 and manufactured in January of 2022 did not have USB v3.x port(s) and HDMI v2.1 or newer ports although it does have an HDMI v2.1 audio Arc port, but not the enhanced eArc port. The HDMI Arc port can be used as a 3rd regular HDMI port if not used for audio. More ports would be really nice. This model has a 60 Hz display refresh rate with a 120 Hz CMI (Clear Motion Index); This is not a true 120 Hz display refresh rate, but I have not noticed any negative video refresh related issues except on low-quality videos or slower Internet. Note: Some new gaming systems may require an HDMI 2.1 port and an actual 120 Hz refresh rate. There is no Bluetooth either. Also, the included TCL Roku remote does not have the voice button, yet my $40 Roku Streaming Stick + remote has the voice button??? The Roku app on my Android phone does have the voice option though when connected to the TCL TV.

And, the Roku Media Player could use some major updates and or perhaps porting VLC into Roku because I noticed that some videos either through my media server or video files on USB drive would not play audio correctly because this TV cannot handle all the various video and audio formats like 7 or 8 channel audio, yet they all play well on my computers, and the video playback navigation controls may or may not work with various media servers? The Plex media server app works well. The Roku Media Player with USB drives does not seem to recognize the exFat file system either which is a common format.

Finally, I would also recommend getting an extended warranty through Amazon or through TCL.

124 people found this helpful

Helpful

K. K.

I've bought two, one for mom and one for me.

Reviewed in the United States on September 4, 2022

Size: 43 inStyle: TV OnlyVerified Purchase

My brother and I searched for a decent TV at an affordable price for my mother after she moved into a new apartment. We did a lot of research, read a lot of reviews, and decided to try this one out.

It's really good! Even after a couple of years of consistent, everyday, use. The set up is easy, even for people who don't do things like this often. The remote is pre-paired ahead of time, and while you are required to put in information into the ROKU system, you won't be charged suddenly because it's just for if you have a subscription or rent something.

The picture is clean, and the audio is crisp. Especially for a TV in this price zone. The subtitles are also really easy to read on the screen, and there isn't much (if any) delay. So I do recommend this for someone searching for a TV.

Now, the only issue I personally have is with the remote. The design is minimal. So on the right side of the remote is the volume and mute buttons, which is frustratingly easy to press when you're in the middle of a show and forgot to put down the remote. That is the only issue with the remote I have. For those curious the rest of the remote (on the front) has a power, back and then a home button. Followed by on screen navigation, and the video controls. There are also shortcuts to Netflix, Disney+, Hulu, and Sling.

Now, after a couple of years, I myself am moving into a new apartment and was looking for a TV. After seeing this in person, and how well it has held up I decided to purchase a second one for myself.

31 people found this helpful

Helpful

Belkinvar

Already bought 2 of these things

Reviewed in the United States on August 12, 2021

Size: 50 inStyle: TV OnlyVerified Purchase

So, my friend needed a TV a few months ago. She's very pretty and well...that's all I need to say. Decided I'd surprise her one day. Check photos for her reaction, although her roommate ruined the surprise, the butt head. No seriously, if a package comes for your roommate and has their FULL government name, and not the name they use on the internet...it's definitely for them, bro. Especially a freaking 50 inch TV.

Anyway...I decided to finally upgrade myself as well. Ditched the 32 inch I bought in 2013 when I moved out of my moms place. This TV seems to be on a bit of a yo-yo, price wise, so watch it. I picked it up for under $400 both times.

Picture is AMAZING, and this baby gets LOUD. I rarely have to turn it up above 22 and it goes all the way to 100!

I don't have cable, haven't in years, probably never will again. I stream EVERYTHING, and this roku tv is PERFECT for that. I'm currently swimming through Law and Order SVU, and being able to see Benson on the big ole screen is nice, even more so because I don't have to run my PS4 all night while watching.

Oh, you can apparently add games to the TV. I've 2048 on it and just beat my high score.

3 hdmi ports, clutch!!! And I can rename them and change the pictures??? Also, being able to use the app when streaming and wear headphones is nice. Very slight delay, but not huge.

My only complaint is one I wouldn't have noticed for ages. The remote will control other roku tvs, even from different brands. I've got this tcl, and my brother has REDACTED, and literally all the functions on my remote work.

Overall, great TV. Can you buy a better TV? Absolutely. I don't think you'll find a better deal, however, than a 50 inch smart TV for under $500.

Just think...you're reading this because my friend is pretty, lol. Buy the TV.

3 people found this helpful

Helpful

Sara

Not a 5-Star, But Not a 4 Either -- More Like 4-1/2 Stars

Reviewed in the United States on August 28, 2022

Size: 75 inStyle: TV OnlyVerified Purchase

First let me address some of the other reviews. It's really not fair to penalize the TV itself for using a Roku system. You either like Roku or you don't -- it's a personal preference. Personally, I like Roku and have used it for years on all my TVs. If you haven't used Roku before, you need to understand that yes, you have to give them some personal information when you set the system up; the same way you have to do when you use cable or premium channels. If that bothers you, then don't buy the TV. Otherwise, deal with it. Same thing with the remote control. Roku's is simple, yet very functional. I prefer it that way. If you'd rather have a massive remote with a zillion buttons you'll rarely use, then don't buy this TV or use a Roku system. My only complaint with the Roku system is that the audio/visual synchronization is messed up A LOT. This has only happened on the last 2 Roku series and seems to be a very common complaint among other users. I fix it every time by simply switching channels and then going back and it fixes the problem, but, yes, it is a royal pain. I have 2 Roku sticks and 1 built-in Roku system on 3 different brands of TVs and have used these TVs in 3 different cities with 3 different internet companies and they ALL have that same problem. So by process of elimination, it is definitely a Roku issue. It doesn't really bother me that much because it's so easy to fix. The simplicity and full-function Roku system, the features, and lack of any other problems makes up for it. That said, however, fair or not, I did deduct 1/2 a star because of the sync problem.

As for the TCL TV itself, I am very, very pleased with the product. The TV arrived quickly, well-packaged, and completely undamaged, and was easy to set up since I already had a Roku account. I did have to contact Amazon when the Series 5 I ordered never arrived (turned out it was out of stock), but customer service was extremely helpful and pointed me in the direction of the Series 4. The picture and sound are great and there are many, many settings for those who like specific adjustments. The blacks are very black and I haven't experienced any of the picture loss at the corners or in the middle as some reviewers did, although I've only had the TV for less than 2 months. The TV is very heavy and solid, but will still mount safely on a wall. I bought the 75 inch, Series 4 only because, as I mentioned, the Series 5 was out of stock, but there really is very little difference between the two except they used different transistors (due to the shortage) and the Series 4 was $100 less. Both were 2021 models. I don't do any gaming so I really can't address those issues, but everything else seems to work perfectly.

So, yes, I recommend this TV.

93 people found this helpful

Helpful

Jonny Blaze

Still Working After 16 months!

Reviewed in the United States on February 7, 2024

Size: 55 inStyle: TV OnlyVerified Purchase

Would like better manual controls plus a decent headphone jack for audio output to old stereo receiver. The audio gliches a bit from time to time. A cold reboot of plugging tv back in. Great value!

One person found this helpful

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TCL 43-inch 4K UHD Smart LED TV - 43S435, 2021 Model

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TCL 43-inch 4K UHD Smart LED TV - 43S435, 2021 Model

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TCL 43-inch 4K UHD Smart LED TV - 43S435, 2021 Model

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