The best gets better
Each year when I review the newest TCL TV I think to myself there is no way this new iteration can possibly be that much improved over last year’s model. Then, once I spend ample time with it, I realize it really can. The new TCL QM8L is by far my favorite iteration of the Q-Series to date thanks to a few new upgrades and one of the cleanest, and sharpest panels the company has produced to date. I spent a few weeks with the newest model and am extremely impressed with the results.
We will kick it off with design, which is probably the least upgraded part of the set. The base unit itself is pretty much the same as last year’s model when staring at it from all sides. The stand might be a little more angular, but everything else felt identical. It has the same minor bezel design and checkerboard back pattern with the log on the side, so you are not constantly staring at a company logo. The inputs are on the same side, and the speakers still sit mounted in the same places.
MSRP: $1199.99
Price I’d Pay: $1199.99
If there is one upgrade it is the remote. While the design is still pretty much the same it has a few upgrades. First off is the Info button being on the remote itself. Most people do not care about this, but I hate when it isn’t there. I like to see what audio I am getting and what the resolution and frame rate is when switching between inputs. It also has a picture choice mode button and a brightness setting on the side, which is more useful than I thought it would be, and of course it is still backlit, which is a must these days.
The biggest upgrade though comes in the form of the most important thing when it comes to TVs, picture quality. This year’s buzzword is SQD-Mini LED, and it is the panel TCL is using for this set. This allows for more colors and better contrast, as well as ridiculous brightness reaching up to 6500 nits, but hovers more around 5000. Regardless, you won’t need half of that for most rooms. That is ridiculously bright, and while I do love a bright screen, this is one even I had to tone down a bit.
The SQD-Mini LED screen is gorgeous though. Combined with their Super Resolution upscaling, everything I threw at it looked incredible. I still have my QM8K hooked up, and did a few comparisons, and the QM8L was noticeably better in most areas. Contrast was better, colors popped more, and of course it was brighter. Surprisingly the QM8L also has fewer dimming zones than last year’s model, but I couldn’t tell when using them side by side.
As for features, there are a few upgrades over last year. First and foremost, we now have four HDMI 2.1 inputs, meaning I don’t have to use my splitter as much. The eArc does take input 1, which is weird, but I dealt with it. I ended up hiding it from view when switching inputs because it bothered me. The chip inside is also much faster than the QM8K, which helps with the Google system as well as the AI features, if those are your thing. Everything else is still here including an ASTC 3.0 tuner, several USB inputs, and a sound system powered by Bang & Olufsen, which sounds better than most TVs, but I still recommend a soundbar.
Gaming is about the same as last year as well with refresh rates up to 144Hz (up to 288 with VRR at 1080p) and the game bar, which has a few extra options this year. I found very little lag when playing anything from the newest Call of Duty back to classics like Mega Man, and the biggest reason I prefer Mini LED to OLED, is no concern of burn-in on my classic games. I didn’t notice any discernable difference from the QM8K’s performance, but I am sure there are some minor numbers that can be measured somewhere.
The operating system is the most recent version of Google TV and I still think it is the best built-in service out there. I still recommend getting an external device, I personally use an AppleTV and cannot go back. It is cool to see that the TCL units also support quick media switching, which removes the black screen when swapping between 24 and 60fps content when watching TV.
If there is anything this still doesn’t match OLED on, it is viewing angles and black levels. This TV has some of the best black levels I have seen on an LED, but it still cannot match infinite contrast. That is a sacrifice I have made considering all the other benefits, but I am not going to tell you this even comes close. It is solid, but not perfect. Also, the viewing angles still cannot match OLED, but the light reflection is great and the TV looks fantastic in my setup.
TCL continues to innovate and lead in the LED field, and I find it hard to recommend any other brand considering the prices. I have used this brand almost exclusively for years and haven’t found something that can replace it for my style of gaming and TV watching. If you are in the market for a new set, I cannot recommend the QM8L enough, it is by far my favorite TV of 2026.
Review hardware provided by manufacturer.