If we talk about affordable 4K UHD TV, I’m sure that TCL S446 and S435 should be mentioned as our options. TCL S446 and S435 are both introduced as the basic 4K LED TV series from TCL. TCL S446 is introduced as part of TCL’s 2021 TV lineup while TCL S435 was released as part of the older 2020 TV lineup. Both TCL S446 and S435 come with 6 screen size options: 85-Inch (85S446 & 85S435), 75-Inch (75S446 & 75S435), 65-Inch (65S446 & 65S435), 55-Inch (55S446 & 55S435), 50-Inch (50S446 & 50S435) and 43-Inch (43S446 & 43S435). What are their similarities and differences? It’s important for us to talk about similarities and differences of TCL S446 and S435 before we can decide which of them is the better choice.
What are Their Similarities?
Since they are both introduced as the basic 4K LED TV series from TCL, we can easily guess that there are a number of similarities between TCL S446 and S435. What are their similarities? Before we talk more about similarities between TCL S446 and S435, let’s take a look at their similar specs and features in the table below.
| TCL S446 | TCL S435 | |
| Resolution | 4K UHD | 4K UHD |
| Display Technology | LED | LED |
| Backlight Type | Direct LED | Direct LED |
| Upscaling Technology | 4K Upscaling | 4K Upscaling |
| HDR Support |
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| Motion Technology | 60Hz Native | 60Hz Native |
| Gaming Technology | Auto Low Latency Mode (ALLM) | Auto Low Latency Mode (ALLM) |
| Remote Control | Voice Remote | Voice Remote |
| Built-in Wifi | 802.11ac | 802.11ac |
| Speaker System |
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TCL S446
Based on the table of similarities above, let’s talk more about similarities of TCL S446 and S435.
1. 4K UHD Resolution with Direct LED Backlight
Both TCL S446 and S435 come with 4K UHD resolution. They are also completed with 4K Upscaling technology to bring excellent picture clarity not only from original 4K content sources but also from non 4K contents that upscaled into near 4K picture quality. We can also find that both TCL S446 and S435 come with similar Direct LED backlight without any local dimming.
2. HDR Support
We can find that both TCL S446 and S435 already support HDR10 and HLG. With HDR10 and HLG support, we can enjoy enhanced details and expanded contrast from wide range of HDR content sources (HDR10 and HLG content sources).
3. Motion and Gaming Technology
The motion technology of TCL S446 and S435 are similar. They both come with 60Hz native refresh rate. Although it’s quite basic motion technology, 60Hz native refresh rate of TCL S446 and S435 is basically still can deliver good motion images for our favorite action movies and sports. We can also find Auto Low Latency Mode (ALLM) integrated with both TCL S446 and S435 to bring better gaming experience when we use those two TVs as our gaming monitor.
4. Smart TV with Voice Remote
Both TCL S446 and S435 already come as Smart TV although their smart TV platform (Operating System) are different. We can enjoy wide range of premium entertainment on the screen of those two TVs with 802.11ac dual band wireless provides easy connection to our home network. We can also find that both TCL S446 and S435 already come with Voice Remote although their remote control version are slightly different.
5. Speaker System
The speaker system integrated with TCL S446 and S435 are similar 2CH 16W (except 75-Inch and 85-Inch screen size option). Although it’s quite basic, we can still enjoy good sound quality from the speaker system of those two TVs. But if you are looking for more powerful surround sound, then you can easily attach additional soundbar to those two TVs.
What are Their Differences?
There are few differences between TCL S446 and S435 besides a number of similarities that we have talked before. What are their differences? Let’s take a look at the different specs and features of TCL S446 and S435 in the table below before we talk more about their differences.
| TCL S446 | TCL S435 | |||||||||||||
| Introduced | 2021 | 2020 | ||||||||||||
| Operating System | Google TV (Android TV) | Roku TV | ||||||||||||
| Control Support |
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| Audio Return Channel | eARC (Enhanced Audio Return Channel) | Audio Return Channel (ARC) | ||||||||||||
| HDMI/USB | 3/1 | 4/1 | ||||||||||||
| Price | Slightly Higher | Slightly Lower | ||||||||||||
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TCL S435
We can find that there are few differences between TCL S446 and S435 after we look at the table of differences above. Let’s talk more about those differences together.
1. Operating System
The main difference of TCL S446 and S435 is their operating system. TCL S446 is completed with Google TV (Android TV) while TCL S435 comes with Roku TV. Both Google TV and Roku TV are basically similar in functions. They can deliver wide range of premium entertainment from our favorite content providers. Google TV is relatively better when it comes to variation of smart apps as since it’s connected to Google Play Store that has large collection of Smart Apps.
2. Control Support
While both TCL S446 and S435 already come with Voice Remote Control, we can find that TCL S435 comes with more voice control options. While both TCL S446 and S435 can be controlled by Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa, we can find that TCL S45 also can be controlled by Apple HomeKit and Roku Mobile App.
3. Audio Return Channel and HDMI Ports
When it comes to Audio Return Channel (HDMI ARC), we can find that TCL S446 comes with more advanced Audio Return Channel than TCL S435. TCL S446 already comes with eARC (Enhanced Audio Return Channel) while TCL S435 only comes with standard ARC. With eARC, we can enjoy higher quality audio formats in TCL S446 using additional AV system. We can also find that the number of HDMI ports integrated with TCL S446 and S435 are different. TCL S446 comes with 3 HDMI ports while TCL S435 comes with 4 HDMI ports.
4. Price
Although they are basically similar in price, we often find that TCL S446 is offered at slightly higher (for similar screen size option) than TCL S435 that’s older in lineup year. But, it’s surely important for us to check the price of TCL S446 and S435 to find their latest price difference as TV prices are changing over time.
Which One is the Better Choice?
Although they are both introduced as basic 4K LED TV series, we can find that there are few differences between TCL S446 and S435. Which of them is the better choice? TCL S446 is a better choice if you prefer Google TV (Android TV) as the operating system of your new TV. It’s also the one to choose if you are looking for eARC (Enhanced Audio Return Channel) for higher quality audio formats using additional AV system.
| TCL S446 Prices | |
| 85-Inch (85S446) | Check Today’s Price (BestBuy.com)… |
| 75-Inch (75S446) | Check Today’s Price (BestBuy.com)… |
| 65-Inch (65S446) | Check Today’s Price (BestBuy.com)… |
| 55-Inch (55S446) | Check Today’s Price (BestBuy.com)… |
| 50-Inch (50S446) | Check Today’s Price (BestBuy.com)… |
| 43-Inch (43S446) | Check Today’s Price (BestBuy.com)… |
TCL S435 is a better choice if you are looking for basic 4K LED TV from TCL that use Roku TV as operating system. TCL S435 also has more options for control support than TCL S446 as it already supports Apple HomeKit and Roku Mobile App that can be installed in your smartphone. TCL S435 also comes with 1 additional HDMI although it doesn’t support eARC. You also have another reason to choose it if you can find TCL S435 offered at the lower price than TCL S446.
| TCL S435 Prices | |
| 85-Inch (85S435) | Check Today’s Price (Walmart.com)… |
| 75-Inch (75S435) | Check Today’s Price (Walmart.com)… |
| 65-Inch (65S435) | Check Today’s Price (Walmart.com)… |
| 55-Inch (55S435) | Check Today’s Price (Walmart.com)… |
| 50-Inch (50S435) | Check Today’s Price (Walmart.com)… |
| 43-Inch (43S435) | Check Today’s Price (Walmart.com)… |