TCL - 85" Class QM8L Series 4K UHD HDR SQD-Mini LED Smart TV with Google TV (2026)

Right out of the box, the TCL 85" QM8L 4K UHD HDR SQD-Mini LED Smart TV immediately feels like a flagship class display experience built around both scale and quality. There’s an undeniable presence when unboxing an 85in panel, but what stood out first wasn’t just the size, it was how thoughtfully everything is packaged and designed for which made for a clean, manageable setup. If you’re using the included stand, you’ll need a Phillips head screwdriver, and assembly is pretty straightforward and solid once tightened down and you will need a second person to help you set this TV up. One of the more underrated design touches with this TV is the stand itself, which integrates rear cable management channels that make it easy to route the power cable and all your HDMI cables cleanly out of sight. Once I got everything powered on, I was immediately blown away by the picture quality. The display on this TV is absolutely stunning. The QM8L uses TCL’s SQD-Mini LED panel technology combined with thousands of local dimming zones and extremely high brightness levels that can reach 6,000 nits of peak brightness in HDR content. The brightness on this TV is honestly insane in the best way possible. HDR movies with Dolby Vision, games, and sports all have incredible highlights that really pop off the screen while still maintaining deep contrast and shadow detail. As someone who has owned several OLED TVs and is very used to perfect blacks, I was genuinely shocked by how close this TV gets with perfect blacks. This is honestly one of the closest non-OLED TVs I’ve seen to delivering those deep inky blacks. At a normal viewing distance, if someone blind tested me and asked if this was an OLED panel, I think I would genuinely have a hard time telling the difference. Blooming control is extremely impressive for a Mini LED TV, and I haven't noticed any light bleed in the corners, especially in movies that have the black bars. TCL has done a fantastic job with local dimming performance here. Color performance is another huge highlight. The quantum dot layer gives the QM8L incredible color volume and vibrancy without looking oversaturated. Colors absolutely pop on this TV. Animated content, sports, HDR movies, and video games all look rich, bright, and extremely lifelike. The 4K resolution combined with the large 85-inch screen size also creates a super immersive experience whether you’re watching movies or gaming. Speaking of gaming, this TV is phenomenal gaming. The QM8L supports 4K at 144Hz gaming, VRR, ALLM, and Game Mode, and everything is automatically enabled correctly with my consoles and PC. Input lag feels very responsive, and motion clarity is excellent. I was honestly in awe of how good sports video games looked on this massive display. Games like FC25, incredibly smooth and immersive at this size. The high refresh rate and Mini LED brightness really make games stand out. The Google TV operating system is easily my favorite smart TV platform available right now. Setup is super easy. You simply just log in with your Gmail account, follow the prompts, and you’re ready to go. The interface is clean, fast, and easy to navigate. TCL’s TSR processor keeps everything feeling very snappy, whether you’re opening apps, switching inputs, or browsing menus. Streaming quality also looked fantastic across Netflix, YouTube, Disney+, and other apps. The built-in sound system also surprised me. While I still think a dedicated soundbar or surround system will always provide the best experience for a TV this size, the onboard audio has strong clarity, decent bass response, and gets very loud without distortion. Dialogue came through clearly during movies and sports broadcasts, which is always important for me. One thing I absolutely was not expecting to love as much as I did was the remote for this TV. This is honestly the best TV remote I’ve personally used from any TV manufacturer. The metal finish gives it a premium feel, the clicky D-pad feels fantastic to use, and the backlit buttons are incredibly useful in dark rooms. TCL also added dedicated brightness adjustment buttons and a picture settings shortcut button, which quickly became a feature I now wish every TV remote included. It sounds like a small thing, but once you use it, it makes adjusting settings so much more convenient for whatever you're watching. Pros: Stunning SQD-Mini LED picture quality Extremely bright HDR performance Deep blacks that come very close to OLED Excellent gaming features with 4K 144Hz, VRR, and ALLM Vibrant and accurate colors Google TV is fast and easy to use Premium remote with backlit buttons and dedicated picture controls Great cable management built into the stand Strong motion handling for sports and gaming Easy setup process Cons: Very large and heavy, setup requires two people Built-in speakers are good, but a soundbar is still recommended Takes up a lot of space due to the 85-inch size Glare can be noticeable in rooms with a lot of natural light Overall, I’ve been extremely impressed with the TCL QM8L. Between the incredible brightness, near-OLED black levels, amazing gaming features, a premium remote, and fast Google TV experience, this honestly feels like one of the best value high end TVs currently available. TCL really stepped things up with this model and I Highly recommend it,

