‘I was enthralled with the sharp, smooth, and bright image’: I tested the TCL QM8L TV for weeks, and it’s a total blockbuster for most people, especially if you watch in bright rooms
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TCL QM8L: Two-minute review
The TCL QM8L SQD-Mini LED TV may be technically the company’s third-tier TV this year, but it’s good enough to give you a flagship-type experience for a very reasonable price.
In my time with the TCL QM8L, I was very impressed across the board — almost as much as my dad, who’s probably stole even more time using it than me during testing. Its bright screen makes daytime watching easy even in bright rooms, and TCL’s backlight tech does a great job of offering a clean image with no blooming, highlighting detail no matter how bright or dark the picture is.
In fact, I think that everything this TV has to offer not only makes it really strong contender among the best TVs of 2026, as well as one of the best gaming TVs thanks to its four HDMI 2.1 ports and broad current-gen gaming features.
There’s plenty more to like about the 75QM8L (I received the 75-inch size for this review). The hands-free control is always a nice feature and having Google Gemini’s conversational interaction is mostly lovely, though I did find issue with some of the information it would offer up during use.
And I also found it to not quite measure up to the best of the best when it comes to color accuracy, or for color coverage compared to what TCL claimed it would be capable of.
That said, if you were to watch this TV and not look at any benchmarks, you would — like me — not think about any of that and just be enthralled with the sharp, smooth, and bright image (and brightness is a key area where the benchmarks look pretty good).
If you’re looking for an excellent mini-LED TV that comes in big sizes, and can hold up to even the brightest rooms while still delivering nuanced picture quality, I can recommend the TCL QM8L strongly.
TCL QM8L review: Price and release date
- Release date: April 2026
- 65-inch: $1,799
- 75-inch: $1,999
- 85-inch: $2,999
- 98-inch: $4,999
TCL has taken a go-big-or-go-home approach this year, releasing impressive updates for its top couple of lines of TVs, including the QM8L series reviewed here. While the TV was on show at CES, it wasn’t available for purchase until April 2026.
It sits below the TCL X11L (which is this year’s flagship) and the TCL RM9L TVs in this year’s line-up, but it uses the same SQD-Mini LED panel technology as the X11L. (The RM9L uses a new RGB LED panel, just to confuse things.)
As far as actual pricing goes, the pricing is not for the faint of heart, despite being third in the list. I’ll discuss how it stacks up to the competition later (and TCL does offer good value), but that doesn’t change the fact that a price of $1,999.99 for the 65 inch, the smallest size available for the QM8L, is a lot of money to throw at a TV.
It’s less than the likes of LG G6 OLED TV, but is still undeniably premium — though it’s already dropped massively in the few weeks since its launch, and will drop further — as is always the case with TCL TVs.
I think adding a couple hundred bucks to upgrade to the next size up, the 75-inch reviewed here, is reasonable if you’re already considering dropping that kind of cash on a TV.
TCL QM8L review: Specs
|
Screen type: |
SQD-Mini LED |
|
Refresh rate: |
144Hz |
|
HDR support: |
HDR10, HDR10+, HLG, Dolby Vision IQ |
|
Smart TV: |
Google TV |
|
HDMI ports: |
4x HDMI 2.1 |
|
Built-in tuner: |
ATSC 3.0 |
TCL QM8L review: Benchmark results
TCL QM8L review: Features
- Supports the full range of HDR and spatial audio formats
- Uses a few different TCL technologies to improve picture quality
- Hands-free control via Google Gemini
The TCL 75QM8L has a good amount of features, as it should for TCL’s almost flagship TV. It has all the various HDR, Dolby Vision, Dolby Atmos, and DTS support one could need, which no rivals from LG, Sony or Samsung offer in their entirety.
The TV also utilizes some proprietary features to improve picture quality. For instance, the TCL Deep Color System is meant for a wider color range, to get up to a claimed 100% BT.2020 color coverage.
I’ll go into our test results in the next section, but I’ll briefly mention that the TV does decently but doesn’t actually get to that 100% color coverage for either BT.2020 or DCI-P3 in our measurements. Still, this technology does boost the colors beyond what’s been normal for mini-LED in the past (and TCL says there are multiple ways to test for BT.2020 coverage).
