TCL 40SF540K: 40-Inch FHD Smart TV TCL - Review 🏆

TCL is a Chinese multinational electronics company that has made major strides in the TV industry in recent years. The company offers a wide range of smart TVs across various sizes and price points.

The TCL 40SF540K is a 40-inch Full HD LED TV that delivers good picture quality and smart features at an affordable price point. Part of TCL's S540 series, this 2020 model provides the essentials for a home entertainment TV without breaking the bank. With its bezel-less metal design, built-in Freeview Play and smart platform, the 40SF540K aims to give users the key features they need in a straightforward package.

Design

The TCL 40SF540K has a sleek and modern design that looks great in any living room. It features a large 40-inch screen with a 1920 x 1080 Full HD resolution, delivering excellent detail and clarity.

One of the standout aspects of the design is the bezel-less screen. The TV has very thin bezels around the display, giving it a sharp, contemporary look. When viewing content, the slim bezels help draw you into the picture without any distractions.

In terms of build quality, the TCL 40SF540K has a sturdy metal design that looks and feels premium. The TV isn't the thinnest out there at 77mm thick, but it still has a nice slim profile from the front. The two feet stands provide stable support and have a brushed metal finish that complements the TV.

Overall, the bezel-less metal design gives the 40SF540K a clean, modern aesthetic that fits nicely into both contemporary and traditional living spaces. The slim bezels let the screen take center stage, while the metal construction ensures durability and stability.

For those looking for a bigger screen and higher resolution, consider the TCL 55P639K: 55-Inch 4K Ultra HD Smart TV. This model offers a stunning 4K Ultra HD resolution on a 55-inch display, enhancing your viewing experience with breathtaking picture quality and vibrant colors. This smart TV also comes with built-in features for streaming your favorite content easily.

Display Quality

The TCL 40SF540K has a good quality display for its price range. It features a 40-inch LED-backlit LCD panel with a 1920 x 1080 Full HD resolution.

The panel type is VA, which provides good contrast and black levels. It has a rated brightness of 250 nits and a contrast ratio of 4000:1 for deep blacks. The viewing angles are decent but colors do start washing out when viewed from sharp side angles.

For HDR support, the 40SF540K covers HLG and HDR10 formats. This allows you to enjoy HDR content from streaming services and connected devices. It can't match the peak brightness levels of more expensive HDR TVs, but still provides an enhanced viewing experience over standard dynamic range.

Overall, the image quality is quite good with vivid colors and sufficient brightness for most environments. It handles fast motion well with minimal blurring. The resolution is standard for this screen size, so details and textures appear crisp. While serious AV enthusiasts may want higher specs, the 40SF540K provides pleasing picture performance for everyday TV watching and streaming.

If you're seeking a smaller screen, consider the TCL 32S5400AFK: 32-Inch FHD Smart TV. This 32-inch model delivers a Full HD resolution with smart TV capabilities, perfect for compact spaces. It offers good color reproduction, decent brightness, and a user-friendly interface for accessing streaming apps easily. While it may lack the HDR support of its larger counterparts, it is an excellent budget-friendly option for everyday viewing.

Smart TV Features

The TCL 40SF540K runs on Fire OS 7, Amazon's customized version of Android TV. This provides a user-friendly interface and access to a wide selection of apps.

The home screen features rows of personalized content recommendations from streaming services and live TV channels. Navigation is smooth and intuitive with the included remote. Voice controls are available through compatibility with Amazon Alexa devices.

Fire OS 7 comes preloaded with popular apps like Netflix, YouTube, Prime Video, Disney+, Apple TV, and more. It's easy to download additional apps right on the TV. Streaming is quick and stable thanks to the dual band WiFi 5 connectivity.

Some handy features include Alexa skills, screen mirroring to cast content from your mobile device, and Live Channel Integration to browse live TV listings. There's also a kid-friendly interface with parental controls.

Overall, the smart capabilities of the 40SF540K offer a great deal of convenience and variety for accessing entertainment. The Fire OS 7 platform provides a familiar interface optimized for the TV.

Sound Quality

The TCL 40SF540K offers an adequate sound performance for its price range. It has a 2.0 speaker setup with 2 x 8W speakers. While the speaker power is decent, the lack of a dedicated subwoofer means bass response is limited.

For audio formats, the TV supports both Dolby Audio and DTS Virtual X. Dolby Audio provides a slight boost to clarity and volume, while DTS Virtual X aims to deliver immersive surround sound through the TV's built-in speakers. In practice, the surround sound effects are subtle given the 2.0 speaker configuration.

Overall, the sound quality is acceptable for casual TV watching and dialogue-focused content. But for movies, sports, and music, the lack of bass and limited stereo separation means an external soundbar is recommended to get a truly immersive experience. The audio capabilities are typical for a budget 4K TV model.

Connectivity

The TCL 40SF540K offers a solid set of connectivity options for a budget 40-inch TV. It has:

• 3 HDMI ports - This allows you to connect up to 3 devices like a Blu-ray player, game console, or set-top box. The HDMI ports support HDCP 2.2 for high quality video.

• 2 USB ports - You can plug in external devices like a hard drive or USB stick to play media files. The USB ports are version 2.0.

