Itechguides’ Take on TCL 75S425

Summary

The TCL 75S425 is an average yet expensive TV with ROKU TV operating system. This television delivers decent picture quality and displays deep blacks thanks to its 4K LED VA display’s outstanding contrast ratio. However, the television lacks Bluetooth and has poor brightness.

Overall

3.9

Pros

• Excellent contrast ratio
• ROKU TV OS
• Less heavy than competitors
• Great for gaming
• Minimal sound distortion

Cons

• Expensive
• Lacks Bluetooth
• Mediocre display brightness
• Disappointing viewing angles

In essence, I’ll be discussing every aspect of the TCL 75S425 in great depth. In order to accomplish so, I’ll go through the television’s design, display features, sound features, port and connectivity features, and smart features in great detail.

Additionally, at the conclusion of each segment of this article, I will offer the television a rating based on my personal opinions. Moreover, you will also learn about the positives and downsides of the TCL 75S425 because this review is an unbiased appraisal of its performance.

Finally, the information offered in this review will help you make a knowledgeable purchasing decision. That is if you think the TCL 75S425 meets both your needs and your budget.

Browse Post Topics

My Initial Thoughts

TCL TVs are best renowned for offering high-quality viewing experiences at incredibly low prices, with a few exceptions. Moreover, I am pretty sure TCL wowed most of us with its latest 6-series lineup of television.

• LG NANO90 Review: An Impressive IPS Smart TV
• Sony XBR65X850F Review: How Good is This Android OS TV?

However, what most people don’t know is that TCL’s 4-series lineup (the TCL 75S425 is among) is the predecessor to the 6-series lineup. TCL’s 4-series is the company’s entry-level 4K television lineup that uses the same feature-rich ROKU TV OS as the 6-series.

However, despite the fact that most of the TCL 4-series televisions are inexpensive, the TCL 75S425 is pretty pricey. The TCL 75S425 had a price tag of $1,175.32 as of the time I wrote this review in November 2021.

Probably the TCL 75S425 is that expensive because it is the largest television in the 4-series lineup. However, with such a massive price tag, would the TCL 75S425 be able to meet the expectation of potential buyers?

Let’s find out!

As far as TV designs go, the TCL 75S425 looks very simple and similar to other TCL TVs. The television is mainly made out of plastic and doesn’t have a premium look to it.

Furthermore, this television features the standard black bezels, which borders its display. However, these bezels have a glossy finish and are pretty much thicker than bezels on televisions in the TCL 6-series lineup. 

Specifically, the sides’ bezels measure 0. 5 inches while the bottom and top bezel measure 0.8 inches and 0.4 inches respectively. Moreover, a small strip of textured black plastic can be found on the television’s bottom bezel.

This strip gives the TCL 75S425 a little bit of elegance. Additionally, in the center and right corner of the bottom bezel, there are silver TCL and ROKU TV logos.

Moving on, the TCL 75S425 stands on top of a pair of V-shaped legs. These V-shaped legs are made out of plastic and they have a matte-black finish.

However, the legs are very close to the edges of the television. As a result, you will need a relatively large table to place the TCL 75S425 if not mounted on the wall.

Although the legs support the TCL 75S425 pretty well, the television wobbles a bit if puked with force.

Rotating the TCL 75S425 to the back, you will be greeted by a matte-black panel. The top part of this panel is metal while the bottom part is plastic.

Interestingly, the top part of the television’s back panel is adorned with a row of tessellated triangles. However, these are just decorative elements that have no functional purpose.

Furthermore, the bottom part of the TCL 75S425’s back panel is thicker than the top part. This is because the bottom part houses all of the television’s ports and components.

However, the bottom part isn’t too thick to the extent of making the television look odd if wall-mounted.

Measuring 1678 x 88.9 x 965.2 mm, the TCL 75S425 isn’t too large for a 75-inch television. However, with a weight of 33520.4 g, the television is pretty heavy.  

Nonetheless, the TCL 75S425 is still lighter than most 75-inch televisions like the Samsung QN75Q60RAFXZA and Sony XBR – 75X850F.

