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TCL QM8K: Two-minute evaluate
The TCL QM8K is the corporate’s flagship mini-LED TV for 2025, and it brings a number of refinements over final yr’s TCL QM851G, which was the brightest TV we’d ever examined on the time. The QM8K additionally delivers excessive brightness through a brand new Tremendous Excessive Power LED Chip. Nonetheless, that brightness is now balanced with a Halo Management System, a 23-bit backlight controller, and a Dynamic Mild Algorithm to make sure that photos even have stable distinction and deep, detailed shadows.
The enhancements made to the TCL QM8K make it one of many best TVs for films, however its anti-reflection display and new Extremely Vast Angle characteristic additionally make it excellent for sports activities. Not solely do you get a really shiny image, however its anti-reflection coating enables you to watch with out having to fret about display glare, whereas the Extremely Vast Angle characteristic signifies that teams can collect across the display and everybody will expertise the identical image high quality irrespective of the place they’re sitting.
TCL tapped speaker Danish speaker maker Bang & Olufsen to design the QM8K’s built-in speaker system, which helps each Dolby Atmos and DTS Digital:X. Audio by Bang & Olufsen on the QM8K entails a ‘Beosonic’ equalization interface that permits you to tune the sound utilizing classes like Shiny or Relaxed, versus typical EQ choices. General, the QM8K’s built-in sound is sweet for a TV, although it’s unsurprisingly gentle on bass and dynamics.
The QM8K’s Extremely Slim design makes use of a Zero Border bezel that reduces the space between the TV’s edge and the precise image to a mere 3.4mm. It has a extra premium look than many TVs, and fashions as much as 85 inches all get a sturdy pedestal stand with adjustable peak to clear house for a soundbar.
Google TV is used for the QM8K’s good TV platform, and it’s a serviceable one, but in addition one which serves up adverts. A fast menu enables you to simply entry fundamental image and different settings, and Google TV’s Reside program information can incorporate broadcast channels pulled in by the QM8K’s ATSC 3.0 ‘NextGen TV’ tuner.
Gaming is effectively represented on the QM8K with 4K 144Hz assist, although that refresh price is just supported on two of the TV’s 4 HDMI ports. A Sport Accelerator 288 VRR characteristic additionally enables you to double the TV’s native 144Hz refresh price for 1080p decision gaming. The QM8K’s 13.2ms enter lag can be thought-about a mean degree for many TVs, although most players ought to be completely happy with its gaming efficiency.
Worth is a powerful level with the QM8K. TCL’s present discounted $1,599 worth for the 65-inch mannequin is a number of hundred {dollars} lower than the 65-inch Samsung QN90F, and it gives most of the identical options, together with an anti-reflection display and Extremely Vast Angle characteristic. However it’s additionally dearer than the Hisense U8QG, one other super-bright mini-LED TV with spectacular image high quality.
TCL QM8K evaluate: Value and launch date
- Launch date: Could 2025
- 65-inch: $2,499.99
- 75-inch: $3,199.99
- 85-inch: $3,799.99
- 98-inch: $6,499.99
Just like its TCL QM851G predecessor, the brand new TCL QM8K collection is accessible in 65- to 98-inch display sizes. All QM8K sizes launched at a better checklist worth than the previous fashions, however have since dropped considerably, with the 65-inch model I examined now extensively promoting for $1,599.
With its diminished pricing, the QM8K is now extra aggressive with the Hisense U8QG, which is that firm’s flagship mini-LED TV collection. The 65-inch U8QG dropped to $1,299 in the course of the time I used to be reviewing the TCL QM8K. One other shut mini-LED competitor for the QM8K is the Samsung QN90F, a 2025 mannequin that has since dropped in worth to $1,999 for the 65-inch mannequin.
TCL QM8K evaluate: Specs
|
Display kind: |
QLED with mini-LED |
|
Refresh price: |
144Hz |
|
HDR assist: |
Dolby Imaginative and prescient, HDR10+, HDR10, HLG |
|
Audio assist: |
Dolby Atmos, DTS Digital:X |
|
Sensible TV: |
Google TV |
|
HDMI ports: |
4 (2x HDMI 2.1) |
|
Constructed-in tuner: |
ATSC 3.0 |
TCL QM8K evaluate: Benchmark outcomes
Hisense U8QG evaluate: Options
- Extremely Vast Viewing Angle
- Dolby Imaginative and prescient IQ, HDR10+, HDR10, and HLG assist
- Audio by Bang & Olufsen
The TCL QM8K collection makes use of a brand new CrystGlow WHVA Panel with TCL’s Halo Management System. To decipher all that, it’s a QLED show with a mini-LED backlight that makes use of a Tremendous Excessive Power LED Chip for elevated brightness, together with a diminished optical distance between the sunshine modules and show panel. The Halo Management System in QM8K collection TVs additionally characteristic a 23-bit backlight controller for extra exact native dimming, which is helped by a Dynamic Mild Algorithm.
