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The U55H8800CDS is far from perfect, but it has a unique charm that's won us over.
If this TV is an indication of where TCL's at in terms of its value for money proposition there's no reason its panels shouldn't be warmly embraced by markets outside of China.
While it's an unconventional TV that has plenty of quirks, they can't detract from the fact that in many ways it's a premium piece of kit without the premium price tag.
We liked
This is an unconventionally handsome telly that almost doubles as a piece of modern sculpture when you turn off. The wood panel in the centre of its base seems odd at first, but after a few days of looking at it it's become strangely appealing.
The TV delivers surprisingly good sound performance, offering quality audio at higher volume levels, which may give anyone with modest living space reason to question whether or not they really need to invest in further audio gear. This TV will handle the latest Marvel adventure with aplomb, and even do a respectable job on your music.
The screen is bright, delivering natural colours and blacks that, while not exactly deep, aren't too washed out either – they'll get you through until OLED panels become the norm.
This is one of the easiest TVs to get going out of the box – not that they're ever that tricky, but this one is particularly pain-free – and gamers will be thrilled by the rapid image processing speed, which could make the difference between shooting your opponent or being shot yourself.
And the price is a pleasant surprise. We would have expected to pay considerably more for a 55-inch 4K smart TV with this build quality, even if the smarts are underwhelming.
We disliked
We can't provide a blanket recommendation of the U55H8800CDS to everyone. It's not a TV you'll want to mount on your wall – that heavy base will just look odd, and frankly we'd be worried about the whole thing coming down.
The user interface is just awful. It's excruciatingly slow and cumbersome, and best avoided altogether if you have a Chromecast, Apple TV or something similar to use as a substitute.
The app store also has some serious holes, not least of which is the absence of Netflix, Stan and Presto apps.
Final Verdict
A compelling value-for-money offering, the U55H8800CDS is an unusual, but surprisingly appealing piece of home theatre kit.
Whether the TV's modest pricing will be enough to overlook its shortcomings is up to each individual buyer, but for a quality 55-inch 4K TV it's hard to look past.
With terrific 4K images, audio from Harman/Kardon, a premium build, and unique aesthetics that are sure to be a talking point, TCL has delivered a winner.
At $2,199 it's a tempting buy, and if you're willing to do a little shopping around you could probably snap it up for even cheaper.