Specifically, the Samsung QN75Q60RAFXZA weighs 38918.2 g. The Sony XBR – 75X850F, on the other hand, weighs 38900 g.

In conclusion, even though the TCL 75S425 doesn’t look premium, it has an impressive build quality. Additionally, the television is lighter than most of its competitors.

All things considered, I will rate the TCL 75S425 eight out of ten in this design review section.

TCL 75S425 Display Features Review

For display, the TCL 75S425 makes use of a 75-inch LED display. Performance-wise, this display offers crisp, colorful pictures and contents all thanks to its 4K UHD (3840 x 2160) resolution.

Well, as we all know, 4K UHD (3840 x 2160) resolution is one of the best, if not the best, resolutions available. Moreover, a 4K display is about 4x better, sharper, and clearer than the typical HD resolution display.

Moving on, the TCL 75S425’s display has an outstanding contrast ratio of 6,054:1, as expected. I mentioned “as expected” in the last part of that sentence because the TCL 75S425’s LED display is a VA display.

To clarify, VA displays, also known as Vertical Alignment displays often come with high contrast ratio. So, I wasn’t surprised when I found out that the TCL 75S425’s display has such an outstanding contrast ratio.

Although what does a display’s contrast ratio mean? You are about to find out!

A display’s contrast ratio is the ratio between the brightest white and darkest black the display is capable of producing. Additionally, a high contrast ratio is a preferred aspect of any display because it determines how deep blacks are going to appear on the display.

Therefore, with a contrast ratio as high as 6,054:1, the TCL 75S425’s display will be able to produce richly deep blacks. As a result, picture quality on the TCL 75S425 when viewing movies with plenty of dark scenes will be extraordinary.

However, despite having such an impressive contrast ratio, the TCL 75S425’s display isn’t bright at all. To be more specific, this display has a maximum brightness of just 168 cd/m², disappointing right?

Well, this display brightness gets even more disappointing when considering the television’s expensive price tag. As a result of its poor brightness, you won’t be able to use the TCL 75S42 in well-lit rooms.

On a positive note, the TCL 75S425’s display supports High dynamic range (HDR) in HDR 10 format. However, it doesn’t support other HDR formats like Dolby Vision, HDR10+, and HLG.

Unfortunately, the TCL 75S425’s display doesn’t support local dimming, which improves a display’s black level. However, that isn’t particularly important since the television’s display already has an outstanding contrast ratio.

Moving on, the TCL 75S425’s display has bad viewing angles, which is something to expect from a VA display. As a result, you will lose picture quality and accuracy rapidly when viewing the TV off-center.

Therefore, it is best you view the TCL 75S425 directly from the center. However, if you need a similar television with better viewing angles, you can check out the LG 75UK7050PVA.

On a plus side, the TCL 75S425’s display handles reflection decently. Basically, the display has a semi-gloss coating that limits the amount of light reflected on the display.

Furthermore, this television’s display also has an impressive response time. Specifically, the display has a response time of 12.1 milliseconds.

Response time can be defined as the time it takes a display to change from a particular color to another. Therefore, with such impressive response time, blur trail will be minimal when the TCL 75S42’s display is viewing fast-motion contents.

Moving on, the TCL 75S425’s display makes the TV an ideal television for gamers. Two aspects of a television’s display are very crucial in determining if it is ideal for gaming.

These aspects include refresh rate and input lag. Thankfully, the TCL 75S425’s display excels in both aspects.

Specifically, the TCL 75S425’s display has a refresh rate of 120 Hz. A display’s refresh rate is the times per second the display is able to refresh/draw a new image.

For example, the TCL 75S425’s display’s 120 Hz refresh rate means the display refreshes a new image 120 times per second. Overall, how smoothly motion appears on a display is determined by the refresh rate.

As we all know, motion is a major aspect of gaming.

Moreover, I also hinted earlier that the TCL 75S425’s display excels in terms of input lag. To be more specific, the display has a low input lag of 12. 9 milliseconds.

A display’s input lag is the amount of time it takes the display to register a signaled input. The lower the input lag the display has, the better the gaming experience.

