TCL TVs have been impressing us for a while. If you look at our guide to the best TVs, you’ll see quite a few TCLs listed there. Same with our guide to the best budget TVs. The moral of the story? TCL TVs are a great option when you’re looking for relatively impressive performance at an affordable price point.
In fact, TCL is bringing a lot of “new” to the table this year, totally reshaping its lineup into Q Class and S Class. The TCL 2023 lineup is headlined by the QM8 QLED TV, which could be a serious contender if it lives up to a promised peak brightness of 2,000 nits thanks to a new Mini-LED display panel.
Q Class is the more premium offering, with three TVs all featuring QLED 4K displays. The S Class is the more value-focused option, though the TCL S4 4K TV has some impressive features for its low starting price of just $279. And TCL has retooled its sound offerings to match these changes — Q Class soundbars are designed to go with the Q Class QLED TVs and are available as a 3.1 or 5.1 channel soundbar. Similarly, the S Class soundbars are designed to go with the S Class TVs and are available in 2.1, 3.1 and 5.1 channel offerings.
So with that all said, let’s take a look at everything TCL has to offer in 2023.
TCL QM8 QLED TV
The TCL QM8 QLED TV is the pinnacle of TCL’s offerings this year, combining a Mini-LED display with a quantum dot filter for brightness that can’t be matched by anything else TCL has to offer. TCL claims that the QM8 QLED TV will hit 2,000 nits peak brightness, which would make it a seriously bright TV. In fact, if it can really hit that number, this TV will probably contend for the best TV we’ve tested this year.
But killer brightness isn’t all that the QM8’s spec sheet promises. The Mini-LED QLED TV also comes loaded with other features, such as the TCL AIPQ Gen 3 engine to control the QM8’s 2,300 local dimming zones. It also includes Game Accelerator 240, a gaming feature that allows for up to a 240Hz variable refresh rate (4K VRR tops out at 144Hz). It also comes with Google TV built-in, which is the smart TV interface that TCL has chosen for its entire Q Class lineup.
Aside from that, you get a lot of features you’d expect from a best TV contender. The 4K QLED TV comes with HDR support for Dolby Vision IQ, HDR10+, HDR10 and HLG. On the sound side, you get support for Dolby Atmos and one of the TV's four HDMI ports comes with eARC support for passthrough to a soundbar or surround sound setup. Plus, there’s a built-in 20W subwoofer along with two 10W speakers, so if you skip the soundbar you’ll still have 2.1 channel sound built-in.
- 97-inch 98QM850G: $9,999 (Available later in 2023)
- 85-inch 85QM850G: $2,799 (Available now)
- 75-inch 75QM850G: $2,299 (Available now)
- 65-inch 65QM850G: $1,699 (Available now)
TCL Q7 QLED TV
While there’s no Mini-LED display panel for the TCL Q7 QLED TV, the combination of a quantum dot filter and full array local dimming (TCL claims up to 200+ local dimming zones) should still provide good picture quality. Additionally, the 4K TV can reportedly still manage 1,000 nits peak brightness, meaning it will still hit the standard for true HDR brightness that a lot of TVs fail to hit.
Aside from that though, there are a lot of similarities between the TCL Q7 QLED TV and the TCL QM8 QLED TV. 4K resolution with a 120Hz refresh rate, HDR support for Dolby Vision IQ, HDR10+, HDR10 and HLG and Dolby Atmos support are all there. So are the four HDMI ports, including one with eARC passthrough. It even gets the TCL AIPQ Gen 3 engine to control local dimming zones and Game Accelerator 240 for up to 240Hz VRR (4K VRR tops out at 144Hz).
So if you’re looking for a feature-loaded TV but don’t want to pay up for the superior brightness of the TCL QM8 Mini-LED QLED, the TCL Q7 is a great option for a significantly lower price.
- 85-inch 85Q750G: $2,199 (Available now)
- 75-inch 75Q750G: $1,399 (Available now)
- 65-inch 65Q750G: $999 (Available now)
- 55-inch 55Q750G: $749 (Available now)
TCL Q6 QLED TV
The TCL Q6 QLED TV takes a noticeable step back from the premium Q7 and QM8, but that doesn’t mean it is not worthy of attention. You still get 4K resolution and an LED display panel with direct backlighting. HDR support is there as well, including HDR10+, HDR10 and HLG — though you only get support for Dolby Vision rather than Dolby Vision IQ.
There are other little sacrifices like this throughout the spec sheet. You only get three HDMI ports instead of four, though you still get Dolby Atmos and eARC support. The display is just 60Hz natively, though Game Accelerator 120 will allow for 120Hz VRR at a lower resolution.
But with a fair amount of features and Google TV powering it all, the Q6 QLED TV may make a case for being one of the best budget TVs out there. The $499 price point puts it right there with the Hisense U6H and Roku Plus Series 4K QLED TV.
- 85-inch 85Q650G: $1,599 (Available now)
- 75-inch 75Q650G: $899 (Available now)
- 65-inch 65Q650G: $699 (Available now)
- 55-inch 55Q650G: $499 (Available now)
TCL S Class TVs
While the Q Class TVs are designed to steal the show, there’s still some reasons to check out the S Class TVs. Namely, if you need a solid TV at an incredible price, these could do the trick.
The cheapest offering is the TCL S2 HD TV, a 32-inch 720p HD TV that still gets direct backlighting and a metal bezel-free design. The TCL S3 Full HD TV ups the resolution to 1080p full HD and adds support for HDR10 and HLG HDR modes. Both TVs are powered by Roku’s smart TV interface, though the S3 also has a Google TV model.
Then there’s the TCL S4 4K TV. While this TV won’t match the picture quality of the QLED TV Q Class, it still features HDR support — including Dolby Vision — Dolby Atmos and DTS Virtual: X audio support and three HDMI ports, including one with eARC support. Powered by Google TV, it could be one of the better offerings at its price point.
- TCL S4 4K TV is available now in 43-inch to 85-inch sizes starting at $279
More from Tom's Guide
