TCL QM9K Review (2025) — The New Mini-LED Flagship
RTINGS' video review of the QM9K, covering it as TCL's new Mini LED flagship for 2025.
TCL · 2025 · Mini LED
TCL QM9K QD-Mini LED
TCL's 2025 Mini LED flagship: lab-measured HDR highlights above 5,000 nits and accurate color, now replaced by 2026 models.
Previous generation, still sold
Choose a size
Exact model · United States
65QM9K
Center pedestal stand 15.28 inches wide, per TCL. TCL's 65 and 75-inch tables do not list DTS:X passthrough, unlike the 85 and 98-inch tables.
Where to buy the 65″
List $3,000
Prices change. Each shows when it was last checked. We may earn a commission when you buy through these links; it never affects what we recommend. Amazon prices are not displayed.
The verdict
Worth buying if a retailer still has one at a clearance discount and the room gets lots of daylight: reviewers found it exceptionally bright, accurate and consistent off-angle. Both Tom's Guide and TechRadar felt the cheaper QM8K delivers most of the picture, and anyone after the widest color should look at 2026 RGB Mini LED sets instead.
The QM9K was TCL's top Mini LED TV of 2025, sold in 65, 75, 85 and 98-inch sizes with a 144Hz CrystGlow WHVA panel, Bang & Olufsen-tuned Dolby Atmos speakers and Google TV with Gemini. On the 75-inch, Tom's Guide measured 5,413 nits of HDR brightness in a 10% window and a Delta-E of 1.82, and TechRadar measured 3,811 nits in Standard mode. TCL's own store now lists every size as sold out and points shoppers to its 2026 QM8L, so availability depends on remaining retailer stock. TechRadar reports that only two of the four HDMI inputs run at 4K 144Hz.
Strengths
- Tom's Guide measured 5,413 nits of HDR and 4,802 nits of SDR brightness in a 10% window on the 75-inch, one of the brightest results it has recorded for an LCD TV.
- Accurate color before calibration: Delta-E of 1.82 (Tom's Guide) and 1.8 (TechRadar).
- Both reviewers found color and contrast held up unusually well from off-center seats, and TechRadar saw blooming kept well in check.
- Bang & Olufsen-tuned Atmos speakers with up-firing drivers and rear woofers, plus Dolby Atmos FlexConnect support.
- ATSC 3.0 tuner, Wi-Fi 6, AirPlay 2 and Chromecast built in.
Weak spots
- TechRadar reports only two HDMI 2.1 inputs with 4K 144Hz; the other two are HDMI 2.0.
- Tom's Guide saw some crushed shadow detail and motion artifacts; TechRadar noted judder and slight darkening at the screen edges.
- Input lag of about 13 ms is average and higher than the rival Mini LED sets in Tom's Guide's comparison table.
- Tom's Guide found the speakers struggled to separate busy, layered soundtracks.
- Replaced by TCL's 2026 lineup and sold out at TCL's own store; Rec. 2020 coverage near 80% trails the newer RGB Mini LED sets.
Great for
- Bright, sunny living rooms
- Wide seating arrangements
- Buyers who want strong built-in sound without a soundbar
Skip if
- Competitive gamers chasing the lowest input lag
- Owners of more than two 4K 120Hz sources
- Shoppers who want the newest RGB Mini LED color
How it fits
Calculated from published specs and independent tests. How this works
Tap a score to see what went into it. These are calculations, not lab results.
Claimed vs. measured
Independent test figures are kept apart from what the manufacturer says. Results vary by tester, test size and firmware.
Measured Claimed
Brightness
HDR peak brightness (10% window)The most-quoted HDR brightness figure. A 10% window is about the size of a bright object in a scene.
- 3,322 nitsTechRadar75″ tested · Filmmaker Mode, 10% window
- 3,811 nitsTechRadar75″ tested · Standard mode, 10% window
- 5,413 nitsTom's Guide75″ tested · Standard mode, 10% window
- 6,500 nitsTCLManufacturer claim · TCL's 'HDR 6500 Nits' peak brightness claim, window size not stated
HDR full-screen brightnessBrightness of a completely bright image, like a snowfield or a hockey rink.
- 660 nitsTechRadar75″ tested · Full-screen window, Filmmaker and Standard modes (reported as approximately this figure)
SDR peak brightness (10% window)How bright regular, non-HDR content gets, which matters most in a sunny room.
- 4,802 nitsTom's Guide75″ tested · Vivid mode, 10% window
Contrast
Native contrastThe difference between the brightest white and darkest black without any dimming help. OLED contrast is effectively infinite.
- 7,000:1TCLManufacturer claim · TCL's 'up to 7000:1' native contrast claim
Color
DCI-P3 color coverageHow much of the color range used by modern movies the TV can show.
