RCA 43 Inch QLED UHD Smart TV: 43" 4K HDR10 Smart TV RCA - Review 🏆

RCA is a well-known American brand that has been making quality electronics for over 90 years. They have recently released a new 43-inch QLED 4K UHD smart TV - the RCA 43" QLED UHD Smart TV. This mid-sized TV combines QLED technology with 4K resolution and smart capabilities, making it a versatile option for different uses.

QLED (quantum dot LED) is an advanced display technology that provides better brightness, wider color gamut and higher contrast compared to standard LED TVs. The 4K UHD resolution gives you over 8 million pixels for incredible clarity and detail. With built-in WiFi and smart platforms like Tizen OS, you get easy access to popular streaming apps and content.

In this review, we will take a close look at the key features and performance of the new RCA 43" QLED TV to see how it stacks up as a mid-range 4K smart TV option for the living room or home office use.

Design & Build Quality

The RCA 43-inch QLED TV has a simple and minimalist design with thin bezels around the display. The TV features an all-plastic body which helps keep it lightweight but doesn't feel as premium as metal designs.

The plastic construction means the TV is not the most durable and there is some flex if you apply pressure to the back panel. The stand feet are also made of plastic and provide decent support but have a basic design.

Overall, the RCA 43" TV has a functional but budget build quality. It lacks the premium feel and robustness of more expensive TVs, but the slim and understated design means it won't look out of place in most living rooms or bedrooms. The plastic body helps keep the weight down for easy wall mounting, although the material feels a bit cheap.

Additionally, the RCA RB24H2CU: 24 HD TV offers a compact option for those looking for smaller screens without compromising on quality. Its lightweight design and good performance make it a suitable choice for bedrooms or kitchens. With vibrant picture quality and simple controls, it provides a solid viewing experience in a smaller package. For more details, visit RCA RB24H2CU: 24 HD TV.

Display & Picture Quality

The RCA 43" QLED UHD Smart TV features a stunning 4K resolution display with 3840 x 2160 pixels for incredible clarity and detail. The QLED technology provides a wider color gamut, with vivid and accurate colors that make images come to life.

The TV supports High Dynamic Range (HDR10), which significantly expands the color and contrast range. With HDR, blacks appear deeper and shadows are more detailed, while highlights seem brighter. This results in a more realistic and immersive viewing experience, especially when watching HDR-enabled content.

At 43 inches, the screen size is well-suited for smaller rooms like bedrooms, home offices, and kitchens where you want an immersive viewing experience without overwhelming the space. The 4K resolution still allows you to appreciate fine details and textures on the 43-inch screen from a typical viewing distance.

Overall, the display quality is very impressive for the price, with the QLED panel and HDR support bringing premium features to this budget-friendly smart TV. The picture performance punches well above its weight.

In addition to the RCA 43" QLED UHD Smart TV, the RCA RB22HT5: 22 FHD TV offers a compact option for those who need a smaller screen. With its Full HD resolution, the 22-inch model provides clear images and vibrant colors, making it perfect for small spaces such as dorm rooms or kitchens. Its sleek design and affordable price make it a smart choice for budget-conscious consumers. For more details, visit the RCA RB22HT5: 22 FHD TV.

Audio Quality

The RCA 43-inch QLED TV is equipped with 20W stereo speakers that provide decent audio quality. The speakers have enough power to fill a small to medium-sized room without distortion at normal volumes.

While the speakers won't provide room-shaking bass or the clarity of a dedicated sound system, they perform well for casual TV watching. Dialogue comes through clearly and the speakers can handle sound effects and soundtrack music without sounding overly tinny or hollow.

The built-in speakers are downward-firing, which helps direct the sound towards the viewing area rather than bouncing it off the wall behind the TV. This provides a more focused soundstage.

The stereo separation also gives a sense of left-right panning for audio effects. So you get a bit more immersion than just mono sound.

Overall, the speakers offer good enough performance for everyday TV usage. But audio enthusiasts may want to connect the TV to an external soundbar or speaker system to get fuller, higher-quality sound.

Smart TV Features

The RCA 43-Inch QLED TV comes with Samsung's intuitive Tizen operating system, providing quick access to your favorite streaming apps and services. Out of the box, the TV has pre-installed apps for Netflix, YouTube, Prime Video, Disney+, Apple TV, and more.

Tizen OS makes navigating between apps a breeze. The home screen features customizable rows and icons, allowing you to pin your most-used apps for quick launching. Switching between apps is smooth and snappy thanks to the quad-core processor powering the interface.

One major advantage of Tizen is its universal search function. Instead of needing to search each individual app, you can search across all streaming services at once for movies, TV shows, actors etc. This is extremely convenient when you know what you want to watch but aren't sure which app it's available on.

Another handy feature is Samsung TV Plus, which offers over 200 streaming channels spanning news, sports, movies and more - no subscriptions required. There are also free TV channels from providers like Pluto TV. For cord-cutters, this is a great supplement to paid streaming services.

