I couldn't wait until Prime Day, so I bought a TCL TV from Amazon for $280 — the value is unbeatable, and I wish I had it sooner
I was recently in the market for a new smart TV and given that I've never actually been in charge of selecting a device on my own, I was pretty stumped. All I knew was that I didn't want to spend a fortune and that the TV needed to have the ability to stream apps like Disney+, Prime Video, Netflix and other favourites. Other than that, I wanted something that was fairly light and with decent visuals
After doing some research, I settled on a relatively inexpensive TCL Smart TV from Amazon Canada that seemed to fit all my criteria. However, given that it's regularly only $350 — and currently on sale for $280 ahead of Amazon Prime Day 2025 — I was skeptical about whether it would actually be decent quality.
I've been using it for a few months now, and I'm happy to report that I shouldn't have been skeptical — this cost-effective TV is fantastic and has seriously improved our leisure time. Scroll onwards to read my full review of the TCL 43-Inch Class S4 4K LED Smart TV and see if it's the right fit for your home.
Unbeatable value and excellent quality.
The TV has 4K Ultra HD Resolution, Motion Rate 120 and HDR PRO that provides exceptional visual detail, improved motion clarity and enhanced contrast. It also has Dolby Atmos which provides an immersive, cinematic audio experience.
For streaming, it has Netflix, Prime Video, Disney+, Spotify and dozens of other popular services as well as the ability to search and download less popular apps.
It has three HDMI inputs for gaming and other needs, and has Alexa technology that let's you hold down the voice button and ask her to find and launch content.
In terms of appearance, the TV has an edge-to-edge glass design that would look perfect in any setting.
Amazon Prime Day is set to return to Canada sometime in July. The retailer has yet to release the official dates, but last year, it ran from July 16-17, 2024, so we can more or less expect the same timeline. For those unwilling to wait, Amazon Canada has released a ton of early Prime Day deals in its famed Deals Store. To shop the best early deals on tech, home and living, beauty and more, click here.
The interface: As mentioned, I'm not very tech-savvy, so I anticipated that I'd struggle — but I truly had no issues. It's extremely user-friendly to find what your looking for and to start watching right way. It also has voice control technology, so you can ask it to launch programs for you when you don't feel like typing. The interface is also customizable and you can change the audio-visual options tor the different streaming apps.
Streaming options: The TV comes loaded with all of the most popular apps like Netflix, YouTube and more — and you can search and download more niche apps. For instance, my partner downloaded the Kanopy app so he can watch library-sourced documentaries and Armenian animations. As well, we found it easy to stream from our phones and laptops and cast it to the TV.
The visuals: One of the first things we did was watch The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King and the difference in visual quality between the TCL and our old TV was immediately noticeable. A few quotes from my fiancé:
"Shit, that's crisp!"
"I'm getting lost in Elijah Woods's blue eyes."
"There's even enough brightness settings to make The Rings of Power watchable."
The set up: From taking the TV out of the box to getting it mounted on our wall and watching Netflix, the entire process took maybe 10 minutes. It likely would have taken us less than that but it took us a a bit to figure out how to attach it to our wall mount (entirely our own fault, not a negative to the TV at all).
The weight: I was genuinely shocked at how light this TV is! Our old, non-smart TV weighs about 30 pounds. The TCL weighs under five pounds, which made it extremely easy to carry up the stairs to our apartment and subsequently hang on the mount we already owned.
The size: The only thing I dislike about this TV is the size, and that's entirely my own fault for choosing a 43" instead of a 50." When doing the measurements, I made the error of measuring the width of the wall we would mount it on. From that I surmised I needed a 43" TV, but the way TVs are measured is across the diagonal. Because of my error, the television is a little too small for the area we have it in, but it's not the worst problem to have!
The TV has a 4.1-star rating on Amazon Canada and has been bought more than 100 times in the last month.
"The best budget TV I've ever owned," says one customer. "I would recommend it all day."
Another notes that they're "impressed with what this TV offers," particularly "at such an affordable price point."
Others write that "the colours are rich and vibrant," it's "very easy to set up" and offers "unbeatable value."
However, a few people say "the sound isn't the best" — I would agree that it's not exactly cinematic or comparable to what you'd get out of a sound bar, but the sound quality is not a concern at all for me.
I am extremely pleased with the TCL 43-Inch Class S4 4K LED Smart TV, and would 100 per cent recommend buying it. In fact, I'm likely going to repurchase this TV in a bigger size when it's on sale.