- 96.7%TechRadar75″ tested · UHDA-P3 coverage
- 97.16%Tom's Guide75″ tested · UHDA-P3 coverage
Rec. 2020 color coverageA wider color target than DCI-P3. No consumer TV covers it fully.
- 79.7%TechRadar75″ tested · BT.2020 coverage
- 80.29%Tom's Guide75″ tested · Rec. 2020 coverage
Color accuracy out of the box (ΔE)Lower is better. Under about 3 is hard to distinguish from perfect by eye.
- ΔE 1.8TechRadar75″ tested · Most accurate preset before calibration, color points (grayscale averaged 2.8)
- ΔE 1.82Tom's Guide75″ tested · Out of the box; picture mode not stated
Gaming
Input lag, 4K 60 Hz (game mode)The delay between pressing a button and seeing it on screen.
- 12.9 msTechRadar75″ tested · Leo Bodnar 4K input lag meter
- 13 msTom's Guide75″ tested · Leo Bodnar 4K input lag tester
What changes by size
The same name doesn’t always mean the same TV. Here is every size we’ve confirmed.
| 65″ | 75″ | 85″ | 98″ | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Model number | 65QM9K | 75QM9K | 85QM9K | 98QM9K |
| Lowest price | — | — | — | — |
| Width | 56.5″ | 65.3″ | 74.0″ | 85.3″ |
| Weight | 46.5 lb | 62.6 lb | 85.8 lb | 121.3 lb |
| VESA | 300×300 | 400×400 | 600×500 | 600×500 |
Will it fit?
From your seat
Viewing distance8′0″
A good fit. At this distance a 65″ screen fills 33° of your view. Most people like 59″–80″ from here.
Seen from above
Dimensions and mounting
- Without stand
- 56.5 × 32.4 × 2.0″
- With stand
- 56.5 × 33.9 × 14.5″
- Stand footprint
- Not published
- Weight
- 46.5 lb (50.9 lb with stand)
- VESA pattern
- 300 × 300 mm
- Power use
- Not published
Full specifications
From the manufacturer unless noted. Shown for the 65″ model.
Picture
- Display technologyHow the screen makes its picture. OLED types light each pixel on their own for perfect black. Mini LED and QLED are LCDs with a backlight, and tend to get brighter.
- Mini LED
- Panel typeFor LCD TVs: VA panels have deeper black but narrower viewing angles; IPS/ADS panels hold up better from the side but look grayer in the dark.
- VA
- Panel notes
- TCL lists a CrystGlow WHVA panel (its wide-viewing-angle VA type) with quantum dot color, Halo Control local dimming and a claimed native contrast of up to 7,000:1. TCL's tables give 'Up to LD6000 Precise Dimming' for every size; Tom's Guide says the larger sizes get more zones.
- BacklightFull-array backlights sit behind the whole screen and allow local dimming. Edge-lit TVs are thinner but dim far less precisely.
- Mini LED full-array
- Resolution
- 4K
- Picture processor
- TCL AIPQ PRO Processor
- Screen finishAnti-glare and matte coatings cut reflections in bright rooms, sometimes at a small cost to perceived contrast.
- Anti-reflective screen (TCL)
HDR & color
- HDR formatsHDR formats describe how a TV should show bright highlights and rich color. Dolby Vision and HDR10+ adjust the picture scene by scene; a source and TV must both support a format to use it.
- HDR10, HDR10+, Dolby Vision, Dolby Vision IQ, HLG, IMAX Enhanced
- Wide color technology
- Quantum dot color with 1.07 billion colors (TCL); Tom's Guide measured 97.16% UHDA-P3 and 80.29% Rec. 2020source
Refresh & motion
- Native refresh rateHow many new images per second the panel can really show. Marketing “motion rates” are often double this number, so check the native figure.
- 144 Hz
- Maximum refresh rateThe highest refresh the TV accepts over HDMI. Sometimes only available at reduced resolution or from a PC.
- 144 Hz
Smart platform
- Smart TV platformThe software your TV runs. It decides your home screen, app selection and how often you’ll see ads.
- Google TV
- Platform version
- Google TV with Gemini
- Voice assistants
- Gemini, Google Assistant
- Apple AirPlay
- Yes
- Google Cast
- Yes
- Broadcast tunerNeeded to watch free over-the-air TV with an antenna. ATSC 3.0 is the newer US standard; a few TVs have dropped tuners entirely.
- ATSC 3.0 (NextGen TV), ATSC 1.0
HDMI & connections
- HDMI ports
- 4
- HDMI 2.1 portsPorts with enough bandwidth for 4K at 120 Hz and beyond. If you have more than one current console or a gaming PC, count these carefully.
