Why I Recommend This Tcl Mini Led Tv Over Flagship Oled Models - Especially At $700 Off

ZDNET's cardinal takeaways

• The TCL QM7K (65-inch) is connected waste for $799 ($800 off).
• It has exceptional opposition and superb glare resistance, positive AI features and gaming boosts.
• The setup process for this beautiful-looking TV is tedious.

For Amazon Prime Day, you tin get various sizes of nan TCL QM7K for hundreds of dollars off.

Recently, I took a look astatine this year's base-level Mini-LED group from TCL, nan QM6K. After spending immoderate clip pinch its higher-end sibling, nan TCL QM7K, I instantly noticed immoderate advancements complete nan lesser model, but it's up to you whether it's worthy nan other costs (of astir $500 more). 

Here's nan breakdown aft testing it for 3 weeks, including individual observations, lab-tested results, and my definitive buying advice.

Unboxing and setup

As bully arsenic nan QM7K looks erstwhile it's powered up and running, 1 of my complaints pinch nan higher-end exemplary is simply a matter of creation alternatively than performance, truthful I'll get my gripes retired of nan measurement first. Simply put, I was amazed astatine really difficult it was to connect nan guidelines to nan monitor, particularly because mounting up nan QM6K was easy-peasy.

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Perhaps aiming for elegance, TCL opted to make this model's guidelines a cardinal pedestal alternatively of 2 disparate feet. The problem is, it's not easy to connect astatine all. The pedestal is really composed of 3 parts you'll person to puzzle together involving 12 screws. The quick-start instructions didn't visually lucifer nan beingness product, and nan cablegram guidance clips noted successful that small booklet were missing. 

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While metallic plates are integrated into nan bottommost piece, nan mostly of nan guidelines is made of plastic, and I recovered retired nan difficult measurement that this integrative is not scratch-resistant. It has a benignant of laterally brushed integrative appearance, and conscionable by utilizing a screwdriver to put nan point together, I accidentally marred nan guidelines pinch respective indelible marks.

All successful all, it took astir 45 minutes to group up this 65-inch exemplary aft screwing together nan stand, connecting to Wi-Fi, and letting nan TV's OS tally done updates. Your mileage whitethorn vary.

Navigating nan TV OS

As noted pinch nan QM6K, TCL has consolidated pinch Google TV to powerfulness most, if not all, of its latest sets. Every 2025 exemplary now runs connected Google's OS pinch built-in Chromecast and entree to each nan accustomed streaming apps for illustration Apple TV, Hulu, and Netflix, and I'm a fan.

Also: Why nan LG C5 OLED astatine $1,000 disconnected is still my favourite TV woody for Prime Day

After mounting up Google TV (which will require you to judge a fewer disclaimers), nan TCL Home app, and nan AirPlay app for connecting Apple devices, you'll get nan accustomed artistic options for illustration utilizing your saved photos arsenic nan wallpaper. There's a patient assortment of personalization features to customize nan location screen, pinch conscionable capable algorithmic suggestions to spark interest. 

Chris Bayer/ZDNET

Hands-free cognition is disposable done Google Assistant -- you mightiness beryllium acquainted pinch nan "Hey Google" punctual -- which I've ever recovered to be, well, handy. And while perusing done nan settings, I noticed that ACR (automatic contented recognition) was defaulted to nan disconnected position. Nice.

Performance and testing

Before moreover turning connected nan QM7K, nan first point that struck maine was its shiny, mirror-like screen. This is particularly noticeable successful comparison pinch nan much matte-finish QM6K screen. 

When I did move it on, I tuned into immoderate NFL highlights connected YouTube pinch our workplace lights blazing. The image was rich | pinch colour and agleam capable to cancel retired immoderate overhead illumination. (I could spot why TCL likes to characteristic shot players connected surface successful its marketing.) Despite its glossy quality -- aliases possibly because of it -- nan screen's achromatic levels remained impressively heavy moreover successful brighter conditions. 

