Premium mid-range
TCL continues to impress me with their upgrades year-in and year-out. The 2024 QM8 model is still my preferred TV from last year. The combination of price, picture quality, brightness, and features make it the best overall TV for a lot of people. When I reviewed the QM6K earlier this year, I found it to be a solid entry-level TV, heck as of the time of this writing you can snag one for like $600 for a 55-inch model, which is an outstanding value.
Now we get to get some hands-on experience with their mid-tier offering with the QM7K, which if it is anything like last year, will be the most popular model. It straddles the line between the budget and high-end models, and this year’s version makes several upgrades that nearly puts it on the same level as last year’s QM8. Let’s dig into what makes the QM7K so special, and why I simply cannot wait to see what else TCL has in store for 2025.
Unboxing TVs is still one of the most exciting things for me. This experience was new, as I received a 75 inch unit, the biggest TV I have ever reviewed. Getting it out was pretty simple, and the packaging was stellar. Cardboard across the box to keep it from bending, a puffer to keep the screen in place, and a cardboard insert to protect the screen. The TV comes with the new 2025 TCL remote, a center-mounted stand, which is great because it allows for a larger TV on a smaller stand.
The specs of the TV were surprising. As I started to set it up, I checked the weight and measurements. It is quite a bit larger than the 65-inch model, and it just barely fits in the space I review. On the positive side the weight was very light, weighing only about 6 lbs. more than my QM8 from 2024. My wall mount held it perfectly in place, though being wider it had a little wobble, but it settled fast. This is a sleek TV, nearly as thin as the 65-inch model, and looks good mounted on a wall. The stand is plastic with some nice cable management, and there are a couple clips in the box to run cables along the back of the TV.
Once the hard work was out of the way, it was time to dig in. My first tests I ran against the 2024 QM8 when it comes to brightness and color accuracy. I am not a reviewer that does measurements. A number can tell me one thing, but my eyes will tell the true story. Watching the same content, running from the same source yielded some great results. Once I tweaked the settings to match the QM8 (which I spent WAY too long perfecting) the two images were nearly identical. The QM7K almost matched the brightness, and the color accuracy was actually better. The QM7K had better black levels and shadow detail, thanks to the new LD2500 dimming zones. It really makes colors pop.
Connections are identical to other TCL models. There are four HDMI inputs, two are 2.1 and support up to 120Hz, with one hitting 144. There are two USB ports, an optical out, and a tuner. Sadly, it is not the 3.0 from the QM8, which I have grown to love during the NFL season. This TV looks amazing with HD sports, even using a classic antenna. The OS is once again Google TV and for good reason, it is still the best built in OS by far. It feels faster than my QM8, but that could just be because it is new. It still runs fast, as does the QM8, so again Google TV is just better optimized than most.
The new CrystGlow HVA panel is also gorgeous. Detail was so much more refined on the QM7K than last year’s QM8. Better viewing angles as well. This TV just looks stunning in person. I tried multiple types of content including 4K HDR videos, older SD videos upscaled, and of course games (more on that later) and everything was on par with the QM8 outside of a little less brightness. Everything simply looked stunning, even in a bright room environment. TCL’s new processor really does a great job upscaling older content.
Let’s move on to gaming. The QM7K performs pretty much as well as the QM8. The same features are here. HDR gaming is nice and bright, and the TV supports up to 144Hz PC gaming, and up to 288 in 1080p. It really zooms along. The same game bar from last year is here and works just as well. It might be time for some new themes though. I did have some weird issues when using splitters. My TV would recognize the Nintendo Switch on a different HDMI input and switch to it at times. I think this was likely a bug, and of course it didn’t help that I was running two splitters into two different HDMI ports.
Response time was fantastic, and I never noticed much lag when gaming. I tested everything from Mega Man on the NES to my Overwatch obsession, and it all felt great. Have you ever played NES Mega Man on a 75-inch 4K screen? It is mind-blowing. As always, I continue to prefer mini-led to OLED just because my paranoia isn’t worried about burn-in, especially for old games. Those menus don’t move.
The audio system has also received a hefty upgrade from Bang & Olufsen. It now has two subwoofers on the back of the TV, down firing speakers, and it sounds fantastic. I watched a few movies and played several games before hooking up my soundbar, and for those without one, this is the best sounding TV I have used. The bass can get a bit too much at times, and you can hear the panel rattling, but it can be adjusted. It has decent simulated surround sound too. Overall watching movies with just the TV was the best experience I have had with any standalone TV.
Out of the box I had some issues with the QM7K. The various modes were lacking that punch of other sets from TCL. After some tweaking though I was able to get it to where I wanted, and as I have mentioned nearly on par with their premium offering from last year. I do wish it had better settings out of the box though. I recommend using either Standard or Filmmaker and working from there. Everything else is definitely up to personal preference. I am not an “accurate picture” snob, but that is certainly possible on the QM7K.
This year’s TCL models so far feel like a step up across the board. Pricing is always going to be weird as last year’s models are still available, but like anything else prices change over time. For being the middle tier of TV, the QM7K is a big step up from last year’s QM7 and nearly on par with the QM851G I reviewed last year. I cannot wait to see their next iterations, but I suspect this will be the most popular TV from TCL this year, and as it stands, it is an exceptional set that hits all the marks I wanted, the new HVA panel is gorgeous, and it really pops in any type of room.
Review copy of game provided by publisher.
