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TCL S4/S470G TV Review

Tested using Methodology v1.11
Reviewed Oct 03, 2023 at 10:38 am
TCL S4/S470G Picture
6.3
Mixed Usage
Value for price beaten by
: no price info
6.6
TV Shows
Value for price beaten by
: no price info
6.4
Sports
Value for price beaten by
: no price info
6.2
Video Games
Value for price beaten by
: no price info
5.9
HDR Movies
Value for price beaten by
: no price info
6.7
HDR Gaming
Value for price beaten by
: no price info
6.9
PC Monitor
Value for price beaten by
: no price info

The TCL S4/S470G is an entry-level 4k TV released in 2023. It's part of the TCL S4 series of budget TVs, which offer a limited selection of extra features but are available in a wide variety of sizes. It's similar to the TCL S4/S450G, which is a lower-end model with a different panel. Powered by the Google TV smart interface, there's a plethora of streaming apps available and the smart interface is feature-packed and easy to use.

Our Verdict

6.3 Mixed Usage

The TCL S470G is a mediocre TV overall. It's best suited for watching shows or gaming in a moderately-lit room with a wide seating arrangement, as it doesn't look good in a dark room. It has a low contrast ratio, low peak brightness, and no local dimming feature, so it's not very versatile. It has low input lag and an okay response time, so it's okay for gaming. It supports HDR, but there's no point, as this adds next to nothing to this TV as it can't get bright enough to bring out bright specular highlights.

Pros
  • Decent reflection handling.
  • Wide viewing angle.
Cons
  • Very low contrast; blacks are raised and shadows are washed out.
  • Low peak brightness.
  • Poor sound quality.
6.6 TV Shows

The TCL S470G Series is an okay TV for watching shows, but only in a moderately-lit room. It has decent reflection handling but very low peak brightness, so it can't handle glare in a bright room. It has a wide viewing angle, so it's an acceptable choice for a wide seating arrangement. It also has a wide array of smart features, including access to a huge selection of streaming apps, so you can easily find your favorite shows.

Pros
  • Wide selection of streaming apps.
  • Decent reflection handling.
  • Wide viewing angle.
Cons
  • Low peak brightness.
  • Poor sound quality.
  • Mediocre picture processing.
6.4 Sports

The TCL S470G is a mediocre choice for watching sports. Its wide viewing angle makes it an acceptable choice for a wide seating arrangement or if you want to watch the big game with a large group of friends. It can't get very bright, though, so despite its decent reflection handling, it's not a good choice for a bright living room. It has an okay response time, so fast-motion in sports is clear overall, but there's some blur behind fast-moving objects. It also has bad sound quality, so it's best to pair it with a soundbar or audio receiver for parties.

Pros
  • Wide selection of streaming apps.
  • Decent reflection handling.
  • Wide viewing angle.
Cons
  • Low peak brightness.
  • Poor sound quality.
  • Mediocre picture processing.
6.2 Video Games

The TCL S470G is an okay choice for gaming, but only in a moderately-lit room. It has fantastic low input lag, ensuring a responsive gaming experience with minimal delay between your actions on your controller and what you see on the screen. It doesn't support advanced gaming features like VRR, though, and it can't get very bright, so it's best used in a moderately-lit room. It also looks bad in a dark room due to its low contrast ratio and lack of a local dimming feature.

Pros
  • Low input lag.
  • Decent reflection handling.
Cons
  • Very low contrast; blacks are raised and shadows are washed out.
  • Low peak brightness.
  • 60Hz refresh rate and limited gaming features.
  • Poor sound quality.
5.9 HDR Movies

The TCL S470G is a disappointing TV for watching movies, especially if you're in a dark room. It has a low contrast ratio, sub-par black uniformity, and no local dimming feature, so dim scenes are washed out and patchy. It was a wide color gamut, so colors are vivid and realistic, but it can't get very bright, and highlights don't stand out at all.

Pros
  • Wide color gamut.
Cons
  • Very low contrast; blacks are raised and shadows are washed out.
  • No local dimming feature to improve contrast.
  • Low peak brightness.
  • Poor sound quality.
6.7 HDR Gaming

The TCL S470G is an okay TV for gaming in HDR, but mainly due to its gaming performance and low input lag. It feels very responsive, as there's very little delay between your actions on your controller and the action on-screen, and it has an okay response time with just a bit of blur behind fast-moving objects. HDR adds almost nothing, though, as it can't get very bright and lacks a local dimming feature to improve its dynamic range.

