ZDNET’s key takeaways
- The TCL QM8 (2024) options wealthy colours and searing brightness.
- It has enhanced audio over final 12 months’s mannequin, whereas nonetheless being straightforward to arrange and navigate.
- I want the viewing angles weren’t considerably restricted, and you will need to anticipate a deal to purchase one.
extra shopping for decisions
As this 12 months’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.
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The primary nice shock I encountered was how TCL made it very straightforward to unbox the 65-inch mannequin we had despatched to the ZDNET lab. With a single slice of the cardboard on the underside of 1 aspect of the field, the highest lifted off to liberate the TV for setup.
Whereas that is tremendous handy, dealing with the TV and attaching its base stand — as with all different massive TV — is greatest executed with a two-person job. (By the best way, the 65-inch is the smallest of the QM851G collection, with 98 inches on the excessive finish of the dimensions.)
One notable change in comparison with final 12 months’s mannequin is that the QM8 now has a single central platform for its base as an alternative of two separate toes. 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 glossy, black rectangle with just about no bezel surrounding its 57 x 32.5-inch body. The slim sides of the unit have a brushed gunmetal end — giving it a refined and stylish look. You’d usually need to pay a fraction extra of the value to get one thing of an analogous definition.
The unit’s distant feels snug to carry at a relatively slender 1.25 inches huge. 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 accessible apps (as an alternative of Apple TV or Pluto) — however it’s a TCL tv, in any case.
Realizing only a few individuals learn the directions for utilizing a TV, I grabbed the distant and gave it an “instinct check” to see how rapidly I might 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 — an excellent factor, in my e-book. Total, getting began was a reasonably breezy course of.
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Okay, I am going to get to the half about efficiency and film high quality.
The QM8 is a QLED TV with mini-LED backlighting, which means it is even brighter than most OLED models. The truth is, the QM8 boasts as much as 5,000 nits peak brightness, which is considerably increased than most of TCL’s rivals in the identical value vary. Many high-end TVs, together with different mini-LED fashions, usually 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 provides 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 12 months’s mannequin, the QM8 comes with an upgraded processor (the AiPQ Professional), which leverages machine studying to activate AI-based enhancements reminiscent of AI Readability and AI Movement.
Positioning myself off-center, nonetheless, I discovered the TV’s viewing angles to be comparatively slender, degrading the image high quality when it comes to shade accuracy and distinction. It is a minor criticism, 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 and stereo audio enter, plus an optical digital audio output. It has an ATSC 3.0 tuner jack (in case the grid collapses?), however you will principally be counting on its Wi-Fi 6 for zippy connectivity. The QM8 additionally has an Ethernet port, protecting the bases for many who desire wired internet.
For avid gamers, the QM8 has some engaging options. It helps as much as 144Hz variable refresh fee at 4K decision, which I’ve discovered very fulfilling. However it additionally has a “Sport Accelerator 240” characteristic 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 outdated 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 $1,000 on Best Buy on the time of this writing, the TCL QM8 provides loopy worth for its dimension and assortment of options. Comparable fashions from the likes of Sony might be priced for twice as a lot. If you wish to go bigger, sizes just like the 75-inch QM8 are on sale for $500 off, too, beginning at $1,499. You’ll be able to even supersize it to the 98-inch for $3,999 — a whopping $2,000 off.
When you prioritize brightness, distinction, and high-level gaming, the QM8, at any dimension, is a stable funding for the price. Simply be sure you’re capable of 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.