I've been using it for a few months now and I'm impressed with the quality of this device, its weight and how easy it is to set up — and at just $280, it doesn't break the bank, which is always a bonus.
If you're on the hunt for an affordable TV that gives excellent performance, I'd definitely check it out.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
23 minutes ago
- Yahoo
2025's biggest and most surprising movie hit is coming to Max soon, so you can shout 'Chicken Jockey!' at the screen as many times as you like
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. A Minecraft Movie will be available to stream on Max very soon Warner Bros. has confirmed it'll arrive on June 20 The biggest film of 2025 has almost reached the $1 billion mark globally Get ready to shout "chicken jockey!" at your screens, everyone, because A Minecraft Movie has finally dug up a streaming release date. Well, that is in countries where Warner Bros. Discovery's (WBD) super streamer Max, i.e., one of the world's best streaming services, is available. The Jason Momoa and Jack Black-starring film will launch on the service this Friday (June 20), so you don't have long to wait to check out one of the highest-grossing new movies of the year at home in nations including the US, Australia, New Zealand, and Singapore. Viewers in places where Max isn't available, such as the UK, Canada, and India, can still watch Minecraft's movie adaptation at home. However, you'll have to rent or buy it from Amazon, Apple TV, the Microsoft Store, and other online stores. Hopefully, it won't be long until deals are struck with Max's distribution partners in these nations, so that viewers can watch on services like Sky, Crave, and JioHotstar. Debuting in theaters on March 4, A Minecraft Movie stars Momoa, Black, Danielle Brooks, Emma Myers, and Sebastien Hansen as five humans transported to the Overworld, aka Minecraft's cube-based dimension where the only limit to creativity is your imagination. There, they must help to defeat the nefarious Malgosha, who wants to rule the Overworld using a magical artifact known as the Orb of Dominance. Not many people expected A Minecraft Movie to be such a huge hit. Despite the enduring popularity of Mojang's hugely successful video-game namesake, I was one of those who expected its film reimagining to fall flat on its face. And my belief didn't waver after watching it – indeed, as part of my A Minecraft Movie review, I said it wasn't the wildly creative blockbuster video-game film adaptation I was hoping for. I'm not afraid to admit that I underestimated how wildly successful it would be, though. Per BoxOfficeMojo, A Minecraft Movie has raked in over $951.51 million worldwide since it debuted in theaters. That makes it the biggest money-spinner of the year in the western world (China's animated fantasy flick Ne Zha 2 has reportedly made an eye-popping $1.89 billion, with $1.82 billion made domestically in that nation). Disney's Lilo & Stitch remake could surpass A Minecraft Movie before the former's theatrical run ends – at the time of writing, Lilo & Stitch has amassed $858.3 million globally. However, thanks to its game namesake's worldwide fanbase and those viral TikTok videos of chaotic A Minecraft Movie screenings, Warner Bros' film remake may yet hold onto its box office crown – at least until Superman and/or The Fantastic Four: First Steps arrive and potentially earn more money. 'They were taken out of context': A Minecraft Movie director responds to fan backlash over the film adaptation's visuals 'We weren't able to do it': A Minecraft Movie's Jared Hess explains why one of its funniest scenes isn't in the final cut 'We had to have the same approach': A Minecraft Movie's simple title was chosen for one very big reason, director says
Yahoo
23 minutes ago
- Yahoo
My favorite Max medical drama with 95% on Rotten Tomatoes is getting a second season – and my heart is racing over a 2026 release window for The Pitt season 2
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. The Pitt is my very favorite show of 2025, and HBO has confirmed that production has now started on season 2 of the hit medical drama. The HBO Max Original has been a huge success, gaining a 95% rating on Rotten Tomatoes from the critics and sitting comfortably in Max's top three most-watched streaming shows worldwide. The press release hasn't shared any more information, but a few days ago it was revealed that the second season would stream in January 2026 and would bring a host of new faces into the ER – including Skinny Pete from Breaking Bad, aka the actor Charles Baker. Baker will be joined by Irene Choie, Laëtitia Hollard, and Lucas Iverson. As Hello magazine reports, Baker will be playing an unhoused man called Troy; Iren Choie will be Joy, a medical student "with strong boundaries"; Laëtitia Hollard plays a recent nursing school graduate; and Lucas Iverson will