Pros
  • Low input lag.
  • Wide color gamut.
Cons
  • Very low contrast; blacks are raised and shadows are washed out.
  • No local dimming feature to improve contrast.
  • Low peak brightness.
  • 60Hz refresh rate and limited gaming features.
  • Poor sound quality.
6.9 PC Monitor

The TCL S470G is just okay for use as a PC monitor. It displays chroma 4:4:4 properly, which is essential for clear text from a PC, and it has low input lag so your mouse movements feel responsive. It has an okay response time, with just a bit of blur behind fast-moving objects. It also has a wide viewing angle, so the sides of the screen remain uniform when you're sitting close to the screen. On the other hand, it can't get very bright, so glare is distracting if you're in a bright room.

Pros
  • Low input lag.
  • Chroma 4:4:4 is displayed properly for clear text from a PC.
  • Decent reflection handling.
  • Wide viewing angle.
Cons
  • Low peak brightness.
  • Poor sound quality.
  • 6.3 Mixed Usage
  • 6.6 TV Shows
  • 6.4 Sports
  • 6.2 Video Games
  • 5.9 HDR Movies
  • 6.7 HDR Gaming
  • 6.9 PC Monitor
  1. Updated Oct 03, 2023: Review published.
  2. Updated Sep 29, 2023: Early access published.
  3. Updated Sep 20, 2023: Our testers have started testing this product.
  4. Updated Sep 18, 2023: The product has arrived in our lab, and our testers will start evaluating it soon.
  5. Updated Sep 07, 2023: We've purchased the product and are waiting for it to arrive in our lab.

Differences Between Sizes And Variants

We bought and tested the 50-inch TCL S470G, which is part of the TCL S4 lineup, and these results are also valid for the 43-, 55-, 58-, 65-, 70-, 75, and 85-inch sizes. There are a few different models in TCL's S4 series, which share a similar design but slightly different features and picture quality. The TCL S450G is very similar to this one but has a different panel with much better contrast, a worse viewing angle, and a narrower color gamut. All sizes perform the same, but the 75-inch and 85-inch models have slightly different stands and an additional USB port.

Size Model Number
43" 43S470G
50" 50S470G
55" 55S470G
58" 58S470G
65" 65S470G
75" 75S470G
85" 85S470G

Our unit was manufactured in May 2023; you can see the label here.

Compared To Other TVs

The TCL S470G is a very basic entry-level TV with very few additional features and poor picture quality. Its main selling feature is its wide color gamut, which is uncommon for a TV in this price range. Unless you only care about vivid colors, pretty much any other budget TV is a better choice than this one overall, and most competing models offer a wider range of extra features.

See our recommendations for the best budget TVs, the best TVs under $300, and the best smart TVs.

LG UR8000
43" 50" 55" 65" 70" 75" 86"

The LG UR8000 is significantly better than the TCL S4/S470G. The LG delivers much better picture quality, with better contrast, higher peak brightness, and better handling of low-quality content. The LG also has better motion handling, with less blur behind fast-moving objects. The TCL has a wider viewing angle, but the LG is still a better choice, even if you have a wide seating arrangement.

Hisense A6/A65K
43" 50" 55" 65" 75"

The Hisense A6/A65K is much better than the TCL S4/S470G. The Hisense delivers much better picture quality thanks to its better contrast, higher peak brightness, and better accuracy. The Hisense also has better motion handling with less blur behind fast-moving objects. The TCL has a wider viewing angle, but the Hisense is still a better choice, even if you have a wide seating arrangement.

Hisense A6H [A6, A65H]
43" 50" 55" 65" 70" 75"

The Hisense A6H and the TCL S4/S470G are pretty similar overall, but the TCL is slightly better. They deliver a very similar viewing experience, and both models look best in moderately-lit rooms, as they have low peak brightness and terrible contrast. The TCL has a much wider color gamut thanks to its PFS Phosphor coating, so HDR content looks more vivid and realistic, whereas the Hisense looks dull.

