ZDNET’s key takeaways
- The TCL QM8 (2024) options wealthy colours and searing brightness.
- It has enhanced audio over final yr’s mannequin, whereas nonetheless being simple to arrange and navigate.
- I want the viewing angles weren’t considerably restricted, and you may need to watch for a deal to purchase one.
extra shopping for decisions
What is the deal?
A number of fashions of the TCL QM8 (2024) have acquired large reductions on Finest Purchase. You should purchase the 65-inch and 75-inch shows for $900 and $1,300, respectively. Finest Purchase can be decreasing the 85-inch mannequin to $2,000. Nonetheless, if you wish to go super-large (at 98 inches), you will must look to Amazon for the very best worth.
As this yr’s top-of-the-line providing, TCL’s newest flagship TV, the QM8, promised to be a notable improve from the 2023 model. I spent a while with it over the previous month to see what the hype was about.
The primary nice shock I encountered was how TCL made it very simple to unbox the 65-inch mannequin we had despatched to the ZDNET lab. With a single slice of cardboard on the underside of 1 facet of the field, the highest lifted off to liberate the TV for setup.
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Whereas that is tremendous handy, dealing with the TV and attaching its base stand — as with every different massive TV — is greatest executed with a two-person job. (By the best way, the 65-inch is the smallest of the QM851G sequence, with 98 inches on the excessive finish of the size.)
One notable change in comparison with final yr’s mannequin is that the QM8 now has a single central platform for its base as an alternative of two separate ft. This assemblage equates to a sturdy unit with loads of stability and permits the TV to sit down on a espresso desk or media stand that’s lower than the display’s whole width.
Powered off, the QM8 seems like a smooth, black rectangle with nearly no bezel surrounding its 57 x 32.5-inch body. The slim sides of the unit have a brushed gunmetal end — giving it a delicate and chic look. You’d usually must pay a fraction extra of the value to get one thing of an identical definition.
The unit’s distant feels comfy to carry at a relatively slim 1.25 inches broad. The keys are absolutely backlit and embrace a mic button for voice instructions through Google. It additionally options shortcut buttons for Netflix, Prime Video, YouTube, Apple TV, Pluto, and, in fact, TCL+television. Naturally, these are the default apps showing on the house web page of the TV’s interface. I discovered it curious that the TCL+television app appeared twice within the checklist of obtainable apps (as an alternative of Apple TV or Pluto) — however it’s a TCL tv, in spite of everything.
Realizing only a few individuals learn the directions for utilizing a TV, I grabbed the distant and gave it an “instinct take a look at” to see how shortly I may connect with the web and get began. The QM8’s consumer interface is clear and easy, and it runs on the Google TV platform, an working system that leans extra minimal than feature-rich — factor, in my e-book. General, getting began was a reasonably breezy course of.
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Okay, I am going to get to the half about efficiency and movie high quality.
The QM8 is a QLED TV with mini-LED backlighting, which means it is even brighter than most OLED fashions. The truth is, the QM8 boasts as much as 5,000 nits peak brightness, which is considerably greater than most of TCL’s rivals in the identical worth vary. Many high-end TVs, together with different mini-LED fashions, sometimes max out at round 2,000 nits.
Mini-LED TVs use an array of LEDs to create exact dimming zones, and with as much as 5,000 native dimming zones, the QM8 presents superior distinction management. This excessive variety of zones permits for extra exact backlight modulation and deeper blacks.
The QM8’s different superior applied sciences, like Quantum Dot shade enhancement and Dolby Imaginative and prescient IQ, end in distinctive picture high quality, excessive distinction, and vivid colours. Extremely-high definition 4K decision helps, as does its HDR10+ help, which yields a wider vary of colours and brightness ranges than the usual dynamic vary. As a lift over final yr’s mannequin, the QM8 comes with an upgraded processor (the AiPQ Professional), which leverages machine studying to activate AI-based enhancements similar to AI Readability and AI Movement.
Positioning myself off-center, nevertheless, I discovered the TV’s viewing angles to be comparatively slim, degrading the image high quality when it comes to shade accuracy and distinction. This can be a minor grievance, however one thing to think about in establishing your seating association.
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The QM8’s panel has a wide range of connection choices, together with 4 HDMI 2.1 ports, two of which help 4K 120Hz pass-through, FreeSync Premium Professional, and 144Hz VRR. Moreover, there are three USB ports and a 3.5mm audio output for connecting headphones.
Different 3.5mm port choices embrace a composite video, stereo audio enter, and optical digital audio output. It has an ATSC 3.0 tuner jack (in case the grid collapses?), however you will largely depend on its Wi-Fi 6 for zippy connectivity. The QM8 additionally has an Ethernet port, overlaying the bases for many who favor wired web.
For avid gamers, the QM8 has some engaging options. It helps as much as 144Hz variable refresh price at 4K decision, which I’ve discovered very pleasant. However it additionally has a “Recreation Accelerator 240” function that may make gameplay seamless at 240Hz VRR — at the price of gaming at half decision 1080p. No much less, mixed with the inherent brightness and distinction on this mannequin, the gaming expertise is secretly one of many QM8’s greatest property.
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The QM8’s Onkyo-designed speaker system has an 80-watt, 2.1.2-channel configuration — a notable enchancment from the 2023 mannequin, which had comparatively puny 20-watt, 2.1-channel audio system. The brand new mannequin consists of two up-firing Dolby Atmos audio system positioned on the left and proper sides of the body. Along with Dolby Atmos and DTS Digital:X, the audio high quality is licensed as IMAX Enhanced.
Watching previous episodes of Misplaced, I discovered the QM8’s sound crisp and daring. What I admire most is the TV’s auto quantity management, which ranges out sudden decibel boosts like explosions — and particularly pesky commercials.
ZDNET’s shopping for recommendation
Going for lower than $900 on Finest Purchase on the time of this writing, the TCL QM8 presents loopy worth for its dimension and assortment of options. Comparable fashions from the likes of Sony might be priced for twice as a lot.
When you prioritize brightness, distinction, and high-level gaming, the QM8, at any dimension, is a strong funding for the associated fee. Simply be sure you can place the TV (and your self) effectively sufficient to get the very best, centered viewing angle and, hopefully, have a serving to hand when first unboxing the set.
