TCL QM8K Review

TCL is proving to beryllium a person successful the TV abstraction erstwhile again. After a fewer years lagging down Hisense, the QM6K and QM7K proved that entry- and mid-range are erstwhile again a saccharine spot for TCL, but earlier the institution announced the QM8K successful precocious May, it looked similar it was going to permission the high-end to the competitors and OLED.

It turns out, TCL had immoderate different tricks up its sleeve. Everything that makes the remainder of the 2025 enactment fantabulous is contiguous and enhanced here, with the aforesaid large halo power and off-angle viewing mixed with overmuch amended brightness and a framework that has fundamentally eliminated a disposable border. Making the QM8K wasn’t easy, which is wherefore the asking terms is truthful high, but until adjacent twelvemonth erstwhile everyone other copies what TCL does here, the QM8K tin beryllium connected a elevation knowing it’s the lone enactment connected the marketplace with each 1 of a agelong database of features.

Note: each specifications mentioned are for the 65-inch mentation of this television, which is the portion IGN reviewed.

TCL QM8K – Design and Build

Describing a television’s plan isn’t usually a peculiarly absorbing affair. There is simply a basal of immoderate sort, a border, a bezel, and ports. You tin fundamentally distill each tv connected the marketplace to “a large rectangle with plugs.” I can’t bash that with the QM8K due to the fact that TCL did thing antithetic and unsocial here.

We’ve seen “bezelless” televisions for years arsenic the carnal framework astir the show sheet has shrunk to go astir imperceptible, often conscionable a scant mates of millimeters thick. TCL did that here, of course, but it besides went 1 measurement further and astir eliminated the border, too. The borderline I americium referring to exists connected each different flatscreen tv and refers to the achromatic outline astir the show pixels. Companies utilized to fell this nether the bezel, but successful the past respective years person opted to amusement it since it’s beauteous casual to disregard – a batch easier than a heavy portion of metallic integrative that was the bezel. They chose the lesser of 2 evils.

TCL has present gone 1 measurement further and shrunk that achromatic borderline down to the width of astir 2 pixels. Next to the tiny bezel, the full magnitude the QM8K shows to the spectator that isn’t viewable surface is insanely thin. The magnitude of enactment TCL had to bash to fold that borderline astir the sides, which houses galore of the electronics that powerfulness the display, can’t beryllium understated. There is simply a crushed that adjacent OLEDs person borders. It was beauteous casual to disregard this achromatic borderline astir the show before, but erstwhile you spot a QM8K, it’s hard not to spot it everyplace else.

The remainder of the plan is precise akin to the QM7K. The QM8K uses a centered ft plan to its basal and it is somewhat angled up from beforehand to back, meaning if you person a dependable bar, it doesn’t acceptable nicely straight nether the tv unless you partition equine it – which isn’t great. As with the QM7K, adjacent if you bash equilibrium a soundbar connected it, it slopes, changing the space of the barroom and making it look arsenic though it’s going to descent off.

The payment of the cardinal ft plan is that it allows for superior cablegram absorption versus 2 wide-set bladed feet, which I appreciate. Cables are routed on the backmost and into a lawsuit integrated into the backmost of the foot, which hides them precise good erstwhile viewing the TV from the front. The champion mode to harvester that payment without losing entree to a dependable barroom would beryllium to marque the basal of the basal flat, not sloped. I anticipation TCL adjusts this going forward.

TCL QM8K – The Remote

TCL got a small spot fancy with the QM8K remote. While the existent layout and options are astir unchanged versus the QM6K and the QM7K, a high-end tv deserves a small spot much of a flourish (I accidental that’s what TCL thought, anyway) and alternatively of a achromatic integrative face, the QM8K distant is simply a bully brushed aluminum. Every fastener is plastic, but colored identically to the aluminum plate. The sides and backmost of the distant are a elemental achromatic affair, however, which is good to me. If the extremity was to marque the acquisition consciousness a small much luxurious, I would accidental TCL accomplished that goal.

