TCL 4-Series vs Vizio V-Series: Which should you buy?
Two of the best TVs under $500 square off
Credit:
Reviewed / Jackson Ruckar
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Budget-friendly TVs have never been better. Right now, you can buy a TV for less than $500 and still walk away with 4K resolution, HDR compatibility, and a suite of dependable software enhancements. But the sheer volume of affordable TVs makes your decision all the more difficult. That’s where we come in.
Two of the best low-cost TV options around are the TCL 4-Series and the Vizio V-Series. Despite offering similar specs and performance capabilities, there are some key differences between the two that might make your decision an easier one. So, which budget-friendly TV reigns supreme? Let’s break it down.
Buy the Vizio V-Series at Amazon
Buy the TCL 4-Series at Amazon
Price
Before we take a look at their respective prices, note that these are the original price points of these TVs and not necessarily the prices you’ll encounter while shopping today. At the time of publishing, both of these TVs are entering their second year of shelf life, making them ideal candidates for deep discounts.
For clarity’s sake, we’ll be comparing the original MSRP of each model, starting with the TCL 4-Series. These TVs are available with multiple smart platform options, including Roku TV, Google TV, and Android TV (depending upon your region and retailer), but we’ll focus on the version with Roku smart features, as it’s the version we reviewed (and the one we generally prefer).
TCL 4-Series:
- 43-inch (TCL 43S435), $349.99
- 50-inch (TCL 50S435), $449.99
- 55-inch (TCL 55S435), $499.99
- 65-inch (TCL 65S435), $699.99
- 75-inch (TCL 75S435), $999.99
- 85-inch (TCL 85S435), $1,799.99
The 4-Series is available in six size options ranging from a modest 43 inches all the way up to a room-dominating 85 inches. Without a discount, the 75-inch option comes in at around $1,000 while the smallest size will only set you back about $350.
Now, let’s take a look at how the Vizio V-Series compares.
Vizio V-Series:
- 43-inch (V435-J), MSRP $339.99
- 50-inch (V505-J), MSRP $399.99
- 55-inch (V555-J), MSRP $499.99
- 58-inch (V585-J), MSRP $529.99
- 65-inch (V655-J), MSRP $599.99
- 70-inch (V705-J), MSRP $699.99
- 75-inch (V755-J), MSRP $899.99
The primary V-Series lineup which we reviewed—referred to as the “V5” V-Series—is available in seven size options ranging from 43 to 75 inches. The 75-inch version is priced well below $1,000 and the smallest variant will run you about $340.
The 4-Series and the V-Series are extremely close in price, with the gap growing as you go up in size, though sale prices will undoubtedly shift the scales on a week-to-week basis. Without sale pricing, however, the V-Series is the more affordable option. The V-Series is also available in a somewhat elusive 58-inch option while the 4-Series is not.
For these reasons, we’re dubbing the V-Series the winner of the all-important price category by a hair. That said, if you’re hoping to secure the biggest possible TV you can find, consider the 85-inch 4-Series.
Our pick: Vizio V-Series
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Design
The Vizio V-Series features wide-set, angular feet that act as the stand.
In the design department, these TVs are quite similar; both are charcoal-colored rectangles fixed atop wide-set, boomerang-shaped feet that act as the TV stand. The style will be familiar to anyone who’s been keeping up with TV design trends over the last several years.
Due to the nature of their display hardware, neither TV is particularly thin. Nevertheless, the panels are narrow enough to look good on the wall, should you decide to wall-mount.
The 4-Series isn't the sleekest TV you can buy, but it looks fine for what you're paying
To put it simply, both the 4-Series and V-Series blend basic, inoffensive design elements in a tidy, fuss-free package. They don’t have the premium fit and finish of posh, high-end TVs, but they’ll blend seamlessly into most living spaces.
While we certainly could dive deeper into the finest of details (bezel width, stand placement, etc.), it wouldn’t reveal much. This one’s a tie.
Our pick: Draw
Features and smart platform
The V-Series comes with Vizio's SmartCast platform pre-installed.
When it comes to hardware and software, the 4-Series and V-Series have a lot in common, so let’s start by exploring the features shared by both models:
- Resolution: 4K (3,840 x 2,160)
- Color depth: DCI-P3 color space/10-bit chroma resolution
- Display type: Full-array direct LED(VA panel)
- HDR compatibility: HDR10, HLG
- Refresh Rate: 60Hz
- Other features: Alexa, Google Assistant, Apple AirPlay 2
The V-Series has a couple of advantages over the 4-Series in regards to performance features. For one thing, the V-Series supports Dolby Vision, which is considered by most to be the strictest HDR benchmark. I’ll get into why this might not matter as much as you think in the performance section, but it’s nevertheless a nice feature to have in tow, as it allows the V-Series to make the most out of content mastered for the Dolby Vision format.
