TCL QD-Mini LED - QM9K 65" Class QM9K Series 64.5" 2025 Review

The TCL QM9K delivers flagship-level HDR brightness and shockingly good local dimming for a mid-range price. If you want your movies and games to look explosively bright and vibrant, this is your TV.

The TCL QM9K is a picture quality powerhouse that punches way above its price tag. The one thing you need to know is this: its HDR brightness is absolutely blinding, landing in the 99th percentile of all TVs we track. It's not just bright for the sake of it, though. The new Halo Control System, with its 6000 dimming zones, manages that insane light output to deliver stunning contrast without the usual blooming mess. For movies and gaming, it's a knockout. But it's also a smart TV that feels genuinely smart, thanks to Google Gemini making voice control and searches actually useful.

The HDR performance is what really surprised us. HDR6500 brightness isn't just a marketing number; in a side-by-side comparison with more expensive sets, specular highlights in movies like Dune pop with an intensity that makes OLEDs look dim. The 144Hz panel is smooth for gaming, but the real story is how the Halo Control System handles fast motion. We saw almost zero haloing in our high-contrast gaming tests, which is a massive win for a Mini-LED TV at this price. The audio, sitting in the 91st percentile, is also shockingly good for built-in speakers, with clear Dolby Atmos height effects.

At $1500 to $1800 depending on the retailer, the value proposition is strong but not a slam dunk. You're getting near-flagship picture technology for a mid-range price. If you can snag it at the lower end of that range, it's an easy recommendation. At $1800, you're edging into territory where last year's OLEDs or higher-end competitors start to look tempting. Shop around—that $300 spread is real.

This TV sits in a sweet spot between brute force and smart control. Compared to the Hisense U6, the TCL has far superior local dimming and a much smarter, more responsive Google TV interface. Against the Samsung Neo QLED, the TCL matches or beats it on peak brightness for hundreds less, though Samsung's processing for upscaling older content might be slightly better. The real debate is TCL vs. OLED. If you watch in a pitch-black room and crave infinite contrast, an LG G5 OLED still wins. But if your room has any ambient light, or you just want that eye-searing HDR pop, the QM9K's brightness advantage is huge.

If you watch almost exclusively in a dark, dedicated home theater and value perfect, inky blacks above all else, this isn't it. Go get an LG OLED instead. Also, skip it if your media console is tiny—this TV needs some real estate.

We're giving this a strong buy recommendation for anyone who prioritizes spectacular HDR performance and smart features over absolute perfect blacks. It's the best Mini-LED TV TCL has ever made, and it goes toe-to-toe with models costing twice as much. Just be sure your TV stand is deep enough to handle its feet.