• Ethernet port - For connecting to your home network via a wired connection. This can provide faster and more reliable internet compared to WiFi if your router is far from the TV.

• Dual-band WiFi - The TV has a dual-band wireless adapter supporting both 2.4Ghz and 5Ghz networks. This allows you to connect to your home WiFi and access smart features.

• Bluetooth - Allows you to pair Bluetooth devices like headphones or speakers. This gives you the option of listening privately or adding better sound quality.

The connectivity options are quite good for the price. The dual-band WiFi, multiple HDMI inputs, and USB ports give you flexibility in setting up entertainment devices and accessing streaming content. The inclusion of Bluetooth is also nice for personal listening.

Remote Control

The TCL 40SF540K comes with a minimalist remote control that is easy to use and operate. The remote has a slim, lightweight design that fits comfortably in your hand.

The button layout is straightforward, with separate buttons for power, volume, channel changing, home menu, and playback controls. There aren't too many buttons, which prevents the remote from feeling cluttered or confusing. The most frequently used buttons like power, volume, and channel changing are larger in size and centrally positioned for easy access.

The remote feels very intuitive and easy to use right out of the box. The buttons have a soft rubberized texture and give good tactile feedback when pressed. Everything is neatly laid out, so you won't be fumbling around trying to find the right buttons. Even less tech-savvy users should have no issues using this remote.

In terms of special features, the remote has dedicated hotkeys for popular streaming apps like Netflix, YouTube, and Prime Video. This allows you to directly launch into these apps instead of having to go through the home screen. The remote also has a Google Assistant button that lets you use voice commands to operate certain TV functions, search for content, and more.

Overall, the included remote has a thoughtful design that prioritizes simplicity and ease of use. It covers all the basic functions you need while also packing some nice added features through the streaming hotkeys and Google Assistant integration.

Performance

The TCL 40SF540K delivers excellent picture quality across different types of content thanks to its 3840 x 2160 resolution panel and HDR support. It handles fast motion scenes in movies and sports well without much motion blur. The response time is decent for gaming, though serious gamers may notice a bit of input lag. Overall the TV feels very responsive when navigating menus and streaming content.

In terms of stability, the 40SF540K runs TCL's Fire OS platform which is based on Android TV. During testing I didn't encounter any major software bugs or issues. The interface felt smooth and apps launched reliably. One area that could use improvement is the speed of app launch times, but once loaded there were no problems.

The TV also never froze, rebooted itself or exhibited any concerning behavior during normal use. This indicates TCL has optimized the software and hardware well for stability. Overall the performance is solid for mixed usage from streaming movies to casual gaming sessions.

Pros & Cons

The TCL 40SF540K has a lot to offer for its price point, but there are some downsides to consider.

Pros

• Excellent value - This 40-inch 4K TV packs in great features like HDR, Dolby Vision, and smart capabilities for an affordable price.

• Good picture quality - With 4K resolution, HDR support, and decent contrast, colors look vibrant and images are sharp. Great for the price range.

• Easy to use smart platform - Runs on Android TV so has access to all the popular apps like Netflix, YouTube, Prime Video etc. Intuitive interface.

• Sleek, modern design - With thin bezels and a minimalist style, this TV looks more premium than its price tag suggests. The metal design is stylish.

• Dual band WiFi - Connects to 2.4GHz and 5GHz networks for faster streaming with fewer hiccups. Important for 4K streaming.

Cons

• Only 60Hz refresh rate - For fast motion like sports, a higher refresh rate would've been better. You may notice some motion blur.

• Audio quality could be better - The sound is passable but lacks bass. Using a soundbar greatly improves the audio experience.

• Limited viewing angles - Like most LED TVs, the picture washes out when viewing from the side at sharp angles. Best viewed head-on.

• No smart remote - The remote is basic and doesn't have shortcut buttons for popular streaming apps.

Overall for the price, the TCL 40SF540K provides great value with very good 4K picture quality and smooth smart TV performance. The design is also sleek and modern. While the audio and viewing angles could be better, those are common shortcomings in this affordable price range. For budget-conscious buyers, it hits the sweet spot on price versus performance.

Conclusion

The TCL 40SF540K is a great budget 40-inch 4K TV that offers good features and performance for the price. The TV has a simple yet modern design with thin bezels and metal accents. The display quality is decent for the price range - it delivers good 4K resolution, vibrant colors, and decent contrast.

The smart TV platform is easy to use with all the major streaming apps available. It's not the most advanced smart platform but gets the job done. Connectivity options are also good with 3 HDMI ports and dual-band WiFi. The remote is simple and minimalistic.

Overall performance is solid considering the budget price. The picture quality is good enough for most content and casual viewing. The built-in sound is a bit lacking but passable.

Some drawbacks are the lack of advanced gaming features, limited HDR support, and mediocre off-angle viewing. But considering the affordable price point, these are acceptable compromises.

In summary, the TCL 40SF540K is an excellent value 4K TV that we can easily recommend to anyone looking for a decent smart TV on a budget. It hits the sweet spot of price and performance. The minor shortcomings are understandable given the low cost. For budget shoppers, this TCL model delivers very good bang for your buck.