TCL 40ES568: 40-Inch LED Smart TV Full HD TCL - Review 🏆

TCL is one of the world's leading consumer electronics brands and a dominant player in the global TV industry. Founded in China in 1981, it has grown into a multinational corporation known for its affordable, feature-packed TVs.

While not as well known as brands like Samsung or LG in places like the UK, TCL has quickly gained popularity for its combination of quality and value. The company puts significant resources into display panel research and development, resulting in TVs that punch above their weight in terms of picture performance.

This review will focus on the TCL 40ES568, a 40-inch LED smart TV with HDR support. As we'll see, it delivers very good specs and features considering its budget-friendly price point. TCL aims to make quality large-screen 4K and HD TVs accessible to more consumers. If you're looking for an affordable smart TV for a secondary room like a kitchen or bedroom, the 40ES568 is definitely worth considering.

Display & Resolution

The TCL 40ES568 features a 40-inch LED display with Full HD 1920 x 1080 resolution. This provides a crisp, detailed viewing experience whether watching TV shows, streaming movies, or gaming.

The LED backlighting delivers vibrant colors and deep blacks. It has a standard 16:9 widescreen aspect ratio suitable for most content. The Full HD resolution enables every pixel to be seen, so images appear sharp and text looks clear even up close.

With a 40-inch screen size, this TCL TV is well-suited to smaller rooms like a kitchen, bedroom, or home office. The resolution pairs nicely with this screen size to deliver a pixel density that looks smooth and immersive when viewed from a typical seating distance.

Overall, the 40-inch LED display with Full HD resolution provides an excellent balance of size and quality for enjoying entertainment in a smaller room. The crisp, vibrant visuals let you get immersed in your favorite shows and movies.

Additionally, the TCL 40S5400AK: 40-Inch FHD Smart TV offers the same Full HD resolution with smart TV capabilities, allowing access to popular streaming services. This model features a sleek design and user-friendly interface, making it easy to navigate through apps and channels. Perfect for those who desire modern technology without sacrificing screen size, the TCL 40S5400AK is an ideal choice for entertainment in compact spaces.

Picture Quality

The TCL 40ES568 offers excellent picture quality for its price range. It has a Full HD 1920 x 1080 resolution panel, which provides a crisp and clear viewing experience. The resolution is more than adequate for a 40-inch screen, with plenty of detail and sharpness in HD content.

One of the highlights of this TCL TV is its support for HDR (High Dynamic Range). HDR expands the color and contrast range substantially compared to standard dynamic range content. It makes colors appear more vivid and lifelike, while also revealing more detail in bright highlights and dark shadows. When you watch HDR movies and shows, the expanded contrast ratio is immediately noticeable, with a true cinematic quality. The 40ES568 can decode and display the HDR10 format, taking full advantage of this enhancement on compatible content from Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and other sources.

Overall, the picture quality belies the budget price of this TV. Between the crisp Full HD resolution and excellent HDR support, visuals look fantastic. You would have to spend considerably more to get a meaningfully better image on a 40-inch screen.

In comparison, the TCL 55C641K: 55-Inch QLED 4K Ultra HD Smart TV features a larger 55-inch QLED panel that enhances color accuracy and offers breathtaking 4K resolution. This model incorporates advanced picture processing technology, ensuring that HDR content looks stunning with deeper blacks and brighter highlights. With smart TV capabilities, it provides access to a variety of streaming services, making it a versatile choice for modern viewing needs.

Smart TV Features

The TCL 40ES568 comes with Android TV built-in, giving you easy access to a wide range of apps and streaming services. One of the main benefits is having both Netflix and YouTube right on your home screen, so you can start watching popular shows, movies, and videos instantly.

The Android TV platform also provides access to thousands of apps on the Google Play store, including other popular streaming services like Disney+, Prime Video, Spotify, and more. You can download new apps directly on the TV without needing any additional devices.

Voice controls through Google Assistant are built into the remote, allowing you to search for content, get recommendations, control smart home devices, and more using just your voice. This makes navigating through the smart TV features quick and hands-free.

Overall, the inclusion of Android TV gives this budget-friendly TCL TV some great smart features that are typically found on more expensive models. Having direct access to so many streaming apps and the Google Assistant can greatly expand the functionality and enjoyment you get from this TV.

Sound Quality

The TCL 40ES568 offers decent sound quality for most TV viewing thanks to its built-in Dolby Audio support. The two 8W speakers deliver clear audio with minimal distortion even at higher volumes.

While the speakers lack the full bass response you'd get from a dedicated soundbar, the Dolby Audio helps compensate by providing a wider and more immersive soundstage. This makes the audio seem to “surround” you more than standard stereo speakers. Dialogue in movies and TV shows sounds crisp and focused as well.

The TV also has several audio settings to further customize the sound profile if desired. There's a Smart Volume Leveling option that helps prevent sudden volume spikes during commercials or scene changes. An Auto Volume Control mode analyzes the content and makes real-time adjustments to maintain consistent loudness.

Overall, the Dolby Audio support helps elevate the 40ES568's sound quality for a more dynamic and engaging listening experience. The audio is certainly sufficient for everyday TV watching and should satisfy most buyers in this price range. Those looking for more powerful sound can always connect an external speaker system via the optical audio output or Bluetooth.

