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📺 TCL QM8L brings Super Quanum Dot (SQD) Mini LED technology to the mainstream
🔆 Promises up to 6,000-nits of brightness across over 4,000 local dimming zones
💵 $2,499 65-inch model aggressively priced against OLED and RGB LED
🎮 4x HDMI 2.1 ports for up to 4K 144Hz gaming with VRR
🛜 Built-in Dolby Flexconnect lets you add a subwoofer and satellite speakers without a soundbar
📱new remote with a classier metal finish and added side buttons to change brightness
🗣️ Google Gemini makes controlling your TV more conversational
🤖 AI-generated animated backgrounds will be added to Google Gemini in the future
The TCL QM8L aims to bring SQD-Mini LED technology to mainstream 4K TVs. The TV’s 6,000-nits of brightness and 4,000 local dimming zones might pale in comparison to the TCL X11L’s 10,000-nit brightness and 20,000 local dimming zones introduced at CES 2026. However, the TCL QM8L is also certainly more affordable at $2,499 for a 65-inch model, while the smallest 75-inch TCL X11L costs $6,999.
While the rest of the TV industry is hedging its bets on RGB backlit TVs, TCL has doubled down on Mini LED technology. TCL is not only pushing newer Mini LED to be more cost-effective, but it’s also aggressively demonstrating that SQD-Mini LED technology is more colorful, contrasty, and handles motion better than RGB LED TVs and even OLED TVs.
I had almost an hour to test the TCL QM8L, watching both test footage comparing the TV against the brand-new Samsung S90H OLED and the LG C5H, the latter of which has inherited LG’s flagship 4-layer tandem OLED display. The Shortcut was also the first to play PS5 Pro games on the TCL QM8L. Spider-Man 2 looks like real-life thanks to the TCL QM8L’s dramatically brighter screen and improved motion rendering. Gamers will also love that this TV comes with four HDMI 2.1 ports ready for up to 4K 144Hz gaming with VRR.
I’ve come away fully impressed by just a taste of the TCL QM8L’s performance, and I can’t wait to get this TV in the lab for more extensive testing. The TCL QM8L is available to purchase now starting for $2,499 for a 65-inch model.
🔆 6,000-nits bright. You won’t have a problem watching the TCL QM8L even in the brightest room, thanks to its 6,000-nits of brightness spread across over 4,000 local dimming zones. That’s not nearly as bright as the 10,000-nits you can get from TCL’s flagship X11L, but all of the company’s top technologies have trickled down to this more affordable TV.
That includes the glare-eliminating WHVA 2.0 Ultra Panel that also improves contrast and widens color viewing angles. TCL also claims to have increased color depth with a new CSOT UltraColor Filter and an advanced color purity algorithm. These two things work together to eliminate color crosstalk that can be endemic to some RGB LED TVs.
📺 Better color than OLED. TCL didn’t hold back on comparing the QM8L against the top OLED TVs, including the LG C5H and Samsung S90H. The TCL QM8L consistently won out in shootout comparisons, displaying brighter highlights, more saturated colors, and surprisingly better black levels. OLED has been the king of contrast and colors, but the TCL QM8L has one me over with its superior picture quality.
🎮 Gaming ready. I played a ton of Spider-Man 2 and Ghost of Tsushima on the PS5 Pro before, but they had never looked better until I played them on the TCL QM8L. The incredible brightness of the TCL QM8L almost perfectly simulates a real sunny day in NYC as I was webslinging around in Spider-Man 2. Conversely, Ghost of Tsushima was perfectly moody and dark as I crept around in the shadows on the rainy plains of Iki Island.
🔌 4x HDMI 2.1. Whether I was zipping between buildings or charging around Japan on horseback, motion on the TCL QM8L looked incredibly smooth thanks to the TV’s maximum 4K 144Hz gaming refresh rate (consoles are still limited to 120Hz. Mercifully, all four of the TV’s HDMI 2.1 ports support 4K 144Hz gaming with auto-low-latency mode, VRR, and FreeSync Premium Pro. Sadly, there’s no G-Sync support, and that remains an exclusive feature on Samsung and LG OLED TVs.
🎬 Dolby Vision 2 Max. The TCL QM8L will be one of the first to support Dolby Vision 2 Max to squeeze the most contrast and color out of this TV’s 6000-nit bright screen. Arriving as an OTA update after the TV launches, Dolby Vision 2 Max is essentially an updated HDR format for TVs far brighter than the 1000-nit TVs Dolby Vision was originally designed for.
You should expect HDR scenes to get brighter. But at the same time, Bi-Directional Tone Mapping will prevent scenes from being blown out or grayed out and will retain the director’s original intent. Dolby Vision Max 2 also promises higher color depth, as TCL now targets 100% of the BT.2020 color spectrum.
🫰Top-tier for less. TCL has always delivered on value with lower prices, and the TCL QM8L follows suit. Even though this is a high-end TV, it starts at $2,499 for a 65-inch model and then up to $5,999 for the largest 98-inch display. Comparatively, a 65-inch Samsung S90H OLED TV costs about $200 more at $2,699. Also, up against one of LG’s top OLED evo TVs in 2026, the 77-inch LG C5H costs $3,699, while the 75-inch TCL QM8L is considerably more affordable at $2,999.
🛜 FlexConnect speaker ready. Dolby’s Flexconnect technology is built into the TCL QM8L, allowing you to easily add satellite speakers and a subwoofer. This is a huge change, as most wireless speakers and subwoofers require at least one HDMI-connected soundbar. With Flexconnect built in, you can skip buying a soundbar, especially if it doesn’t work with your aesthetic, and just add a subwoofer for more bass or a pair of rear satellite speakers for more spatial immersion.
📱 New remote. TCL has rolled out a new remote for its flagship models, and aside from the more premium metallic cover plate, the most notable addition is a pair of side buttons to adjust screen brightness. It might seem like an odd inclusion, but after even just looking at this 6,000-nit brightness TV, you’re definitely turning up and down the brightness regularly just because of how searingly bright the TCL QM8L is.
Kevin Lee is The Shortcut’s Creative Director. Follow him on Twitter @baggingspam.
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