Available in 65-, 75-, 85-, and 98-inches (my test unit is the 75-inch model), these TVs come with up to 4,000 local dimming zones featuring precise array full local dimming thanks to the SQD-Mini LED panel, and up to 6,000 nits of peak brightness to really make the most of HDR content.
For reference, the flagship X11L claims up to 20,000 local dimming zones and 10,000 nits of brightness. Considering the 75QM8L is much more affordable (in comparison), its specs are pretty impressive.
The ‘Enhanced Halo Control System’ in the LED backlight promises to minimize blooming, partly by using 26-bit backlight controllers. Having spent a good amount of time looking at this screen with HDR content on (as well as some test videos with colorful objects against black backgrounds), I haven’t noticed much if any in the way of blooming for real-world use.
Colorful or bright objects kept their shape against darker backgrounds without spilling over, so to speak, to those darker sections.
The WHVA panel 2.0 that TCL hopes will make you forget about OLED TVs also sport a 144Hz refresh rate, and a 178º viewing angle.
A TSR AI Pro processor powers the TV, with its processing focused partly on Google’s AI-powered voice assistant Gemini. And Wi-Fi 6 is on hand for a more responsive TV – realistically, your Wi-Fi is going to be the biggest bottleneck on a newer TV so this is a welcome upgrade.
If you’re like me, the hands-free voice control, using the Google Gemini AI voice assistant, will be the most impressive and most noticeable. Every time I say “Hey Google,” I find the TV to be responsive, even when it’s off and I’m asking it to turn back on.
I can open apps and a good deal of content just by speaking to it. I can also ask out more general knowledge-type queries that one would with a voice assistant (weather, sports scores, news, etc.).
Of course, there are some limitations in that it doesn’t always lead me to the right streaming location for certain content (more on that in the smart TV section).
Beyond the voice assistant, the AI capabilities, powered by the TSR AI Pro Processor, include an AI art gallery as a screen saver, AI news briefs, and AI picture-related settings.
For gaming, you’ve got 144Hz at 4K and variable refresh rate support across all four HDMI ports, plus the option for a 288Hz refresh rate at 1080p (still with VRR).
TCL QM8L review: Picture quality
- Impressively limited blooming and bold colors
- Filmmaker mode and Dolby Vision help to deliver rich pictures
- Color accuracy is not totally ideal out of the box
I spent a few weeks with the TCL 75QM8L, sharing time in control of the screen with my dad, which means a combination of Phillies games, British murder mysteries, blockbusters, 90 Day Fiancé and Leave It To Beaver — as well as some next-gen gaming. I’ll go into detail on that last bit in the gaming section, but it’s instructive for how the screen looks too.
During use, the TCL QM8L is a stunner. What I think puts this TV above other so many other options are the color and halo control systems I mentioned above, combined with the total HDR support, meaning images look gloriously rich.
We measured 3,719 nits of peak HDR brightness in a 10% window in Filmmaker Mode, which is absolutely stunning – but the over 2,000 local dimming zones in the model I tested helped to keep clear separation between light and dark areas despite the brightness.
There’s no bleed from one color to the next, and I’m able to see details in shadows clearly thanks to high dimming capability of each section.
Fullscreen HDR brightness in a 100% window is also colossal, reaching 760 nits in Filmmaker Mode and 790 nits in Standard (which is what you’re more likely to use for sports).
Even in SDR in Standard mode, it hit 518 nits. That blows away any TV I’ve tested so far, and means the screen will only have reflection issues in dark scenes — watching sports in the day won’t be any kind of problem.
Also useful for sports, or family room viewing, is that it has a pretty wide viewing angle, so I can watch something at a very sharp angle and still see the picture impressively clearly.
Speaking of sports, the motion handling is smooth. Whether it’s watching NBA basketball, or even a sweeping drone shot, the screen doesn’t show much in the way of judder. And of course, movies come across as buttery smooth.
Regardless of what’s happening on the screen, the TCL QM8L still manages to reproduce all the detail of the image. Whether it’s the fine lines of a petal in one of those hi-res screen tests or the crowd in the background of a game, it all looks clear and natural.
