TCL 55s405 55-inch review – 4K Ultra HD Roku Smart LED TV

Performance

With a 55-inch display, TLC Roku 55s405 checks all the boxes for an affordable 4K TV. It has a basic HDR support, and no blur motion pictures, thanks to the 60Hz refresh rate. Thousands of clients who have already purchased this model gave it high praise when it comes to color accuracy. Surprisingly, this model has a Delta-E rating or 2.2. Basically, in the Delta E rating, TV with a score that is closer to Zero is considered to offer better overall performance where color accuracy is concerned. With this TV having, a rating of 2.2, it compares to other models that are almost double its price.

Another main selling point is that this model has the ability to reproduce an excellent 98.4 percent of Rec.709 color space. You will also find this color representation in its other siblings, which unfortunately they are not so much budget-friendly as this model. Plus, the TLC S405 also delivers impressive HDR performance and HDR10 support. It is worth noting that this television doesn’t support some HDR format such as the Dolby Vision. Nevertheless, this is a small sacrifice to live with, especially considering its price.

Picture Quality

As mentioned, this television delivers excellent image quality for a model in this budget price point. When compared to other TVs at the same price range, we were surprised to find deep black levels and impressive contrast rates in these models. Of course, you wouldn’t fail to miss some few setbacks. For this television, it doesn’t reach very high brightness levels like some of its peers, but for such a high price, you may not care about this inconsistency. Let’s dig deeper on this TV’s color performance.

Contrast and Black Levels

This Roku TV has a 4170:1 ratio, which is quite remarkable contrast power at its level. As you probably know, contrast is one of the chief measures that determine image quality. And, with this contrast, you can expect to get vivid pictures, which is great news for movie addicts. Even better, the performance remains excellent where black level. While it doesn’t come with a local dimming feature, surprisingly this model offers excellent black levels even in the darkest room. By looking at the above features, we were impressed by the S405 in terms of contrast.

Brightness

Another area that this model excels in the low priced TVs is the brightness. Well, it doesn’t offer the highest brightness, but it manages to reach decent rates when compared to the competing models. The good thing is, despite the low rates, this model is still capable of producing a superb picture quality in a standard room. However, if the room is with too much light or exposed to direct sunlight, the image visibility may be reduced. Moreover, since HDR peak brightened is not as high as that of the SDR, the HDR content is also affected. As we mentioned, this is an exceptional choice for people looking for budget-friendly Roku televisions. Besides, since you can fine-tune your room to get the best quality images, for such an affordable tv, this is a small sacrifice to live with. By simply protecting your television for too much light/sunlight, you will never have to worry about image visibility issues.

Color Accuracy

Yet again, we want to look at this spec in depth. Sure, you wouldn’t compare the S405 color quality to the latest OLED television performance, but thankfully, it does its best for its price. It has a decent color gamut; therefore, you should expect some accurate and vivid pictures. The colors look the way they should, so you can tell the difference between light red and dark red colors. But, when you would compare these pictures from advanced TVs, you would see a slight difference. From our perspective, we didn’t find the gap so big that it would guarantee you to pay hundreds or even a thousand dollars more.

Light Reflection

For the price, TLC 55S405 comes with decent filters that reflect the light quite reasonably. We find this model performance quite satisfactory since it delivers a great overall picture. As mentioned, because of the low brightness, in a brightly lit room, the picture quality is not so high. Therefore, you always ensure that your TV is not placed facing your window. However, things may change slightly when you find a dark spot to place the television. Again, this shouldn’t be much of a concern, since you just need to re-organize the setup.

Design

If you are looking to update a modest 32-49 inch television, you will love the 55-inch big screen. With this size, you can add a splash of style to your living room and improve your family movie experience. Are you tired of going to the theaters now and then? Add this big-screen television in your living room and say goodbye to expensive theater tickets, especially when going with your family. Despite the large screen, the S405 has a decent build and look. The closure is made of sturdy plastic and has a slim, glossy, black finish on the bezel that surrounds the display panel. The chassis back has a matte black finish. It is slim as it measures 49.1 by 28.5 by 3.0 inches without the stand and weighs about 29lbs. For a neat setup, you can easily mount it on the wall using a 200mm VESA mount.