Two different CrystGlow WHVA Panel options are a Zero Border show that reduces the space between the TV’s edge to the precise picture down to three.4mm, and Extremely Vast Viewing Angle, which offers a 40% enchancment in off-axis image uniformity in comparison with final yr’s TCL QM851G collection, in line with TCL.
QM8K collection TVs characteristic as much as 3,800 native dimming zones and as much as 5,000 nits specified brightness. An anti-reflective display can also be supplied to scale back display glare when viewing in shiny rooms.
HDR assist on the QM8K collection consists of the Dolby Imaginative and prescient IQ, HDR10+, HDR10, and HLG codecs. The TVs are additionally IMAX Enhanced and so they present a Filmmaker Mode image preset – a brand new characteristic for TCL TVs in 2025.
The Audio by Bang & Olufsen built-in speaker system on QM8K collection TVs helps Dolby Atmos and DTS Digital:X. No particular speaker configuration or wattage info is provided in TCL’s specs, however there are upfiring Atmos audio system on the TV’s prime edge, together with twin subwoofers on the rear panel.
Like different TCL TVs, the QM8K collection makes use of the Google TV good TV platform, and it additionally encompasses a built-in mic for hands-free Google Assistant voice management. For those who don’t need to cope with Google Assistant, different management choices embrace Amazon Alexa and Apple HomeKit.
Gaming options on the QM8K embrace 4K 144Hz assist on two of the TV’s 4 HDMI inputs. A Sport Accelerator 288 VRR characteristic enables you to double the TV’s native 144Hz refresh price to 288Hz for 1080p-resolution gaming, and there’s additionally a Sport Bar menu for simple onscreen entry to gaming-related changes.
The QM8K’s connections embrace an ATSC 3.0 tuner enter. This allows you to join top-of-the-line indoor TV antennas to obtain each customary and ‘NextGen’ digital TV broadcast channels, and there are alternatives to view channel information both in a devoted program grid information or built-in within the Google TV Reside TV information together with free streaming channels.
TCL QM8K evaluate: Image high quality
- Wonderful brightness
- Correct out-of-the-box image
- Spectacular off-center image uniformity
After I examined the QM8K’s predecessor, the TCL QM851G, it was the brightest TV I’d but measured. The QM8K doesn’t hit the identical brightness heights as that mannequin, however it nonetheless has very excessive brightness even by flagship mini-LED TV requirements.
In Filmmaker Mode, the QM8K hit 2,268 nits peak brightness (measured on a ten% HDR white window sample) and 584 nits fullscreen brightness. Commonplace mode brightness was even increased, at 3,176 and 629 nits, respectively.
For comparability’s sake, the Samsung QN90F measured 2,086 and 667 nits, respectively, on the identical exams in Film mode after I reviewed it, whereas the Hisense U8QG – 2025’s present reigning brightness king – hit 2,888 nits peak brightness and 744 nits fullscreen brightness in my exams.
Colour gamut protection was additionally glorious, with the QM8K measuring 97% for UHDA-P3 and 78.7% for BT.2020. Image accuracy was additionally notably good, with the QM8K delivering Delta-E (the margin of error between the check sample supply and what’s proven on-screen) averages of 1.9 for grayscale and 0.8 for colour, which suggests each are indistinguishable from excellent to the human eye.
The QM8K options an Clever image preset that makes use of AI to find out the correct image settings based mostly on content material. I used this for informal TV viewing with typically good outcomes, although I’d suggest the extra correct Filmmaker or Film modes for films. Upscaling was spectacular, with the QM8K presenting older TV exhibits and different lower-resolution content material with a very good degree of readability.
Brightness is without doubt one of the QM8K’s principal benefits, and it helped sports activities come to life on display, and likewise made highlights in films like Alien: Romulus visually pop. In darkish films like that one, the QM8K’s refined native dimming ensured that shadows seemed deep and detailed. Distinction was constantly sturdy, and, true to the promise of TCL’s Halo Management System, there was just about no signal of backlight blooming.
Movement dealing with on the QM8K was common, with a reference scene from the James Bond movie No Time to Die displaying a good quantity of blur and judder as Bond traversed a rocky hillside cemetery. Choosing the Customized Movement Readability possibility within the Movement menu and setting each the judder and blur settings to 2 diminished this, nonetheless, and it didn’t add any cleaning soap opera impact to the image within the course of.
The QM8K’s anti-reflection display proved efficient when viewing with shiny overhead room lights turned on. I may see mirror-like reflections when a lamp was positioned in the best way of its display, however in any other case, normal ambient room lighting didn’t hurt image distinction, even when watching films.