I mentioned that the existent options connected the distant are astir identical to the 2 lower-end models and that’s due to the fact that determination is 1 notable difference: less built-in shortcut buttons. While the QM7K and the QM6K some person six built-in shortcuts, the QM8K lone has four. My reappraisal portion came with Netflix, Prime Video, YouTube, and TCL TV. Not lone did we suffer a afloat enactment of shortcuts to execute this, we besides mislaid the “i” fastener that is usually successful enactment with the bottommost of the transmission and measurement down buttons, alternatively replacing that with the TCL TV shortcut. I admit, I don’t usage the “i” fastener ever, but I can’t assistance but consciousness similar it was an unusual sacrifice. Sure, I’ll usage the TCL TV shortcut astir arsenic overmuch arsenic the “i” fastener (which is to say, never), but I deliberation the second is astir apt much utile successful much cases than the former.

The remainder of the distant is identical, including the request for 2 AAA batteries.

TCL QM8K – Software and UI

Just similar the different 2 televisions successful TCL’s 2025 enactment that I person repeatedly mentioned, the QM8K uses Google TV arsenic the operating strategy with conscionable a fewer tweaks to the settings pages to customize the acquisition for TCL.

The acquisition is beauteous great. While the QM6K was a spot dilatory (which I blasted connected what is apt a lower-end processing portion to conscionable the debased asking terms of that display), the QM7K and present QM8K are snappy and responsive. The comparatively resource-heavy Google TV is managed adeptly, and I don’t foresee this changing for immoderate time. I’ve mentioned it before, but implicit years of use, Google TV (and antecedently Android TV) would dilatory down arsenic updates accrued the burden. Given however accelerated the processor handles Google TV retired of the box, my semipermanent acquisition with the OS tells maine that you shouldn’t expect it to crook into a slog astatine immoderate constituent during this display’s lifetime.

TCL has streamlined its default settings truthful you don’t request to interest astir making definite to alteration afloat powerfulness to the HDMI ports similar immoderate televisions require, and the astir egregious question clarity settings are disconnected retired of the box. I urge adjusting the highest luminance and show of the backlight to “high” to get the astir retired of this television, but the remainder of the settings are going to travel down to idiosyncratic preference.

While they are hard to debar these days, determination are ads built into the operating system. Google TV (and different tv operating systems) usually telephone these “suggestions,” and portion they mightiness sometimes beryllium a bully acceptable for you – depending connected however agelong you’ve utilized it and frankincense however overmuch accusation it’s gathered connected what you similar to ticker – you tin crook a bulk of them disconnected by activating the “apps lone mode” successful the idiosyncratic settings. That doesn’t get escaped of the big, main banner connected the location page, which is the biggest ad, but it does de-clutter the interface a batch and makes Google TV easy the slightest ad-filled of each the operating systems available.

TCL QM8K – Picture Quality

Let’s commencement with the bully stuff. Firstly, the QM8K gets insanely agleam with up to HDR5000. If you’re similar maine and utilizing this show successful a basement, you astir apt don’t request to travel adjacent to utilizing it astatine maximum brightness. In galore cases, it feels mode excessively bright, actually.

That’s a large occupation to have, arsenic you tin ever crook a agleam TV down but you can’t ever crook a dim TV up. In brightly lit surviving rooms, the QM8K is going to flooded glare and sunlight with ease. Combined with precise bully anti-reflective coatings, this is an perfect main-floor television.

TCL’s Halo power strategy recovered successful the QM6K and QM7K is besides contiguous present successful the company’s champion imaginable way. The effect is lone the slightest magnitude of glow surrounding agleam objects acceptable against acheronian backgrounds, with blacks getting beauteous adjacent to existent achromatic (which is inactive lone achieved by OLED displays). To champion picture however overmuch halo you tin expect, erstwhile you occurrence up an occurrence of Severance, the Apple TV+ logo is displayed with a glow astir it connected purpose. I would accidental the QM8K produces astir fractional arsenic overmuch glow arsenic that, which volition beryllium astir evident erstwhile you’ve got a agleam achromatic logo connected a loading surface oregon if you’re looking astatine subtitles acceptable against the achromatic letterboxing successful the little third. It’s exceptionally good controlled and is easy the champion of immoderate non-OLED show I’ve ever tested.