TCL S4/S450G
43" 50" 55" 65" 75" 85"

In an odd twist, the lower-end TCL S4/S450G is better than the higher-end TCL S4/S470G. The S450G delivers much better picture quality, with a much higher contrast ratio, resulting in better dark room performance. The S470G has a wider color gamut, so HDR content looks a bit better, and it has a wide viewing angle, which is great if you have a wide seating arrangement. Despite these improvements, the overall picture quality and viewing experience on the S450G is better.

Test Results

perceptual testing image
Design
Design
Style
Curved No

The TCL S470G is identical to the TCL S450G. It has a simple design that doesn't look very premium. The bezels are thin and not distracting, but the rest of the TV looks a bit cheap.

Design
Accelerated Longevity Test
Uniformity Pictures N/A
Design
Stand

The V-shaped feet are set near the ends of the TV, so you'll need a large cabinet for the larger sizes if you're not planning on wall-mounting the TV, and there's no narrow position. The feet don't lift the TV very high, so most soundbars won't fit in front of it without blocking a portion of the screen.

Footprint of the 50" stand: 37.8" x 10.1" x 2.5"

Design
Back
Wall Mount VESA 200x200

The back of the TV is very plain and looks cheap. The inputs are housed in a larger section of the back, near the center of the TV, so they're difficult to access if the TV is wall-mounted. There's no cable management.

Design
Borders
Borders 0.31" (0.8 cm)
Design
Thickness
Max Thickness 3.19" (8.1 cm)
6.0
Design
Build Quality

The TCL S470G has mediocre build quality. The materials used feel cheap, as it's mostly made of cheap plastic, and there's noticeable flex around the plastic panels, especially near the VESA mounts. There's a slight difference in the gap size between the bezel and the panel, which isn't very noticeable but indicates some minor quality control issues.

Picture Quality
2.8
Picture Quality
Contrast
Contrast
1,818 : 1
Native Contrast
1,818 : 1

Unfortunately, this TV has a very low contrast ratio. Blacks are raised when any bright highlights are visible on the screen, causing shadow details to appear washed out. There's also no local dimming feature to improve it.

10
Picture Quality
Blooming

This TV doesn't have a local dimming feature, so there's no blooming around bright objects or subtitles in dark scenes.

10
Picture Quality
Lighting Zone Transitions
Local Dimming
No
Backlight
Direct
Dimming Zones Count Of Tested TV
N/A

This TV doesn't have a local dimming feature, so it can't adjust the backlight of individual zones to brighten up highlights without impacting the rest of the image. But this means that there's no distracting flicker or brightness changes as bright highlights move between zones.

4.5
Picture Quality
Contrast And Dark Details In Game Mode

Switching to Game Mode makes no noticeable difference in dark scene performance, as shadows still look washed out.

4.7
Picture Quality
HDR Brightness
Hallway Lights (~1950 cd/m²)
191 cd/m²
Yellow Skyscraper (~700 cd/m²)
167 cd/m²
Landscape Pool (~300 cd/m²)
123 cd/m²
Peak 2% Window
198 cd/m²
Peak 10% Window
198 cd/m²
Peak 25% Window
198 cd/m²
Peak 50% Window
198 cd/m²
Peak 100% Window
198 cd/m²
Sustained 2% Window
198 cd/m²
Sustained 10% Window
198 cd/m²
Sustained 25% Window
198 cd/m²
Sustained 50% Window
198 cd/m²
Sustained 100% Window
198 cd/m²
Automatic Brightness Limiting (ABL)
0.000

Unfortunately, the peak brightness in HDR is bad. Specular highlights are dull and flat, and bright areas of the scene don't stand out.

These measurements are after calibrating the HDR white point with the following settings:

  • HDR Picture Mode: Movie
  • Brightness: 100
  • Contrast: 100
  • Color Temperature: -5 (Warm)

4.6
Picture Quality
HDR Brightness In Game Mode
Hallway Lights (~1950 cd/m²)
182 cd/m²
Yellow Skyscraper (~700 cd/m²)
163 cd/m²
Landscape Pool (~300 cd/m²)
119 cd/m²
Peak 2% Window
197 cd/m²
Peak 10% Window
197 cd/m²
Peak 25% Window
197 cd/m²
Peak 50% Window
197 cd/m²
Peak 100% Window
197 cd/m²
Sustained 2% Window
197 cd/m²
Sustained 10% Window
197 cd/m²
Sustained 25% Window
197 cd/m²
Sustained 50% Window
197 cd/m²
Sustained 100% Window
197 cd/m²
Automatic Brightness Limiting (ABL)
0.000

The brightness in the 'Game' Picture Mode is nearly identical to the brightness in 'Movie'. It's just as bad, and bright highlights in games still don't stand out at all.