Overall, the smart TV capabilities and Tizen OS make the RCA 43-inch QLED TV an excellent option for accessing today's most popular streaming apps and services. The intuitive interface and universal search function make it easy to find and start streaming content quickly.

Connectivity

The RCA 43 Inch QLED UHD Smart TV offers good connectivity options for most users. It has 3 HDMI ports and 2 USB ports.

The 3 HDMI ports allow you to connect multiple devices like a cable box, Blu-ray player, gaming console, etc. Having multiple ports is convenient as you don't have to constantly switch cables when you want to use a different device. The HDMI ports support HDMI 2.0 for transferring 4K video at up to 60Hz.

There are 2 USB ports which is useful for plugging in external devices like hard drives or flash drives to play media files directly on the TV. You can also use the USB ports to connect accessories like wireless keyboards.

For wireless connectivity, the TV has built-in WiFi and Bluetooth. The WiFi allows you to connect to the internet to access smart TV apps like Netflix, YouTube, etc. Bluetooth enables you to pair wireless headphones or speakers to the TV. This gives you the option of listening privately or wirelessly transmitting audio to external speakers.

Overall, the connectivity options on this TV should satisfy most users. The only addition some users may want is an audio output like optical or analog RCA to connect the TV to a soundbar or AV receiver. But the 3 HDMI and 2 USB ports provide ample options for connecting video sources and storage devices. The built-in WiFi and Bluetooth offer flexibility for wireless connectivity and audio.

Remote Control

The RCA 43" QLED TV comes with a simple remote control that has all the necessary buttons. The remote is lightweight and fits comfortably in your hand. It has a minimalist design with a directional pad at the top for navigation and a few shortcut buttons below.

The most frequently used buttons like power, volume, channel change, home, and back are grouped together for easy access. There's also a dedicated button for quickly launching Netflix and YouTube. The remote can control basic TV functions as well as navigate the Tizen smart TV interface.

While the remote lacks advanced features like voice control, it gets the job done for operating basic TV functions. The buttons have a nice tactile feedback and are responsive. The remote is powered by 2 AAA batteries. Overall, the simple remote is functional and easy to use for accessing common TV controls and apps.

Performance

The RCA 43" QLED TV offers a smooth viewing experience thanks to its decent motion handling capabilities. The TV has a native 60Hz refresh rate which is fairly standard for most budget 4K TVs.

To improve motion clarity, RCA has included a Motion Mode feature which uses black frame insertion to reduce motion blur. When enabled, this inserts black frames between content frames to make fast motion appear smoother. There are different settings like Clear, Smooth and Natural to adjust the intensity of the effect. The Motion Mode works reasonably well in reducing blur during fast action scenes and sports. Gamers who want smoother visuals for fast-paced games can benefit from using this feature.

In terms of input lag, the RCA 43" TV has a pretty fast response time of around 15ms when Game Mode is enabled. This low input lag allows the TV to feel very responsive with minimal delay between pressing a button on a controller and seeing the result on screen. Hardcore gamers may want an even faster response time, but for most casual gaming the TV provides a lag-free experience.

Overall the RCA 43" QLED TV delivers a fluid viewing experience for movies, sports and gaming thanks to its motion enhancement options and low input lag when gaming. Most users should find the performance very responsive for a budget 4K television.

Pros & Cons

Pros

• The RCA 43" QLED TV has a very thin design that looks great in modern living rooms. Despite the slim form factor, it still packs in good features considering its budget-friendly price point.

• For a TV at this price, the RCA 43" includes some of the most popular streaming apps like Netflix, YouTube, and Samsung TV Plus. Having these apps built-in makes it easy to start watching movies and shows right out of the box.

• The addition of Quantum Dot technology provides wider color gamut and vivid images on the 4K display panel. HDR10 support also helps make colors pop for a more dynamic viewing experience.

Cons

• While the thin design looks nice, the RCA 43" TV does have a plastic build that feels a bit cheap. Those looking for a more premium metal design may want to consider other options.

• The remote included with the TV is pretty basic and doesn't include advanced controls. To get the most out of the smart features, upgrading to RCA's enhanced remote may be preferable.

Conclusion

The RCA 43 Inch QLED UHD Smart TV is a solid budget big-screen option for those looking for a QLED TV without breaking the bank. It provides very good picture quality for the price with its 4K QLED panel, HDR10 support, and Quantum Dot technology. Motion handling is also good thanks to Motion Xcelerator.

The smart TV features and Tizen operating system work well, with access to popular apps like Netflix, YouTube, Disney+ and more. Gaming connectivity is decent with low input lag, and the connectivity options check all the right boxes. The audio could be better but is passable.

Overall, this RCA model hits well above its weight class for a budget 43-inch QLED TV. Shoppers looking for an affordable big-screen 4K TV with good smart features will be quite satisfied with what this TV has to offer. It provides a compelling mix of display technology, streaming services, and connectivity at a wallet-friendly price point. For those wanting to step up to a QLED display without overspending, the RCA 43-inch QLED TV is easy to recommend.