The TCL S305 1080p Roku TV is a passable budget LED TV. It has decent picture quality, and it sports some of the best smart features available. Unfortunately, it cannot get very bright, and its handling of motion could be better. Note that the 28" and 32" models are 720. For the 4k model of TCL S Series, see our review here.
The TCL S305 is being gradually replaced by the S325/321 models. Other than minor cosmetic differences, we don't expect there to be any difference between them. The model available may vary depending on your specific region and retailer.
Our Verdict
Passable TV for mixed usage. The TCL S325 / S305 is a fairly basic TV overall, but its picture quality isn't bad. 1080p resolution is a downside, especially if the TV is going to be watched up close.
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Blacks are well reproduced
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Excellent smart features
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Cannot get bright
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Picture quality deteriorates at an angle
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Picture settings are very limited
Unremarkable Movies performance. Black levels are good, but the TV doesn't support local dimming and has some uniformity issues. It also only has a 1080p resolution.
Decent TV for watching TV shows. Upscaling of lower resolution content is good, and the Roku platform provides all that is needed for online content. The S305 can be a bit dim though.
Average TV for sports watching. The TCL 3 Series / S Series has decent motion performance and viewing angles. Unfortunately though, it cannot get very bright, which is an issue for weekend games in a well-lit room.
The TCL S325 / S305 makes for a decent gaming TV. Input lag is good, and motion performance is better than average.
Poor choice for HDR. The TV does not get bright enough, and it isn't supported.
Since HDR is not supported, the S305 is not a good TV for newer systems such as the PS4 pro.
Inadequate PC monitor. Motion blur is a bit higher than preferred and essential resolutions are not supported, causing text to look fuzzy and hard to read.
- 5.7 Mixed Usage
- 6.0 Movies
- 6.6 TV Shows
- 6.3 Sports
- 5.8 Video Games
- 4.7 HDR Movies
- 3.5 HDR Gaming
- 5.7 PC Monitor
- Updated May 21, 2020: Converted to Test Bench 1.5.
- Updated Feb 21, 2020: Converted to Test Bench 1.4.
- Updated Feb 28, 2019: Converted to Test Bench 1.3.
- Updated Jan 09, 2019: We retested the DTS passthrough with the new firmware and now it works properly. The corresponding review section has been updated.
- Updated Oct 24, 2018: The S305 is gradually being replaced by the S325. There are only cosmetic differences between the old and new models.
- Updated Mar 12, 2018: Converted to Test Bench 1.2.
- Updated Jan 19, 2018: There is a problem with how the Xbox One, Xbox One S and Xbox One X detect the audio passthrough capabilities of TCL TVs; a workaround is detailed in the Additional Review Notes.
- Updated Aug 10, 2017: Converted to Test Bench 1.1.
- Updated May 03, 2017: Review published.
- Updated May 01, 2017: Our testers have started testing this product.
- Updated Apr 17, 2017: We've purchased the product and are waiting for it to arrive in our lab.
Differences Between Sizes And Variants
We tested the 40" (40S305). For the most part, we expect our review to be valid for the 43" (43S305) and 49" (49S305) versions. The 32 inch (32S305) and 28 inch (28S305) versions have a 720p resolution.
Our review should also apply to the 43S305 found at Costco and other retailers, with only a few cosmetic differences.
If someone comes across a different type of panel or if their TCL S305 doesn't correspond to our review, let us know and we will update the review.
| Size | Model | Resolution |
| 28" | 28S305 | 720p |
| 32" | 32S305 | 720p |
| 40" | 40S305 | 1080p |
| 43" | 43S305 | 1080p |
| 49" | 49S305 | 1080p |
Update 10/24/2018: The S305 is gradually being replaced by the S325. There are only cosmetic differences between the old and new models.
Update 11/05/2018: TCL has released the 32S327. It appears to be identical to the 32S325 and 32S305, but with a 1080p resolution.
Compared To Other TVs
The S305 is a decent budget TV. It's so cheap that most of its competition is usually quite bad, and you rarely find TVs equipped with good smart features at this price (see our recommendations for the best cheap TVs and the best TVs under $300).
The TCL 3 Series S305 and the Samsung N5300 both have very similar performance. The TCL S305 has a higher native contrast ratio that delivers better dark room performance. The S305 also has a lower input lag that will please gamers. The Samsung N5300 can display proper chroma 4:4:4 which is great if you plan to use it as a PC monitor, it can get slightly brighter and has better viewing angles due to its IPS panel.
