TCL Class S3 40S350R Review

When we first got our hands on the TCL Class S3 40S350R, we were eager to test it out and see how it stacks up against other budget-friendly TVs in the market. As soon as we plugged it in, we were impressed by its straightforward setup and the Roku TV interface, which made navigating streaming services effortless. The picture quality was decent for its price, and the smart features like voice control and streaming apps really stood out as a convenient touch for a TV in this range.

However, we also quickly noticed a few limitations. The sound quality wasn’t the best, and we could see that fast-paced gaming might not be ideal on this model due to input lag. Despite these small drawbacks, we found the overall experience to be more than satisfactory for casual watching and streaming.

In this review, we’ll walk you through our experience with the TCL 40S350R, sharing everything from its design to performance, and ultimately help you decide if this TV is the right fit for your needs. Whether you’re looking for a simple, reliable TV for the living room or a secondary space, this model could be exactly what you’re looking for. 

Design & Aesthetics

The TCL Class S3 40S350R stands out with its clean, modern design that feels both practical and stylish. From the moment we unboxed it, the matte black finish immediately gave it a polished and understated look, making it easy to blend into any room. Its minimalist approach, with slim bezels that frame the screen, enhances the overall appearance and creates a more immersive viewing experience. The thin bezels not only look sleek but also make the TV feel more premium, especially for its size and price range like Samsung CU7000 TV.

The overall build quality is solid, with a durable yet lightweight frame that’s easy to handle. Its slim profile, at just 3.6 inches deep without the stand, gives it a contemporary feel, whether mounted on the wall or placed on a TV stand. Speaking of the stand, the V-shaped legs provide excellent stability and add to the modern aesthetic like the LG UR9000 TV. The legs elevate the TV just enough to leave room underneath for small accessories, like a soundbar, without drawing attention away from the overall design. Despite their minimalistic look, the legs feel sturdy and well-engineered to support the TV’s weight.

At 40 inches (with an actual screen size of 39.5 inches diagonally), the TV strikes a perfect balance between compactness and presence. It’s neither too bulky for smaller spaces nor too small to make an impact in a medium-sized room. The back of the TV is designed with clean lines that keep it visually appealing, even from behind. The port placement is thoughtful, making it easy to manage cables while maintaining a tidy appearance.

The matte black finish adds a subtle elegance, making the TV look more expensive than it actually is. The design is versatile, fitting well in a variety of settings, from a modern living room to a cozy bedroom. Overall, the TCL Class S3 40S350R’s design hits the mark with its combination of simplicity, functionality, and style. We’d rate its design and look a solid 85/100 for its ability to blend seamlessly into any space while still standing out as a thoughtfully crafted piece of technology.

Materials and Build Quality

The TCL Class S3 40S350R features a construction that prioritizes durability while maintaining a modern aesthetic. The FullView bezel-less design is crafted using high-quality materials, giving the TV a premium feel despite being in the budget range. The metal bezel adds to the overall sturdiness of the frame, providing a solid structure that holds up well during setup and use. Its build quality ensures it doesn’t feel flimsy, a common issue in lower-end models.

The plastic back panel is lightweight, helping reduce the overall weight of the TV, making it easier to mount on the wall or place on a TV stand. Despite being constructed mainly from plastic, the overall finish feels sleek, and the TV doesn’t feel cheap. It’s well put together with minimal flex, ensuring that it holds up well under normal usage. The direct LED backlighting adds a touch of sophistication and enhances the display’s uniformity, further elevating the overall viewing experience.

Given its sturdy build and premium feel, the TV offers good durability for the price range. The materials, though not high-end, are reliable for a device in this category.

Picture Quality

The TCL Class S3 40S350R provides a solid picture quality that impressed us, especially considering its budget-friendly price tag. The 1080p Full HD resolution offers clear and sharp images, making it great for watching movies, shows, and even playing casual games but it doesn’t have quality like Samsung CU8000 TV. The visuals are crisp, and we appreciated how the Direct LED backlighting ensured consistent brightness across the screen.

In terms of color, it delivers a decent range, with vibrant hues that pop without feeling oversaturated. Watching colorful scenes in movies or TV shows was a pleasant experience, as the color reproduction is generally accurate. However, we did notice that the black levels weren’t as deep as on higher-end models, which led to some loss of detail in darker scenes. While this might not be a major issue for casual viewing, it could be a concern if you’re used to richer contrast levels.

The viewing angles are acceptable, but like most budget models, the picture can shift in color and brightness when viewed from the sides. Still, for regular viewing at a typical seating distance, it performed well, and we didn’t find ourselves struggling with the quality.

Overall, the TCL 40 inch tv 40S350R gives a great viewing experience for its price. It’s not the most advanced TV in terms of color accuracy or contrast, but it provides solid performance for everyday use, streaming, and even some casual gaming.

Sound Quality

The sound quality of the TCL Class S3 40S350R is decent but not outstanding. For a budget-friendly TV, it performs adequately for general watching, including TV shows, movies, and casual gaming. The built-in stereo speakers provide clear dialogue and can fill a medium-sized room with sound. However, the audio lacks depth, especially in terms of bass, which can make action scenes or music-heavy content feel flat.

While the sound clarity is generally good for standard television programming, volume levels may need to be cranked up when watching more dynamic content, as the TV doesn’t have the power to create rich, booming sound on its own. The treble is acceptable, but it can get a little harsh at higher volumes.

For a more immersive experience, adding an external sound system, like a soundbar or external speakers, would be a good idea. With its limited audio range, this TV does a good job for everyday use, but it’s not meant to compete with higher-end models when it comes to sound quality.

