We've bought and tested more than 35 TCL TVs, and you can find our picks for the best TCL TVs that are currently available below. TCL TVs have shown to offer great value over the past few years, and although they aren't as established in the United States as other brands, they've made a name for themselves. While they're traditionally known for their basic models with limited features, some recent releases feature the latest technology, including Mini LED backlighting and variable refresh rate (VRR) support. They're often available at a lower cost than competitors, and most people will be pleased with their higher-end models. They mainly compete with Hisense but release models to compete with brands like Sony and Samsung.
You can vote on which TCL TVs you want us to buy and test. To learn more about what TCL has in their 2024 lineup, check out our 2024 TV lineup page.
Updates
- 01/18/2024 TCL 6 Series/R635 2020 QLED updated
- 12/13/2023 TCL 5 Series/S555 2022 QLED updated
- 12/08/2023 TCL Q5/Q550G QLED reviewed
- 10/24/2023 TCL 4 Series/S455 2022 updated
- 10/03/2023 TCL S4/S470G reviewed
Best TCL Smart TVs
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Best TCL TV
Mixed Usage8.3TV Shows7.8Sports7.8Video Games8.9HDR Movies8.3HDR Gaming9.0PC Monitor8.7The best TCL TV we've tested is the TCL QM8/QM850G QLED. It's an impressive TV that delivers amazing picture quality with an impressive selection of extra features. It looks great in any room thanks to its incredible peak brightness in HDR and SDR, excellent reflection handling, and superb contrast, helped by an outstanding local dimming feature. Its black uniformity is also great, with minimal blooming around bright highlights. Its Quantum Dot technology also gives it an impressively wide color gamut for HDR content, although it doesn't have very accurate color reproduction. The TV is also over-brightened on most of its PQ EOTF curve, so overall, there are better choices for people who want their TVs to respect the content creator's intent. The TV has a few quirks, like its otherwise very fast refresh rate functioning in 'brackets' and not being able to have both Game Mode and Chroma 4:4:4 simultaneously, but it's a fantastic performer overall.
It's a stellar gaming TV with extremely low input lag in Game Mode. It supports HDMI 2.1 bandwidth on two ports, although its first port can output up to 4k @ 144Hz, while its second is limited to 4k @ 120Hz. For PC gamers, the TV has issues outputting anything above 120Hz when connected to an NVIDIA graphics card, so it's better suited for PCs with AMD GPUs. Otherwise, the TV supports every variable refresh rate (VRR) technology for nearly tear-free gaming from any source. Finally, it runs Google's popular Google TV OS, which is very easy to use and has many apps.
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Best Mid-Range TCL TV
Mixed Usage7.9TV Shows7.3Sports7.4Video Games8.6HDR Movies8.0HDR Gaming8.5PC Monitor8.3If you want something cheaper than the TCL QM8/QM850G QLED, the best mid-range TCL TV we've tested is the TCL Q7/Q750G QLED. It's a great TV that delivers picture quality similar to the more expensive model, with a nearly identical feature set but worse performance. Thanks to its superb contrast ratio and fantastic black uniformity, it's a cheaper alternative for watching movies in the dark. However, its local dimming feature isn't quite as effective at making bright highlights stand out. Plus, it doesn't get nearly as bright as the higher-end model, so the QM8 looks much better when a light is turned on.
Still, this is a fully featured gaming TV with two HDMI 2.1 ports, one supporting up to 4k @ 144Hz and the other up to 4k @ 120Hz. It supports variable refresh rate (VRR) technology to help reduce tearing. However, like its more expensive sibling, this TV's response time functions in 'brackets', leading to inconsistent response times when VRR is enabled. It has a wide color gamut, although it's not as colorful as QM8, and its pre-calibration color accuracy is quite poor, so you'll need to hire a calibrator if accurate color reproduction matters to you. Fortunately, it runs the Google TV OS, which is simple to use and has a wide selection of apps.
