This TCL's Mini LED TV made me forget about the OLED flagships (and it's on sale)

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ZDNET's cardinal takeaways

The TCL QM6K (65-inch) is connected merchantability astatine Amazon for $798.
A big of upgrades, and caller features, marque it highly competitory with different brands' higher-end models.
Its speakers are loud, but clarity could beryllium made adjacent crisper with a soundbar.

Back successful January, we highlighted the merchandise of the TCL QM6K astatine CES, wherever we were impressed by its specs and features for a fund TV -- galore of which were exclusively disposable connected premium brands lone a fewer years ago. This week, I acceptable up a trial exemplary successful our workplace laboratory and took a deep, hands-on look astatine TCL's caller flagship TV.

What's caller with this model

TCL introduced a fig of upgrades from 2024's Q6 QLED, each of which are integrated with its caller Halo Control System. Part of that configuration is simply a Super High Energy LED Chip, which TCL claims boosts brightness output by 53% portion enhancing airy ratio by 10%.

TCL's Pangu laboratory besides redesigned its backlighting strategy to trim the optical region (or "OD") betwixt the backlight and the diffuser sheet of the QM6K and its aboriginal models. With this "Micro OD" approach, images volition endure little halo effect, adjacent betwixt the opposition of piercing whites and oily blacks. Through testing, I confirmed astir nary halo effect connected the QM6K; much connected that below.

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The QM6K besides features a bi-directional 23-bit backlight controller aided by a high-contrast CSOT HVA sheet with a stronger acheronian authorities to much efficiently artifact retired airy and supply implicit 65,000 levels of brightness arsenic the LCD switches on/off. That equates to a lofty 7,000:1 static opposition ratio, which TCL says is 5 times higher than rival models successful the aforesaid terms range.

In summation to a caller colour optimization algorithm fitted into its OS, the QM6K incorporates capable quantum crystals to render implicit 1 cardinal colors, with up to 98% of the DCI-P3 colour gamut. Further, a caller Dynamic Light Algorithm optimizes the incoming video awesome truthful that SDR signals render astatine a near-HDR level.

Finally, Pangu upgraded its AiPQ processor to grip what it calls its Zero-Delay Transient Response, which, according to TCL, provides "virtually nary lag betwixt the input awesome and backlight response, preventing after-image blur and maximizing specular highlights."

First impressions and sensory feels

Whether oregon not it should beryllium considered an upgrade, TCL has pivoted from utilizing a Roku level to Google TV. All 2025 models present tally connected Google's OS with built-in Chromecast and entree to each the accustomed streaming apps similar Apple TV, Hulu, and Netflix.

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The QM6K's idiosyncratic interface is well-organized and laid out, though diving into its paper tin go a spot convoluted. In fairness, that's rather communal these days, arsenic astute TVs go ever smarter. There are truthful galore options for customizing your A/V preferences connected the QM6K that listing them present would instrumentality up astir of this article.

Less analyzable but arsenic astute is the plan of TCL's latest distant control; I similar the size and consciousness of it successful my hand. It's 7.25 inches long, arsenic compared to immoderate 5.5-inch remotes that person go fashionable among large brands implicit the past year.

The instrumentality is little apt to beryllium swallowed full by my sofa cushions, and I truly admit an uncramped distant with less buttons. Most satisfying to me, though, is that the QM6K remote's buttons illuminate arsenic soon arsenic you prime it up, oregon whenever it detects immoderate motion. In my book, a light-up distant is simply a win.

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Like galore TVs successful the sub-$1,000 range, the audio strategy is plentifulness large if you request it to be, but lacking successful the country of aural, cinematic splendor. Equipped with an Onkyo 2.1 talker system, it has 2 back-firing speakers (L/R) and a built-in subwoofer.

Editor's Note: In lawsuit you've ever wondered, a "2.1 channel" dependable strategy is simply a bully illustration to exemplify what those numbers mean: it has two speakers and one subwoofer. So, a much analyzable 2.1.2 strategy would additionally see two speakers (or drivers) located astatine the apical of the instrumentality that task dependable upward. This is each to accidental the QM6K would decidedly payment from a soundbar to make a much dynamic consciousness of sonic extent and height.

Hands-on show testing

I performed immoderate regular tests connected the QM6K for an empirical appraisal and was wide precise impressed.

Dirty surface effect trial & banding

There was perfectly nary disposable "dirt" onscreen erstwhile moving this test. The ungraded usually manifests arsenic a shapeless, greyish-brown splotch oregon a nebulous vertical stripe determination connected the panel. The QM6K exhibited nary specified issues connected each full-screen colour test, nor erstwhile viewed from the near oregon close of the surface during the grey test (which is the colour astir apt to uncover banding).

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Subtitles blooming test

The QM6K showed virtually nary blooming connected the intelligibly defined achromatic characters successful the subtitles connected a achromatic background. This was accordant adjacent from an off-axis viewing position. If you're acrophobic astir blooming, past this TV passes that trial convincingly, and I fishy that's credited to its before-mentioned Halo Control System. Additionally, TCL's high-end HVA sheet purports to negociate the full way from airy procreation to imaging, resulting successful crisp contrast.

Motion trial with scrolling text

At first, moving the 120Hz mentation of the ocular trial for question did not output bully results. The moving publication looked truthful jagged and stilted that it could beryllium headache-inducing. This came arsenic a astonishment due to the fact that the QM6K claims a 144Hz autochthonal refresh rate. No less, the 60Hz mentation of the trial footage was acold much viewable, with a creaseless scrolling question crossed the bottommost of the screen, yet still, the substance was a spot fuzzy.

Having said that, I recovered a elemental solution. I habitually crook disconnected question smoothing erstwhile viewing non-sports content, but successful this case, turning connected Motion Clarity and Dynamic Acceleration made a notable improvement; the substance scrolling was precise fluid, and the characters were acold little fuzzy.

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Keep successful caput this is simply a trial for assessing definite visuals. The much applicable appraisal came with watching second-round NCAA tourney games, which looked vivid and beautiful. The QM6K's question clarity handled the fast-paced hoops enactment similar a champ.

ZDNET's buying advice

Debuting conscionable a fewer months agone astatine $999, the 65-inch QM6K has occasionally dropped to $798 astatine large container retailers similar Amazon, Walmart and Best Buy. The terms driblet isn't an indicator of the TV's performance, but alternatively marketplace forces astatine work. To get a 65-inch QD Mini LED with these higher-end specs for $800 is simply a woody that's hard to walk up.

The summation of a soundbar, similar TCL's ain 5.1.2-channel Q75H -- which present runs for little than $500 astatine astir retailers -- would supply a premium viewing and listening acquisition for astir one-third the outgo of competitors' models with akin specs.