1-on-1 Comparison

Side-by-Side Comparison

TCL 43S425

TCL 43S421

SCORE:
84
SCORE:
84

Highlights

  • 4K UHD (3840 x 2160) LED Display
  • HDR10, HLG support
  • Ethernet, Wi-Fi

Highlights

  • 4K UHD (3840 x 2160) LED Display
  • HDR10, HLG support
  • Ethernet, Wi-Fi

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Content

Overview

Here we are comparing TCL 43S425 to TCL 43S421 to reveal their common strengths and weaknesses as well as the differences between them which will help you in making a correct decision before the purchase. Both models have the same 4K UHD (3840 x 2160) resolution and they both support HDR.

We have evaluated the TVs from available features and specifications. They both get the same overall score in our ranking system which is based on the display specifications, video, audio and other features, connectivity and format support.

TCL 43S425

TCL 43S421

DISPLAY
90
VIDEO FEATURES
84
AUDIO FEATURES
55
OTHER FEATURES
82
CONNECTIVITY
81
FORMAT SUPPORT
76
OVERALL
84
DISPLAY
91
VIDEO FEATURES
84
AUDIO FEATURES
55
OTHER FEATURES
82
CONNECTIVITY
81
FORMAT SUPPORT
76
OVERALL
84

Common Strengths and Weaknesses

STRENGTHS
  High Resolution
  Direct LED
  Color Depth
  HDR10
  Wi-Fi
WEAKNESSES
  Limited Viewing Angle
  No HDR10+
  No Dolby Vision
  No IMAX Enhanced
  No AMD Freesync™
  No NVidia G-Sync
  No 4K HFR
  No 2K HFR
  No VRR
  No NEXTGEN TV (ATSC 3.0)

Selected Features

VA Panels

Both TVs have vertical alignment (VA) panels. Such panels are most commonly used in LCD TVs as they provide deeper blacks compared to the IPS panels. However, they are still limited with the viewing angles compared to the IPS panels or OLED displays.

HDR10

TCL 43S425 and TCL 43S421 support HDR10 which was announced on August 27, 2015, by the Consumer Technology Association and uses the wide-gamut Rec. 2020 color space. It is not backward compatible with SDR. It sends static metadata via video stream to the TV which calibrates its screen brightness and color according to that. HDR10 is technically limited to a maximum of 10,000 nits of brightness and uses 10-bit color which corresponds to 1024 shades of the primary RGB colors.

Specifications

And in the end we display all the specifications which are present for both models.

Note: The following table shows only those details which are applicable for both models and excludes the ones that are applicable for only one model. If you want to see a full list of specs for each model please visit their individual pages here - TCL 43S425 and here - TCL 43S421.

BASICS TCL 43S425 TCL 43S421
BrandTCLTCL
Series44
Model43S42543S421
Size43"43"
CountryUSAUSA
Release Year20182018
Smart TV
DISPLAY TCL 43S425 TCL 43S421
Display TypeLEDLED
Actual Size (Diagonal)42.5"42.5"
Resolution4K UHD (3840 x 2160)4K UHD (3840 x 2160)
Refresh Rate50 Hz/60 Hz50 Hz/60 Hz
Screen DesignFlatFlat
Panel TypeVAVA
LED TypeDirect LEDDirect LED
Color
Viewing Angle
Panel Bit Depth8 bits + FRC8 bits + FRC
Color Depth1.07 billion1.07 billion
VIDEO TCL 43S425 TCL 43S421
3D Capability
HDR10
HDR10+
Dolby Vision
Advanced HDR by Technicolor®
IMAX Enhanced
AMD Freesync™
NVidia G-Sync
4K HFR
2K HFR
VRR
HGIG Compatibility
Upscaling4K Creative Pro4K Creative Pro
Frame Interploation TechniqueClear MotionClear Motion
Frame Interpolation Frequency120Hz120Hz
Black Frame Insertion
Filmmaker Mode
Auto Low Latency Mode
AUDIO TCL 43S425 TCL 43S421
Speaker Power Rating8W + 8W8W + 8W
Dolby Digital Plus
WiSA Ready
CONNECTIVITY TCL 43S425 TCL 43S421
Ethernet Input
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi Frequency2.4 GHz, 5 GHz2.4 GHz, 5 GHz
Wi-Fi Protocol802.11ac 2x2 Dual Band (support 2.4GHz & 5GHz)802.11ac 2x2 Dual Band (support 2.4GHz & 5GHz)
Bluetooth
Chromecast
Google Home
Virtual Assistant
Works with Alexa
HDMI Inputs33
HDMI Version2.02.0
HDMI Audio Return Channel (ARC)
HDCP Version2.22.2
HDMI-CEC
USB Inputs11
USB 3.0 Ports
RF (Terrestrial / Cable ) Inputs11
IF (Satellite) Inputs
Component Inputs
Composite Inputs
RCA Audio Outputs
3.5mm headphone Audio Output
Optical Audio Output
RS-232C Remote
OTHER TCL 43S425 TCL 43S421
CPU Cores22
GPU Cores22
Operating SystemRokuRoku
Parental Control (V-Chip)
Mobile App
Teletext
Closed Captions
On-Screen Display LanguagesEnglish, Spanish, French English, Spanish, French 
Advanced PQ Setting with Mobile App
VIDEO FORMATS TCL 43S425 TCL 43S421
Accessible Menu System (CVAA)
Quick Start Guide (QSG)1 English1 English
3GPP
AV1
AVI
ASF
DivX
Flash Video
H.263
H.264
H.265
MKV
M2TS
MP4
MPEG-4
QuickTime
RealVideo
TS
VC-1
VP7
VP8
VP9
VOB
VRO
WebM
WMV
Xvid
AUDIO FORMATS TCL 43S425 TCL 43S421
AAC
AC4
AIFF
ALAC
APE
aptX
eAAC+
EAC3
FLAC
HE-AAC
LPCM
M4A
MIDI
MP2
MP3
OGG
RealAudio
WMA
WAV
IMAGE FORMATS TCL 43S425 TCL 43S421
BMP
GIF
JPEG
JPS
MPO
PNG
TUNER TCL 43S425 TCL 43S421
Digital Tuner 1 1
SAT Tuner
Analog TunerNTSCNTSC
NEXTGEN TV (ATSC 3.0)
Digital Terrestrial TV SystemATSCATSC
Digital Cable TV SystemClear QAMClear QAM
Color systemPAL / SECAM / NTSCPAL / SECAM / NTSC
GENERAL TCL 43S425 TCL 43S421
Power SupplyAC 120 V, 60 HzAC 120 V, 60 Hz
Power Consumption (Typical)40 W45 W
Power Consumption (In Standby)0.5W0.5W
Dimension Without Stand (W x H x D)38.2" x 22.4" x 3.0"38.3" x 22.2" x 2.9"
Dimension With Stand (W x H x D)38.2" x 24.5" x 7.6"38.3" x 24.4" x 7.5"
Stand Size32.4"30.0"
Dimension of Package (W x H x D)45.1" x 26.2" x 5.2"44.6" x 26.2" x 5.7"
VESA Wall Mount
VESA Hole Pitch (W x H)100 mm x 100 mm100 mm x 100 mm
Wall mount screwM6 x 12M6 x 12
Weight Without Stand16.3 lbs16.6 lbs
Weight With Stand16.5 lbs16.8 lbs
Weight of Package (Gross)23.1 lbs23.6 lbs
Warranty1 year limited warranty1 year limited warranty
ACCESSORIES TCL 43S425 TCL 43S421
RemoteRC280RC282

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