Android TV app on TCL P635 seems limited to 1080p (no 4K playback)

Plex Players Smart TVs
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Hi, everyone,

I’m having an issue with 4K playback on the Plex app for Android TV running on a TCL P635 (Google TV, 4K HDR TV).

My setup:

  • TV: TCL P635 55" 4K HDR (Google TV / Android TV)

  • Server: Plex Media Server running on a MacBook Air (Apple Silicon), wired/wireless on the same local network

  • Client: Official Plex app from the Google Play Store on the TCL TV

What I’m seeing:

  • My library contains 4K HEVC (H.265) files with HDR10 or HLG and simple audio tracks (AAC / AC3), which should be compatible with direct play.

  • The TV clearly switches into HDR/HLG mode when I play these files, so it is receiving an HDR signal.

  • However, the Plex player UI on the TV always labels the stream as “HD 1080p”, never 4K/2160p, even for known 4K files.

  • In the playback quality settings on the TV app, the highest option is “Maximum”, and the next one down explicitly says “HD 1080p”, which suggests the client may be advertising itself as a 1080p device.

  • On the server side, I see that playback uses a direct connection (no transcoding), but there is no clear indication that the client is actually receiving 3840×2160 instead of 1920×1080.

Additional notes:

  • The same TV has no problem playing 4K HDR content from other apps (YouTube, etc.), so the panel and HDMI paths do support 4K HDR correctly.

  • I also tested Jellyfin as a server: it reports a direct connection as well, but the TV player still does not expose the real resolution, which makes me suspect a limitation or mis‑detection in the Plex Android TV client on this TCL model.

  • From the user experience, it feels like the Plex app on this TV is capped at 1080p, even though the hardware is 4K.

Questions:

  1. Is the Plex Android TV app on TCL P635 devices currently limited to 1080p output?

  2. Is there any way to force the client to request 4K/2160p from the server on this TV?

  3. Are there any known compatibility issues or configuration steps specific to TCL P635 / Google TV models to enable 4K direct play?

I’d really like to keep using Plex as my main media solution, but right now I can’t confirm if I’m getting true 4K playback on this TV.

Thanks in advance for your help and any guidance you can provide.