The TCL S Series/S305 2018 is a bit better than the TCL 3 Series 2020, but the units we tested have different resolutions. The 40 inch S305 we tested has a 1080p resolution, much lower input lag, and it removes 24p judder from native apps. The 32 inch 3 Series 2020 we tested has a 720p resolution, and it also has a much quicker response time.
The TCL 4 Series (S405) is significantly better than the TCL S305. The TCL S405 has better HDR performance due to the better HDR peak brightness and better color volume. It can also deliver better blacks due to the higher native contrast ratio and better black uniformity, and this is great if you watch movies in a dark room. The S405 is also better for gaming as it has lower input lag which makes it very responsive. Finally, it has significantly better inputs for use as a PC monitor.
The TCL 3 Series (S305) is marginally better than the TCL 1 Series (D100). The TCL S305 runs the Roku TV smart platform whereas the TCL D100 does not have a smart feature platform. If you wish to use it as a smart TV, you need to use an external box or dongle. The TCL S305 can remove 24p judder from movies whereas the TCL D100 can display crisp text when used as a monitor.
For those with bright rooms and wide seating arrangements, the LG LJ5500 is a better choice than the TCL S Series/S305 2018 due to its wide viewing angles and higher brightness. However, if you will be sitting right in front and enjoy watching movies in a dark room, then the TCL S305 is a better choice as it has better blacks due to the higher native contrast ratio and better black uniformity.
The Vizio D Series 1080p 2017 has an IPS panel that makes it more suitable for wide viewing arrangements, whereas the TCL 3 Series S305 has a VA panel and is more suitable for darker environments. The TCL S305 has significantly better contrast ratio and better black uniformity so blacks are deep and uniform. This is great if you watch HDR movies. On the other hand, the Vizio D Series 1080p 2017 has slightly better viewing angles which can be good if you use it as a PC monitor and slightly better input lag for those who play video games.
The TCL S305 is much better than the Samsung M4500. The S305 has a higher resolution 1080p display and has lower input lag for gaming. The 305 can remove judder from most sources. The Samsung M4500 is a bit brighter than the TCL S305, and has an optional motion interpolation feature that can help motion appear smoother.
The TCL 3 Series S325 is slightly better than the 2017 TCL S Series S305. The S325 has a faster response time, and fast-moving content has less blur trail and a much lower input lag that will please gamers. The S305, on the other hand, has less stutter and can remove judder from its native apps.
Test Results
The design of the S305 is very basic. From the front it looks similar to the TCL FS3750 of last year, but with slightly nicer looking feet. The plastic feet are almost as wide as the TV, so a fairly wide table is required. The borders have an average thickness and the TV will stick out from the wall a bit if mounted.
Update 3-19-2019: The design of the S325/321 models might have some cosmetic differences but we can not provide you with more detail until we review them.
The stand is almost as wide as the TV and so requires a fairly large table. The plastic feet do look alright due to the silvered coloring.
Footprint of the 40" TV stand: 7.7" x 30.0"
The rear of the TCL S Series is quite basic, but the top half is metal which feels quite nice. The only inputs on the back of the TV are composite, so the remainder are fairly easy to access if positioned close to a wall.
The borders of the TV have an average thickness, and don't really stand out at all. There is some gap between the edge of the bezel and the LCD panel.
The TV is a bit thicker than most, as the bottom of the TV has a slight lip. It will stick out from a wall a bit if mounted.
The build quality of the S305 is okay. It's certainly not going to fall apart with normal usage but all of the parts feel plasticy and cheap.
The S305 has a very good contrast ratio. At around 3500:1, this makes for a good TV when set in a dark room since blacks look deep and dark scene look good with a lot of details.
The TCL S305 does not have a local dimming feature. The video is for reference only.
Sub-par peak brightness. The TV never gets brighter than 182 cd/m², which makes it fairly dim when viewed in a bright room, and still not very bright when viewed in a dark room. The peak brightness does not change depending on the content shown, as all the tests show roughly the same brightness (the real scene brightness is measured at the edge of the TV, which is not as bright as the middle).
A plot of peak brightness over time is shown here.
HDR is not supported.
The gray uniformity of the TCL S Series / 3 Series could be better. Looking at the 50% gray test picture, it is really easy to see that the 4 corners are darker than the center. There is also a dark arc going from the top corner to the bottom one and this from each side. The center of the screen is a bit brighter than the rest of the screen, but at least it is fairly homogeneous and the dirty screen effect is not be too bad since it is most noticeable at the center.
As for the 5% gray uniformity, beside the edges of the screen being a bit brighter, nothing really stands out.
Sub-par viewing angle. People sitting to the side of the TV will not have as good picture quality as people viewing from in front. Blacks start to look grey when the TV is viewed from a small angle, and at a larger angle colors degrade and brightness decreases.