These measurements are after calibrating the HDR white point with the following settings:

  • HDR Picture Mode: Game
  • Brightness: 100
  • Contrast: 100
  • Color Temperature: -5 (Warm)

7.4
Picture Quality
PQ EOTF Tracking
600 Nit Tracking Delta
0.0190
1000 Nit Tracking Delta
0.0190
4000 Nit Tracking Delta
0.0194

The PQ EOTF tracking on this TV is decent. Near-blacks and shadow details are raised due to the low contrast ratio and lack of a local dimming feature, as it simply can't display blacks that low. It's also severely limited by the TV's low peak brightness, so bright scenes are too dim. The EOTF tracking is consistent with content mastered at various brightness levels, but content mastered at 4,000 nits starts to tone map a bit earlier than content mastered at a lower level.

4.4
Picture Quality
SDR Brightness
Real Scene Peak Brightness
150 cd/m²
Peak 2% Window
200 cd/m²
Peak 10% Window
200 cd/m²
Peak 25% Window
200 cd/m²
Peak 50% Window
200 cd/m²
Peak 100% Window
200 cd/m²
Sustained 2% Window
199 cd/m²
Sustained 10% Window
200 cd/m²
Sustained 25% Window
200 cd/m²
Sustained 50% Window
200 cd/m²
Sustained 100% Window
200 cd/m²
Automatic Brightness Limiting (ABL)
0.000

The peak brightness of this TV in SDR is bad. It's not bright enough to handle even moderate amounts of glare, so it's not a good choice for a room with lots of lights or windows.

These measurements are after calibration with the following settings:

  • Picture Mode: Movie
  • Brightness: 100
  • Contrast: 100
  • Color Temperature: -5 (Warm)
  • Gamma: 2.2

7.9
Picture Quality
Color Gamut
Wide Color Gamut
Yes
DCI P3 xy
88.72%
DCI P3 uv
94.35%
Rec 2020 xy
63.91%
Rec 2020 uv
69.25%

The TCL S470G has a very good color gamut in HDR thanks to the inclusion of a PFS phosphor coating (as confirmed by the TV's spectral power distribution), like the Hisense A6/A65K and the Samsung CU8000. This results in a much wider color gamut than similar budget models. With content mastered in the DCI-P3 color space, the tone mapping is shockingly good, but saturated greens and cyan are noticeably off in the wider Rec. 2020 color space.

6.1
Picture Quality
Color Volume
1,000 cd/m² DCI P3 Coverage ITP
43.6%
10,000 cd/m² Rec 2020 Coverage ITP
19.3%
White Luminance
184 cd/m²
Red Luminance
39 cd/m²
Green Luminance
132 cd/m²
Blue Luminance
14 cd/m²
Cyan Luminance
146 cd/m²
Magenta Luminance
53 cd/m²
Yellow Luminance
170 cd/m²

Unfortunately, the color volume is mediocre. Although the TV displays a wide range of colors well, it can't do so at a variety of luminance levels due to the low peak brightness and low contrast. Dim saturated colors aren't displayed well, and bright highlights don't stand out, so most colors are flat and dull.

7.7
Picture Quality
Pre Calibration
White Balance dE
4.01
Color dE
1.81
Gamma
2.18
Color Temperature
6,424 K
Picture Mode
Movie
Color Temp Setting
Warm
Gamma Setting
2.2

With a few quick settings changes out-of-the-box, the TCL S470G has good overall accuracy. Colors are excellent, with just a few slight issues with saturated yellow and cyan, and the overall color temperature is very close to the target. Gamma follows the 2.2 target closely, with some issues in near-blacks caused by the TV's low contrast ratio. However, the white balance is worse, and bright shades of gray are noticeably off.