Equally spectacular is the QM8K’s Extremely Vast Viewing Angle characteristic. Throughout my testing, photos retained their distinction and colour saturation even when seen from a far-off-center seat. That’s a giant step up from final yr’s QM851G, which carried out poorly in the identical check.
Much less spectacular was a faint vignetting, an impact that’s possible associated to the QM8K’s Zero Border design, which locations the LCD panel driver circuitry alongside the outer edges of the display. The impact was minor, and I principally noticed it solely on grey full-field check patterns throughout my preliminary testing, however throughout regular viewing, I sometimes famous it on flat fields of colour, corresponding to an empty blue sky.
- Image high quality rating: 4.5/5
TCL QM8K evaluate: Sound high quality
- Dolby Atmos and DTS Digital:X
- Audio by Bang & Olufsen built-in audio system
- Good general sound high quality
The QM8K’s Audio by Bang & Olufsen built-in audio system assist each Dolby Atmos and DTS Digital:X. TCL doesn’t present any specs about speaker configuration or energy, however there are upfiring drivers on the TV’s prime floor, and bass modules on the again panel.
Sound options are principally restricted to presets corresponding to Speech, Films, Sport, and Evening. There’s additionally a Customized preset that permits you to make changes utilizing Bang & Olufsen’s Beosonic interface, which includes transferring a cursor between Relaxed, Energetic, Shiny, and Heat choices till you decide on a sonic combine that you just like. Utilizing this, I discovered it helpful for taking off the brilliant edge that’s typical for built-in TV sound.
I did most of my viewing utilizing the TV’s Film preset, which supplied a very good degree of spaciousness with Dolby Atmos soundtracks whereas retaining speech readability. The QM8K’s sound was good general, with correct positioning, however bass was restricted, and soundtracks may additionally get a bit muddied when pushed to increased quantity ranges. Film followers will need to think about pairing the QM8K with top-of-the-line soundbars.
TCL QM8K evaluate: Design
Picture 1 of 2
- Extremely Slim design
- Adjustable peak pedestal stand
- Full-sized, backlit distant management
The QM8K’s “Extremely Slim” design encompasses a sloping again panel that gives the look the TV is thinner than it really is. A sturdy plastic-capped aluminum pedestal stand is used for all sizes besides the 98-inch mannequin, and it has an adjustable peak to clear house for a soundbar. Many TVs declare to have a “bezel-free’ design, however the QM8K with its 3.4mm, Zero Border bezel comes nearer to presenting an all-image look than most I’ve seen.
Connections are positioned on a side-mounted enter part and embrace 4 HDMI ports (together with one with eARC and two HDMI 2.1 with 4K 144Hz assist), an optical digital audio output, RF antenna, two USB type-A, and Ethernet.
TCL’s distant management strikes a pleasant steadiness between the extra minimalist ones that include TVs from LG and Samsung and the button-heavy remotes included with Hisense TVs. The buttons are backlit so you’ll be able to really see what you’re doing in the dead of night, and there are devoted controls for enter choice and for accessing Netflix, Prime Video, YouTube, and the ad-supported TCLTV free streaming channels portal.
TCL QM8K evaluate: Sensible TV and menus
Picture 1 of 4
- Google TV
- Reside program grid integrates FAST and broadcast channels
- Fast settings menu
TCL TVs use the Google TV good TV platform, which encompasses a homescreen with a big banner on the prime with rotating present suggestions and some sponsored adverts. A ‘Prime picks for you’ row of really helpful packages is positioned straight under, and the choices could be decided by your Google search exercise and viewing historical past once you’ve signed in with a Google account. The ultimate part of the homescreen is a ‘Your apps’ row on the backside of the display, which could be edited to replicate your most-used apps.
Tabs positioned on the prime of the homescreen allow you to entry the next: Reside (a program information with Google TV Freeplay channels and channels pulled in by antenna), Apps (a portal for downloading and organizing apps), Library (for buying and renting exhibits and flicks on Google TV), and TCL (TCL’s personal TCLtv free, ad-supported channels).
As traditional with Google TV, image changes and different settings could be accessed by clicking the gear icon onscreen, or its equal on the distant management. There are a good variety of changes out there, together with superior ones corresponding to 2- and 20-point white steadiness and variable gamma settings.
A fast menu can be accessed through a devoted distant management button, and this presents an overlay on the backside of the display for simple entry to a spread of settings, together with important ones like brightness and film mode.
- Sensible TV & menus rating: 4/5
TCL QM8K evaluate: Gaming
- Two HDMI 2.1 ports with 4K 144Hz assist
- Sport Accelerator 288 VRR
- 13.2ms enter lag is a mean degree for TVs
Gaming options on the QM8K embrace two HDMI 2.1 ports with assist for 4K 144Hz, ALLM, and FreeSync Premium Professional. There’s additionally a Sport Accelerator 288 VRR characteristic that doubles the TV’s native 144Hz refresh price for 1080p-resolution gaming (which can be of curiosity to PC players), and an onscreen Sport Menu that permits you to make fast gaming-related changes with out having to exit the principle display.