First I must mention that the tv is extremely well packaged by TCL. It is very protective and yet easy to unbox. The delivery was also on time, carefully handled and brought to my room of choice. In the box along with the TCL QM8L tv, you get the 2 part stand with cable management clips and hardware, a remote with batteries, a quick start guide, a power cord, and vesa adapters for mounting. Due to the design of the box, I was able to install the center stand by myself. You can simply knock out the center of the styrofaom at the bottom of the set and install the center stand. The stand is sturdy enough to securely hold the tv and is height adjustable with 2 settings. The lower setting leaves 1 1/4" of space and the higher setting leaves 3" of space. This should leave enough room for a soundbar. However, the front of the center stand is angled downward, so when I put my soundbar there, it is also angled downward. I will mount the TV to the wall as soon as my new mount arrives. The VESA dimensions for this TV are 600 x 500, too large for my current mount. I connected my soundbar to the eArc HDMI port, which is the first of 4 HDMI 2.1 ports. There are also a USB 2.0 and USB 3.0 ports, an optical port, antennae coax connector and a LAN port. All of these are easily accessible from the side. After powering on the TV, the setup will start. You can choose to have your phone complete the setup by scanning a QR code. Not only was the setup completed automatically, it even put the TV into my Google Home app. The only choices you have to make are basically privacy and data sharing. After setup, firmware updates will automatically be installed. Included in the new features is the ability to connect a wireless subwoofer to the TV speakers. The Google Tv with Gemini is my favorite UI. It is fast and can be voice controlled. The speakers on the TV are the best I have ever heard from built-in speakers. They are Bang & Olufsen and include 2 bass modules in the rear. You can adjust the sound to your liking. These speakers are fine for regular tv viewing or for sports. When it comes to immersive movie viewing, a soundbar would be preferable. The picture out of the box is excellent, however I disabled all Eco mode settings. The TV is beautifully built and appears to be very high quality. There is basically zero bezel, only the outside frame envelops the screen. When watching TV, the picture appears to go edge to edge. TCL uses a new WHVA Ultra Panel with greater contrast and anti-reflective properties which are equally viewable from straight on to wide angles. So, any seat get the best picture. Ghosting and motion clarity are also noticeably improved over previous models. Blooming is also unnoticeable. Blacks are truly black and white are white. Watching sports is a pleasure. I did change the motion clarity setting to low. The QM8L supports Dolby Vision, HLG, HDR 10+ and HDR 10. Picture settings include Dolby Vision IQ, which automatically adjusts the picture based on the room's brightness, Dolby Vision Bright, VIVID, Intelligent, Standard, Movie, Filmmaker, Sport Game and PC. And of course you can customize the picture. The TV claims 6000 nits of brightness and I have no reason to doubt that. There were times that I had to turn the brightness setting down. This tv can be used in any room lighting environment. I have floor to ceiling windows next to mine and the picture remains very bright. Finally, the remote is comfortable in the hand and very intuitive. There are 2 new shortcut buttons on the right side. One is for adjusting brightness and the other is for picture settings. There are presets for Netflix, Prime, YouTube, TCL TV and Free TV. There is also a new favorites button that allows you to create your own shortcut to your favorite channel. There are a couple of downsides to the remote. First it is made of plastic. I also own the QM8K which has a similar remote and every time it was dropped it would fall apart and pieces would have to be snapped back together. But last years model was back lit and this years model, QM8L is not backlit. Maybe that will save battery life which was very poor on last years model. Overall, I am thrilled with the TCL QM8L and would recommend it to everyone without hesitation. It is a beautifully built TV and an absolute joy to watch.