While the sound quality is serviceable for everyday use, it doesn’t offer much beyond basic performance. Adding external speakers or a soundbar would be a good way to improve the audio experience if you’re an audiophile or looking for richer sound.

Smart Features

The TCL Class S3 40S350R comes with Roku TV built-in, which significantly enhances its smart features. Roku’s interface is user-friendly, providing access to a wide range of streaming services like Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, Disney+, and many others. The Roku TV platform is one of the easiest to navigate, making it simple to find your favorite content without unnecessary complexity.

Additionally, the TV offers voice control capabilities through compatible devices like Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant, which allows you to change channels, adjust the volume, or launch apps without needing the remote. 

The screen mirroring feature is also a nice touch, allowing you to share content from your phone, tablet, or computer directly onto the TV. This is especially useful for viewing photos, videos, or presentations from mobile devices on a larger screen.

Although it’s not loaded with the most cutting-edge smart features, the Roku TV platform offers a solid and dependable experience for everyday users who enjoy easy access to streaming apps and basic voice control.

While it may not offer the most advanced smart features like some premium models, the Roku TV integration is reliable and efficient, offering an excellent balance of simplicity and functionality.

Connectivity and Usability

The TCL Class S3 40S350R offers solid connectivity and usability, making it a practical option for everyday use. It comes equipped with a good selection of ports to accommodate various devices. The TV has 3 HDMI ports, including one with ARC (Audio Return Channel) support, which is convenient for connecting external sound systems. It also has a USB port for playing media files from external storage devices, such as flash drives or hard drives.

For wireless connectivity, the TV supports Wi-Fi and can easily connect to your home network, enabling smooth streaming of online content like Samsung AU8000 TV. Setting up streaming apps like Netflix, Hulu, or Disney+ is straightforward thanks to the Roku TV platform. Additionally, the Ethernet port allows for a more stable wired internet connection if preferred.

In terms of usability, the TV’s Roku interface is intuitive and easy to navigate. Whether you’re scrolling through streaming apps or adjusting settings, everything feels accessible. The remote control is simple, with dedicated buttons for popular streaming platforms and easy-to-use navigation arrows. The inclusion of voice control through Alexa and Google Assistant also enhances usability by allowing hands-free operation.

Despite its simplicity, the TCL 40-Inch Class S3 1080p LED Smart TV with Roku TV provides all the connectivity options most users need, and it’s very easy to set up and use, making it a good choice for anyone who values straightforward functionality.

The connectivity options and overall usability are solid, but there could be more advanced features for users who need specific ports or more robust networking options. Still, for the price and typical use cases, it offers more than enough flexibility and ease of use.

Gaming Performance

The TCL Class S3 40S350R provides a decent gaming performance for casual gamers but isn’t built for competitive or high-end gaming experiences. With its Full HD resolution, the graphics look clear and sharp, making it suitable for most gaming titles, especially at a typical viewing distance. The Direct LED backlighting offers good brightness, and the color reproduction is solid, providing a reasonably immersive visual experience for non-competitive gaming.

However, it lacks some of the features you’d typically want for a smoother gaming experience, like a higher refresh rate (it operates at 60Hz), which can result in some motion blur during fast-paced action. The input lag is also noticeable, which could be a concern for more competitive gamers who rely on quick responses. The TV does have 3 HDMI ports, so connecting consoles like the PS5, Xbox Series X, or Switch is straightforward, though it doesn’t support advanced gaming features such as HDMI 2.1 or variable refresh rate (VRR).

Overall, the TCL 40-Inch Class S3 1080p LED Smart TV is a solid choice for casual gaming with casual titles like platformers, RPGs, or strategy games, but it may not be ideal for fast-paced or competitive gaming where every frame counts.

For casual gamers, it provides a satisfactory experience, but it lacks the advanced gaming features needed for high-level, competitive play.

Value of the Money

The TCL Class S3 40S350R offers significant value for money, making it an excellent choice for budget-conscious buyers. It provides a Full HD resolution and Roku TV built-in, offering access to popular streaming apps like Netflix, Hulu, and Disney+. This feature set, combined with solid picture quality and ease of use, makes it an attractive option at its price point.

When compared to other similarly priced models, the TCL 40S350R offers good performance, especially in connectivity, usability, and smart features. You get solid HD visuals, Roku’s user-friendly interface, and a variety of connectivity options, including Wi-Fi, USB, and HDMI ports, all at an affordable price. However, the sound quality and gaming performance could be better, but these drawbacks are to be expected for a TV in this price range.

Overall, if you’re looking for an affordable TV with essential smart features and decent performance for general entertainment, the TCL 40″ S Class 1080p FHD LED Smart TV with Roku TV delivers excellent value for money.

Given its performance and feature set, it’s a great value for budget-conscious shoppers, offering good quality at a reasonable price, even if it has some limitations.

Final Verdict 

The TCL Class S3 40S350R offers significant value for money, making it an excellent choice for budget-conscious buyers. It provides a Full HD resolution and Roku TV built-in, offering access to popular streaming apps like Netflix, Hulu, and Disney+. This feature set, combined with solid picture quality and ease of use, makes it an attractive option at its price point.

When compared to other similarly priced models, the TCL 40S350R offers good performance, especially in connectivity, usability, and smart features. You get solid HD visuals, Roku’s user-friendly interface, and a variety of connectivity options, including Wi-Fi, USB, and HDMI ports, all at an affordable price. However, the sound quality and gaming performance could be better, but these drawbacks are to be expected for a TV in this price range.

Overall, if you’re looking for an affordable TV with essential smart features and decent performance for general entertainment, the TCL 40S350R delivers excellent value for money.