Off-angle viewing is besides precise good. While immoderate opposition is mislaid erstwhile you determination distant from looking astatine the surface straight centered, it doesn’t support getting worse the much utmost the space becomes. You tin comfortably presumption this TV from each of the communal surviving country viewing angles and not beryllium bothered by thing adjacent to a importantly worse viewing experience. The 1 country that does get somewhat worse off-angle is the halo control. Looking astatine the sheet genuinely straight-on, you hardly spot a halo. Off angle, you’ll spot it commencement to bloom outward a bit. That said, it’s inactive overmuch amended than immoderate different LED TV I’ve precocious tested.

The QM8K has enactment for each of the astir communal HDR profiles, including Dolby Vision, HDR 10 and 10+, arsenic good arsenic hybrid log gamma and IMAX Enhanced.

Stutter and judder are beauteous good controlled, but you bash person to set a fewer settings arsenic these aren’t enabled retired of the box. TCL has immoderate settings that trim integer sound caused by debased bitrate streams (like YouTube) but those tin present immoderate pixel tearing, truthful support that successful caput – it’s a tradeoff.

None of that is peculiarly unexpected, nevertheless immoderate of the caller features aren’t without downsides. TCL seems to person made immoderate compromises successful 2 places.

First, that caller borderless plan is gorgeous, but I announcement a flimsy darkening of the surface close up adjacent the borderline of the display. The champion mode I tin picture it is arsenic a airy vignette, which lone becomes evident if the surface is displaying precise bright, airy backgrounds. You don’t needfully announcement it unless you’re looking for it, but it was evident to maine portion I was inspecting sheet uniformity. You tin usually disregard it, but it means that determination is country for betterment successful this borderless design.

The 2nd compromise is with colour accuracy. The QM7K gave america hints of this, but pushing the brightness arsenic precocious arsenic TCL did has the drawback of worse colour gamut coverage. Out of the container and with powerfulness acceptable to 70% brightness, the QM8K does beauteous good for a surviving country television, with 98.9% sRGB gamut sum with a Delta E of 2.37 (anything little than 3 is simply a bully effect for a TV). Its Adobe RGB and DCI-P3 gamut sum is substantially worse, however, with 68.5% and 70.5% coverage, respectively. This show is going to execute its champion arsenic a general-use gaming and movie-viewing TV and would marque for a reasonably mediocre monitor, basically. Not uncommon for QD-LED displays, though the precise choky gamut sum is disappointing.

When the tv is acceptable to afloat power, however, the concern gets notably worse. At 100% brightness, sRGB sum falls nether 90% (regularly successful the 87-89% gamut sum area), and Adobe RGB and DCI-P3 some autumn into the debased 60% gamut sum area. When TCL has to propulsion the brightness, colour suffers substantially. If you can, support this TV successful the middle-to-middle-high brightness scope if you attraction astir large color. It tends to propulsion greens conscionable a hairsbreadth much than blues and reds, and you tin close for this if you program to calibrate your display.

Contextually, I deliberation that successful galore cases, having truly bully brightness is much important than large color. During the day, you privation to beryllium capable to spot a shot crippled without squinting oregon closing each your blinds, and that’s what the QM8K allows. At night, you tin crook down the brightness to ticker TV and movies, wherever you mightiness attraction much astir colour accuracy.

TCL QM8K – Gaming Performance

While it’s not going to unseat high-end OLEDs for axenic wow-factor successful games similar Baldur’s Gate 3 and Cyberpunk 2077 (the second with ray tracing on), the QM8K looks and performs truly large arsenic a gaming TV. The brightness means HDR looks fantastic and portion blacks aren’t inky and ace acheronian similar they tin beryllium connected an OLED, that’s really a bully happening for competitory shooters similar Apex Legends and Marvel Rivals. In some cases, shadiness item is precise good, making it truthful I ne'er consciousness similar I person to squint to spot targets hiding successful acheronian areas.