To start, I own 2 other TCLs and they do NOT disappoint at all! Not only do I use them to watch TV, but to also stream, game and use as a PC monitor. TCL makes sure you get your TV in 1 piece by basically bullet proofing the packaging. Tons of protective plastics, hard cardboard and edge pieces and plenty of styrofoam makes sure no damage befalls it. Other things included inside the box is the TV itself, power cable, remote with batteries, cable management clips, screws for the base/washers for wall mount, base stand and the setup guide. I opted to use the base stand since it is centered vs having legs on the edge like some other manufactures. Installation was super easy as TCL gave the packaging thorough details. You can install the base (on the 85") while the TV is still in the box upright! Then me and a friend lifted it straight up and placed it on the stand with no issues. Mad props to TCL for this. Inputs are generous. You have 4x HDMI 2.1 4k 144hz, 2x USB (1x3.0 and 1x2.0) and coax for a digital antennae or cable. The only "downside" I have with TCL TVs is the initial setup when you 1st turn it on. You must have or create a Google Account to use the TV. There is no skipping this part and you cannot change inputs or anything. Once you sign in, then you are free to use "your" TV as you see fit. On mine, it downloaded an update that took ~20 minutes to install and reset, then goes through all the apps you can download and about 2-3 pages of privacy settings and data collection for you to agree to. What's funny is that I opted to not download apps yet so I can do it later and then the TV proceeds to download Youtube, Apple etc..... So anyways, after finally finishing setup, I skipped the homepage (which is just Google TV) and used my inputs for my Xbox Series X, PS5 and Apple TV box. Everything worked beautifully. For gaming, you can see in my pic, the QM8L literally ticked every single box for 4k max settings including 120hz, HDR10 and Dolby Vision. Gaming was buttery smooth for me and I almost forgot that TCL has basically a game mode. This allows you to see your FPS, HDR, VRR settings and can even add an aiming aid for FPS's. TV, streaming and movies were great. There was some minor blooming but nothing annoying. You can see when I was watching the Punisher the letterbox black bars on the top and bottom were not completely black. I am not expecting OLED quality, but even the QM9 I use was basically black (both being MLEDs). Again, just personal preferences but can easily be tuned out. Picture quality is still outstanding. Crazy enough, usually TV speakers are not great, but TCL's partnership with Bang & Olufsen is a home run. The built in speakers are excellent for those not using a soundbar or a complete home system. I am currently using a Klipsch soundbar system with the TV and it has been a great combo. All in all, the QM8L is an amazing all arounder TV for binge watchers, gamers and PC users. Excellent features, great intuitive remote and ease of use puts TCL as an auto recommend from me.

I think it’s worth starting this review with one word: amazing. I’m no TV expert, but I watch a variety of content and play a variety of games, and this television makes all of them look fantastic. This is a TV that is seriously impressive and worth your attention. If you’re like me, you’re a bit behind the TV times. The last time I bought a TV for my living room was a decade ago and TCL was a brand that I identified with a lower quality but best bang for your buck value. Nowadays? Like the big manufacturers, TCL TVs run the length from value to high end. The QM8L is most definitely one of their highest end TVs and it shows. Starting from unboxing, everything is simple and straightforward. I appreciate that the box, especially at the massive size of an 85” box, is easy to remove opening like a clamshell revealing the TV and keeping the base of the TV upright without needing to lean it against anything. The TV is heavy, but not overly so for it’s size and with two people it is easily moved around. I mounted the TV on a wall using a tilt mount and it had standard mounting brackets. The tv mount I purchased had no issues lining up or having correct mounting hardware. While I did not use the stand, I was surprised at how light it was. It does look like it has two height adjustments on it, which is a great feature. That said, I would say if you’re buying an 85” TV, you’re gonna want to mount it. My only negative here is that the TV inputs are in a recessed cutout on the back, so it’s hard to access if the TV is too close to the wall. Connection wise, there’s a standard array: 2 USB-A (1x3.0 and 1x2.0), 1 RF input, 1 ethernet, and four HDMI inputs, one being the eARC. Frankly, in 2026, I find the number of HDMI ports being the exact same as on my 10 year old TV to be an outright shame. If you’re utilizing any external sound system, be it an A/V receiver or soundbar, your number of HDMI ports becomes 3. I understand that your most average consumer is likely