Customers value the 50" Class 5-Series QLED 4K UHD Smart Google TV for its exceptional picture quality, budget-friendly price, and easy setup process. They appreciate the vibrant colors, sharp images, and smooth gaming experience. However, some customers have expressed concerns about the TV's software issues, limited viewing angles, and the quality of the remote control and built-in speakers.
This summary was generated by AI based on customer reviews.
The vast majority of our reviews come from verified purchases. Reviews from customers may include My Best Buy members, employees, and Tech Insider Network members (as tagged). Select reviewers may receive discounted products, promotional considerations or entries into drawings for honest, helpful reviews.
Page 1 Showing 1-20 of 444 reviews
Pros mentioned:
Google tv, Picture quality
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
Great picture but still some software issues
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Posted . Owned for less than 1 week when reviewed.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
The TCL 5 Series S546 offers a lot of bang for the buck when it comes to features and value, my experience has been good with prior models so it’s an obvious choice for a TV with decent picture quality on a budget that will please the majority of people.
The TV’s picture is fantastic with no major panel defects like DSE, banding etc. Picture is very clear, but colors seemed off to me out of the box (this is very subjective according to taste) with it being oversaturated and skin tones having a slight green tint to them. I prefer natural skin tones and less exaggerated colors, I attempted to calibrate the colors myself and could not get the picture the way I wanted it. After a YouTube search for “TCL S546 Settings” I found a guy named QUANTUM TV video who settings fixed all my issues with color and made the picture perfect. SDR over the air via antenna content 720p & 1080i looks really good with 480i just looking ok. HDR content Dolby Vision & HDR10 with streaming services, Blu-Ray is fantastic. Sound is just average.
Google TV user interface was fine until it updated to latest firmware: Software Ver: V8-R51MT05-LF1V173.020128 which made slower afterwards, hard resetting the TV by turning it off -holding the power button for 15 seconds-then choose reset option fixed this, but OS is still glitchy sometimes with the settings button not working when depressed every now and then. Live OTA TV guide lags and does not propagate info sometimes also. I’m sure TCL with address these bugs in future firmware updates. Overall, I really like Google TV’s layout and voice commands that makes it so much easier to find what I want watch. There are 12 gigs of total storage for apps so that future proofs it a bit.
With any newly released device there are going to be a few bugs to iron out and when that happens this is 5-star product, many will be happy with it.
I would recommend this to a friend
Brand response from TCLExpert
Posted .
Hello Gadgetmang, Thank you for taking the time to provide your feedback. We are truly sorry to hear about your experience.
At TCL, we are committed to delivering premium products with world-class customer experience. We would like to share that recent software updates have allowed us to make significant improvements on the stability and responsiveness of the TCL televisions featuring Google TV.
Your television should update automatically, but if you would like to ensure you have the most recent software, visit go.tcl.com/gtv-swup to view step-by-step instructions on how to easily perform an update. If you need any further assistance, please reach out to us at [email protected] with your contact information and a description of what you need help with. Someone will get back to you as soon as they can.
Thank you,
TCL Customer Support
Pros mentioned:
Color, Google tv, Picture quality
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
A Fantastic Budget TV That Beats Expectations!
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Posted . Owned for 5 months when reviewed.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
When I first purchased this TV from the helpful employees, my expectations were quite low. The price point, "QLED," and the fact that its a TCL had me thinking it would be "good enough" for gaming and YouTube, but not likely to impress. After turning it one starting my xbox, I found it to be fine, nothing more. However, my brother told me I had to adjust the settings first, and change the mode. I swapped it, altered the brightness and contrast, and it was like night and day. The colors came to life, the picture was sharp, and the black was flawlessly dark. Needless to say, I quickly changed my opinion and realized the TV was top tier, like the OLEDs, (at least when you factor the price.) For what it cost, you honestly can't find a better TV in that price range, and its certain to surprise you!
I would recommend this to a friend
Brand response from TCLExpert
Posted .
Hi TheWizard,
Thank you for taking the time to provide your feedback. We're thrilled that you are enjoying your TV thus far! At TCL, we are committed to delivering premium products with world-class customer experience. We hope you continue to have a great experience and explore more of the great features our TVs have to offer. Enjoy!
Thank you,
Sara TCL Customer Support
Pros mentioned:
Picture quality
Cons mentioned:
Lag
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Best Budget TV for Most People
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Posted .
