ZDNET Key Takeaways
- of TCL QM8 (2023) It has a vibrant and bright QLED panel that supports Dolby Vision and HDR10+, delivering excellent color depth and contrast.
- The TV’s dedicated gaming mode lets you keep an eye on frame rates and refresh rates, ensuring great performance on the PS5.
- There are a few minor drawbacks, like the need for a soundbar to get better audio and the fact that it doesn’t automatically power on with connected devices.
Last year TCL QM8 It made it onto our list of best 85-inch TVs, but other model sizes are just as good. It features a QLED panel and supports both Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos, improving picture quality and virtual surround sound. The TV’s dedicated gaming mode lets you keep an eye on frame rates and VRR status. Plus, in our testing, the QM8 proved to be a well-rounded TV. And it’s a bit more wallet-friendly than competing brands.
We’ve also optimized the cheapest 98-inch TVs to make them look and sound amazing. Here’s how:
You’ve probably heard of TCL and seen their more affordable TVs. Walmart or AmazonBut the QM8 is the latest model in the brand’s mid-range line, and it comes with a QLED screen that supports Dolby Vision and HDR10+, delivering more vibrant colours and deeper contrast.
Setting up HDR takes just a few minutes, and you can always change your TV settings later, or you can set up game-specific HDR settings when setting up a gaming console like the PlayStation 5.
There’s also a dedicated gaming mode, accessible by holding down the hamburger menu button while using a gaming console over HDMI, which creates bars at the top and bottom that allow you to monitor frame rate and refresh rate, choose different color temperature settings, and even share screenshots and videos of your gameplay.
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The picture quality of the QM8 is much better than I expected, coming from someone used to TCL’s budget TVs. The QLED panel is bright, clear, and vivid, making it perfect for gaming as well as rewatching your favorite old shows and movies.
I sat down to periodically rewatch the original. Teen Titans Even though it’s a Cartoon Network show and the animation is 20 years old, the resolution upscaling is clean, eliminating the weird “fuzziness” that’s common with older, pre-1080p media.
Tinkering with the image settings allowed me to tweak the contrast and colour to make the most of the dynamic art style, full of dark shadows and bright, colourful superhero costumes.
When it comes to gaming, the QM8 is my PS5 and Nintendo Switchproviding smooth playback and excellent picture quality. Note that the Switch hardware may not support 4K output, especially if it’s the first iteration model (which is what I have).
Also: Comparing the best TVs from Samsung, LG, Sony and TCL
The graphics on the Switch looked a little rough, especially in some titles. Wheel of Fortune (But that kind of added to the charm.) It didn’t look bad at all. Like other games. Hades It looked fantastic with smooth animation, on-screen action and vibrant colours.
The QM8’s built-in speakers are good quality but quiet, so we recommend purchasing a soundbar like this one: TCL Alto 6+ Enhances dialogue and enhances sound in movies, music, shows, and games.
Another drawback of the QM8 is that it does not automatically turn on when a connected device is powered on. I have a few other TVs and when I power on a games console or DVD player they all automatically turn on as well. This is a very minor annoyance, but a quality of life feature that I personally think would be nice to have on a TV.
ZDNET BUYING ADVICE
TCL QM8 (2023) It may not be the latest model from the brand, but it’s one of the best QLED TVs you can buy right now, and it’s priced below competing models from Samsung, Sony, and LG. For just about any visual function, including gaming, this TV will do the trick, and if you want an even better experience, we recommend pairing it with one of the best soundbars.