9.3
Picture Quality
Post Calibration
White Balance dE
0.99
Color dE
0.95
Gamma
2.18
Color Temperature
6,593 K
White Balance Calibration
20 point
Color Calibration
Yes

The TV's calibration system is finicky and difficult to nail down without being too aggressive. It's effective, though, and there are no noticeable issues after calibration.

You can see the full settings used for our calibration here.

7.3
Picture Quality
Gray Uniformity
50% Std. Dev.
4.776%
50% DSE
0.191%
5% Std. Dev.
0.549%
5% DSE
0.073%

The gray uniformity is just okay. There are dark patches in all four corners, which is noticeable with all content. The center of the screen is relatively clear, though, which is good for sports fans as the action in the center of the screen looks good.

5.9
Picture Quality
Black Uniformity
Std. Dev.
N/A
Native Std. Dev.
2.048%

Unfortunately, the TCL S470G has disappointing black uniformity. The screen looks blue due to the low contrast ratio, and there are multiple bright patches across the screen. It doesn't look good in a dark room.

7.6
Picture Quality
Viewing Angle
Color Washout
27°
Color Shift
58°
Brightness Loss
30°
Black Level Raise
70°
Gamma Shift
54°

Unlike the TCL S4/S450G, the TLC S4/S470G variant has a good viewing angle. The image remains consistent when viewed from the sides, so it's a good choice for a wide seating arrangement or if you like to move around the house with the TV on.

7.3
Picture Quality
Reflections
Screen Finish
Semi-gloss
Total Reflections
5.3%
Indirect Reflections
0.5%
Calculated Direct Reflections
4.8%

The reflection handling is decent. The semi-gloss coating helps reduce the intensity of direct reflections, but they're still distracting. Still, since this TV has very low peak brightness, it's not recommended for a bright room.

6.5
Picture Quality
HDR Native Gradient
100% Black to 50% Gray
4.0
50% Gray to 100% White
6.0
100% Black to 50% Red
6.0
50% Red to 100% Red
10
100% Black to 50% Green
6.0
50% Green to 100% Green
6.0
100% Black to 50% Blue
6.0
50% Blue to 100% Blue
8.0

In HDR, gradients aren't displayed well on this TV. There's noticeable banding in almost all colors, and it's especially noticeable in darker shades of gray.

6.0
Picture Quality
Low-Quality Content Smoothing
Smoothing
6.0
Detail Preservation
6.0

The low-quality content smoothing is mediocre. It can't completely remove macro-blocking and pixelization in dark scenes, and the smoothing algorithms cause a loss of some fine details in all content.

6.0
Picture Quality
Upscaling: Sharpness Processing

The sharpness processing on this TV is mediocre. Text and fine details aren't upscaled well and look soft. Some fine details are lost, and upscaled text is hard to read.

Sharpness processing was calibrated for low-resolution or low-bitrate content, with no over-sharpening, with the following setting:

  • Sharpness: 15

Picture Quality
Pixels
Subpixel Layout
RGB
Type LED
Sub-Type
IPS

The TV has an RGB sub-pixel layout, which helps with text clarity when using it as a PC monitor. You can read more about text clarity here.

Motion
6.9
Motion
Response Time
80% Response Time
7.4 ms
100% Response Time
13.4 ms

The response time on this TV is okay. There's some noticeable blur behind fast-moving objects, which is good for watching movies but not for gaming or watching sports. There's very little variation in response time between different transitions, ensuring a consistent viewing experience, and unlike the TCL S4/S450G, there's very little black smearing in shadow details.

2.1
Motion
Flicker-Free
Flicker-Free
No
PWM Dimming Frequency
150 Hz

The TV's backlight uses pulse width modulation (PWM) to dim the backlight at low brightness levels. This causes noticeable flicker, and since it flickers at an unusual frequency, it's very distracting and causes motion issues. It's flicker-free with a backlight setting above '31' in most modes. The 'Low Power' mode is flicker-free above '41', and it's always flicker-free in the 'Smart HDR' mode. Since this TV can't get very bright, almost everyone will always use this TV above those brightness settings, so you'll never notice this issue.

Motion
Black Frame Insertion (BFI)
Optional BFI
No
Min Flicker For 60 fps
150 Hz
60Hz For 60 fps
No
120Hz For 120 fps
N/A
Min Flicker for 60 fps in Game Mode
150 Hz

This TV has no optional backlight strobing feature, commonly known as black frame insertion.

