TCL S3 40S350G 39.5"

The TCL S3 40S350G is a compact 40-inch 1080p smart TV with a surprisingly snappy Google TV interface. It's best suited for small rooms and casual streaming, not gaming or cinematic viewing. At a low sale price, it's a great budget pick for a secondary screen.

Our database puts this TV's smart platform performance at the 84th percentile, which is genuinely impressive for a budget model. Google TV runs smoothly here, apps load quickly, and voice search is responsive. That's the highlight. The rest of the performance picture is more modest. Picture quality lands at the 37th percentile, which is about what you'd expect from a basic 1080p panel. Colors are decent out of the box, but motion handling is just okay, and the 60Hz refresh rate means fast sports or gaming won't look as crisp as they would on a 120Hz set.

Gaming is the real weak spot, sitting at the 19th percentile. With no VRR, no ALLM, and a 60Hz cap over HDMI 2.0, this isn't built for a PS5 or Xbox Series X. Casual Switch gaming or retro consoles will be fine, but competitive players should look elsewhere. HDR performance is middle of the pack at the 65th percentile. The TV accepts HDR10 and HLG signals, but the limited peak brightness means you won't see a dramatic difference compared to SDR content. It's more of a checkbox feature than a visual upgrade here.

Stacked against the Roku Plus Series 55R6C7, the TCL feels like a step behind in picture quality. The Roku Plus uses a QLED panel that gets brighter and handles HDR more convincingly, though you're stepping up in size and price. The Hisense QD7 Series is another competitor that outguns the S3 on gaming features and display tech, but again, it's a larger, pricier TV. If you're dead set on a 40-inch screen, the TCL has fewer direct rivals, which works in its favor.

The LG QNED evo AI and Sony BRAVIA 2 II are in a completely different league, both in performance and cost. They're not really competitors to this budget TCL. The Samsung M80H is closer in spirit as a smart monitor hybrid, but it's more expensive and aimed at a different use case. For pure streaming in a small room, the TCL holds its own against anything in its size and price bracket, especially when you factor in how good Google TV is here.

Pricing on the TCL 40S350G is all over the map, ranging from $120 to $559 across vendors. At the low end, this is a steal for a smart TV with a solid OS. At the high end, you're getting fleeced, you can get a much better 4K set for that money. If you can snag it around $150 or less, the value proposition is strong for a secondary screen. Just don't pay more than $200. For context, a Roku Plus Series or a Hisense with a QLED panel will give you a brighter, sharper picture for not much more cash if you catch a sale.

If you're hunting for a small, no-nonsense smart TV for a kitchen, dorm room, or guest bedroom, the TCL S3 40S350G is one of the most straightforward options out there. It's a 40-inch 1080p LED TV running Google TV, which means you get a clean interface and built-in Chromecast without needing a separate dongle. At this size, 1080p still looks perfectly fine for streaming sitcoms or watching the news, and the bezel-less design helps it feel a bit more modern than the price tag suggests.

TCL packed in HDR10 and HLG support, but let's be real, this isn't a brightness monster. The direct LED backlight gets the job done for casual viewing, though you won't get the deep blacks or punchy highlights you'd see on a pricier QLED or OLED set. The smart features are where this little TV shines. Google TV pulls together recommendations from across your subscriptions, and the voice remote with Google Assistant means you can search for shows or control smart home gadgets without typing. Alexa compatibility is a nice bonus if you're already in that ecosystem.

Connectivity is basic but functional. You get two HDMI ports, one with ARC for a soundbar, plus USB, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth 5.0 for pairing headphones. The built-in speakers are a weak 9.5W 2.0 channel setup, so you'll probably want that soundbar if you care about audio. For a budget set that often dips well below $200, it's hard to complain too loudly.

Skip the TCL 40S350G if you're a gamer, a home theater enthusiast, or anyone who wants a primary living room TV. The lack of 4K, weak HDR brightness, and missing gaming features make it a poor fit for those uses. If you need a small screen for a desk or kitchen but want better picture quality, consider a 32-inch 4K monitor instead. If you can fit a larger TV, stepping up to a 43-inch 4K model like the TCL 4-Series or a Hisense A6 will give you a much more future-proof experience for not a lot more money.

Should you buy the TCL S3 40S350G? If you need a small, affordable smart TV for a secondary space and you find it priced under $150, yes. It's a simple, effective streaming screen with a genuinely good smart platform. The Google TV experience is the star of the show, and the compact design fits where bigger TVs can't. Just keep your expectations in check on picture quality and audio.

If this is going to be your main living room TV, or if you plan to game on it, skip it. The 1080p resolution, weak HDR, and lack of gaming features will frustrate you pretty quickly. But for a bedroom or kitchen set where you just want to throw on Netflix or YouTube, it's a solid little performer that won't break the bank.