In conclusion, asides from the display’s poor brightness and disappointing viewing angles, the TCL 75S425’s display have a decent performance. Therefore, I will rate the TCL 75S425 eight out of ten in this display review section.

TCL 75S425 Sound Features Review

The audio quality of the TCL 75S425 is one area where it falls short. Specifically, the television features a pair of 10-Watts down-firing speakers that produces some rather weak sounds.

Unfortunately, the bass production of these speakers is really bad. As a result, you can’t get a decent audio quality when watching bass-heavy movies.

On a positive note, the television’s speakers can get adequately loud. However, the speakers aren’t loud enough for a fairly large room or noisy environment.

Moving on, the TCL 75S425’s down-firing speakers produce crisp and clear dialogue. Dialogue is the sound generated when two a more characters are having a discussion in a movie.

Furthermore, the distortion performance of the television’s speakers is really impressive. Specifically, you won’t hear any sound distortion when the television is at a moderate volume level.

However, when you increase the television’s volume to the maximum, distortion may be a little bit audible. Although, that depends on the type of content you are watching.

Besides that, not everyone may hear the distortion.

Overall, the TCL 75S425’s speakers may not be particularly impressive, but I believe they are adequate for casual viewing. Moreover, the speakers’ minimal distortion makes them comparable to most speakers found on high-end televisions.

All things considered, I believe the TCL 75S425 doesn’t deserve anything more than a seven out of ten in this sound review section.

TCL 75S425 Ports and Connectivity Features Review

Port selection on the TCL 75S425 is adequate but it is nothing special. Essentially, all of the television’s ports can be found on the left side of the television back.

The only exception to this is the power connecter which sits on the right side of the television. The ports on the TCL 75S425 include a USB port, an antenna/cable connection, an Ethernet port, and three HDMI ports

That’s not all, the television also has optical and 3.5mm audio outputs. Also, there is a 3.5mm composite video input as well as a 3.5mm-to-composite-RCA dongle.

It is worth noting that a small Reset button sits above all the television ports. Additionally, it is also important to mention that one of the television’s HDMI ports supports ARC (audio return cable).

Therefore, you should be able to use the ARC-compactible HDMI port to connect a soundbar or any other supported external speaker.

For wireless connectivity, the TCL 75S425 comes with an inbuilt 802.11ac (2×2) 2.4GHz & 5GHz WIFI. However, TCL decided not to include Bluetooth on this television, which I think is a very terrible idea.

I said that because of the television’s expensive price. Besides that, which modern “expensive” television doesn’t include Bluetooth?

Well, the answer to that is few to none.

That’s said, now lets talk about the included remote control. Specifically, the TCL 75S425 comes with a ROKU TV RC280 remote control.

This remote looks very much like other ROKU TV remotes. It has a very small stature, which makes it fit into your palm nicely.

Additionally, the remote has a navigation pad that is plus-shaped with blue color. Also, there are four dedicated buttons on the remote for quick access to some streaming apps.

These streaming apps include HBO Now, Netflix, Sling TV, and HULU.

However, the remote doesn’t have an inbuilt microphone; therefore, it doesn’t support voice control features. On a bright note, you can use the voice control feature through the free ROKU TV app downloaded on your smartphone.

In summary, the ports on the TCL 75S425 should be adequate for most users. However, the omission of Bluetooth may make potential buyers look elsewhere.

Hence, I will be rating the TCL 75S425 a seven in this ports and connectivity review section.

TCL 75S425 Smart Features Review

I guess it should have been clear now that the TCL 75S425 uses a ROKU TV smart TV operating system. However, if it isn’t clear yet, the TCL 75S425 employs the ROKU TV OS for its smart department.

Moreover, TCL has long been making use of the ROKU TV OS for its smart televisions. I am pretty sure this is because of the straightforward, user-friendly interface that the operating system offers.

Additionally, thanks to the ROKU TV OS, the TCL 75S425 can access thousands of movies and TV shows through streaming apps. Major streaming apps on this operating system are Netflix, Disney+, HULU, HBO, Amazon Prime Video, and so on.

However, as most people know, most of these streaming apps aren’t accessible for free. To clarify, you have to subscribe to a particular plan monthly to have access to them.

