TCL X11L review: One of the best out-of-the-box TVs that's entered our testing lab

TCL X11L Mini-LED Smart TV

ZDNET's cardinal takeaways

• The TCL X11L is disposable present for $8,000 for the 85-inch.
• Its all-new SDQ-Mini LED sheet has large colour accuracy, with a highest brightness of 10,000 nits and implicit 20,000 section dimming zones.
• It's disposable successful precise constricted surface sizes and astatine a premium price.

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In January 2026, TCL came to a tentative statement to bargain a controlling involvement successful Sony's Bravia TV brand, with electronics (including caller TVs) made by the co-owned marque hitting store shelves sometime successful 2027. 

For a marque that was erstwhile seen arsenic a fund option, they've made important strides to amended its products and estimation with each caller generation. Hardware refreshes similar updated LED and QLED panels and enactment for hi-res audio similar Dolby Atmos helped propulsion representation and dependable prime to vie with established brands similar Samsung, Sony, and LG.

Also: The champion 85-inch TVs you tin buy

The 2025 procreation of TCL TVs saw flagship models similar the TCL QM8K connection premium features and high-quality representation and audio that could (and does) rival OLED. And present with the merchandise of the TCL X11L, the marque has much than proven that it is much than susceptible of handling the Bravia marque and the exacting standards that travel with it.  

"The pictures don't bash it justice." 

That's what ZDNET laboratory technologist Samantha De Leon said to maine arsenic we pored implicit investigating information for the TCL X11L, and I agree. Straight retired of the box, this is 1 of the astir gorgeous televisions I've ever seen successful my astir decade-and-a-half career, and with minimal adjustments, you'll beryllium getting a representation that blows a batch of OLED options retired of the water. 

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At our lab, we usage a peculiar imaging camera to trial colour accuracy, brightness, and opposition crossed a assortment of preset representation modes to spot however good each surface performs. Hands down, the X11L has immoderate of the astir awesome out-of-the-box results we've ever gotten retired of a consumer-grade TV. 

The marque claims that its caller LED exertion is susceptible of producing up to 100% of the BT.2020 colour gamut, and this show came exceptionally close, lone needing a fewer tweaks to zero-in.

Taylor Clemons/Samantha De Leon/ZDNET

As you tin spot from our trial results, the X11L comes very, precise adjacent to perfection erstwhile it comes to recreating colors. If that wasn't awesome enough, the SDQ-Mini LED sheet besides boasts implicit 20,000 section dimming zones to assistance execute near-perfect achromatic for crisp opposition arsenic good arsenic a highest brightness of 10,000 nits for agleam achromatic colors and exceptional visibility successful astir immoderate room.

Each quadrate connected the charts represents a people color, portion the dots are the existent colors produced by the screen. The Standard representation mode, which is apt what you'll beryllium utilizing the astir often, is already remarkable, but colour accuracy improves adjacent much successful Filmmaker and the dedicated Game modes. 

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The TCL X11L doesn't look to beryllium plagued with arsenic overmuch of the dreaded blue-shift different LED and adjacent immoderate OLED options show, which tin marque images look dull and desaturated adjacent to an untrained eye. And with speakers designed by Bang & Olufsen, you'll get top-notch audio to complement the agleam pops of color, inky blacks, and agleam whites. 

ZDNET's buying advice

The TCL X11L feels similar a impervious of conception to amusement Sony that is susceptible of producing an elite TV on-par with the Bravia OLED brand. The out-of-the-box representation prime is immoderate of the astir awesome I've ever seen, coming wrong a hair's breadth of perfection. 

But each of this comes astatine a steep retail price, with the 85-inch mentation selling for $8,000 portion the 98-inch volition tally a chill 10 stacks; and unfortunately, determination doesn't look to beryllium immoderate program to merchandise smaller sizes. However, it's an encouraging motion that TCL is capable to coax specified high-quality images retired of LED technology, and I can't hold to spot what it tin bash with Sony's OLED panels.