TCL's X11L is the first TV with SQD Mini LED, and reviewers have measured it

TCL's X11L is the first TV to use the company's SQD Mini LED technology, and by February 19, 2026 TechRadar had put it on the test bench. The result: very good color for a Mini LED set, but short of what TCL's website claims.

What SQD Mini LED is

Regular Mini LED and SQD Mini LED both use a single-color backlight, which is blue in the SQD case. TechRadar explains that SQD swaps in a more advanced quantum dot layer, a color filter that should be more efficient and cover more colors. RGB Mini LED instead uses red, green and blue lights behind the picture. TCL told TechRadar it picked SQD for its flagship because it allows tight contrast control (the company cites 20,000 zones and a 10,000-nit peak) alongside RGB-like color.

What was measured

TCL states the X11L covers 100% of the BT.2020 color range. TechRadar measured 91.8% of BT.2020 and 97.7% of the smaller DCI-P3 range in Filmmaker Mode. That is a leap for Mini LED, but the same DCI-P3 result as TCL's QM9K, according to TechRadar. The reviewer also logged 9,394 nits in Vivid mode on a 5% window, near the claimed peak, while Filmmaker Mode was lower. Tom's Guide praised its brightness, color in bright scenes and minimal blooming, and found motion handling less strong.

What it means for shoppers

Tom's Guide listed the TCL X11L at $6,999 (75-inch), $7,999 (85-inch) and $9,999 (98-inch), and noted an ATSC 3.0 tuner and four HDMI 2.1 ports. At that price it competes with far larger OLEDs and RGB sets. Tom's Guide said TCL is bringing SQD to cheaper Google TV models, including the QM8L and QM7L, so budget buyers may prefer to wait and compare.

What is still unknown

TechRadar had not tested any 2026 RGB TVs for color when it published, so a direct comparison is still pending. Whether the cheaper SQD models deliver similar color is also untested in these sources.