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Best Budget TCL TV
Mixed Usage7.2TV Shows6.8Sports6.9Video Games8.0HDR Movies7.1HDR Gaming8.0PC Monitor7.7If you want to avoid paying what TCL is asking for the TCL QM8/QM850G QLED or the TCL Q7/Q750G QLED, the best budget TCL TV we've tested is the Best Buy exclusive TCL Q5/Q550G QLED. It's a decent TV with fewer features than the higher-end models, but it still performs admirably for a budget model. It has a great native contrast ratio that results in deep blacks and remarkable black uniformity with minimal blooming. It has no local dimming to emphasize highlights, but it's a decently bright TV that easily handles bright rooms. Unfortunately, it has its siblings' poor image processing, especially regarding low-quality content smoothing, which is inadequate. It has a wide color gamut, almost as wide as the Q7, but it's just as color inaccurate as that model, so a calibrator is required if you care about color accuracy. The TV runs the popular Google TV interface, so finding your favorite content and apps is easy.
What truly sets this model apart, however, is its gaming features. It has three HDMI 2.0 ports and a 60Hz panel, but this TV can output 1080p @ 120Hz and even 1440p @ 120Hz through resolution halving, with a wide VRR range to match, in its 55" and 65" model sizes. It's hard to notice the degradation in image quality of the resolution halving unless you're looking for it, making this one of the cheapest TVs capable of gaming at 120Hz. It has a decent response time overall, with incredibly low input lag, so it's a great choice for competitive gamers wanting to buy a TV on a budget. TCL also sells the slightly more expensive TCL Q6/Q650G QLED, but it performs almost identically to the Q5, so it's not worth the extra cost.
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Best Cheap TCL TV
Mixed Usage6.7TV Shows6.3Sports6.2Video Games7.1HDR Movies6.9HDR Gaming7.3PC Monitor6.6If you want a cheaper basic model, the TCL S4/S450G is the best cheap TCL TV we've tested. If you're getting an inexpensive TV like this one, there are a few compromises you have to make. It doesn't perform well in a bright room as it has low peak brightness, but it has good reflection handling and displays deep blacks if you want to use it in a moderately-lit or dark room. It can't display a wide color gamut, so although it supports Dolby Vision HDR, it's not a good choice for watching movies in HDR as the TV just can't get bright enough to make HDR content pop. Surprisingly, it has acceptable image processing, which is a nice bonus for such a cheap TV.
Like every other TV on this list, it runs the Google TV interface with a huge selection of streaming apps. It also has an inadequate viewing angle, making it a poor choice for a wide seating arrangement. It's not a bad TV for gaming; its response time is okay, although it's worse in dark scenes, so it's not a great TV for fans of horror games. However, the TV's input lag performance is tremendous, leading to an extremely responsive gaming experience.
Compared To Other Brands
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Inexpensive.
TCL is one of the more budget-friendly brands on the market, and their TVs offer great value for their cost. Their prices have been going up, however. -
Great smart OS.
TCL TVs use Roku or Google TV smart platforms, which are user-friendly and have many apps you can download. -
Has a lot of extra features.
As of their 2021 lineup, the best TCL TVs started to include extra gaming features like HDMI 2.1 bandwidth and VRR support on their higher-end models. Even their mid-range models now support 4k @ 144Hz gaming, which is great for gamers.
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Not very polished.
TCL TVs aren't as polished as other brands. There are often issues with upscaling and local dimming, and they tend to have a wide variety of quirks. -
Not good for wide seating areas.
Except for a few entry-level models, their TVs usually have VA panels with narrow viewing angles, so they're not good if you have a wide seating arrangement.
TCL vs Hisense
Hisense and TCL are direct competitors in the budget TV market. Their TVs usually offer the same features and similar performance. However, they each have flaws: TCL tends to have picture quality issues, while Hisense has motion problems.
TCL vs Vizio
Vizio and TCL aim to produce TVs in the budget market, although Vizio makes a few more high-end models. Vizio TVs tend to have better dark room performance and more gaming features, but the Roku platform on the TCLs is much better and easier to use than the Vizio SmartCast system.