This is a huge blow to those who don’t have the financial capabilities to subscribe monthly. Thankfully, the ROKU TV OS comes with quite a number of streaming apps that are free to access.

These free streaming apps include PBS, Tubi, CW, Crackle, BBC iPlayer (for UK viewers), and so on.

Furthermore, with the help of the ROKU app, you should be able to stream content from your mobile device to the television. For Android users, you may download the ROKU app from the Google Play Store.

iPhone users, however, may download the ROKU app from the App Store.

In conclusion, a smart television can never go wrong when using the ROKU TV operating system. Hence, the TCL 75S425 deserves a nine out of ten rating in this smart feature review section.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Who Is The Owner Of The TCL Television brand?

TCL Industries Holdings Co., Ltd. Is the owner of the TCL television brand.

2. How Much Is The TCL 75S425?

The TCL 75S425 cost about $1,175. 32 when I wrote this review in November 2021.

3. How Many Years Is A TCL Television’s Warranty Period?

A TCL television comes with a one-year standard warranty.

4. How Long Can A TCL Television Last?

TCL televisions can last up to seven years if properly used and configured. The actual longevity of a television set, on the other hand, is decided by how it is used.

5. How Many HDMI Ports Does The TCL 75S425 Have?

The TCL 75S425 features three HDMI ports. It is worth mentioning that one of the HDMI ports is ARC-compatible.

My Final Thoughts

Despite being so pricey, the performance of the TCL 75S425 is pretty much average. The most noticeable features of this television are its 4K display’s outstanding contrast ratio and impressive ROKU TV OS.  

However, besides those two features, this television is basically one cheaply made smart television. This television has poor display brightness and the most annoying part is that it doesn’t even have Bluetooth.

However, I think gamers will appreciate this television due to its impressively low lag time and 120 Hz refresh rate. As for me, with a $1,175.32 price tag, I wouldn’t recommend this television to anyone except gamers.

I hope you found this TCL 75S425 review helpful.

If you found the review helpful, Join the discussion about this TV at Itechguides Community. Join a lively, supportive community of people who share your interests and values.

For more Television reviews, visit our Television review page. You may also find our Television Specs page very helpful.

References and Further Reading

1. pcmag.com – TCL 75S425 Review
2. rtings.com – TCL 4 Series 2019 TV Review
3. tomsguide.com – TCL 4 Series Roku TV (55S425) review
4. Itechguides Community

TCL S425 series (2019 Roku TV) review: The smartest cheap TV delivers a good enough picture

China-based TCL is selling
TVs
hand over fist, taking market share from
Vizio
and other big TV brands in the US. It has grown 60 percent in each of the last two years, according to market research firm NPD, and its
Roku
TVs continue to dominate Amazon’s best-seller lists.

At CNET our favorite TCL is the 6 series, with the best picture quality for the money of any TV we’ve tested. But cheaper models, namely the TCL 3 and 4 series reviewed here, are the ones that remain the most popular.

Let’s get one thing out of the way first: Their picture quality is mediocre. They can’t compete with more expensive sets for black level performance, contrast or pop. If you want a home theater-worthy image in a budget set, start with the Vizio E series — just keep in mind that it’s not available in sizes under 43 inches.

Read more: Best TV gifts for the holidays

On the other hand, mediocre might be good enough for you, especially if you’re buying a smaller set for secondary viewing or you just want the cheapest smart TV you can get. As long as you don’t expect too much, you might be perfectly satisfied with a TCL 3 or 4 series, especially for the price. And if nothing else, I predict you’ll like its built-in Roku.

TCL 3 and 4 series sizes and models

There’s a lot of different models in these series so before we get into it, here’s how they break down.

TCL 3 and 4 series TVs (2017-2019)

Even though the oldest TVs are from 2017, TCL told CNET that the only difference between them and the 2018/2019 models is in cosmetic design. They have the same picture quality and features. (These models are not available in the UK and Australia.)

We’ve reviewed the S305 and S405 in 2017 and for this review we compared them to two new 2019 review samples, the 43-inch 43S325 and the 50-inch 50S425. Yes, the cosmetics are slightly different, with the newer sets having black stand legs instead of silver, and slightly different frames around the picture. We also saw some minor differences in image quality (see below for details). But overall not much has changed in two years, and the CNET ratings are the same for all of them.