Motion
Motion Interpolation
Motion Interpolation (30 fps)
Yes
Motion Interpolation (60 fps)
No

The TCL S470G TV has an okay motion interpolation feature. It struggles to keep up with fast-action scenes, and there are significant motion artifacts. Overall, it doesn't do much to improve the appearance of motion blur.

7.4
Motion
Stutter
Frame Hold Time @ 24 fps
28.3 ms
Frame Hold Time @ 60 fps
3.3 ms

There's a bit of stutter on this TV when watching low-framerate content like movies and most TV shows, but it's not too bad.

7.8
Motion
24p Judder
Judder-Free 24p
Yes
Judder-Free 24p via 60p
No
Judder-Free 24p via 60i
No
Judder-Free 24p via Native Apps
Yes

The TCL S470G can remove judder from 24p sources like a Blu-ray player and from the native apps. It can't remove judder from 60Hz sources like most cable TV boxes or older streaming sticks that lack a "Match Frame Rate" feature.

0
Motion
Variable Refresh Rate
Native Refresh Rate
60 Hz
Variable Refresh Rate
No
HDMI Forum VRR
No
FreeSync
No
G-SYNC Compatible
No
4k VRR Maximum
N/A
4k VRR Minimum
No VRR support
1080p VRR Maximum
N/A
1080p VRR Minimum
No VRR support
1440p VRR Maximum
N/A
1440p VRR Minimum
No VRR support
VRR + Local Dimming No Local Dimming

All sizes of this TV are limited to a 60Hz refresh rate and don't support VRR.

Inputs
9.7
Inputs
Input Lag
1080p @ 60Hz
11.5 ms
1080p @ 60Hz Outside Game Mode
113.5 ms
1080p @ 120Hz
N/A
1080p @ 144Hz
N/A
1440p @ 60Hz
10.9 ms
1440p @ 120Hz
N/A
1440p @ 144Hz
N/A
4k @ 60Hz
10.5 ms
4k @ 60Hz + 10-Bit HDR
10.5 ms
4k @ 60Hz @ 4:4:4
10.4 ms
4k @ 60Hz Outside Game Mode
95.8 ms
4k @ 60Hz With Interpolation
95.9 ms
4k @ 120Hz
N/A
4k @ 144Hz
N/A
8k @ 60Hz
N/A

The input lag on this TV is incredibly low, resulting in a responsive gaming or desktop experience.

7.1
Inputs
Supported Resolutions
Resolution 4k
480p @ 59.94Hz (Widescreen)
Yes
720p @ 59.94Hz
Yes
1080p @ 60Hz @ 4:4:4
Yes
1080p @ 120Hz
No
1080p @ 144Hz
No
1440p @ 60Hz
Yes
1440p @ 120Hz
No
1440p @ 144Hz
No
4k @ 60Hz
Yes
4k @ 60Hz @ 4:4:4
Yes
4k @ 120Hz
No
4k @ 120Hz @ 4:4:4
No
4k @ 144Hz
No
8k @ 30Hz or 24Hz
No
8k @ 60Hz
No
Inputs
PS5 Compatibility
Auto Low Latency Mode (ALLM)
Yes
4k @ 120Hz
No
1440p @ 120Hz
No
1080p @ 120Hz
No
HDR
Yes
VRR
No

Since this TV is limited to a 60Hz refresh rate, it can't take full advantage of the PS5.

Inputs
Xbox Series X|S Compatibility
Auto Low Latency Mode (ALLM)
Yes
4k @ 120Hz
No
1440p @ 120Hz
No
1080p @ 120Hz
No
HDR
Yes
VRR
No

Since this TV is limited to a 60Hz refresh rate, it can't take full advantage of the Xbox Series S|X.

Inputs
Inputs Specifications
HDR10
Yes
HDR10+
No
Dolby Vision
Yes
HLG
Yes
HDMI 2.0 Full Bandwidth
Yes (HDMI 1,2,3)
HDMI 2.1 Class Bandwidth
No
CEC Yes
HDCP 2.2 Yes (HDMI 1,2,3)
ATSC Tuner
1.0
USB 3.0
Yes (1)
Variable Analog Audio Out Yes
Wi-Fi Support Yes (2.4 GHz, 5 GHz)

This TV is limited to HDMI 2.0 bandwidth on all three HDMI ports.

