TCL 97.5" Review

The TCL QM8L is a 98-inch Mini-LED 4K TV that delivers best-in-class picture quality with incredible brightness for around $5,000. It's a great choice for a dedicated home theater where size and HDR impact are the top priorities, but you'll need to budget for separate audio. For most living rooms, a smaller, more refined OLED might be a better fit.

So you're thinking about putting a 98-inch TV in your house. That's a serious commitment, and the TCL QM8L is one of the few options that makes it possible without a six-figure budget. This is a massive 4K Mini-LED TV that's built to be a statement piece, with TCL's top-tier 'Deep Color System' promising incredible brightness and color. It's designed to be the centerpiece of a home theater, with Google TV handling the smarts and a 144Hz panel ready for gaming. At around $5,000, it's expensive, but it's also playing in a league where the competition often costs two or three times as much.

The picture quality is the main event here, and it's one of the best we've seen. That 99th percentile ranking isn't a fluke. The combination of over 4,000 local dimming zones and a peak brightness of 6,000 nits means this TV can deliver both inky blacks and eye-searing highlights. HDR content, especially Dolby Vision, looks spectacular. For gaming, the 144Hz native refresh rate and solid input lag put it in the 85th percentile, making it a strong choice for PC or console gaming. The motion handling is excellent, so fast-paced sports and action movies look crisp without excessive blur.

At $5,000, the QM8L is a value play, but only in the context of massive-screen TVs. You are absolutely getting a lot of screen and performance for your money compared to a 98-inch Sony or Samsung, which can easily cost $15,000 or more. The trade-off is in the brand prestige, the smart platform, and the audio system. If your primary goal is the biggest, brightest picture possible for under $10k, this TV makes a compelling argument. If you're willing to go smaller, you can get a top-tier 77-inch OLED from LG or Sony for the same price or less, with better overall performance in some areas.

Let's talk competitors. The most direct is the Sony Bravia 98-inch LED, which will have superior processing and motion handling (and a much higher price). The LG OLED evo C5 series offers perfect blacks and better viewing angles, but maxes out at 83 inches and can't hit the same peak brightness. The Samsung Neo QLED is a closer Mini-LED competitor, but again, you'll pay a huge premium for the 98-inch size. For most people, the real question is between this massive TCL and a smaller, arguably better-performing flagship OLED from LG or Sony. The TCL wins on sheer spectacle and brightness; the OLEDs win on contrast, responsiveness, and overall polish.

Skip this TV if you have a small or medium-sized room where a 98-inch screen would be overwhelming. Also skip it if you're an audiophile who hates the idea of buying a separate sound system right away. If you watch TV in a brightly lit room with wide seating, the weaker viewing angles might be a problem compared to an OLED. In those cases, look at a 77-inch or 83-inch LG OLED C5 or a Sony Bravia model for a more balanced, premium package.

Should you buy this? If you have a giant wall, a budget around $5k, and your top priority is a breathtaking, theater-filling picture for movies and HDR content, then yes, the TCL QM8L is a fantastic and somewhat rational choice. The picture quality is legitimately top-tier. However, you should plan on adding a soundbar or full surround system on day one, because the built-in audio doesn't cut it. For a more balanced, premium experience in a more normal-sized room, a high-end 77-inch OLED is probably the smarter buy. This TV is for the person who values size and visual impact above all else.