- 2source
- HDMI notes
- TCL's table lists four HDMI inputs with one eARC but does not say which are HDMI 2.1. TechRadar reports two HDMI 2.1 inputs with 4K 144Hz and two HDMI 2.0; Tom's Guide's spec box agrees, although its text calls all four full HDMI 2.1.
- eARCEnhanced Audio Return Channel sends high-quality audio from your TV’s apps and inputs back to a soundbar or receiver over one HDMI cable.
- Yes
- USB ports
- 2
- Optical audio out
- Yes
- Ethernet
- 1 x Ethernet
- Wi-Fi
- Wi-Fi 6
- Bluetooth
- Bluetooth 5.4
Gaming
- Variable refresh rateLets the TV match its refresh to a game’s frame rate, which removes tearing and most stutter.
- FreeSync Premium Pro
- Auto Low Latency ModeSwitches the TV into game mode automatically when a console starts a game.
- Yes
- Highest 4K gaming refresh
- 144 Hz
- Highest 1080p gaming refresh
- 288 Hz
- Dolby Vision gaming
- Yessource
- Game menu
- Game Bar
Built-in audio
- Dolby Atmos
- Yes
- DTS supportMany TVs no longer decode DTS. If you play discs or a media server with DTS soundtracks, check here and on your soundbar or receiver.
- DTS:X passthrough (TechRadar); no DTS Virtual:X processing. TCL's tables list DTS:X passthrough only for the 85 and 98-inch sizes.source
- eARC passthrough
- Dolby Digital Plus Atmos, DTS:X
Accessibility
- Remote
- Backlit Voice Remote
Warranty
- Warranty
- 1 years
- Warranty notes
- 1-year limited warranty, per TCL's US spec table.
Primary source: us.tcl.com
Setup notes
- TCL lists four HDMI inputs with one eARC; TechRadar says two are HDMI 2.1 with 4K 144Hz and two are HDMI 2.0.
- ATSC 3.0 tuner, per TCL's spec table and both reviews.
- No DTS Virtual:X processing; TechRadar reports DTS:X passthrough, which TCL's tables list only for the 85 and 98-inch sizes.
- Supports Dolby Atmos FlexConnect with TCL's Z100 wireless speakers and Z100-SW subwoofer, per TechRadar.
- An optical digital audio output is included.
- The built-in far-field microphone has a physical off switch on the bottom of the TV, per Tom's Guide.
- The 65, 75 and 85-inch sizes use a center pedestal; the 98-inch uses feet 73 inches apart.
Video reviews
Each video was checked to exist and to be about the TCL QM9K QD-Mini LED.
TCL’s Best TV Ever… Has Issues (QM9K Review)
The Display Guy calls the QM9K TCL's best TV so far while pointing out problems he found with it.
2025 QM9K Review: TCL Hit a wall too early?
Stop the FOMO reviews the 2025 QM9K and asks whether TCL's Mini LED progress has started to level off.
What reviewers found
Summaries in our own words. Follow the link to read each review in full.
Tested the 75-inch and found it one of the brightest LCD sets around, with excellent off-angle color and the lowest Delta-E of any 2025 Mini LED it measured. Faults were mild black crush, motion artifacts, slightly high lag and muddled sound in busy scenes; it argues the QM8K and newer RGB sets squeeze its value.
Read the originalReviewed the 75-inch in October 2025 and praised its brightness, contrast, blooming control, anti-glare screen, wide viewing angle and capable built-in Atmos sound. Downsides were just two HDMI 2.1 inputs, some judder, faint edge vignetting and a price above rival flagships at the time.
Read the original
What owners are saying
From Reddit and forums, paraphrased with a link to the original discussion. Community reports are anecdotal.
An owner of both a QM9K and an X11L, alongside several OLEDs, says motion on the two TCL sets is good though short of OLED, and nowhere near as bad as some complaints suggest; sensitivity to motion varies by viewer.
Read the original
Questions
What are the exact US model numbers?
65QM9K, 75QM9K, 85QM9K and 98QM9K, from TCL's US spec tables.
Can you still buy the QM9K?
TCL's US store lists all four sizes as sold out and points shoppers to its 2026 QM8L. Reddit posters in October and November 2026 described the QM9K as clearance stock at retailers, so availability varies by size and store.
QM9K or QM8K?
Tom's Guide measured 5,413 nits of HDR brightness for the QM9K against 4,437 for the QM8K, and the QM9K adds better speakers and a presence sensor. Both Tom's Guide and TechRadar still judged the QM8K the better value.
How many HDMI inputs support 4K 144Hz?
Two, according to TechRadar, which lists two HDMI 2.1 and two HDMI 2.0 inputs. TCL's table only says there are four HDMI inputs, one with eARC.
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Sources for this page
Last reviewed Nov 10, 2026. Released September 2025. Spotted an error? Tell us.