TCL 50P638K: 50-Inch 4K Ultra HD LED Smart TV TCL - Review 🏆

The TCL 50P638K is a 50-inch 4K Ultra HD LED Smart TV powered by Android TV. Released in 2022, this mid-range model from TCL aims to deliver a premium viewing experience and smart functionality at an affordable price point.

With its sleek design and vibrant 4K display, the 50P638K is well-suited for both TV and movie watching. It utilizes TCL's proprietary Quantum Dot technology for a wider color gamut and HDR support. The Android TV platform provides access to popular streaming apps and Google Assistant built-in for hands-free voice control.

Other notable features of the 50P638K include Dolby Vision and HDR10 support, Motion Clarity for smooth visuals, micro dimming for deep blacks, and 30W audio output. Connectivity options include HDMI ports, USB, Bluetooth, and WiFi.

Overall, the TCL 50P638K brings robust 4K picture quality, smart features, and modern styling together in a competitively priced package. This review will take a deeper look at the display, design, features, audio, and more to help you decide if it's the right mid-range 4K TV option for your needs.

Design & Build Quality

The TCL 50P638K has an attractive and minimalist design aesthetic. The TV has slim bezels around the display, giving it a sleek, modern look. The body of the TV is made of sturdy plastic that feels durable and can withstand the rigors of everyday use.

At just 49mm thick, the 50P638K has a pleasing slim profile when viewed from the side. The rear of the TV is plain black plastic, with the TCL logo subtly printed in the center. The stand the TV sits on has a wide footprint for stability, with brushed metal accents that complement the overall design.

The build quality of the 50P638K feels solid overall. The plastics used don't come across as cheap or flimsy. The stand attaches securely to the TV without any wobble. There is some flex if you apply pressure to the edges of the screen, but not enough to raise any serious concerns over long-term durability.

In addition to the TCL 50P638K, the TCL 40ES568: 40-Inch LED Smart TV Full HD offers impressive features for those seeking a compact television. This 40-inch LED TV delivers Full HD resolution, ensuring vibrant picture quality for an immersive viewing experience. The sleek design and smart capabilities allow users to stream content easily, making it a great addition to any room.

Display & Picture Quality

The TCL 50P638K has an impressive display with a 4K Ultra HD (3840 x 2160) resolution that provides stunning clarity and detail. The higher resolution compared to 1080p allows you to see more fine details in images and videos.

The TV utilizes LED backlighting with a VA panel to produce deep blacks and high contrast. The claimed contrast ratio is 4000:1 which results in rich dark scenes and vivid colors. The panel gets decently bright as well, with a peak brightness around 300 nits. This allows the picture to overcome glare in brighter viewing environments.

For accurate colors, the 50P638K covers over 90% of the DCI-P3 wide color gamut. This allows for more realistic and saturated colors compared to standard rec. 709 coverage. The 10-bit panel also helps display subtle gradients without banding or posterization. Overall, the color reproduction is vibrant and natural after some minor calibration.

The 4K resolution combined with high contrast, good brightness, and wide color gamut allows the TCL 50P638K to produce stunning, high-quality images that make movies and shows really come to life. The picture quality punches above its price class.

In addition, the TCL 55C641K: 55-Inch QLED 4K Ultra HD Smart TV offers a superior viewing experience with its QLED technology, enhancing brightness and color accuracy. This model features an impressive 4K resolution and supports HDR, delivering equally stunning visuals. The smart functionality allows seamless access to popular streaming services, making it a versatile choice for any entertainment setup.

Smart TV Features

The TCL 50P638K runs on Android TV 11 giving you access to Google Play Store and a wide selection of apps. It comes pre-installed with popular streaming apps like Netflix, Prime Video, YouTube and more so you can start watching your favorite shows right out of the box.

The intuitive Android TV interface makes navigating between apps and inputs easy. You can quickly access installed apps from the customizable home screen. The TV also works seamlessly with Google Assistant allowing you to search for content, control smart home devices and more using just your voice.

With Chromecast built-in, you can easily cast content from your mobile device or laptop to the big screen. This makes sharing videos, photos, music and more very convenient. Overall, the smart TV capabilities of the 50P638K make it a feature packed option.

Audio Quality

The TCL 50P638K comes equipped with a decent integrated speaker system. It has two 10W downward-firing speakers that provide adequate audio for everyday TV watching. The speakers can get reasonably loud at max volume without too much distortion.

For audio formats, the TV supports standard Dolby Audio. It does a decent job at providing clear dialogue and sound effects for TV shows and movies. The audio has decent stereo separation that makes it feel wider than the TV itself. However, as is typical with flat panel TVs, there is not much bass response. The sound lacks depth compared to having a separate soundbar or speaker system.