Even lower resolution content looks plenty sharp with a decent amount of detail. I never knew Leave It To Beaver could look so good, thanks to the “super resolution” AI upscaling (which is optional, but is enabled out-of-the-box).
When it comes to color, TCL’s purported 100% BT.2020 rating is a little overblown, because the best we measured was 90%. (TCL told us there are multiple ways to measure BT.2020, and that it makes a difference.)
DCI-P3 color coverage is incredibly strong for a mini-LED TV at 98% — this is what we get from the most elite OLED TVs normally, with mini-LED falling further behind.
A little more concerning is the color accuracy. We measure how close the color reproduction is to ‘perfect’, measured in a ‘Delta E’ score, which means how far the picture is from the signal it’s trying to recreate. We look for a score below 3, because at that point the human eye can’t distinguish any difference from the reference pattern.
In Filmmaker Mode, the TCL QM8L score 3.7, which is a little disappointing for a premium TV, but not a dealbreaker. But in Standard, we measured a score of 9.9, which is shockingly high for something in this price range.
This is out of the box, of course, but most people don’t calibrate their TV. As I said above, I found the colors to be really impactful and involving, but Filmmaker Mode is definitely the way to enjoy things if you want an accurate, more natural look — Standard isn’t where we’d expect it to be.
- Picture quality score: 4.5 / 5
TCL QM8L review: Sound quality
- Sounds good enough to skip the soundbar in general
- Bass is the major area lacking
- Spatial audio sounds pretty good
The sound quality on the TCL 75QM8L is pretty impressive, as it should be, considering the price and the fact that the sound system is branded as being by Bang & Olufsen.
I’ve tested everything from blockbuster movies to reality TV to various games and music, and I believe the audio here is good enough for you to skip adding a soundbar as long as you’re not looking for a home theater-type listening experience.
The high-end has plenty of presence while not being ice-pick brittle, letting sounds like flutes, strings, cymbals, and anything one might consider ‘sparkly’ (think chimes) come through with full clarity.
The mid-range is full in a way that many TVs aren’t able to produce, and is, in my opinion, the main reason to typically add a soundbar to a setup. When listening to music, vocals and guitar have the appropriate amount of aggressiveness, while dialog has a weight to it in movies the helps it to stand out clearly.
There’s a decent amount of mid-bass, so you’ll still get a little thump when listening to music or watching an action movie, but the two built-in woofers aren’t able to reproduce the frequencies typically the responsibility of a subwoofer. If you really want to feel the audio, you’ll need to add one.
Happily, TCL does have a wireless subwoofer that can be added for that purpose, but it does require an additional purchase. Likewise, though the TV supports Dolby Atmos and DTS, you’ll have to get TCL’s Dolby Atmos FlexConnect speakers to actually hear any surround sound if you don’t want to purchase or build a whole home theater system.
The TV does, however, manage to reproduce some spatial audio without any add-ons. Turning it on does add a sense of height to whatever I’m watching, so you should definitely give it a try.
I also appreciate the fact that there are some other audio options to fine tune, such as a bass boost, a dialog enhancer (admittedly subtle), an auto volume control that works somewhat like night mode in that it compresses audio volume, and an AI sonic adaptation feature that works to offset the reflections of your room for a more pure sound.
That last feature works, though not quite as well as something like Dirac, so don’t expect audiophile-level audio.
- Sound quality score: 4.5 / 5
TCL QM8L review: Design
- Zero edge bezels feel very premium
- Excellent dual-height stand with cable management
- Remote is larger than average
The ‘zero edge’ bezels on the 75QM8L make me almost feel like I’m watching on a floating screen — there’s almost no frame.
The centered stand, which can be height-adjusted during installation to accommodate a soundbar, makes the TV feel more balanced and stable than many TVs that I test (and we typically get 65-inch models for testing).
The stand also has cable management built into it — it has a back panel that pops out to hide the cables — which we always appreciate.