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
I went with the 50 inch tv... this is easily the best 4K tv for those of you who want an impressive screen without breaking the bank! First, I was hesitant to put money in an "off-brand", but at the black Friday price I was tempted to take a risk after I gave my wife my 5 year old 1080p LG tv. I know I am such a good husband! Thus far, I am impressed at what this TV gives me. Out of the box, installation is snappy quick and is literally plug in and play. You can choose to sync with your Google account which I didn't and instead chose the basic tv UI. This helps dramatically with beating lag. I will update this review after I digest the Google TV UI. The no frills basic mode meets my needs: YouTube, Netflix, and a few other standard apps. You will need to use an external cast device such as fire stick or Roku if you want to use basic mode without the Google UI. I also played around on my Xbox series X a bit which the tv seamlessly connects with. I see the full potential of UHD and 4K through the Xbox... Albeit at 60 frames. However, the visuals still pop and the motion blur is minimal. The default brightness on the TV is at maximum so I advise lowering them if you don't want a washed out screen and exaggerated colors. I did adjust the settings a bit for live sports, but the tv display settings are quite responsive. Sound wise, the tv is not nearly as impressive. I remedied this sort of by connecting my LG sound bar with the tv. The two devices did not intially connect, but I plugged in and out and hard reset the tv a few times until it did recognize the soundbar. I've had the tv for a little bit more than a week and I see a clear upgrade from my previous gen LG HD TV. Is it the best picture on the market? No. Is this an excellent under $500 tv that meets the needs of most people short of hardcore gamers and tech snobs? Yes. Remember to customize your tv settings if you have issues with the UI, look, or other modifiable aesthetics. TCL provides an included a manufacturer warranty but I went ahead and added a 2 year service plan just in case. My pics are of the Xbox UI and a few shots from sci Fi classics (T2 and Robocop). Again, the TV maximizes the picture quality of these older Blu ray movies.
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Picture quality
Cons mentioned:
Remote control
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
Good TV.
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Posted . Owned for less than 1 week when reviewed.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
I bought this TV to replace a Hisense 50H8G that had developed brown heat spots all over the screen. This TV is a good upgrade over that TV in terms of picture quality.
The remote and audio are worse though. The two 8 watt speakers sound hollow compared to the two 10 watt speakers on the 50H8G. The remote doesn't have a number pad or an input button. You have to access the number pad and inputs through on screen menus.
There was an update when I installed the TV, so I don't have a lag issue with Google TV like the first reviewer. It feels the same as it did on the 50H8G to me. The TV is running Android 11 which is better than the Android 9 running on the 50H8G. It has 11GB of storage with 8.9GB remaining.
I plan to get a Sound Bar to improve the audio. They should have had 4 HDMI inputs instead of just 3 also.
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Picture quality
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
Great TV for this price range
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Posted . Owned for 1 week when reviewed.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
The Google interface is a bit choppy and laggy. I feel the home screen struggles with this responsiveness due to loading up so much "recommended content." To bypass this, I selected the option to just display installed apps (which kind of defeats the purpose of having a Google TV). The remote is a little odd at first if you're used to having number buttons and channel/volume select on the front.
Other than that, picture quality is very good. Obviously you can't compare this to a QN90A or an LG OLED, but the S546 produces crisp images and its local contrast (dimming) feature is solid. It handles reflections pretty well. I mainly use this TV for gaming with my PS5; fast responsiveness little input lag and smooth motion. It isn't "future-proof" since the panel's refresh rate is only 60Hz, but I honestly don't see console games running 4k120 anytime soon. The built-in speakers are ok, so I'd recommend adding a sound bar if that's your thing. I use my Sennheiser GSP 601 headset when I game.
My kids use the TV for Disney+ and Youtube. No complaints from them!
I would recommend this to a friend
Brand response from TCLExpert
Posted .
Hello JeanHambeaux, Thank you for taking the time to provide your feedback. We are truly sorry to hear about your experience.
At TCL, we are committed to delivering premium products with world-class customer experience. We would like to share that recent software updates have allowed us to make significant improvements on the stability and responsiveness of the TCL televisions featuring Google TV.
Your television should update automatically, but if you would like to ensure you have the most recent software, visit go.tcl.com/gtv-swup to view step-by-step instructions on how to easily perform an update. If you need any further assistance, please reach out to us at [email protected] with your contact information and a description of what you need help with. Someone will get back to you as soon as they can.
Thank you,
TCL Customer Support
Pros mentioned:
Picture quality
Cons mentioned:
Remote control
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
TCL 50 Inch
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Posted . Owned for 1 week when reviewed.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
Picture quality is exceptional. I gave this model 4 stars because the on and off command on remote is delayed. I’ve had to unplug the tv for it to turn on several times. I’m not sure if that’s a software issue or not. Overall great quality great brand.
I would recommend this to a friend
Brand response from TCLExpert
Posted .
Hi! Thank you for taking the time to provide your feedback.
At TCL, we are committed to delivering premium products with world-class customer experience. We would like to share that recent software updates have allowed us to make significant improvements on the stability and responsiveness of the TCL televisions featuring Google TV.