Inputs
Input Photos
Inputs
Total Inputs
HDMI 3
USB 1
Digital Optical Audio Out 1
Analog Audio Out 3.5mm 1
Analog Audio Out RCA 0
Component In 0
Composite In 1 (adapter required, not incl.)
Tuner (Cable/Ant) 1
Ethernet 1
DisplayPort 0
IR In 0
Inputs
Audio Passthrough
ARC/eARC Port
eARC
eARC: Dolby Atmos Over Dolby Digital Plus
Yes
eARC: Dolby Digital Plus 7.1
Yes
eARC: LPCM 7.1 Over Dolby MAT
Yes
eARC: Dolby TrueHD 7.1
Yes
eARC: DTS:X Over DTS-HD MA
No
eARC: DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1
No
eARC: LPCM Channels (Bitstream)
2.0
ARC: Dolby Digital 5.1
Yes
ARC: DTS 5.1
Yes
Optical: Dolby Digital 5.1
Yes
Optical: DTS 5.1
Yes

The TCL S470G supports eARC, or Enhanced Audio Return Channel, allowing you to pass high-quality, uncompressed audio to a compatible receiver. While the TV can pass DTS 5.1 through ARC and Optical connections, it can't pass the full 7.1 DTS:X or DTS-HD formats through eARC, which is disappointing as many UHD Blu-ray discs use these as their main audio track. If you have a 7.1 channel or higher speaker setup, connect your player to your receiver for the best audio quality.

Sound Quality
5.4
Sound Quality
Frequency Response
Low-Frequency Extension
160.00 Hz
Std. Dev. @ 70
5.20 dB
Std. Dev. @ 80
5.11 dB
Std. Dev. @ Max
5.67 dB
Max
86.0 dB SPL
Dynamic Range Compression
3.12 dB

The TCL S470G Series has a poor frequency response. There's next to no bass response, as the low-frequency extension (LFE) is incredibly high. Above the LFE, the frequency response is well-balanced at low-volume settings, and most dialogue is clear and easy to understand. It can't get very loud, though, and there's noticeable compression at max volume.

6.6
Sound Quality
Distortion
Weighted THD @ 80
0.117
Weighted THD @ Max
0.869
IMD @ 80
2.36%
IMD @ Max
18.10%

There's some noticeable distortion on this TV, even at moderate volume levels. It's significantly worse at max volume.

Smart Features
8.0
Smart Features
Interface
Smart OS Google TV
Version 11
Ease of Use
Average
Smoothness
Very Smooth
Time Taken to Select YouTube
1 s
Time Taken to Change Backlight
2 s
Advanced Options
Many

The TV uses version 11 of Google's popular Google TV OS. It's relatively easy to use and runs well, with a large selection of apps.

0
Smart Features
Ad-Free
Ads
Yes
Opt-out
No
Suggested Content in Home
Yes
Opt-out of Suggested Content
No

Like most TVs on the market, this TV has ads throughout the interface, and you can't disable them.

9.0
Smart Features
Apps and Features
App Selection
Great
App Smoothness
Very Smooth
Cast Capable
Yes
USB Drive Playback
Yes
USB Drive HDR Playback
Yes
HDR in Netflix
Yes
HDR in YouTube
Yes

The TCL S470G Series has a great selection of streaming apps, with every popular streaming app being present. The interface is very smooth and pleasant to use.

8.5
Smart Features
Remote
Size
Medium
Voice Control
Many Features
CEC Menu Control
Yes
Other Smart Features
No
Remote App Android TV

The TV's remote is medium-sized and has a simple layout. It has a series of dedicated buttons for the most popular streaming apps. The remote has an integrated microphone for voice commands, which works well. It only supports simple queries, like launching an app or searching for content.

Smart Features
TV Controls
Smart Features
In The Box

  • Remote (with 2x AAA batteries)
  • Power cable
  • Manuals

Smart Features
Misc
Power Consumption 34 W
Power Consumption (Max) 69 W
Firmware V8-R51MT08-LF1V053.021057