I also like the fact that all four HDMI ports are HDMI 2.1, meaning you don’t need to think about which one you’re going to use and fiddle around. Well, mostly: there’s still only one HDMI eARC port, so if you connect that one of the best soundbars or an AV receiver, you need to know which it is.
Lastly, the remote is actually a bit bigger than I’m usually used to, which some might like. It’s heftier and so easier to keep track of and the bottom is angled to fit snugly in the hand. It’s also backlit and has a talk button, though you can also communicate with the TV via Google Gemini.
TCL QM8L review: Smart TV and menus
- Google Gemini is conversational and responsive though not always correct
- Good amount of free content available on Google TV, and all major apps
- There’s a quick menu for common settings changes
The Google TV interface is one I’ve gotten accustomed to after reviewing a number of TVs and streaming devices that use it. The way it’s implemented on the TCL 75QM8L is essentially the same, with the only noticeable difference to most TVs being the inclusion of Google Gemini.
Google Gemini is a very robust voice assistant. Since it’s AI-powered, it’s conversational and quick, but also prone to mistakes the way generative AI generally is.
For example, I had Gemini look up the movie Swept Away, and while it offered correct information on the fact that there are two versions, it was wrong on where it was available to stream. Strangely, when I just used the interface’s search function, I was sent to a landing page that suggested it was available to stream on Tubi, which still only hosted the newer, more maligned, 2002 version.
Gemini is nice to use, though, with a selection of different timbres of voices that sound natural when speaking. I’m able to ask about much more than movies of TV, because it is a full-blown voice assistant. It even brings up a neat little graph when talking about the weather.
For some reason, it did default to pulling up relevant YouTube videos when I asked more general questions. For instance, I asked ‘Recommend a movie to me based on my viewing habits’ and it just pulled up a bunch of YouTube videos (I was not in the YouTube app, mind you) related to must-see movies.
The rest of the Google TV interface is more standard fare. A rotating banner covers the top of the home page, followed by rows of recommendations including ‘Must Watch’, ‘Continue Watching’ and more, not to mention a row of apps if you want to open one and browse.
Still, many will appreciate being able to browse much of the available content from the home page. Just be aware, it’s not comprehensive, as the interface may not pull information from certain apps.
As every manufacturer does these days, there’s a good amount of free content available. Google FreePlay, in particular, has a good deal of content and works much like a cable guide interface. Who knew that Google would be able to quench my dad’s thirst for Leave It To Beaver — there was a whole channel streaming episodes.
When you first go to the settings option via the remote or navigating the screen, a breakout box of quick settings appear at the top right corner of the screen. You have to still click once more to get the full list of settings — sometimes this is useful, sometimes it feels like it’s just adding a step.
There’s a lot of fine tuning available, especially for the display, so I can imagine the menus to be a little overwhelming for anyone digging in for the first time. But it’s good to have more options than not, especially with as good of a TV as this.
- Smart TV & menus score: 4.5 / 5
TCL QM8L review: Gaming
- All HDMI inputs support 4K at up to 144Hz, with variable refresh rate
- Game Bar menu for game-specific finetuning of settings
- Can automatically switch inputs and to game mode when console is on
Great news for gamers this year is that all four of QM8L’s HDMI inputs are of the full-fat HDMI 2.1 variety, meaning that they all support 4K at 120Hz or 144Hz. Just make sure to enable faster refresh rates in the TV’s menu.
Speaking of menus, if you press on the hamburger symbol (the three stacked lines) on the remote while gaming, the TCL 75QM8L will pull up a specialized menu that the brand calls the Game Bar, enabling you to turn on things like an FPS counter, Aim Assist, Game Accelerator 288 (which doubles the perceived refresh rate to 288Hz, but drop the resolution to 1080p), and Overdrive, which is a kind of motion blur that can’t be used as the same time as high refresh rates.
To test the TV for gaming, I used a Playstation 5 and had no problem running compatible games at 120 fps. All of them looked crisp thanks to the 4K resolution with good HDR contrast despite the more limited processing you get in the gaming mode.
The 9.5ms latency is excellent for a TV, and is basically as good as you get from any of the best gaming TVs — and helps everything feel fast and snappy when playing.
