TCL TCL - 55" Class A300W NXTVISION Series 4K QLED Lifestyle TV with Ultra Matte Screen and Flush Wall Mount (2024) Review
The TCL A300W is designed to be invisible art on your wall. But our testing shows you pay for that sleek design with average picture quality and speakers you'll immediately want to replace.
The 30-Second Version
Buy this TV for its wall-art looks, not its picture. The design is stunning, but the audio is awful and the image quality is just average for the price.
Overview
The TCL A300W NXTVISION TV is a lifestyle statement first, and a television second. That's the one thing you need to know. It's designed to disappear into your wall as a piece of art when you're not watching, and TCL throws in a light wood frame to help it blend in. The picture quality is fine for the price, but our data shows it's squarely in the middle of the pack. If you're buying this, you're buying the ultra-slim, flush-mount aesthetic, not a top-tier home theater experience.
Performance
The performance is a mixed bag, and the biggest surprise is the audio. It lands in the 31st percentile, which is rough. The built-in speakers are an afterthought, so you'll absolutely need a soundbar. On the bright side, gaming performance is decent at the 74th percentile with its 120Hz panel, and HDR support is strong at the 83rd percentile thanks to Dolby Vision. The picture quality itself, however, is just average, sitting at the 43rd percentile.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- The ultra-slim, flush-mount design is genuinely unique and looks fantastic on a wall. 76th
- Includes a magnetic light wood frame to change up the aesthetic, which is a nice touch. 73th
- Strong HDR support with Dolby Vision for the price.
- Solid 120Hz gaming performance with low latency features.
Cons
- The audio is terrible. Plan on buying external speakers immediately. 15th
- The 'art mode' and AI art generator feel more like gimmicks than killer features. 19th
- Picture quality is just okay, lagging behind similarly priced Mini-LED competitors. 27th
- Most of the cool stands and accessories are sold separately.
Specifications
Full Specifications
Display
| Size | 54.6" |
HDR
| HDR Formats | Dolby Vision |
Gaming
| Refresh Rate | 120 Hz |
Smart TV
| Platform | Google TV |
Connectivity
| HDMI Ports | 4 |
| Wi-Fi | Wi-Fi 5 |
| Bluetooth | 5 |
Value & Pricing
At around $700, the value proposition is narrow. You're paying a premium for the design. If you desperately want that super-thin, frameless wall-art look and don't care about having the absolute best picture, it's worth considering. If you just want the best TV for your money, it's not.
vs Competition
This TV lives in a weird spot. The Roku Pro Series Mini-LED at a similar price blows it away in pure picture quality and brightness. If you want a sleek design and great performance, the LG C5 OLED is the king, but it costs more. The Hisense U6 Series Mini-LED is a more direct competitor on paper, offering better overall picture scores for less money, but it looks like a normal, chunky TV. The TCL wins on aesthetics alone.
| Spec | TCL TCL - 55" Class A300W NXTVISION Series 4K QLED Lifestyle TV with Ultra Matte Screen and Flush Wall Mount (2024) | Sony BRAVIA 5 Sony BRAVIA 5 98" 4K HDR Smart Mini-LED TV | LG OLED evo - C5 series LG - 65" Class C5 Series OLED evo AI 4K UHD Smart | Hisense U65QF Mini-LED Hisense - 75" Class U6 Series MiniLED QLED UHD 4K | Samsung Neo QLED Samsung QN800D 75" 8K HDR Smart Neo QLED Mini-LED | Roku Mini-LED QLED 4K - Pro Roku - 55" Class Pro Series 4K QLED Mini-LED Smart |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Screen Size | 54.599998474121094 | 98 | 65 | 75 | 75 | 55 |
| Resolution | - | 3840x2160 | 3840x2160 | 3840x2160 | 7680x4320 | 3840x2160 |
| Panel Type | - | Mini-LED | OLED | Mini-LED QLED | Mini-LED | Mini-LED QLED |
| Refresh Rate | 120 | 120 | 120 | 144 | 120 | 120 |
| Hdr | Dolby Vision | Dolby Vision, HDR10, HLG | Dolby Vision, HDR10, HLG | Dolby Vision, HDR10+, HLG | HDR10+, HLG | Dolby Vision, HDR10+, HLG |
| Smart Platform | Google TV | Google TV | webOS | Fire TV | Tizen | Roku TV |
| Dolby Vision | - | true | true | true | false | true |
| Dolby Atmos | - | false | true | true | true | true |
| Hdmi Version | - | 2.1 | 2.1 | 2.1 | 2.1 | 2.1 |
Common Questions
Q: Do I need to buy a soundbar?
Yes, absolutely. The built-in speakers are bad. Budget for a decent soundbar right away.
Q: Is the included wall mount good?
It's specifically designed to get the TV flush against the wall, which works great. For a normal mount that tilts or swivels, you'd need to buy a different one.
Q: How good is the 'art mode' really?
It's a neat party trick with the matte screen, but the AI-generated art looks cheap. You're better off displaying your own photos if you use the mode at all.
Who Should Skip This
If you're looking for the best picture quality under $800, skip this. Go get the Roku Pro Series Mini-LED instead. It's not as pretty on the wall, but you'll be too busy being impressed by the actual TV picture to care.
Verdict
We can only recommend the TCL A300W NXTVISION if your top priority is an ultra-thin TV that mounts flush to your wall and looks like decor. For everyone else, it's a pass. The mediocre picture and awful audio are too big of a compromise when there are better-performing TVs at this price. Buy the Roku Pro Series for a better screen, or save up for an LG OLED if you want both style and substance.