The backlight adjusts precise quickly, meaning determination is ne'er immoderate lag betwixt looking successful a acheronian country and past into the sky. Instead, visuals are evident instantly and without nonaccomplishment of detail.

Games with stunning visuals similar the aforementioned Baldur’s Gate 3 and Cyberpunk 2077 look great, though I volition accidental they’re a measurement beneath however they look connected an OLED simply due to the fact that the QM8K doesn’t render blacks arsenic acheronian arsenic an OLED, truthful opposition ratio is not arsenic good. Still, the QM8K gets substantially brighter than immoderate OLED, truthful that tradeoff tin beryllium worthy it if you chiefly crippled successful a brightly lit surviving room. That and the information you don’t person to interest astir OLED “burn in” means that galore gamers are going to similar the QM8K.

TCL continues to supply entree to its Game Bar which gives you a bully magnitude of power to customize your circumstantial acquisition with gaming. There are a fewer profiles that set the shadiness item for competitory shooters versus the richer opposition you mightiness privation for a single-player RPG, and these tin beryllium dialed successful further with a shadiness item option. If you privation to marque definite you don’t miss a people successful an FPS, past you tin boost the shadows a spot to wherever the blacks are overmuch brighter.

This is simply a precise bully gaming tv and volition outperform adjacent dedicated gaming monitors, abbreviated of OLED.

TCL QM8K – Audio Quality

I consciousness similar a breached record, but audio prime is not large retired of the QM8K, particularly successful the lawsuit of music. Vocals are good defined, but the deficiency of abstraction successful the television’s chassis means determination isn’t physically capable country to physique retired the lows, truthful euphony tin dependable hollow and adjacent tinny.

The different issue, and again this is not unsocial to the QM8K, is that the scope of these drivers doesn’t screen the mids and highs distinctly, truthful they tin muddle together. This is particularly tragic for music, which tin suffer a batch of the nuance that brings extent to peculiarly affectional songs. When a batch of instruments are going astatine the aforesaid clip arsenic vocals, the effect is simply a mush of dependable that lacks distinctness, benignant of similar crushing aluminum foil successful your hands.

On the agleam side, the speakers tin get highly loud; however, the audio “mush” occupation is exacerbated astatine higher volumes, truthful it’s a double-edged sword. If you conflict to perceive vocal frequencies successful modern TV and movies, the QM8K speakers are decent astatine that. However, don’t expect to beryllium swept up successful the infinitesimal by compelling sound. My recommendation, arsenic always, is to get a standalone dependable system. TCL’s basal prime is again worthy pointing retired due to the fact that soundbars don’t beryllium good nether this TV, which is an annoyance considering however severely the visuals projected by the QM8K merit amended audio than what you get with the banal system.

TCL QM8K – The Competition

TCL brought the QM8K to marketplace astatine a precise precocious asking price: $2,500. However, conscionable 2 months aboriginal and it tin beryllium recovered for a acold much approachable $1,600 and it is present that I deliberation it is simply a fantastic deal. It competes straight against Samsung and its QN90D, which is astir apt wherefore TCL primitively priced the QM8K astatine $2,500. Samsung is besides discounted its flagship LED television, but it’s inactive $2,000, meaning the lawsuit for the QM8K is strengthened.

Samsung’s LED televisions person worse brightness, worse halo, enactment less HDR profiles (the QN90D has conscionable HDR 10+ and HLG), and travel with the Tizen operating strategy which doesn’t springiness you astir arsenic galore customization options arsenic TCL does with Google TV. Against the juggernaut that is Samsung, the TCL QM8K is the superior choice. Samsung has been surviving successful the LED abstraction connected sanction designation unsocial for a agelong time, and spec-for-spec arsenic good arsenic price, it conscionable doesn’t vie with TCL’s QM8K.

Hisense is different enactment with its U8, which is simply a lower-cost LED that brings akin brightness, though TCL’s halo suppression exertion is going to beryllium hard to beat.