TCL - 98" Class S5 S-Class 4K UHD HDR LED Smart TV with Google TV (2023)
Model: 98S550G
SKU: 6551177
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Customers love the picture quality and size of the 98" Class S5 S-Class 4K UHD HDR LED Smart TV with Google TV (2023), frequently praising its brightness and ease of use. Many also appreciate the value for the price. While some users noted areas for improvement in motion clarity, the overall response highlights the impressive visual experience and user-friendliness of this large-screen television.
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.
I am in no way an expert but own a few different TV's with varying picture qualities to be able to give a decent review. I own a 2017 LG B7A OLED which has a phenomenal picture, a 2020 Vizio Series Quantum which also has a great picture with ton of features, and finally the 86 Inch LG that this TCL ultimately replaced. I originally ordered the Hisense u8k from Amazon and it seemed like it was never going to ship. When I noticed best buy put this TCL model on sale for 2499.99 and included free delivery and wall mounting I had to take a turn and order this model. I was honestly worried the whole time that I was settling, but that changed when the tv was delivered and set up. Since this doesn't have a Quantum dot filter on it I figured I would get muted colors which is the case of other budget TV's but I was wrong. Im a huge fan of a saturated HDR picture and this one is vibrant. I had to turn it down slightly. In short the colors are fantastic on this set. Very comparable to the Qled Vizio that I mentioned before. Doesn't look like a budget set at all. Peak brightness seems to be very good on this set as well. I ran a YouTube pattern test and it looks like it gets to around 600 nits in HDR which isn't bad at all compared to some budget sets. Black levels are really good as well considering this TV doesn't have local dimming. It's not inky black like the OLED but it's miles better than the 86 Inch LG it replaced (yes I know the LG is an IPS panel but I imagine there will be others replace an IPS panel with this). This set also meets all the current gaming specs that are out today. This set is fantastic and feels like a significant upgrade over the model it replaced. I couldn't be happier. I have no doubt that the Hisense would have been excellent also considering the features but this felt like a safer bet since a lot of people were having panel issues with the Hisense. I have no regret or remorse on buying this model The geek squad did an excellent and quick job mounting the TV. A hassle free process for the buyer.
Posted by IsaacB
I was apprehensive about getting this TV, i was worried about it not being a Qled with it’s size. All of those worries were put aside when the geek squad came to instal it. Let them do it BTW this thing is massive. I love the size but it also has an amazing picture, from streaming NFL games on YouTube TV, playing games on the PS5, or watching a movie in dolby vision or HDR 10 I am blown away by the quality and brightness. It truly is and immersive experience to say the least, watching 4K videos of beautiful landscapes it feels almost like you are riding on Soarin’. If you are on the fence let me be the push that sends you over, you wont regret it!
Posted by Techjunkie
I purchased the TCL 98S550 before Black Friday for $2999 and was able to match the price when it dropped to $2499. On 1/22/24, I was able to price match the $1999 price for even more savings. I know TCL is probably clearing out their older models to make way for the new ones, but to get a 98" TV for less than $2k is amazing. I originally had a 110" screen and a Sony 295ES 4k projector. Unfortunately, I rarely used my theater room because it's located on my third floor and I have an LC 77" C1 TV in my first floor living room, so I mainly stayed downstairs to watch TV or play video games. After surfing YouTube one night and seeing an unboxing and review of this TV, I decided to sell my projector and put the money towards this TV. I was excited about not having to worry about a light controlled room, new HDR formats and Dolby Vision, and the ability to play my games at 4k@120Hz. Getting this TV to my third floor was definitely a chore. The delivery folks had to take the TV out of the box and then go out the front door just so they could angle the TV to go upstairs. I had to unscrew the railing on my second floor so they could swing the TV around and they then had to finagle the TV through the doorway leading to the third floor and up a narrow staircase! They were definitely sweating and took a few breaks. I offered them all the water and gatorade they needed, plus gave them a generous tip. Because of the size of the TV and the length of my center speaker, I had to build a custom TV stand using 2x10's. Once they installed the legs on the TV and lifted the TV onto the TV stand, I told them to power up the TV to make sure it turned on, and then I let them leave. Setup was breeze. I setup a Google Account and installed all the streaming apps I use. I ran a 25 foot HDMI 2.1 cable from the eArc HDMI output on the TV to the eARC input on my Marantz SR6014. Everything sounded great until I noticed an anomaly from the Dolby App on my Xbox Series X. For some reason, it didn't recognize Dolby Atmos and the app wouldn't even let me test tone the speakers because it said Atmos was not supported. So after some back and forth and research, I decided to replace my Marantz receiver with the Denon 3800. This allowed me to hook up all my equipment through the receiver and get 4K@120Hz from my Xbox and PS5. When I fired up my Xbox and opened the Dolby App, everything was now working fine! The picture far and away blows my old Sony 4k projector out of the water. Being able to have my lights on and still be able to view what's on the screen is a huge plus for me. Even though the black levels are better on the TV vs the projector, that is still one my complaint on this TV. When the lights are on, the picture is great and I don't really notice the black levels. However, when the lights are off, I can definitely tell that the screen is backlit and that the blacks are more dark grey. To counteract this and provide more contrast, I decided to install an LED light strip behind the TV, which tricks my eyes into believing the black levels are darker. All in all, this is an excellent TV for the price. I've started to use my theater room a little more which I'm happy about. Obviously I have a little buyer's remorse since the Hisense 100" came down in price to $4k, but it sold out pretty quickly. If you have the room in your house for a 98" TV and don't want to spend a fortune, you really can't go wrong. If you're a home theater aficionado who prefers inky blacks like an OLED, you might be better off investing a little more into a Mini LED or QLED set.
Posted by flipstyle79