to just use the built in TV apps and that’s it, but I don’t think it’s out of line to say that there’s still a large amount of folks with external video sources. Consider that you own one of each major video game console, Nintendo Switch, Xbox, PlayStation. That’s your three HDMI ports already. Computer? AppleTV? Roku? I don’t know the engineering or cost dynamics, but at this price I don’t see why a high-end television has less connection items than a TV in the 90s did. Personally, I’m using a Denon A/V receiver which covers all of my HDMI input needs, so my single television cable is one HDMI to the eARC port, but I wish I had more options. As I’m an avid audiophile, I do have an external a/v receiver that covers a 5.1 surround sound setup and did not fully test the TV’s build in audio, but from my tour of the settings and materials leads me to believe that the built in audio is good. That said, I’d encourage anyone to use at least an external soundbar for audio in all television situations. Initial setup of the TV was easy – connect to the internet (wifi or ethernet) and then into your Google account. This is necessary and having to have a log in to use streaming apps is just the way it is. While not necessarily a fault of TCL, I’m simply not a big Google TV fan and preferred when TCL had Roku built in. This is purely based on the viewing experience – when I turn my TV on I want my own preferred apps front and center and that’s just not what Google TV does. I’m also not a fan of using Gemini, but again, that’s a bit more on Google than on TCL. All that said, navigating basic menus and settings is easy. I do wish that the settings button and quick menu buttons were combined – it’s a bit confusing at first as to what button you should hit at any given moment to access a setting you want. It’s worth noting, however, that once I had the TV set up how I liked it, I rarely needed to go back to access any settings. The remote control is both backlit and functional. I appreciated the dedicated side buttons to brightness control and quick access to picture settings. This is a BRIGHT tv and quick access to make micro adjustments was welcomed. As far as video I tested it with, everything looked fantastic. From the brand-new XBOX game Forza Horizon 6 to old episodes of The X-Files from my Plex server, it all looked fantastic. The QM8L does have a dedicated gaming mode that offers access to a plethora of features (FYI, hold down the 3 lined burger button to access it). I browsed them all, but everything at default was great for me. In fact, nearly all settings on the TV I’ve left at default. I’ve adjusted the picture setting and brightness but otherwise I think the standard defaults look just great for my purposes. I did turn off the adaptive brightness features, however. It worked great, but too great: my ambient wall lighting that changes colors was enough to constantly shift the TV brightness. My partner didn’t notice it until I pointed it out though, so this could just be an issue of me being picky. Again, I’ll admit that I’m not exactly a TV or picture expert, but for a TV that’s my main viewing TV for all sorts of content from videogames to older black and white films to live PPV sporting events, I cannot recommend the QM8L enough. I’m confident that in another 10 years I’ll still be happy with this TV and to me, that’s as glowing a recommendation as I can provide.

I wasn't very familiar with the TCL brand so I wasn't sure what to expect when I choosing the TCL - 85" Class QM8L Series 4K UHD HDR SQD-Mini LED Smart TV with Google TV. Of course the size wasn't a complete shock but how substantial the body is compared to some other same size options actually was a pleasant surprise. Nice, sturdy frame without compromising screen size (meaning no thick bezel but not a super thin and questionable back). It is absolutely a 2-person job at minimum to lift it up. Installing the included stand was fairly simple and was much sturdier than I initially thought it would be. The simple but brilliant clips that snap into the back to use as cable guides to help keep any cables for anything you connect to the tv was something I never really thought about wanting but absolutely love. But the real test for me was how the tv actually looked. I was instantly impressed by how amazing everything looked out of the box without any settings adjustment. The colors were vibrant, the clarity was spectacular. Setup was a breeze even with the immediate need for an update. The built-in speakers were pretty good on their own but I will still use a soundbar to further enhance the experience. I typically don't love most OEM remotes but this one is actually one I want to keep using. So far we couldn't find anything to complain about when gaming or viewing sports which are 2 important factors when it comes to how our tvs are used in our house. I'm definitely excited to enjoy this tv when college and NFL football seasons start. As a first time user of the TCL brand I am already impressed