In other words, you’re fine buying the 2017 (S305 and S405) versions for as long as they remain on the market. TCL’s representative said they’d be slowly phased out and replaced by the newer models (S325 and S425) this year.

Sarah Tew/CNET

4K HDR in 40 and 43 inches: Not worth the extra $$$

Here’s where I mention that the S305 and S325 models have 720p in the 32-inch size, and 1080p resolution (aka full HD) in the 40- and 43-inch sizes, and they can’t do high dynamic range (HDR). Meanwhile the S405 and S425 models have 4K resolution and HDR capability.

As you can see on the chart, for most sizes there’s no overlap: The 32- and 40-inch sizes are HD only, while the 50-, 55- and 65-inch sizes are 4K HDR only. Most people choose a TV size first, then worry about everything else, so there’s not much of a choice in those sizes.

Where sizes overlap (43- and 49-inch) there’s typically $30 to $70 difference. For most buyers in this price range, I don’t think it’s worth paying that difference. You’re better off saving the money and getting the 1080p, HD, non-HDR versions instead of the 4K HDR versions. Yes, you could see some improvement in image quality with some 4K HDR material, but it will be minor at best. See the image quality section below for more.

The Roku TV remote is super-simple.

Sarah Tew/CNET

Roku reigns

The best thing about the 3 and 4 series TVs is built-in Roku. It gives you dead-simple access to just about every streaming app available, including Netflix, YouTube,
Amazon Prime
Video, Hulu, Sling TV, Pluto TV and more.

Since the apps are built-in, you can get to them faster and easier than via an external streamer, which requires switching inputs and probably juggling a second remote. Of course you can connect other gear (like game consoles or
Blu-ray players
) to these Roku TVs too, and they have some cool features for people who use an over-the-air antenna to get free TV.

Roku TV’s main competitor is Amazon’s Fire TV Edition sets by
Toshiba
and Insignia. Amazon has its advantages, especially when it comes to voice control with Alexa. But I still like Roku better overall because its menu system is more neutral — it doesn’t force-feed you Amazon Prime TV shows and movies.

As usual with Roku devices, navigating the menus was quick and responsive and apps loaded quickly. The exceptions came when I encountered a “loading” screen, which typically occurred with less frequently used apps or during first launch. At times it could take a while — Amazon Prime video took around 10 seconds to load at first — but after that initial load, the app would typically launch in a second or two. Overall Roku still provides one of the snappiest, easiest to use streaming experiences around.

Roku continues to update its system and add new features, which I won’t go into here (and didn’t retest for this review). They include:

• Google Assistant voice control with
  Google Home
  and other speakers
• Voice search and private headphone listening options via the Roku phone app
• More ways to watch feature suggests streaming shows, including from the antenna program guide
• Can pause live TV from an antenna source (requires a USB stick)
• Free, ad-supported streaming video options including the Roku Channel and, new in 2018, Featured Free
• Works with Roku Wireless Speakers for a wireless stereo alternative to sound bars

For more info, check out my review of my favorite 4K Roku device, the Roku Streaming Stick Plus. 

Sarah Tew/CNET

Connectivity is solid, with everything you’ll likely need. The S425 has an Ethernet port while the S325 does not. Both have dual-band (5GHz and 2.4GHz) Wi-Fi, but only the S425 has 802.11ac. Both series offer:

• 3x
  HDMI
  
• Composite AV
• USB
• Headphone jack
• RF antenna
• Optical digital audio

Is a ‘good enough’ picture good enough for you?

As I mentioned at the start, don’t expect any of these TCLs to perform like champs, but do expect to feel satisfied for the price.

For this review I compared the 2019 TCL 50S425 and 43S325 side-by-side to two 2017 TCL 4 series sets — the 55S405 and the 43S305 — as well as to the 65-inch Vizio E series. I didn’t put them through my usual TV review process and measurements, but I did some basic measurements, and saw enough to convince me the TCLs are still “good enough.” None were as good as the Vizio, however.