{{ callout }The 4-Series does not support Dolby Vision and can only pass the compressed version of Dolby Atmos.{{ /callout }}
The V-Series also supports lossless Dolby Atmos passthrough thanks to HDMI eARC, provided both your audio and the content source support Dolby TrueHD. The 4-Series, on the other hand, can only pass the compressed version of Dolby Atmos (Dolby Digital Plus) via HDMI ARC. If you’re mostly streaming your content (and who isn’t these days), you’ll be getting the compressed version of Atmos anyway, but it’s always nice to have options.
In the gaming department, the V-Series has another (admittedly minor) advantage: Auto Low Latency Mode (ALLM). This feature allows the V-Series to automatically switch into its designated gaming mode whenever a gaming console’s input is chosen. In other words, it lets you enjoy the benefits of low input lag without fumbling for a remote control and visiting the TV’s settings menu. If you own (or plan on buying) an Xbox Series X or PlayStation 5, this modest upgrade will certainly be appreciated.
The TCL 4-Series doesn't support as many performance-related features as the Vizio V-Series, but its Roku smart platform is our favorite of the bunch.
Despite these points in the V-Series’ favor, the 4-Series has the inside track when it comes to smart features. Most shoppers will likely opt for the Roku version of the 4-Series, which is our favorite smart platform. Navigating its menus is a fast and easy experience, especially great for tech novices, and the Roku Channel Store allows for some of the best app customization available today.
The V-Series, on the other hand, is stuck with Vizio’s proprietary smart platform, SmartCast. High-profile streaming apps like Disney+, Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime Video are pre-installed, but SmartCast doesn’t offer much in the way of customizability, and there’s no way to add more apps to the stable of pre-installed software.
Although there’s a fix for the majority of other apps you’d need in the way of “casting” content from your smartphone via Vizio’s Chromecast feature, we’d love to see more onboard options. There are a couple of good features to hang your hat on, including the aforementioned Google Chromecast and Apple AirPlay 2 support, but SmartCast simply does not offer the flexibility of TCL’s Roku TV platform.
If you foresee yourself relying on your next TV’s built-in streaming options for the majority of your viewings, you should pay special attention to the 4-Series, as it's the better contender in this category. There’s no denying that the V-Series offers better performance-related features of the two, but when it comes to the overall software experience, the 4-Series laps it.
Our pick: TCL 4-Series
Picture performance
Of the two TVs, the TCL 4-Series (seen here) delivers a slightly brighter picture in HDR.
Right off the bat, it’s important to remember that the 4-Series and the V-Series are built for affordability rather than performance. Both sets offer a dependably good-looking picture, but these TVs won’t showcase the splendor of HDR like a top-shelf flagship. That said, there are points of comparison to be made that will help illuminate the strengths and limitations of each model.
The 4-Series is the brighter of the two TVs—but not by much. TV brightness is often reported in “nits,” a common shorthand for a measurement of luminance output. For the 4-Series, we measured a peak brightness level of around 270 nits. This is enough punch for an average-lit room (and certainly a dark room), but content mastered for HDR won’t wow the senses.
The V-Series, on the other hand, struggles to get much higher than 200 nits, regardless of whether you’re watching SDR or HDR content. The V-Series’ brightness ceiling is easily its weakest performance attribute.
But brightness doesn’t tell the whole story, and what the V-Series lacks in sheer horsepower it makes up for in other areas of performance. For one thing, the V-Series features better out-of-the-box color reproduction than the 4-Series. It covers an impressive 98% of the SDR color space (Rec.709) compared to the 4-Series’ 89%. Seeing as how most broadcast and streaming content is still mastered for SDR, this skill goes a long way.
The V-Series' consistently deep black levels are one of the reasons the TV is a reliable pick for folks who just want a decent picture for a low cost.
The V-Series also offers consistently deeper black levels, which help offset its lack of brightness. This is one of the reasons why it’s better suited for dark-room viewing than the 4-Series.
And while you certainly won’t be getting the best possible Dolby Vision experience with the V-Series on account of its dim panel, it’s nevertheless a bonus to get Dolby Vision support right out of the box. Simply being able to process Dolby Vision metadata allows the V-Series to get more out of that content than it would otherwise.
With viewing angle and motion handling being equal, the V-Series is the better performer of these two models.
Our pick: Vizio V-Series
And the winner is…
The V-Series offers tremendous value for non-fussy shoppers who just want a 4K TV without spending an arm and a leg.
The Vizio V-Series is one of the best budget-friendly TVs you can buy, thanks to a wide variety of size options, some truly sensational price points, and better performance chops than most TVs in this price range. While it’s not exactly kitted out for movies and consoles, cinephiles and gamers will nevertheless appreciate its modest arrangement of A/V features and ALLM support.
That said, if you want a TV with a brilliantly simple interface that's a veritable Swiss army knife of streaming options, I urge you to consider the TCL 4-Series Roku TV. It undoubtedly offers a better, more-flexible software experience than the V-Series.
Want the best of both worlds? If you’re willing to use up one of the V-Series’ three HDMI ports on an external streaming device, you needn’t worry about the limitations of Vizio’s SmartCast platform.
Buy the Vizio V-Series at Amazon
Buy the TCL 4-Series at Amazon
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Prices were accurate at the time this article was published but may change over time.