Ports

Unfortunately, few ports are a bit of a disappointment, especially when you have several devices you need to be connected to your television. Luckily, TLC understands this, and you will find plenty of ports. It comes with three HDMI ports, 3.5-millimeter headphone jack, 2.0 USB port, Toslink optical port as well as a coaxial connection for cable or antenna. At the back, this television is equipped with a composite video output as well as an Ethernet port that allows for wired network connection. Another fantastic feature that comes with this models the 802.11ac Wi-Fi dual-band.

With this port, all the connection problems are sorted. You can easily connect a game console, satellite box, and a soundbar with the three HDMI ports provided. Nevertheless, if you have more HDMI connected devices, you may need to swap them manually or buy an HDMI switch. While some would want to get an additional USB port, especially for individuals who often use streaming sticks, this is not a major bummer. After all, this model comes with a robust Roku interface that lets you enjoy all the streaming services.

Smart System

Speaking of streaming service, Roku S405 has an intuitive smart engine that delivers all your favorite content. Featuring the best in class simplicity, the spontaneous interface lets you access over 500,000 movies and TV episodes effortlessly. When navigation and unfussiness is concerned, this platform remains our favorite. The best thing about the platform is that it comes with a few pre-installed apps, especially when you compare it to competing brands. This makes it the best choice, especially for the new Roku users as you can easily navigate the smart system with much ease.

Remote

Connectivity and navigation have never been more effortless. The TLC Roku 55s405 comes with a simple remote control that has a good look but a basic design that prioritizes on simplicity. Different from other Smart TV remotes that are sophisticated, this remote has few buttons that are well labeled to facilitate ease of use. By combining simple action buttons with a large directional pad, navigating to home, settings, and inputs is effortless. The remote also comes with standard media playback controls that allow for seamless operation. More importantly, this model comes with dedicated buttons that redirect to various apps such as Netflix, Amazon Video, Sling TV, and HBO Now. Even better, these buttons are strategically positioned in a manner that you can easily ignore them if you don’t have to use them.

Powerful Mobile App

Another great reason to purchase this television. With the intuitive mobile app, you can easily convert your tablet or Smartphone to a full-function remote for your TV. Coming with innovative voice control, you can now easily browse through the channels and add new channels. Better yet you can listen to your TV audio by connecting your headphones to the Smartphone. The latter is a great benefit, especially If you would like to listen to your TV without distracting other family members.

Audio

Simplicity is the name of the game when it comes to all the aspects of this TV. It has two channel sounds delivered by a pair of inbuilt 8W speakers. If you have a small to medium-sized room, these speakers gives a room-filling volume that is sharp and clear. The only set back is that the TV speakers have a limited dynamic range. Luckily, very few people use TV speakers, as they tend to offer not such a great voice. Therefore, if you already have a decent soundbar or a home theater sound system, you can revamp your TV watching experiment.

Gaming

Hardcore gamers- now it’s time to shine. And, to not only shine but also you no longer have to dig deeper in your pocket for you to get a good gaming television. One of the best things about this television is the decent refresh rate, which facilitates a very low input lag. Astonishingly, this TV delivers excellent performance with 14.5 -15ms depending on the content format. 1080P and 4K games have excellent gameplay while the HDR content is even better. Believe you me, finding a TV with an input lags of less than 40ms under this price range and size; it is indeed unbelievable.

Plus, there exists a minimal difference between the HDR and SDR content, although this could be noticeable with high-end television. As we have repeatedly stated, this model excels in this chapter, especially where the price is considered. Therefore, if you are looking to have a better chance to complete the Tekken game mission, this TV will not let you down. Also, it’s a fantastic bargain, since it is tough to find an excellent gaming television at that price point.