If you're on a budget, the TCL S455 might be more suitable as it's less expensive than the TCL R745 and offers decent picture quality with good performance when watching news, talk shows, reality TV, cartoons, and animation. It also provides better contrast and is fairly bright, which is useful in darker rooms.
On the other hand, if you're a gaming enthusiast and willing to invest more, the TCL R745 offers superior gaming performance and sound quality, along with support for advanced HDR formats like Dolby Vision which enhances the visual experience in movies and games. However, it's more expensive and its overall picture quality is not as high as the S455, and it performs less well in bright rooms.
Both models have limitations in viewing angles and might not be the best choice if you often watch TV from an angle. Give Feedback
this description is based on the product variant with some specs and product variant with some specs. At the time of writing, the variant with some specs cost some dollars and the variant with some specs cost some dollars.
Advantages of the TCL S455 (LCD)
The TCL S455 (LCD) has no clear advantages over the TCL R745 (LCD).
Advantages of the TCL R745 (LCD)
Good for gaming
Good reflections
Key differences
Picture Quality
6.5/10
5.6/10
6.43/10
CONTRAST
4.97/10
6.3/10
COLOR VOLUME SCORE
5.8/10
LED
PANEL TYPE
LED
VA
PANEL SUB-TYPE
VA
The TCL S455 (LCD) has only fair picture quality, while the TCL R745 (LCD) has poor picture quality.
Movies & TV
6.0/10
5.2/10
6.43/10
CONTRAST
4.97/10
9.2/10
BLACK UNIFORMITY
5.0/10
7.5/10
UPSCALING
7.5/10
Yes
HDR10 SUPPORT
Yes
No
HDR10+ SUPPORT
No
No
DOLBY VISION SUPPORT
Yes
The TCL S455 (LCD) is only fair for movies & TV, while the TCL R745 (LCD) is poor.
The TCL S455 shows better contrast and exceptional black uniformity, which are crucial for a rich movie-watching experience, but it struggles with color accuracy and viewing angles. On the other hand, the TCL R745 has inferior contrast and poor black uniformity, detracting from the cinematic experience, although it performs slightly better in terms of color volume and gray uniformity.
Gaming
5.7/10
7.4/10
6.0/10
RESPONSE TIME SCORE
6.1/10
10.0/10
INPUT LAG SCORE
10.0/10
4.6/10
MOTION PROCESSING
4.6/10
10.0/100
GAMING LOCAL DIMMING
0.0/100
5.8/10
GAME HDR BRIGHTNESS SCORE
5.7/10
The TCL R745 (LCD) is good for gaming, while the TCL S455 (LCD) is poor.
The TCL S455 has a fair response time and best input lag, while the TCL R745 also has a fair response time but stands out with a higher refresh rate of 120Hz compared to the S455's 60Hz, which may contribute to a smoother gaming experience on the R745.
Cost
$584
$1,700
$0
$500
$1,000
$1,500
$2,000
$2,500
$3,000
The TCL S455 (LCD) has a price of $584 and the TCL R745 (LCD) costs $1,700.
The TCL R745 (LCD) and TCL S455 (LCD) are both only fair for sports.
The TCL S455 and TCL R745 both have limitations in motion processing which affects the clarity of fast-moving objects, which is a crucial aspect for sports viewing. Additionally, the S455's reflections handling is rated lower, which can be distracting in well-lit rooms, while the R745 offers better viewing angles and reflections handling, making it a better choice for wider seating arrangements and brighter rooms.
Cartoons & Animation
6.0/10
5.9/10
5.9/10
COLOR GAMUT SCORE
6.5/10
6.3/10
COLOR VOLUME SCORE
5.8/10
6.3/10
SDR BRIGHTNESS SCORE
5.8/10
6.6/10
COLORS OUT OF THE BOX SCORE
7.7/10
5.8/10
GRAY UNIFORMITY
6.0/10
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers TCL S455 (LCD) to be only fair for cartoons & animation, while the TCL R745 (LCD) is poor.
The TCL S455 is better for cartoons and animation due to its fair color performance out of the box and a poor but somewhat passable color gamut. In contrast, the TCL R745, despite a good rating for colors out of the box, is held back by its poor color volume and gamut, making it less suitable for content where vibrant and consistent colors are important.
News, Talk, & Other TV
6.4/10
6.1/10
6.3/10
SDR BRIGHTNESS SCORE
5.8/10
7.5/10
UPSCALING
7.5/10
The TCL S455 (LCD) and TCL R745 (LCD) are both only fair for news, talk, & other TV.
The TCL S455 has solid upscaling and fair SDR brightness, crucial for regular TV shows, but lacks in local dimming and colour performance which might affect picture quality. On the other hand, the TCL R745 offers similar upscaling and struggles with SDR brightness too, yet delivers improved colors out of the box and contrast, potentially offering a slightly better picture for standard viewing.
Bright Room
6.0/10
5.8/10
5.1/10
VIEWING ANGLE
6.8/10
6.3/10
SDR BRIGHTNESS SCORE
5.8/10
5.6/10
HDR BRIGHTNESS SCORE
5.5/10
6.3/10
REFLECTIONS SCORE
7.8/10
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers TCL S455 (LCD) to be only fair for bright room, while the TCL R745 (LCD) is poor.
The TCL S455 is considered fair in a bright room because it handles reflections decently and offers fair brightness both for standard and high dynamic range content. In contrast, the TCL R745 is rated poor for bright rooms due to its inability to get very bright in both SDR and HDR, which, coupled with only fair reflection handling, can result in a subdued picture in well-lit conditions.
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How the TCL S455 (LCD) and the TCL R745 (LCD) compare to other TVs
"A highly affordable but reliably kitted-out 4K Roku TV that, while far from perfect, still punches above its price and delivers a great user experience. If you want to soup up movie night for a bargain, the 4-Series won’t let you down. You may never need to plug in a set-top box or streaming device."
Get a great deal on the TCL S455 (LCD) or the TCL R745 (LCD)
About TCL
TCL, the highly recognizable TV brand from China, has firmly established itself as the second-largest manufacturer in terms of sales volume. Renowned for striking an impressive balance between affordability, picture quality, and design, TCL TVs deliver a compelling overall package. While they have traditionally excelled in the low-end and midrange TV segments, TCL has recently made remarkable strides in the realm of high-end televisions, introducing impressive models that rival top competitors. Most TCL TVs use Roku software which is very user friendly and easy to use, but they have a few other models that use Google TV which has the largest app selection, but is not as user friendly as Roku.
This information was produced and vetted by the PerfectRec TVs team. We are a product research and recommendation organization that meticulously reviews and evaluates the latest TV information and makes it digestible for you.
By the numbers
385
TVs evaluated
33,110
TVs stats compiled
21
Proprietary TVs ratings developed
128,130
Recommendations made
19,220
Consumer hours saved
About the TV team
Joe Golden, Ph.D
CEO and TVs Editor
Joe is an entrepreneur and lifelong electronics enthusiast with a Ph.D in Economics from the University of Michigan.
Jason Lew
Staff Expert & Software Engineer
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Chandradeep Chowdhury
Staff Expert & Software Engineer
Chandradeep is a staff expert and software engineer and expert in televisions and monitors. He’s been making monitor recommendations for ten years.
Jaime Roldán
TVs Expert
Jaime is a Colombia-based TV expert. He is an electronics engineer with 8 years of experience in the telecom sector and has been making TV recommendations for 12 years.