Overall, TCL TVs offer good picture quality and great features at a low price. Although some models aren't as feature-packed or as well-built as more expensive options, their TVs typically offer great value compared to similarly-priced options. If you need a simple TV with a good smart system, you'll be happy with most of their offerings.
2024 TCL Lineup
TCL's lineup in the United States is usually smaller than that of other brands. TCL is among the few brands to announce a good mix of premium, high-end TVs and smaller budget models for its 2024 lineup. This year, the lineup is split between the Q Series and the S Series, making it easier for users to identify where each model sits. TCL is also heavily investing in large TVs, with three new 98" TVs and a massive new 115" model.
Q Class TVs
TCL's highest-end TVs, known as the Q Class, all feature Quantum Dot film for a wider color gamut than traditional LED TVs. Most offer full array or Mini LED local dimming backlights, which TCL is now calling "QD Mini-LED," and are mainly available in large TVs 55" and up, up to a massive 115" model this year. Featuring TCL's most advanced picture and motion processing, these TVs are intended for users who care about picture quality or are looking for the best gaming features available on the market.
TCL has released five new Q Class TVs this year. The entry-level Q651G is available in sizes ranging from 43" up to 98" and is the only Q Class TV with no local dimming, opting for a direct-lit backlight instead. It's also limited to 60Hz in most sizes, so it's not as good for gamers. Stepping up to the Q681G, available in 55", 65", 75", and 85", adds a full array local dimming feature but is otherwise very similar to the cheaper Q651G.
The QM751G is where things start to get interesting. TCL's cheapest Mini LED TV in 2024, this model adds up to 1,500 local dimming zones with a peak brightness reaching up to 2,400 nits. It's available in 55" - 98" sizes, all supporting a 120Hz refresh rate that can reach up to 144Hz with VRR. TCL's flagship QM8 series, starting with the QM851G, increases the peak brightness up to 5,000 nits and the Mini LED backlight up to 5,000 zones. Combined with other technical improvements TCL has made to the backlight stack, TCL claims to have effectively eliminated blooming and haloing. The QM85 is available in 65", 75", 85", and 98" sizes, and if that's not big enough for you, there's also a massive 115" model known as the QM891G. This beast of a TV has 20,000 local dimming zones, which, if true, should be able to deliver the deepest, most uniform blacks on any LED TV.
S Class TVs
In 2024, TCL will introduce a new S TV, the TCL S5. The S series is TCL's entry-level TV, but they offer decent performance at a great price point. The S5 will have a high-brightness LED backlight promising up to 25% more brightness over the TCL S4, including an enhanced color space. The S5 will also feature a new TCL AIPQ Processor with AI Super Resolution to help with upscaling. For audio, TCL is taking cues from Sony and will now let users use their S5 as the center audio channel in their speaker setup. The TV will be available in 43 to 85-inch screen sizes.
Learn more about the 2024 TCL lineup here.
Recent Updates
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May 01, 2024: Confirmed the accuracy and availability of our picks.
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Mar 26, 2024: We condensed the article and refreshed some text throughout for clarity.
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Jan 31, 2024: Added information about TCL's upcoming 2024 lineup.
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Dec 08, 2023: The newly reviewed TCL Q5/Q550G QLED replaces the TCL Q6/Q650G QLED as the 'Best Budget TCL TV', as the Q5 basically performs the same but for a lower price.
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Oct 12, 2023: Replaced the older TCL 5 Series/S555 2022 QLED, TCL 4 Series/S455 2022, and TCL 40S325 with the newer TCL Q7/Q750G QLED, TCL Q6/Q650G QLED, and TCL S4/S450G, respectively. Also refreshed the text in the smart features section, as all 2023 TCL TVs use Google TV for their smart interface.
Conclusion
TCL's lineup is mostly budget-oriented, although they are slowly making their mark in the mid-range. Their smart platforms rival the very best, and TCL offers different smart platforms, which isn't something other brands do. Plus, their picture quality has been consistently good across their models. Overall, it's tough to beat them when it comes to budget and mid-range TVs, and that makes them a pretty safe bet, but if you want a premium TV, you can find more options with other brands.