I measured the QM8K’s enter lag in Sport mode at 13.2 utilizing a Bodnar 4K meter. That’s a mean degree, and under the 15ms threshold most players search for, however different TVs we’ve lately examined from Samsung and LG, and likewise the brand new Hisense U8QM, yielded below 10ms lag occasions after we measured them.
TCL QM8K evaluate: Worth
- Nice worth at present worth
- Cheaper choices out there with related brightness
- You’ll pay significantly extra for premium model choices
At its present diminished $1,599 worth for the 65-inch mannequin I examined, the TCL QM8K is a wonderful worth.
That worth is greater than what you’ll pay for the Hisense U8QG, that firm’s flagship mannequin, however the TCL arguably has higher general image high quality and likewise higher built-in sound. It’s additionally lower than what you’ll pay for the Samsung QN90F, one other flagship mini-LED, and one that provides a greater good TV platform and gaming options, together with a slimmer design.
Taking all that into consideration, the TCL is a stable center mini-LED possibility, and maybe the perfect worth of the three.
Ought to I purchase the TCL QM8K?
|
Attributes |
Notes |
Score |
|---|---|---|
|
Options |
Comorehensive HDR assist and Audio by Bang & Olufsen built-in audio system |
4.5/5 |
|
Image high quality |
Excessive brightness, refined native dimming, an anti-reflective display, and a large viewing angle make this an amazing all-purpose TV |
4.5/5 |
|
Sound high quality |
Good general sound high quality however restricted bass. A Beosonic interface permits for fine-tuning audio |
4/5 |
|
Design |
A actually bezel-free design with a sturdy pedestal stand and stable, backlit distant management |
4/5 |
|
Sensible TV and menus |
Google TV is a serviceable good interface plus the short menu offers easy accessibility to fundamental settings |
4/5 |
|
Gaming |
4K 144Hz and FreeSync Premium Professional supported, however solely on two HDMI ports |
4/5 |
|
Worth |
At its present discounted worth, the QM8K is a superb worth |
4.5/5 |
Purchase it if…
Do not buy it if…
TCL QM8K: Additionally think about…
| Header Cell – Column 0 |
TCL QM8K |
Samsung QN90F |
Hisense U8QG |
Sony Bravia 9 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Value (65-inch) |
$2,499.99 |
$2,499.99 |
$2,199 |
$2,999 |
|
Display kind |
QLED w/ mini-LED |
QLED w/ mini-LED |
QLED w/ mini-LED |
QLED w/ mini-LED |
|
Refresh price |
144Hz |
165Hz |
165Hz |
144Hz |
|
HDR assist |
DolbyVision/HDR10+/HDR10/HLG |
HDR10+/HDR10/HLG |
DolbyVision/HDR10+/HDR10/HLG |
DolbyVision/HDR10/HLG |
|
Sensible TV |
Google TV |
Tizen |
Google TV |
Google TV |
|
HDMI ports |
4 (2x HDMI 2.1) |
4x HDMI 2.1 |
3x HDMI 2.1 |
4 (2x HDMI 2.1) |
How I examined the TCL QM8K
- I spent about 15 viewing hours in complete measuring and evaluating
- Measurements have been made utilizing Calman colour calibration software program
- A full calibration was made earlier than continuing with subjective exams
After I check TVs, I first spend a couple of days and even weeks utilizing it for informal viewing to evaluate the out-of-the-box image presets and get accustomed to its good TV menu and film changes.
I subsequent choose essentially the most correct preset (often Filmmaker Mode, Film or Cinema) and measure grayscale and colour accuracy utilizing Portrait Shows’ Calman color calibration software. The ensuing measurements present Delta-E values (the margin of error between the check sample supply and what’s proven on-screen) for every class, and permit for an evaluation of the TV’s general accuracy.
Together with these exams, I make measurements of peak gentle output (recorded in nits) for each customary high-definition and 4K excessive dynamic vary utilizing 10% and 100% white window patterns. Protection of DCI-P3 and BT.2020 colour house can also be measured, with the outcomes offering a way of how faithfully the TV can render the prolonged colour vary in extremely high-definition sources – you’ll be able to learn extra about this course of in our information to how we test TVs at TechRadar.
For the TCL QM8K, I used the Calman ISF workflow, together with the TV’s superior image menu settings, to calibrate the picture for greatest accuracy. I additionally watched a spread of reference scenes on 4K Blu-ray discs to evaluate the TV’s efficiency, together with 4K HDR exhibits streamed from Max, Netflix, and different companies.