Comparing black levels in the dark parts of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2 and Black Panther, the Vizio showed a clear advantage, with deeper, more realistic letterbox bars and shadows. The difference as also obvious in brighter scenes, where the improved contrast of the letterbox bars and richer colors paid dividends and the Vizio showed much superior pop.

Between the two larger TCLs, the newer, 50-inch version looked better, with deeper black levels and more saturated, accurate color. The difference wasn’t overwhelming, however, and the Vizio still looked quite a bit better than the 50-inch TCL. There was little visible difference between the two 43-inch TCL models.

Light output on the TCLs was mediocre, as you’d expect from a cheaper TV, and in the least accurate settings the Vizio E was brighter. But in the accurate settings I’d recommend — Movie/Brighter for the TCLs and Calibrated for the Vizio E — the TCLs outshine the the Vizio significantly, 272 nits (on the 50S425) to 186 (on the Vizio in Medium
local dimming
).

Screen uniformity wasn’t great, with test patterns showing brighter areas and backlight structure on all of the TCL samples are various brightness levels. The Vizio was much better in comparison.

As I’ve seen from many inexpensive TVs the Rokus didn’t introduce much input lag for gamers. The S325’s Game mode measured a healthy 26ms (1080p), while the 50S425’s measured 31ms (1080p) and 29ms (4K HDR). 

These are all 60Hz TVs despite TCL’s fake “120Hz CMI effective refresh rate” specification, and tests indicated as much: They delivered only 300 lines of motion resolution and there’s no smoothing or soap opera effect option.

Like many HDR TVs that lack local dimming, the TCL S425 showed little advantage displaying 4K HDR content instead of standard HD SDR. I watched Altered Carbon from Netflix, which has some of the most impressive HDR effects I’ve seen, in both 1080p SDR and 4K HDR, swapping back and forth. On the S425 and S405 the differences were subtle enough that I would have a tough time telling them apart.

Performing the same comparison on the Vizio, the advantage of HDR was a bit more apparent, with somewhat more dimension and pop to the image (thanks mostly to better black level) and slightly better color. Overall HDR looked better on the Vizio than on the TCL, but the advantage wasn’t as great as with SDR. It’s no surprise that brighter sets with more local dimming zones, like Vizio’s M series or TCL’s 6 series, do a much better job showcasing HDR than either the TCL 4 or the Vizio E.

Picture setup tips: For the most accurate picture, just use the Movie preset and toggle the Brightness setting to taste or room lighting. In a dark room you’ll get the best contrast and black levels by using Darkest, while for brighter rooms or HDR use Brightest.

Internal retaining ring DIN 472 75×2.5 stainless steel A2

Code: 108086312

• Features

Basic dimensions

Nominal ring diameter (for shaft) (d)

75 mm

For groove diameter (d2)

78 mm

Ring inner diameter (d3)

69.3 mm

Outer ring diameter at rest (d6)

79.5 mm

Setting ring diameter (d4)

58. 6 mm

Ring thickness (s)

2.5 mm

Mounting hole diameter (d5)

3 mm

a

7.8 mm

b

6.6 mm

General information

Ring shape

retaining inner

Standard

DIN 472, GOST 13943-86

Material

stainless steel A2

Coating

uncoated

Manufacturer

unbranded

Other dimensions:

• 8×0.8
• 9×0.8
• 10×1
• 11×1
• 12×1
• 13×1
• 14×1
• 15×1
• 16×1
• 17×1
• 18×1
• 20×1
• 21×1
• 22×1
• 23×1. 2
• 24×1.2
• 25×1.2
• 26×1.2
• 27×1.2
• 28×1.2
• 29×1.2
• 30×1.2
• 31×1.2
• 32×1.2
• 33×1.2
• 34×1.5
• 35×1.5
• 36×1.5
• 37×1.5
• 38×1. 5
• 39×1.5
• 40×1.75
• 41×1.75
• 42×1.75
• 43×1.75
• 44×1.75
• 45×1.75
• 47×1.75
• 48×1.75
• 50×2
• 52×2
• 55×2
• 58×2
• 60×2
• 62×2
• 65×2.