This TCL mini-LED TV competes with pricey OLEDs – and the lab results back it up

ZDNET's key takeaways

• The TCL QM9K is on sale now for $1,799.
• Out-of-the-box picture settings need tweaked right away, and its high brightness comes at the expense of color accuracy.
• Users can adjust picture settings to boost color accuracy and refine details, resulting in a fantastic overall picture.

Save $1,200 on the 65-inch TCL QM9K at Best Buy

Follow ZDNET: Add us as a preferred source on Google.

Sony and TCL have entered an agreement to sell a majority stake in the Bravia brand to TCL. This makes the QM9K the last flagship TV that TCL will make on its own before the new co-owned Bravia models hit the market in 2027. 

Also: The top 6 TVs ZDNET readers bought this year

With TCL continuing to position themselves as a real contender to more premium brands like Samsung and LG, its TV models offer the same value as high-end screens with great picture and audio quality as well as a host of smart features. So is it worth the upgrade, or should you wait? We put it to the test in the ZDNET testing lab in Louisville, Kentucky. Here's what we found. 

Best tv deals of the week

• 43-inch Onn 100012584 4K LED Smart Roku TV:  $178 (save $70)
• 75-inch TCL QM6K 4K QD-Mini LED Google TV (2025 Model):  $698 (save $302)
• 75-inch Onn 100044717 4K LED Smart Roku TV:  $428 (save $20)
• 65-inch LG C4 Series 4K 120Hz OLED Evo Smart TV (2024 Model):  $1,297 (save $1,403)
• 55-inch Hisense CanvasTV Series 4K QLED Google Smart TV (2024 Model):  $650 (save $350)

What's new with the TCL QM9K

The TCL QM9K is the latest refresh of the brand's Mini LED TV lineup, using the Google TV platform to give you access to hundreds of streaming apps, integrated voice controls, and screensharing via iOS or Android devices. 

The Mini LED panel itself got an upgrade with 6,000 precision dimming zones for enhanced contrast that rivals OLED TVs, a peak brightness of 6,500 nits for better visibility in bright rooms and direct sunlight, an anti-glare matte screen to reduce the "halo" effect you sometimes see with LED backlighting, and improved LED technology for better color accuracy. A 7,000:1 contrast ratio means you'll get crisp details in dark scenes and inky blacks that make colors pop.

Also: This TCL Mini LED TV deal on Amazon makes pricier OLED models unnecessary for me

TCL claims that the QM9K is capable of reproducing up to 100% of the DCI-P3 color spectrum, which is one of the most common color palettes that tech screens are calibrated for. This means that each pixel in the LED panel is factory-calibrated to produce billions of colors that match real-world examples for a more realistic picture while streaming or gaming. 

The TV also features audio by Bang & Olufsen, a high-end sound equipment manufacturer with over 100 years of history. TCL and Bang & Olufsen worked together to build and fine-tune the QM9K's integrated speakers to produce cleaner, more accurate sound than previous models.

How the TCL QM9K stacks up

Since, until very recently, TCL has been known for its budget-friendly and "value" TVs, we need a little hard data to know if the QM9K can walk the walk. At the ZDNET testing lab in Louisville, we use a special Calman sensor and camera system to test each TV and compare our results to manufacturer claims. 

We look at everything from color accuracy and white balance to screen brightness and contrast. We run the same battery of tests on each TV we look at in the lab, checking results for the most popular picture modes: Standard, Filmmaker/Movie, and Game Mode.

Also: How to clear your TV cache (and why you shouldn't wait to do it)

Comparing the QM9K to its sibling, the QM6K, you can see that the Standard picture mode offers very similar color accuracy across both models. The out-of-the-box picture settings showed a blue-shift in color presentation on both screens, meaning that when you set up the TV and start watching something without making any adjustments, what you see will have a cooler tone and may look a bit washed out in brighter scenes.

Each white square represents a target color, and each dark dot is the actual color produced by the QM9K's Mini-LED panel. While some colors are spot-on, the blue-shift affects warmer tones more, pushing them further from the target hue. 

The hard data might make you think that the picture quality isn't worth the asking price, but fortunately, human eyes are a bit less critical than technology. And unless you have a very keen eye for things like color shifting, you might not even notice unless you directly compare to another screen. Thankfully, the TCL QM9K has in-depth menu options to help you calibrate each picture setting for the best viewing experience tailored to your space.

How to get the most out of your new TCL QM9K

If you think of your TV's out-of-the-box picture settings as a slider, they'll usually be set dead center to give you a sort of statistical average for color, contrast, and detailing. For Standard and Filmmaker/Movie mode, there are ways to adjust brightness, black and gamma levels, and a toggle for automatic HDR conversion. 

The HDR and Dolby Vision-supported picture modes have even more options for adjusting dynamic tone mapping and dynamic contrast while the white balance settings let you get into the nitty gritty details. White balance adjustments include gain and offset sliders for red, green, and blue tones, a toggle for enabling up to 20 points of white balance reference for a more balanced picture. 

Also: How to disable ACR on your TV - and why it makes such a big difference doing so

The dedicated Game Master picture mode also features sliders and toggles for a variety of control points like contrast and HDR tone mapping, but it also supports variable refresh rates and automatically lowers input latency for smoother motion and better reaction times to your inputs. 

If you're setting up a home audio system to complement your new TCL QM9K, you can easily switch the TV's audio output from the integrated speakers to your HDMI eARC-connected devices through the dedicated menu. An HDMI eARC passthrough allows the video and audio signals from your connected devices to play directly through your TV and soundbar without losing quality from high-bandwidth formats like Dolby Atmos or 7.1CH surround sound.   

ZDNET's buying advice

The TCL QM9K might be the last of its kind, but it still gives you plenty of reasons to upgrade or switch from a more premium brand. The out-of-the-box picture settings could be a little lackluster to a very keen eye, showing blue-shift that affects how accurately warm colors are represented, but with a little time and effort, it has the potential to be a truly great addition to any living room or home theater. 

Also: Your Roku has hidden settings and menu screens - here's how to unlock them

Extensive menu options let you fine-tune settings like white balance, HDR tone mapping, and even gamma and black levels. White balance settings give you the ultimate control over color accuracy, allowing you to adjust RGB gains and offsets to push the TCL QM9K to be as close to 100% accurate to the DCI-P3 color spectrum as possible.   

Featured reviews