Your television should update automatically, but if you would like to ensure you have the most recent software, visit go.tcl.com/gtv-swup to view step-by-step instructions on how to easily perform an update. If you need any further assistance, please reach out to us at [email protected] with your contact information and a description of what you need help with. Someone will get back to you as soon as they can.
Thank you,
Joyce TCL Customer Support
Pros mentioned:
Color
Cons mentioned:
Software, Speakers
Rated 3 out of 5 stars
Hard to recommend
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Posted . Owned for 3 weeks when reviewed.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
This is a easy and hard tv to recommend. This is honestly the most impressive tv i have seen at this price (i bought it when it was $500, now its much lower which is better). The colors, black levels and motion is one of the best i have ever seen. The problem with this tv is the operating system, it’s so bad in fact that you have to disable “quick start” to even be able to appreciate this tv, if it’s turn on, the tv will have awful color accuracy with a bad green hue. The internal speakers are really really bad, You will NEED external speakers and a external streaming device (apps crash or don’t even start at all).
If you have external speakers, a external streaming device and if you don’t mind waiting around 40 seconds for the tv to turn on every time (because quick start will have to be disabled to look good) You will absolutely love this tv
I would recommend this to a friend
Brand response from TCLExpert
Posted .
Hi George,
Thank you for taking the time to provide your feedback. We are truly sorry to hear about your experience.
At TCL, we are committed to delivering premium products with world-class customer experience. We would like to share that recent software updates have allowed us to make significant improvements on the stability and responsiveness of the TCL televisions featuring Google TV.
Your television should update automatically, but if you would like to ensure you have the most recent software, visit go.tcl.com/gtv-swup to view step-by-step instructions on how to easily perform an update. If you need any further assistance, please reach out to us at [email protected] with your contact information and a description of what you need help with. Someone will get back to you as soon as they can.
Thank you,
TCL Customer Support
Pros mentioned:
Picture quality
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
Like This Google TV
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Posted . Owned for 1 month when reviewed.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
For the price, screen dimensions and performance I feel that this Google TV is better than average. I wouldn't rate it 5 stars because the sound quality could use some improvement in my opinion. A sound bar would give it the sound boost that would make it more pronounced but I'm definitely content with this Best Buy TV purchase as is.
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Picture quality
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
$550 is a steal!
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Posted . Owned for less than 1 week when reviewed.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
I bought this TV for my Xbox Series X. VRR, ALLM, eARC, Dolby Vision/Atmos + QLED. Nice quality picture I really have no complaints. This TV is NOT HDMI 2.1 so you will not have 4k 120hz. Dolby Vision gaming is enabled but you must select VRR or Dolby.
I would recommend this to a friend
Brand response from TCLExpert
Posted .
Hi Eddie323,
Thank you for taking the time to provide your feedback. We're thrilled that you are enjoying your TV thus far! If you ever need any assistance, please reach out to us at [email protected] with your contact information and a description of what you need help with. Enjoy!
Thank you,
Sara TCL Customer Support
Pros mentioned:
Picture quality
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
Great value 4K TV
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Posted . Owned for 3 weeks when reviewed.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
Decent picture for the price. 50-inch 4K screen with google TV. Surprisingly excellent TV tuner. Some uneven illumination, but for this price is certainly forgivable. Great choice for bedroom or kids room.
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Price
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
TCL 50” qled great buy
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Posted . Owned for 3 weeks when reviewed.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
Great tv on a budget, 5k and qled technology on a great price
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Picture quality
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Love my new TV!
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Posted . Owned for 3 weeks when reviewed.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
I’m loving my new TV! This is the biggest TV I’ve ever had. The quality is amazing and the Dolby speakers make it sound like I have a separate speaker attached to it. I’ve had absolute 0 issues so far and will be getting this brand again! (Lights in picture not included with the TV I got them on amazon)
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Color, Picture quality
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
TCL S546 50” QLED Google TV
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Posted . Owned for 2 weeks when reviewed.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
Replaced older TCL 4 Series 43” with this TV. I like it. VERY bright. Consulted a few TV Review websites and YouTube vids to get color adjustments and am quite pleased with the picture quality. Colors are bright and blacks are black. Best set of this size under $400. Recommended.
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Picture quality
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Great tv
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Posted . Owned for 7 months when reviewed.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
I love my tv. The picture is perfect and it’s never given me any problems. I immediately started using an Apple TV so I’m not sure about the google software, but the tv it’s self is fantastic
I would recommend this to a friend
Brand response from TCLExpert
Posted .
Hi Finn,
Thank you for taking the time to provide your feedback. We're thrilled that you are enjoying your TV thus far! At TCL, we are committed to delivering premium products with world-class customer experience. We hope you continue to have a great experience and explore more of the great features our TVs have to offer. Enjoy!
