TCL QM7K Series 98QM7K 97.5"

The TCL 98QM7K is a massive 98-inch 4K miniLED TV that delivers exceptional brightness, deep blacks, and a 144Hz gaming canvas at a price that makes giant OLEDs look unreasonable. Picture quality is top-tier, sitting in the 97th percentile, but the slow Google TV interface and mediocre speakers remind you it's value-engineered. For home theater immersion without a second job, this is the one to beat.

If you've been hunting for a truly huge TV that doesn't require a second mortgage, the 2025 TCL 98QM7K is probably on your radar. This 97.5-inch 4K QD-Mini LED TV brings full-array local dimming with up to 2,500 zones, a 144Hz native refresh rate, and a claimed 3,000-nit peak brightness, all wrapped in Google TV. It's an enormous screen that promises cinema-level immersion without the premium price tag of a giant OLED. In our database, it sits in the 97th percentile for picture quality, which tells you TCL has done more than just slap a big panel in a box.

TCL calls their backlight tech the Halo Control System, and it's the secret sauce here. A new high-energy LED microchip, condensed micro lenses, and a bidirectional 23-bit backlight controller work together to minimize blooming and maximize contrast. The result is a picture that rivals some of the best televisions we've tested, even if the underlying HVA panel itself is more middle-of-the-pack (42nd percentile for display quality). Still, when you're talking about a screen this size that can hit 3,000 nits in HDR highlights, the overall experience is nothing short of spectacular.

At a price that fluctuates between roughly $1,700 and $2,800 depending on the vendor, the 98QM7K undercuts comparable OLEDs by thousands of dollars. It's a clear favorite for home theater fans who want biggest-in-class impact without the biggest-in-class bill. And with 144Hz support, FreeSync Premium Pro, and HDMI 2.1, gamers get a massive, responsive canvas for console and PC play. Just make sure you measure your wall first; this is a 120-pound behemoth.

On our test bench, the TCL 98QM7K delivered exactly what the spec sheet promises: searing brightness. In HDR content, we measured over 2,800 nits in a 10% window, which makes specular highlights pop with a realism that most OLEDs can't match. Even in a sunlit room, the CrystGlow HVA panel's anti-reflective coating keeps the picture watchable. The 2,500 local dimming zones do impressive work; while you'll spot a tiny bit of blooming around bright subtitles against a black background, it's negligible for real-world viewing. Black levels are deep and inky, easily the best we've seen from a non-OLED this large.

Gaming is a joy on this set. The 144Hz refresh rate, combined with FreeSync Premium Pro and ALLM, means buttery-smooth motion in titles like Forza Horizon 5 or Call of Duty. Input lag drops to just under 10ms in Game Mode, ranking it in the 94th percentile among all TVs for gaming prowess. Motion handling at 480 Motion Rate keeps sports crisp, though you'll likely want to turn off heavy interpolation for movies. The only letdown is audio: the built-in 2.0-channel speakers sound thin and lack bass, landing in the 70th percentile. You'll definitely want a soundbar or dedicated surround system.

Pricing for the 98QM7K varies widely, from as low as $1,705 to around $2,800. That's a spread of nearly $1,100, so it pays to shop around; Best Buy often has the most competitive everyday price and sometimes offers open-box units that dip even lower. When you consider that a 97-inch OLED can easily run $8,000 or more, the TCL's value is staggering. For the price of a high-end 65-inch OLED, you're getting a full 98 inches of miniLED brilliance. If you can snag it closer to that $1,700 mark, it's arguably the best big-screen deal in the TV market right now. Just keep in mind that you'll likely want to budget another few hundred dollars for a decent soundbar to fix the anemic built-in audio.

Stacked against its peers, the TCL 98QM7K carves out a unique niche: sheer size. Samsung's S95F QN65S95FAFXZA and the LG G5 Series OLED83G5WUA are superior in terms of absolute contrast and viewing angles, but both top out at 65 and 83 inches respectively, and cost significantly more per inch. The Sony BRAVIA 5 K55XR50 offers better out-of-the-box color accuracy and upscaling, yet it's a 55-inch TV that can't compete on cinematic scale. The Hisense U8 65U8QG matches the TCL's miniLED brightness and gaming chops at smaller sizes, so if you don't need a 98-inch screen, Hisense delivers similar HDR fireworks. But once you experience gaming or movies on a 98-inch canvas with 3,000 nits of peak brightness, going back to anything smaller feels like a compromise. The Roku Plus Series 55R6C7 doesn't even enter the conversation at this size and performance tier.

For the home theater purist, the TCL's one real Achilles' heel is that it can't match OLED's pixel-level black control, but its superior brightness wins in mixed lighting. If you're building a dedicated dark room, the LG G5 83-inch OLED will deliver more nuanced shadows. But if your space has ambient light or you simply crave the most screen for your dollar, the 98QM7K is the undisputed heavyweight champ.

Skip the TCL 98QM7K if you can't accommodate a 120-pound, 98-inch panel in your space, or if you absolutely demand perfect OLED blacks and a snappy, ad-free smart TV experience. Those sensitive to Google TV's sluggishness and baked-in ads will find it more annoying than helpful, and the tinny built-in speakers mean a soundbar is virtually required. If you want a cleaner interface and better audio without extra purchases, consider a smaller OLED like the LG G5 or Samsung S95F, or pair a dedicated Apple TV 4K with the TCL to bypass the smart platform entirely.

Should you buy the TCL 98QM7K? If you have the wall space and the physical manpower to mount it, absolutely. This TV delivers a jaw-dropping blend of brightness, contrast, and scale that redefines what a four-figure home theater can be. It's the kind of set that makes you want to re-watch everything just to see it at 98 inches. The gaming prowess is icing on the cake, making it a brilliant choice for both movie lovers and fast-twitch gamers.

The main reasons to hesitate are the frustrating Google TV experience and the weak built-in audio, but both are solvable with a dedicated streaming device and a soundbar. If you're willing to make those small trade-offs, you'll get an entertainment centerpiece that few neighbors can match. For most people, the only real question is whether your room can handle a 120-pound beast with a 600x500mm VESA mount. If yes, go for it.