Lastly, not only can the TV switch inputs automatically when a console is turned on, but the TCL QM8L will automatically switch the picture mode to game mode.
TCL QM8L review: Value
- It’s pricey, but not quite flagship price, thankfully
- The bigger the size, the better-value TCL sets tend to be
- Certain unique features like hands-free control are available on cheaper TVs
The 75-inch TCL QM8L is about two grand (which is a drop from the $3k is cost right at launch) — that’s not cheap and it’s out of reach for many consumer.
However, compare it to LG’s mid-range OLED offering, the LG C6, and the TCL is not looking so bad. That comes with a price tag of $3,699 for the 77-inch. The TCL has a big price advantage, but the two TVs are comparable overall for features.
The big threat to it is really last year’s TCL QM8K. That’s now available for around $1,500 for a 75-inch size, and is a really excellent TV without question at that price — the QM8L’s better color range, improved backlight and four HDMI 2.1 ports mean that it’s worth the upgrade in my opinion.
It may not be the bargain of the year at this price, it represents a great value overall, and is above average when it comes to bang for your buck.
|
Attributes |
Notes |
Rating |
|---|---|---|
|
Features |
Excellent picture and audio format support, plus hands-free AI-based controls that can be really useful. |
4.5 / 5 |
|
Picture quality |
Stunning brightness and extremely impressive contrast control for a mini-LED. We wish the colors in Standard Mode were more accurate. |
4.5 / 5 |
|
Sound quality |
The audio sounds good enough to skip a soundbar, though there’s not much in the way of low-end. |
4.5 / 5 |
|
Design |
The adjustable center stand with cable management is great, as are the zero edge bezels. |
4.5 / 5 |
|
Smart TV and menus |
Google Gemini is conversational and easy to use though not quite reliable, while the Google TV interface is fairly intuitive to use. |
4.5 / 5 |
|
Gaming |
Four HDMI 2.1 ports and super-rich HDR images make this a pleasure to game on. |
5 / 5 |
|
Value |
The TCL QM8L is a strong value compared to similar-tier TVs from other brands, but is still pricey. |
4 / 5 |
Should I buy the TCL QM8L Series?
Buy it if…
Don’t buy it if…
Also consider…
| Header Cell – Column 0 |
TCL QM8L |
Amazon Fire TV Omni QLED (2025) |
Hisense U65QF |
LG C6 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Price (65-inch) |
$1,799 |
$849 |
$999 |
$2,699 |
|
Screen type |
SQD-Mini LED |
QLED |
QLED w/ mini-LED |
OLED |
|
Refresh rate |
144Hz |
60Hz |
upt to 144Hz |
165Hz |
|
HDR support |
HDR10, HDR10+, HLG, Dolby Vision IQ |
Dolby Vision/HDR10+ Adaptive/HDR10 |
Dolby Vision IQ, HDR10+, HDR10, HLG |
Dolby Vision, HDR10, HLG |
|
Smart TV |
Google TV |
Fire TV |
Fire TV |
WebOS 26 |
|
HDMI ports |
4 HDMI 2.1 |
4 HDMI 2.0 |
4 (2x HDMI 2.1) |
4x HDMI 2.1 |
How I tested the TCL QM8L Series
- I used the TCL 75QM8L for a couple weeks
- Tested with both TV, movies, music, and games
- Benchmark measurements conducted by Future US testing lab
I used the TCL 75QM8L regularly for a couple weeks. I tested it using streaming shows, movies, music, and games (via PS5). I went through the various features, particularly the hands-free AI voice assistant, to see if they work as advertised. I also spent time listening to the audio as well as paying attention to the picture quality.
The objective data measurements were taken by Future Publishing’s TV testing lab, which uses the Klein K-10A colorimeter and Jeti 15VA spectroradiometer, Murideo Six G 8K Metal test pattern generator, and Portrait Displays’ Calman color calibration software to record the results.
I’ve tested a lot of tech gear over the years, from laptops to keyboards and speakers, and so have been able to use my expertise towards giving an honest and fair opinion, not to mention a critical eye, to any product I test.
You can read an in-depth overview of how we test TVs at TechRadar at that link.
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