Connectivity

The TCL 40ES568 offers excellent connectivity options for a budget smart TV. It has:

• 2 x HDMI ports - The two HDMI ports allow you to connect devices like gaming consoles, Blu-ray players, streaming sticks etc. HDMI provides high quality audio and video.

• 2 x USB ports - The USB ports allow you to plug in external devices like hard drives and USB sticks. This allows you to play media files directly from your USB devices.

• Built-in WiFi - The TV has 802.11 b/g/n WiFi built-in. This allows you to connect to your home WiFi network and access smart TV features and apps. The WiFi connectivity is fairly reliable.

• Bluetooth - Bluetooth 4.0 allows you to pair wireless devices like headphones and speakers. This gives you an easy way to get better audio from the TV without running wires across your room.

Overall, the connectivity options on the TCL 40ES568 are quite good considering its budget price point. The inclusion of dual HDMI ports, dual USB, WiFi and Bluetooth provides ample options for connecting media devices, gaming consoles, streaming accessories and more.

Ease of Use

The TCL 40ES568 is easy and intuitive to use thanks to its simplified remote control and settings menu. The remote is lightweight and fits nicely in the hand. All of the most used buttons like power, volume, channel change, and source are clustered together for quick access. There's also dedicated Netflix and YouTube buttons to launch those apps instantly.

The settings menu is straightforward with large text and clear organization. It's easy to tweak picture settings, turn features on and off, and set up external devices. Everything is laid out logically in the menu with guidance text explaining each option. The TV comes with some presets like Movie, Sports, Vivid, etc. so you can quickly optimize the picture and sound.

There's an initial setup wizard when you first turn on the TV that walks you through the process of connecting to wifi, scanning for channels, and linking accounts for smart apps. This makes the setup very simple even for less tech-savvy users. Overall the TCL 40ES568 offers effortless usability thanks to its intuitive remote and menu system.

Wall Mounting

The TCL 40ES568 comes with VESA 200 x 200mm mounting holes on the back panel, allowing you to mount it on the wall. This is quite convenient as it saves space and gives you flexibility in placement.

To mount it, you will need a wall mount bracket compatible with VESA 200 x 200mm hole pattern. Make sure the bracket is rated to support the weight of the TV, which is around 5.7 kg without the stand. When buying a bracket, consider one that allows for tilt and swivel adjustments for optimal viewing angles.

Before installation, remove the original stand first. The TV has screws for attaching the bracket in the standardized VESA mounting holes. Follow the instructions of your particular bracket for secure and safe installation. Make sure to leave enough clearance for ventilation and cables. Once mounted, you can orient and angle the TV for the best viewing experience in your space.

The 40ES568's VESA 200 x 200mm compatibility makes wall mounting straightforward with the right bracket. Just be sure to use the correct screws and securely fasten it as per the manufacturer's instructions. This allows you to creatively install the TV in your bedroom, kitchen, or any other room.

Pros & Cons

Pros

• Excellent value for the price. One of the most affordable 40" 4K TVs available.

• Sharp 4K Ultra HD resolution and HDR support provide stunning picture quality.

• Micro Dimming technology optimizes contrast and black levels.

• TCL's Android TV interface is smooth and intuitive, with access to popular apps.

• Built-in Chromecast allows easy streaming from mobile devices.

• Supports major HDR formats including Dolby Vision and HDR10.

• Good selection of connectivity ports including 2 HDMI inputs.

• Sleek, thin design that would look great in any room.

Cons

• Only 60Hz refresh rate, some may prefer 120Hz for sports/gaming.

• Mediocre built-in speakers, external sound system recommended for best audio.

• Lacks advanced gaming features like VRR and ALLM.

• No local dimming means HDR effect is not as pronounced on this TV.

• Remote lacks shortcut buttons for popular streaming apps.

Conclusion

The TCL 40ES568 is an excellent value 40-inch LED Smart TV that offers a lot for its affordable price point. It has a sleek modern design that will look great in any room, along with good picture quality and useful smart TV features powered by Android TV.

The Full HD resolution delivers a crisp and vibrant viewing experience, while HDR support boosts contrast and color. The Micro Dimming technology also helps deepen blacks for improved image depth. Gaming on this TV is smooth and responsive thanks to features like Auto Low Latency Mode.

For sound, the integrated Dolby Audio system provides clear audio that's good for everyday TV watching. The Bluetooth connectivity allows you to pair wireless speakers or headphones for a more immersive experience.

Connectivity options like HDMI, USB, and Wi-Fi provide ample options for connecting media devices, game consoles, streaming sticks and more. The TV is also DVB compatible for accessing freeview channels and services.

Ease of use is a plus point, with the Android TV platform offering quick access to popular streaming apps like Netflix and YouTube. Voice controls via Google Assistant further simplify navigation and searches.

Overall, the TCL 40ES568 delivers very good picture and sound quality coupled with smart TV features - all at an affordable price. It's an excellent choice for bedrooms, kitchens, dorm rooms or other secondary spaces. For shoppers looking for a small to mid-sized LED TV that doesn't break the bank, the TCL 40ES568 is easy to recommend.