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Then we ran immoderate laboratory tests successful our pitch-black testing room to measure HDR analysis. In Filmmaker mode, nan QM7K leaned disproportionately toward bluish for multipoint grayscale and highest luminance. Yet, to my naked eye, I recovered nan Filmmaker mode to beryllium dimmer and benignant of "browned out." 

Chris Bayer/ZDNET

Switching to Cinema mode, nan surface simply looked better, and nan multipoint grayscale and highest luminance tests for RGB colour study were acold much balanced and truer to expectations.

In summation to nan accrued number of dimming zones (over nan QM6K) is nan integration of TCL's "CrystGlow" precocious vertical alignment (HVA) panel. HVA panels are known for superior opposition ratios and wide viewing angles. The QM7K lives up to this, though my eyes couldn't observe nan quality from that of nan QM6K. In theory, nan "CrystGlow" nickname signifies an enhancement to nan panel's ray transmission aliases reflective properties, which lend to improved brightness, colour accuracy, and achromatic uniformity.

TCL is proud of its Halo Control system, which I tin attest minimizes blooming very effectively. When moving done nan accustomed artillery of ocular tests (dirty surface effect test/banding, subtitle blooming, mobility smoothness of scrolling text), I was arsenic satisfied pinch nan results of nan QM7K arsenic I was pinch nan QM6K. 

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This should travel arsenic nary surprise, fixed nan upgraded build and corresponding value constituent of this model. Conversely, however, this does make maine wonderment if nan midrange exemplary is worthy nan other cost.

Lastly, I should mention nan audio upgrade from an Onkyo 2.1 strategy to a Bang & Olufsen audio setup, pinch 2 backfiring 10-watt speakers and a 20-watt subwoofer that supports Dolby Atmos, DTS Virtual:X, and DTS:X. Translation? It doesn't sound overmuch amended than nan QM6K arsenic acold arsenic I tin show (or hear), truthful I would still urge pairing nan QM7K pinch a bully soundbar for nan champion audio experience.

ZDNET's buying advice

So, who should bargain nan TCL QM7K? From my testing, it's a awesome prime for shoppers looking to upgrade their existing budget/midrange TV, arsenic nan QM7K's QD Mini LED exertion should output nan astir noticeable benefits. Most buyers will beryllium satisfied pinch nan awesome colour reproduction and HDR capacity (which a batch of contented tends to support now), each underscored by a user-friendly Google TV interface.

That said, prevention for nan engineering upgrades centered astir image quality, nan lesser-priced TCL QM6K has astir identical specifications arsenic nan TCL QM7K. And for much people, you whitethorn not announcement nan ocular discrepency unless you're viewing some TVs broadside by side.

In ray of these things, I wouldn't unreserved retired to drawback a QM7K until nan inevitable discount comes along. In fact, correct now, nan 65-inch exemplary I tested is already disposable connected Amazon for $500 off. If you tin people a woody connected the inferior QM6K model, that mightiness beryllium an moreover sweeter purchase.

TCL QM7K's tech specs

• 144Hz Native Refresh Rate
• 4 HDMI inputs (one pinch eARC)
• 4K UltraHD Resolution
• Apple AirPlay 2
• Audio by BANG & OLUFSEN
• Auto Game Mode (ALLM) pinch AMD FreeSync Premium Pro
• Bluetooth Personal Audio
• CrystGlow HVA Panel
• Dolby Atmos Audio
• DTS Virtual:X
• Game Accelerator 288
• Google Chromecast Built-in
• Google TV Smart OS pinch Hands-Free Voice Control and Backlit Voice Remote
• HDR ULTRA pinch Dolby Vision IQ, HDR10+, HDR10, & HLG
• High HDR2600 Brightness
• IMAX Enhanced Certification
• Motion Rate 480 pinch MEMC Frame Insertion
• QD-Mini LED
• TCL AIPQ PRO Processor
• TCL Halo Control System
• LD2500 Precise Dimming
• Wi-Fi 5
• Works with: Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, Apple HomeKit

This article was primitively published connected May 7, 2025, and was updated connected July 9, 2025.