# TCL TV

17 Hacker News commenters recommended TCL TV and 14 criticized it, November 2025 to November 2026. It was recommended in 9 of 13 months; owners who said how long report a median of 6 years (4 owners).

**Verdict:** Recommended for value and a basic TV mode; critics warn of tracking, Google terms and laggy input on some models.

## Why people recommend it

- Good value for the price (3 comments): "I’ll take a cheap TCL panel with all the latest bells and whistles" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49681013)) "they actually are much better if you have a limited budget" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49615090)) "It's just better quality for the price." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48059544))
- Owners stay happy, buy again (3 comments): "Try TCL. I just got a second one after 6 years with a previous model of theirs" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46260752)) "I have a TCL that I'm happy with." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50331736)) "I am very happy with my TCL tv" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49596890))
- Dumb mode and basic TV mode (2 comments): "google TVs (like my TCL tv) let you use them in dumb mode, which is what I do" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50165949)) "pleasantly surprised to find it has a basic TV mode" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50195313))

## What people warn about

- Input lag, especially with PCs (3 comments): "I've noticed that older TCLs are a bit laggier than Samsung smart tvs." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48637772)) "there is noticeable input lag when connected to a pc, whereas if I switch it to "pc", the lag is basically gone" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46433682)) "the input lag becomes horrible" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46440834))
- Tracking and privacy concerns (4 comments): "TCL I believe was doing this, and I've read scattered reports of that behavior." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49006120)) "They all use Automatic Content Recognition (ACR) and collect profiling data" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49613944)) "finding open wifi access points and exfiltrating data without my consent" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49594086))
- Requires internet connection to work (2 comments): "Some TCL TVs will refuse to work unless you connect them to a network with access to the home base" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48648398)) "Some TCL TVs will refuse to work if you don't connect them to the Internet." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48648421))
- Forces Google terms agreement (2 comments): "On my TCL TV, you have to connect it to read the Google policies you are agreeing to." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48424138)) "forces you agree to Google's terms and conditions" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46251227))

## Alternatives hackers recommend

- [LG smart TV](https://hackerapproved.com/p/lg-smart-tv.md): 57 recommend
- [Samsung TV](https://hackerapproved.com/p/samsung-tv.md): 37 recommend
- [Sony Bravia TV](https://hackerapproved.com/p/sony-bravia-tv.md): 19 recommend
- [Roku TV](https://hackerapproved.com/p/roku-tv.md): 14 recommend
- [Samsung Frame TV](https://hackerapproved.com/p/samsung-frame-tv.md): 10 recommend

## Where to get it

- [See price on Amazon](https://www.amazon.com/s?k=TCL+smart+TV&tag=YOURTAG-20) (affiliate link)
- [Official site](https://us.tcl.com/)

## Cite as

Hacker Approved, "TCL TV", https://hackerapproved.com/p/tcl-tv/ (counts from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026).