TCL has quietly become the brand to beat under $2,000, and the reason is its QD-Mini LED panels. They get brighter and control light better than almost anything at the same price from Samsung or LG. The problem is that TCL now sells five Mini-LED tiers that all look similar on a spec sheet, and the naming is a mess. Here's how to tell them apart and which one is the smart buy.
Start here: the QM7K
If you don't want to think about it, get the QM7K. It's the sweet spot of the 2025 lineup. You get a 144Hz native panel, QD-Mini LED backlighting with a healthy zone count, and an anti-reflective screen that's a bigger deal than it sounds. Most TVs in this price range turn into a mirror the second afternoon light hits them. The QM7K doesn't.
It runs Google TV, so the app library is deep and casting from a phone is painless. For gaming it handles 4K at up to 144Hz over HDMI 2.1, plus VRR, which covers a PS5 Pro or a current Xbox without blackouts. The one thing to watch: at 65 and 75 inches, sale pricing sometimes drags the QM7K right up next to the brighter QM8K. When that happens, take the QM8K.
If you're on a budget: QM6K
The QM6K is the entry Mini-LED, and TCL didn't gut it to hit the price. You still get a 144Hz panel, LD500 dimming, and the AIPQ Processor PRO. For a dark home-theater room it punches above its cost.
Where it gives ground is dimming precision. It has fewer zones than the QM7K, so a white logo on a black screen will show some halo, and overall brightness is lower. If you mostly watch at night and don't obsess over blooming, the QM6K is the better value of the two. Watch in a bright room and you'll wish you'd spent more.
For bright rooms: QM8K and QM9K
These two are about one thing: brightness. The QM8K adds zones and out-muscles the QM7K when sunlight is pouring in, and the QM9K takes it to an extreme with peak brightness over 6,000 nits across 65, 75, 85, and 98 inch sizes.
Be honest about your room before you pay for either. In a dim space, a QM7K already looks fantastic and the extra nits go to waste. The QM9K in particular is a hard sell on value. It's the brightest TV TCL builds, and you pay accordingly. Buy it because you want the best panel in the catalog, not because you expect a deal.
The new one: QM8L
TCL's 2026 line is starting to arrive, led by the QM8L. It moves to an SQD Mini-LED panel, hits roughly 3,719 nits, and packs over 2,000 dimming zones. All four HDMI ports are 2.1 and run 4K at 144Hz, with a 1080p/288Hz mode for PC players who chase frame rate. On paper it slots between the QM8K and QM9K.
My advice on brand-new TVs holds here: don't rush it. The 65 inch launched around $2,000, and TCL prices fall fast once a model has been out a couple of months. If you can wait, you'll likely pay a lot less. If you can't, it's a strong panel.
Sizing and where the deals are
TCL's value gets more extreme as the screens get bigger. At 55 inches the price gap between tiers is small, so it's easy to justify a QM7K over a QM6K. At 75 and 85 inches the gaps widen and the discounts get deeper, which is where TCL really undercuts the big names. If you've been eyeing an 85 inch and balking at Samsung or Sony money, a QM7K or QM8K at that size is often half the price for a picture most people can't tell apart on the showroom floor.
One more buying note: prices on the 2025 models drop hard once the 2026 line ships in volume. The QM6K through QM9K are already a year into their run, so they go on sale constantly. Set a price alert rather than paying sticker, and don't assume the newest model is the better deal.
Gaming and the things spec sheets skip
Every QM-series set here handles 4K at up to 144Hz with VRR over HDMI 2.1, so a PS5 Pro or Xbox Series X gets the full treatment. Just remember the rules that trip people up: HDMI 2.0 tops out at 4K/60, and you need an Ultra High Speed cable rated for 48Gbps to actually pass 4K/120 and 4K/144, not a generic "4K cable." A Series S, for the record, is a 1440p console, so don't buy a 144Hz panel expecting it to push native 4K from that box.
The other quiet weakness across TCL's line is processing motion in fast sports and upscaling older content, where Sony still has an edge. For most viewers the gap is small and the price difference is not. But if you watch a lot of low-resolution cable or care deeply about smooth panning, go in with eyes open.
What actually matters when you shop
Three things decide whether you'll be happy. Room light comes first, because it determines how many nits you actually need; a dark room makes the QM6K or QM7K plenty, while a wall of windows pushes you toward the QM8K. Zone count comes second, since more zones mean less blooming in dark scenes. And don't expect great built-in sound from any of them. The speakers are thin across the line, so budget for a soundbar.
For most buyers the QM7K is the answer, with the QM6K as the budget pick and the QM8K reserved for genuinely bright rooms. Skip the QM9K unless brightness is the whole point of your purchase.