If you are looking for affordable 43-Inch 4K UHD TV that support Dolby Vision, I’m sure that TCL 43S517 and 43S515 are two choices that you should consider. They are both introduced by TCL as part of their 2018 5-Series. Before we can decide which of them is the one that we should choose, We need to know the similarities and differences between those two 43-Inch 4K UHD TVs. This article will talk about the similarities and differences between TCL 43S517 and 43S515 to help you choose.
TCL 43S517 and 43S515 Similarities
Before we talk more about similarities of TCL 43S517 and TCL 43S515, let’s take a look at their similar key specs and features that we can find in the table below. By knowing their similar specs and features, we can easily talk about their similarities.
| TCL 43S517 | TCL 43S515 | |
| Introduced | 2018 | 2018 |
| Screen Size | 43-Inch | 43-Inch |
| Display Type | LED | LED |
| Backlight Type | Edge LED | Edge LED |
| Resolution | 4K UHD | 4K UHD |
| 4K Upscaling | YES | YES |
| TCL’s NBP Photon Technology | YES | YES |
| IPQ Engine | YES | YES |
| HDR Dynamic Contrast | YES | YES |
| HDR Pro Gamma | YES | YES |
| HDR Support | HDR10+Dolby Vision | HDR10+Dolby Vision |
| Refresh Rate | 120Hz CMI | 120Hz CMI |
| Smart TV Platform | Roku TV | Roku TV |
| Processor | CPU: Dual-core / GPU: Dual-core | CPU: Dual-core / GPU: Dual-core |
| Built-In Wi-Fi | 802.11ac dual band | 802.11ac dual band |
| Speaker System | 2Ch 16W | 2Ch 16W |
| HDMI/USB | 3/1 | 3/1 |
From the table above, we can talk more about the similarities between TCL 43S517 and 43S515. Let’s discuss that together.
1. 4K UHD Resolution with Upscaling Technology
Both of TCL 43S517 and 43S515 come with 4K UHD Resolution in Edge LED display that completed with 4K Upscaler. With 4K Upscaler, we can enjoy brilliant picture quality from both of original 4K content sources or non 4K contents that upscaled into near 4K picture quality.
2. TCL’s NBP Photon Technology with IPQ Engine
We can find that TCL’s NBP Photon Technology is installed in both of TCL 43S517 and TCL 43S515. TCL’s NBP Photon Technology is able to deliver wide color spectrum so that we can enjoy vivid color details in both of TCL 43S517 and 43S515. We can also find IPQ Engine installed in both of those two TVs. IPQ Engine is another color technology that deliver accurate color reproduction and bring optimized DCI-P3 color space coverage.
3. HDR Dynamic Contrast and HDR Pro Gamma
HDR Dynamic Contrast and HDR Pro Gamma are two main contrast technology that we can find in TCL 43S516 and 43S515. HDR Dynamic Contrast is able to improve the contrast of the screen so that we can enjoy brighter whites and darker blacks especially when we are watching HDR contents. We can also find HDR Pro Gamma installed in both of those two TVs to auto-adjust the screen brightness according to the environment for optimum picture details.
4. HDR Support
We can find that HDR contents are supported by both of TCL 43S517 and TCL 43S515. They both support HDR10 and Dolby Vision so that we can enjoy enhanced details with expanded contrast from our favorite HDR10 and Dolby Vision content sources.
5. Refresh Rate Technology
The refresh rate technology of TCL 43S517 and 43S515 are similar 120Hz CMI. 120Hz CMI is able to deliver smooth fast motion images from our favorite action movies and sports. We can also enjoy fluid gaming scenes when we use those two TVs as our gaming monitor.
6. Smart TV Platform
TCL 43S517 and 43S515 use similar Roku TV as their Smart TV Platform. Roku TV is able to deliver wide range of entertainment from wide range of content providers. 802.11ac dual band wireless is also attached to both of TCL 43S517 and 43S515 so that we can enjoy stable and fast internet connection to our favorite content providers.
7. Speaker System
The speaker system of TCL 43S517 and 43S515 are similar. They come with 2Ch 16W speaker system. It’s indeed quite basic speaker system, but we can still enjoy good sound quality as Dolby Digital is integrated with the speaker system. If you are looking for more powerful sound quality, then you can easily attach your favorite soundbar to those two TVs so that you can satisfy your audio taste.
TCL 43S517 and 43S515 Differences
After talking about the similarities of TCL 43S517 and 43S515, now let’s proceed our discussion by talking about the differences between those two 43-Inch 4K UHD TVs. Before we talk more about their differences, let’s take a look at their different specs & features in the table below.
| TCL 43S517 | TCL 43S515 | |
| Remote Control | Roku TV RC580 | Roku TV RC280 |
| Sold By | All Retailers | Best Buy |
| Price | Higher | Lower |
The differences of TCL 43S517 and 43S515 can be found in the table above. Let’s talk more about their differences together.
1. Remote Control
The main difference of TCL 43S517 and 43S515 comes from their remote control. TCL 43S517 comes with Roku TV RC580 remote, while TCL 43S515 comes with Roku TV RC280. RC580 is enhanced remote with voice control that can help you control the TV and Roku TV with your voice. While RC 280 is standard remote control that’s not completed with voice control.
2. Retailer
TCL 43S517 is not an exclusive model that offered by most retailers. While TCL 43S515 is an exclusive model that’s only offered by Best Buy. So we can easily find TCL 43S517 offered by a number of retailers, while we can only find TCL 43S515 in Best Buy.
3. Price
TCL 43S517 is the model that positioned slightly higher than TCL 43S515 with better remote control. So it’s easily understood that TCL 43S517 is commonly offered at slightly higher price than TCL 43S515. How much is the price difference between TCL 43S517 and TCL 43S515? Since TV price often change from time to time, it’s recommended that we check today’s price of TCL 43S517 and 43S515 so that we can find their latest price difference.
Which TCL Affordable 43-Inch 4K LED TV to Choose?
We have talked about similarities and differences of TCL 43S517 and 43S515 and we can find that the main difference of TCL 43S517 and 43S515 is their remote control. TCL 43S517 comes with enhanced remote control that completed with voice control. If you want to use more advanced remote with voice control and you don’t mind to spend slightly higher for that, then TCL 43S517 is the model that you should choose.
If you are looking for more affordable 43-Inch 4K UHD TV or you are simply not interested in Enhanced remote with voice remote control, then TCL 43S515 is the model that you should choose. TCL 43S515 only comes with standard remote and you can get it at slightly lower price than TCL 43S517.
Where’s Recommended Place to Order One?
Order TCL 43S517 from Walmart here…
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