play James, a fourth year medical student. Noah Wyle, the man with the saddest eyes on any streamer, will of course return as Dr Robbie, and he previously told Deadline that the second season will take place over the Fourth of July weekend. Dr King, Dr Abbot, Dr Langdon and charge nurse Dana Evans are confirmed to be returning too. I genuinely loved every episode of season 1 of one of the best Max shows, and cried quite a lot in every single one of them: it's a show with a huge heart and the cast are exceptional. In a time when there are many horrible things happening it reminds me of Fred Rogers' famous line: "look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping." The Pitt season 1 is streaming now on Max. Season 2 is scheduled for January 2026. The best Max shows: 39 great series to stream in June 2025 The Last of Us creators confirm exactly what I expected for season 3 of the hit HBO Max show 5 of the biggest streaming announcements from Warner Bros. Discovery Upfront 2025, from HBO Max shows to the new Superman trailer
Yahoo
23 minutes ago
- Yahoo
A24 will release 3 new movies on HBO Max in July 2025 – and there's only one I'll be watching due to its perfect Rotten Tomatoes rating
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. 18 months have passed since Max (soon to be rebranded to HBO Max) became the exclusive streaming home for A24 movies – well, in nations where one of the world's best streaming services has launched, anyway. Since that multi-year deal was signed in December 2023, over 100 A24-developed films have joined Max's back catalog. You'll be able to add more to that growing list next month, too. July 2025 marks the official streaming debut for three more new movies from the acclaimed indie studio, including two that only arrived in theaters earlier this year. However, based on their Rotten Tomatoes (RT) critics scores, there's only one that'll deserve a spot on our best Max movies list. To help you decide which film(s) are worth your time, I've ranked the forthcoming trio from worst to best. That way, you'll have a better idea of determining if some of July's new Max movies should be added to your watchlist. HBO Max release date: July 11Runtime: 1 hour 44 minutesAge rating: RMain cast: Ayo Edebiri, John Malkovich, Juliette Lewis, Murray Bartlett, Melissa Chambers, Tony Hale, Young Mazino, and Amber MidthunderDirector: Mark Anthony GreenRT critics score: 40% With a starry cast including the ever-excellent John Malkovich, The Bear's Ayo Edebiri, The Last of Us' Young Mazino, and Prey's Amber Midthunder, you might have expected Opus to be a must-watch. Assembling a cast of talented actors will only get you so far, though, and Opus proves it. A cult-based thriller that's not dissimilar to another A24 flick in Midsommar, Opus struggles to match the psychological intensity, narrative mystery, and lashings of horror that of its 2016 genre cousin. Malkovich chews the scenery with a delightfully unhinged performance but, that aside, Opus is a largely forgettable movie. HBO Max release date: July 25Runtime: 1 hour 44 minutesAge rating: RMain cast: Jenna Ortega, Paul Rudd, Will Poulter, Anthony Carrigan, Tea Leoni, and Richard E GrantDirector: Alex ScharfmanRT critics score: 54% Another horror-fuelled A24 offering that, based on its own A-list cast, should have been better received than it was. Like Opus, though, the messy nature of this satirical creature feature's plot drags it down. The never-aging Marvel actor Paul Rudd and Wednesday superstar Jenny Ortega ground proceedings with their convincing father-daughter dynamic, while Poulter and Grant bring classic British flair to their villainous roles. Those highlights aside, Death of a Unicorn is a tonal misfire that disappointingly skewers its potentially great narrative and thematic ideas. HBO Max release date: July 4Runtime: 1 hour 35 minutesAge rating: PG-13Main cast: Susan Chardy, Elisbath Chisela, Henry B.J. Phiri, Roy Chisha, Blessings Bhamjee, Chunju Bwalya, and Maggie MulubwaDirector: Rungano NyoniRT critics score: 100% Of the three new A24 films that'll join Max's movie library in July, I suspect that this hidden gem was the one that most readers wouldn't have expected to come out on top. With its perfect RT critical rating, though, On Becoming a Guinea Fowl is an unmissable dark comedy-drama that's not only Nyoni's first feature in eight years, but also cements the Zambian-Welsh filmmaker as one of the most talented of her generation. A universally appealing, beautifully shot, witty, and at-times uncomfortable movie whose exploration of death, self-deception, and communal misgivings is incredibly impactful. A Minecraft Movie is finally streaming on Max this week – here's exactly when you can watch it Paging medical drama fans: HBO Max is officially making The Pitt season 2, and my blood pressure has gone into orbit These are the best HBO Max shows to stream today
