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TCL’s latest 98-inch 4K TV comes in at a great price

By Simon Cohen August 24, 2023

TCL 98-inch S Class S5 4K TV. — TCL

TCL has unveiled yet another 98-inch 4K TV: the S Class S5 (98S550G), which can be preordered starting August 24 for $5,000. As part of TCL’s partnership with the NFL, the company is also offering football fans $200 off NFL Sunday Ticket from YouTube and YouTube TV if you buy the TV before September 19, 2023.

The Google TV-powered 98-inch S5 joins TCL’s $5,000 98-inch Class XL 4K QLED TV (98R754) and the company’s $12,000 98-inch Q Class mini-LED 4K TV (98QM850G) as the three biggest TCL TVs.

Though not a QLED display, the 98-inch S5 still boasts many desirable features, including:

120Hz native panel refresh rate
Motion rate 480 with MEMC frame insertion
Wide Color Gamut
Dolby Vision IQ, HDR10+, HDR10, and HLG
Auto low-latency mode (ALLM)
Variable refresh rate (VRR) up to 240Hz
Dolby Atmos and DTS Virtual:X
Google TV Smart OS
Built-in stereo speakers (10 watts each) and subwoofer (20 watts)
Bluetooth for wireless headphones and earbuds
Hands-free voice control using far-field mics
4 HDMI inputs (one with ARC/eARC)
Chromecast built-in
Compatible with Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant
Dual-band 802.11ac Wi-Fi

TCL doesn’t provide specific performance claims when it comes to the brightness of its TVs, so it’s difficult to know how this new S Class model compares to the 98-inch XL Collection. What we do know is that the XL benefits from the use of quantum dots, which should provide greater color accuracy, and it has slightly more powerful speakers. However, the S5 offers Dolby Vision IQ, DTS Virtual:X, and VRR that supports up to 240Hz (the XL tops out at 120Hz), which might make the S5 the better choice for gamers despite its lack of quantum dot color.

It could be a tough call, especially right now, since Amazon has the XL collection XL collection 98R754 on sale for just $4,000.

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Contributing Editor, A/V

Simon Cohen covers a variety of consumer technologies, but has a special interest in audio and video products, like spatial…

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