TCL - 50" Class QM5K Series 4K UHD HDR QD-Mini LED Smart TV with Google TV (2025)

I own 3 TCL TVs bought 5 years apart. This is my 4th. All work flawlessly. I got this 50" TCL QM5K TV on sale for a great price. It appears to be a Best Buy exclusive. I use this as a computer monitor and a TV in my office. With a little tweaking it has crystal clear text and images as a monitor. I tried using a TCL 4 series as a monitor. Excellent budget TV but as a monitor -NOPE, ghosted text and just not precise enough. This TV is a work horse. Great gaming monitor but you are limited to 60fps because of the refresh rate. The compromises over the larger QM series are fewer dimming zones, a slightly less powerful image processor and a 60hz panel. I think because of this standard definition processing is a little 'blotchy' but imminently watchable, depending on the source but with higher resolution in HD and UHD the picture is what you'd want from a QLED TV. Blac levels are black. No blooming. See the dandelion photo. It has a very low glare screen. Minimal reflections. Picture is bright even in a sunlit room. The sound is actually quite good for a TV. No bass of course. The images I included are very close to the actual display. Yours may vary. Additionally, I'm a ROKU fan but the built in Google interface is admittedly very good; very snappy. I had an extra ROKU stick that has all my logons and preferences already installed or I would use the the Google interface. I also hope all Best Buy staff are as responsive as this store. I wanted this TV but was sold out at the time. I went back a couple days later and they had two just come in still in plastic wrap buried in a 'Jenga' looking palette. The sales person politely said, "I can't sell you those yet". I asked to speak to a manager and explained I am here to buy this TV not just look. At first he also said couldn't do it - not yet in inventory. I explained but if I wait they could be sold when I come back later. He said hang on a minute and left to check if they were reserved for online orders. They were not. Rather than pass up the sale the manager deviated a bit from their usual process and carefully removed the TV from the stack, logged it into inventory on the spot and said get your vehicle and we'll have it for you out front. Outstanding customer service! I knew they could have stuck with their rules but instead they made the sale. Thank you to that manager and thanks to Best Buy. Also, this isn't the first time staff at my local Best Buy have worked with me to do what they could to make a sale I was happy with or offer an unsolicited suggestion that saved me money and lowered their profit but increased my loyalty. I'll always check with Besy Buy before looking online. They are often higher on little things but usually match online prices with big ticket items. And easy returns. That instant response to the customer is lost if we lose our 'brick and mortar' stores.

I bought this TV during the 2025 Holiday/EoY sale for about 50% off, and have had a chance to put it through its paces. Let me tell you, this TV, for the price point? Stop looking, you're done. There are some concessions that were made to get the QM5K priced the way it is, though, details below. What you sacrifice: Audio is mid, extra mid on the 50", but if you plan on running a soundbar like most anyway, it's a non issue. 50" also lacks some of the gaming features that the 55" and up have, so if you're a gamer, or have one in the house, get the 55"+ . A point on AI features: The motion smoothing can be a little artifacty around certain objects at times when turned up to a high setting when combined with the dynamic contrast in intelligent mode. Maybe a software update can fix this later, just be aware that this does happen occasionally if you are a heavy motion smoothing user. What you get: Great quality picture for the price. Dolby Vision and HDR10+ look gorgeous. Colors pop, and contrast is great. It also gets bright -- plenty bright for a living room during the daytime. There are a good amount of picture settings to play with, brightness/contrast/local dimming/AI stuff, etc so it may take you a bit to get everything dialed in, but once you do, *chef's kiss* Is it the best TV out there? Of course not. Is it the best TV for the price point? Absolutely yes. Pictures are undoctored, cell phone camera tries, but doesn't do it justice. Looks better in person.

The TCL QM5K 50” QD-Mini LED delivers vibrant 4K HDR picture quality, deep blacks, and bright colors. Google TV and built-in Chromecast make streaming easy, while Dolby Atmos provides immersive sound. Sleek design, easy setup, and great value for movies, shows, and casual gaming.

Tv is 60htz, it's advertised as 120. The picture quality is good, better with Apple TV attached. The google software is a little slow on its own. It has a short delay and screen goes black when using Apple Tv and says HDMI not connected, not sure why or how to fix or if it's a manufacturing flaw. I can't get any answers from Best Buy or TLC. My suggestion would be, if your on a budget and are happy with 60 hurz and good picture quality that cuts through bright rooms, get it. If not spend a little more and get the 55” that actually has 120 Hurtz and better picture quality. I am on the fence with this one. I will include two pictures, first with apple tv, second tv alone.

The tv is very thin and lightweight and the picture quality is great and clear. Sound is great as well. Only reason for 4 stars is because I’m not a fan of the remote. The remote is huge compared to other TVs and the layout seems off. The mute button is at the very top of the tv but the volume controls are at the very bottom. Also sometimes on start up can be a slight lag on the remote to the tv which self resolves after 30 seconds. That’s the reason for a 4 star vs 5.