Thank you,
Sara TCL Customer Support
Pros mentioned:
Picture quality
Cons mentioned:
Lag
Rated 2 out of 5 stars
Good enough
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Posted . Owned for 3 weeks when reviewed.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
Picture looks ok have played with pictures seeding to better good pictures quickly.. sounds could be better...tv have lots of settings to do that.playstion playing was a little lagging...on it... but other wise it was good.....
I would recommend this to a friend
Brand response from TCLExpert
Posted .
Hi Onetosee,
Thank you for taking the time to provide your feedback. We’re sorry to hear that you are not having the same great experience that the majority of our customers report having. We would love the opportunity to look into this for you to see if we can assist you. Please reach out to us at [email protected] with your contact information and a description of what you need help with. Someone will get back to you as soon as they can.
Thank you,
Sara TCL Customer Support
Pros mentioned:
Picture quality
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Dope
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Posted . Owned for 3 weeks when reviewed.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
Man the tv Ight not as in alright but it’s pretty good and a great gift for my mom. I was watching LIGHTYEAR on the Disney+ and it look so realistic. I even dropped a picture of how dope it looked below.
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Picture quality
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Best 50 inch
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Posted . Owned for 8 months when reviewed.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
Great tv pretty wide for tv size and extremely loud for size it was shocking
I would recommend this to a friend
Brand response from TCLExpert
Posted .
Hi Melissagut,
Thank you for taking the time to provide your feedback. We're thrilled that you are enjoying your TV thus far! Our TVs are designed and engineered to have a quick and easy setup, be user friendly, and provide a great viewing experience. We hope you continue to have a great experience and explore more of the great features our TVs have to offer. Enjoy!
Thank you,
Sara TCL Customer Support
Pros mentioned:
Picture quality
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Cool tv
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Posted . Owned for 1 month when reviewed.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
Pretty cool tv don’t know anything about tvs. But it is very nice good colors for sports and tv shoes
I would recommend this to a friend
Brand response from TCLExpert
Posted .
Hi Adrian,
Thank you for taking the time to provide your feedback. We hope that you are enjoying your TV thus far! Our TVs are designed and engineered to have a quick and easy setup, be user friendly, and provide a great viewing experience. We hope you continue to have a great experience and explore more of the great features our TVs have to offer. Enjoy!
Thank you,
Sara TCL Customer Support
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Great TV for the Price
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Posted . Owned for 9 months when reviewed.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
Love it, the smart interface is great and one of the snappiest I've used. The visual quality is exactly what you want at the price point. The only thing I would improve is adding more local dimming zones, but the number of zones is consistent with the price point.
I would recommend this to a friend
Brand response from TCLExpert
Posted .
Hi Josh,
Thank you for taking the time to provide your feedback. We hope that you are enjoying your TV thus far! We are always looking for ways to improve, and your feedback is greatly appreciated! If you need any assistance please contact us at [email protected] with your contact information and a description of what you need help with. Someone will get back to you as soon as they can. Enjoy!
Thank you,
Sara TCL Customer Support
Pros mentioned:
Picture quality
Rated 3 out of 5 stars
Good so far just a few issues
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Posted . Owned for less than 1 week when reviewed.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
So I received the TV about 3-4 days ago and it pretty good so far just a few problems. Day 1 there was this problem where whenever I was playing a game on my Xbox One X out of no where the screen would just flash with a green hue to it. I changed the picture mode and it seems to have fixed it but I'm still kinda paranoid about it. Second problem is that the picture mode changes by itself randomly and I dont know how to fix it. I could be playing a game on my xbox while its on game mode and when I turn the tv off or switch screens the picture mode randomly changes to Movie or Sports mode instead of the Game mode I had it set to and its really annoying having to change it back to the picture mode I want every time. If anyone knows how to make it that the picture mode stays at what I originally put it as please tell me. But besides from those 2 problems the TV's display pannel is pretty good. The colors are nice when I have it set to my settings and the image is nice and crisp overall. Like I said earlier the picture mode randomly changing is just the big one for me.
I would recommend this to a friend
Brand response from TCLExpert
Posted .
Hi Steven,
Thank you for taking the time to provide your feedback. We are truly sorry to hear about your experience.
At TCL, we are committed to delivering premium products with world-class customer experience. We would like to share that recent software updates have allowed us to make significant improvements on the stability and responsiveness of the TCL televisions featuring Google TV.
Your television should update automatically, but if you would like to ensure you have the most recent software, visit go.tcl.com/gtv-swup to view step-by-step instructions on how to easily perform an update. If you need any further assistance, please reach out to us at [email protected] with your contact information and a description of what you need help with. Someone will get back to you as soon as they can.