Televisions. However, TCL (and others like Hisense) seem to be somewhat of an exception. The real reason TCL is so cheap has nothing to do with poor quality materials or apparent cost cutting. The brand produces most of its components, and because it controls much of its manufacturing, it can easily lower prices as it sees fit. TCL is also a strong contender among the best big smart TV brands in terms of customer satisfaction.
What about reliability? The website RTINGS.com tested 100 TVs in a three-year accelerated aging test, and of the 10 TCL displays involved, only one completely failed. In particular, its backlight kicked the bucket at the end of the test. Impressive, but how long do TCL TVs last according to owners? This is an important question to ask because the TCL sample size was relatively small when tested, meaning these 10 units may not be indicative of overall reliability. For reference, LG also had one complete outage and eight partial outages, but its sample included 24 TVs.
Looking through what owners say online, most report that their TCL has continued to drive without problems for at least three years, with some lasting up to five years. While many of them fall into this particular longevity bracket, there are outliers at the ends of the spectrum. For example, one user said their TCL lasted 10 years, but another said their TV died after 18 months.
Are there any common problems with TCL TVs?
The experience of being on location is common with technology. While some owners confirm that TCL TVs can last quite a long time (one in particular said his 4.5 year old TCL worked perfectly without EVER being turned off), others have been unlucky enough to encounter duds. A Reddit user complained that the screen on his TCL S405 had become invisible after 18 months and warned others that this was a common failure for the model. Another user had a similar experience when their TCL 6 series screen went black in just under a year. They even had a repairman say that this was a common failure point on a particular model.
These aren’t the worst stories of dysfunction you’ll read. One disgruntled owner argued that quality control must be questionable because three of his 2019 TVs died after three weeks. If this is true, it is either incredible bad luck or a problem with older TCLs. At the same time, there are countless reports of “bulletproof” TCLs that have worked for more than five years, so what gives?
Early failures (and outliers that have survived decades) are often not indicative of overall reliability. A Reddit author explained it best, saying that this is common for high-selling products, where users with bad experiences are more likely to express their frustration online. This doesn’t just apply to TCLs. For example, LG’s OLEDs are generally considered robust, but there are still reports of TVs dying after a week. Of course, there are some common problems with TCL TVs, but in many cases you can fix them by changing the settings. In other words, regular smart TV problems you may encounter regardless of the price of your TV.