The black uniformity of the S305 is average. Overall the screen is pretty even with only the right side being a bit darker, but with a standard deviation of 1.304% it is still within our good value range, which is under 2%.
The TV has a semi-gloss finish which diffuses reflections across the screen. This works to reduce the intensity of direct reflections. This should be ok for most rooms, but may present issues in bright rooms.
Out of the box, the TCL S325 / S305 has a great accuracy. Overall the screen is a bit warmer than what we aim for and the white balance dE is a bit high, but both the Color dE and the gamma are well under what an enthusiast would notice. So for a normal home use, This TV could be used 'as is' without any problems.
There is no calibration menu on the TCL S305 so it is not possible to make the S305 a bit more accurate, but luckily this TV is good enough out of the box for most people.
Our settings for calibration can be found here.
Upscaling of low quality content is good. Jagged edges are smoothed well, without losing too much detail.
720p content such as cable looks good. The image isn't too soft and details are preserved.
The horizontal VA pixel structure looks very similar to the Sony W650D we tested in 2016.
Standard color gamut, only good enough for non HDR content using the Rec 709 color space.
Poor color volume. The TV has only a standard color gamut, and is unable to make dark colors dark enough because it lacks local dimming.
The TCL S Series / 3 Series does show 8-bit gradation when displaying our gradient test image. Even though it is 8 bit, the gradient is fairly smooth and there is not too much tint problem in all 3 color shade.
After running our image retention test on this TCL TV, we did not notice any image retention. This is in line with most VA TV we have tested before.
We don't expect VA panels to experience permanent image retention, as the VA panel in our long-term test appears immune.
The response time of the S305 is average. Some overshoot is visible in the brighter trail following the logo, and a faint trail of blur extends outside the crop.
The TV uses PWM to dim the backlight, starting at 100/100 backlight setting. Lowering the setting shortens the duty cycle, while amplitude remains constant. Backlight PWM results in a 120Hz flicker, but it isn't noticeable to most people.
The S305 has no option to reduce its flicker frequency to 60 Hz, although its 120 Hz backlight does help somewhat to make motion look clearer.
The S305 has a 60Hz panel and doesn't provide any options to interpolate frames on lower refresh rate content.
This TV is excellent at displaying content without stutter, even for very low frame rate content such as 24 fps movies. The response time of the TV helps to blur the transition between frames, which produces a smoother image.
The S305, like all the other TCL TVs we have reviewed so far, can only play movies without judder from 24p sources. This means movies playing over cable or satellite boxes will have a small judder. Note that few people notice judder, so this is not be a deal breaker for most people.
The TCL S325 / S305 has a 60Hz panel but doesn't support a variable refresh rate, which is typical of most TVs.
This TV has the same low input lag in all picture modes. Surprisingly the 'Game mode' setting does not change the input lag.
Only basic resolutions are supported, such as 1080p @ 60 Hz @ 4:2:2. While the TV can accept a chroma 4:4:4 input it is unable to show chroma 4:4:4 properly; however this is only an issue when using the TV as a PC monitor (text may have colored artifacts around the letters).
To enable 5.1 passthrough, the 'S/PDIF and ARC' audio option must be changed from 'Auto Detect' to 'Dolby D+, DTS' or one of the other Dolby Digital options. DTS passthrough does not work, even though the TV lists DTS support. This may be fixed in a future software update.
Update 01/19/2018: There is a problem with how the Xbox One, Xbox One S and Xbox One X detect the audio passthrough capabilities of TCL TVs; a workaround is detailed in the Additional Review Notes.
Update 01/09/2019: We retested the DTS passthrough with the new firmware and now it works properly.
Subpar frequency response. Higher frequencies are very poorly represented, and some compression artifacts are noticeable at higher volumes. It does get pretty loud though.
The S305's speakers produce more distortion than average. It is relatively contained at lower volumes but quickly rises up past 80 dB.
This TV has no ads in its main interface, but third party apps may have ads. You can opt out of personalized advertising for these ads by enabling the 'Limit Ad Tracking' option. The home screen has a large section for showing suggested content, which is a little annoying and cannot be disabled.
Roku TV calls its apps 'Streaming Channels', but they work like normal apps. Most of the popular apps are available, such as Netflix, YouTube and Amazon Video.
The S305's remote is fairly basic, only providing basic buttons such as volume control, navigation and opening a few apps. However there is also a Roku app for smartphones and tablets that can act as the TV's remote, change between its apps and inputs, and can even play the TV's sound through the phone or tablet.