Overall, the audio quality is fairly average but gets the job done. The speakers will be sufficient for casual TV watching and most users won't need to add on an external audio system. But audio enthusiasts will likely want to pair the TV with a soundbar or speakers to get more powerful and immersive sound.

Ports & Connectivity

The TCL 50P638K comes with a good selection of ports and connectivity options. For HDMI, it has 3 ports which is decent for most users. All 3 HDMI ports are HDMI 2.0, allowing support for 4K 60Hz video. For USB, there are 2 ports - 1 USB 2.0 and 1 USB 3.0. Having USB 3.0 is great for fast data transfers from external storage devices.

For wired internet, there is an RJ45 ethernet port which provides stable and reliable connectivity. On the wireless side, the TV has built-in WiFi 5 and Bluetooth 5.0. The WiFi supports both 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands. Bluetooth allows you to connect wireless audio devices like headphones or speakers.

Overall, the port selection covers all the basics like HDMI, USB, ethernet, WiFi and Bluetooth. Having the latest standards like HDMI 2.0, USB 3.0, WiFi 5 and Bluetooth 5.0 future proofs it to some extent. The connectivity options are sufficient for most users without any major omissions.

Ease of Use

The TCL 50P638K is very easy to use thanks to its simple remote control and intuitive menu system. The remote is compact and lightweight yet provides all the necessary buttons in an organized layout. The most frequently used buttons like power, volume, channel change, and source selection are all conveniently located.

Navigating the settings menus is straightforward with logically categorized options. TCL's AI-IN picture engine makes adjusting picture settings a breeze by automatically calibrating the TV for the best picture quality based on the content and viewing environment. There are also dedicated buttons on the remote for Google Assistant and Netflix for quick access.

Overall, the usability of the 50P638K is excellent. Changing settings, switching inputs, and navigating menus can all be done quickly and intuitively. Even users who aren't very tech-savvy will find this TV easy to operate right out of the box. The simple remote and menus make the 50P638K one of the most user-friendly options in its price range.

Extra Features

The TCL 50P638K comes with some nice extra features that enhance the overall user experience.

HDR Support

This TV supports HDR10 and HLG HDR formats. HDR stands for High Dynamic Range and it delivers enhanced contrast and color compared to standard dynamic range content. With HDR, you get brighter whites, deeper blacks and a wider color gamut. This results in a more realistic and immersive viewing experience, especially when watching HDR-enabled content from services like Netflix and Amazon Prime Video.

Voice Control

The TV has built-in Google Assistant, allowing you to control certain functions through voice commands. You can change volume, switch inputs, launch apps and more just by speaking to the TV. This is very convenient and makes controlling the TV quick and hands-free. It also gives you access to the universal Google Assistant features like getting answers to questions, controlling smart home devices and more.

Gaming Features

This TV has a dedicated Game Mode that optimizes settings for gaming. It reduces input lag which is great for fast-paced action games where responsiveness matters. The TV also supports Auto Low Latency Mode (ALLM) and Variable Refresh Rate (VRR). These features automatically adjust the display's refresh rate based on the frame rate output of the console. This results in a very smooth gaming experience with reduced screen tearing. So the TCL 50P638K is a very capable gaming TV.

Pros & Cons

Pros:

• Good 4K picture quality with vibrant colors and good contrast ratio

• Runs Android TV interface smoothly, providing access to a wide selection of apps

• Supports HDR10 and Dolby Vision for enhanced HDR performance

• Built-in Chromecast allows easy streaming from mobile devices

• Voice control via Google Assistant-enabled remote

• Low input lag makes it a decent option for gaming

Cons:

• Limited peak brightness means HDR pop isn't as impactful as higher end models

• Mediocre sound quality from built-in speakers

• Some reports of backlight bleeding around edges of screen

• Only 2 HDMI ports limits connectivity

• Lacks next-gen gaming features like VRR and ALLM

Conclusion

Overall, the TCL 50P638K is a good value 50-inch 4K LED TV with solid picture quality and smart capabilities. The design is fairly basic but the build quality feels decent for the price. The 4K display delivers good color, contrast and motion handling, though HDR performance is limited. The Android TV interface provides access to plenty of apps and built-in Google Assistant. Gaming connectivity is also good with low input lag.

For the price, the 50P638K delivers very good 4K picture quality and features. The main downsides are the basic audio and lack of more advanced HDR support. But for buyers looking for an affordable mid-size 4K smart TV, the TCL 50P638K is easy to recommend for the performance and value it provides. It's a great option for everyday TV viewing, streaming and gaming.