Customer Ratings & Reviews

I have had a TCL model 65QM850G mini-LED for 3 years and it has performed flawlessly. So, I was really looking forward to having an opportunity to review TCL’s new RM9L RGB-Mini LED series. It’s out of the box performance and extremely easy Google TV setup made for a great initial user experience. Unboxing was typical - it comes with 2 small lite weight stands that attach with 3 screws at each end of the TV (adds less than 4 lbs. when attached, in comparison my 85-inch Hisense stand adds 20lbs.). The stands allow for 2 different height adjustments with highest being about 3.5 inches. Be careful when moving as the stands are a tad flimsy and at 67 inches, they were wider than my current TV stand (I put down 80 by 3/4-inch plywood temporarily to allow for added width) until wall mounted. It uses Google TV (which I prefer) and during setup if you already have a Google account you can use a QR code to migrate over other TV settings. That was very nice although you still will need to sign into any streaming services. It also supports Apple Home, Google Home, and Googles AI assistant Gemini – which allows for connection to other devices, can create your own screen savers, picture/gaming adjustments, office, etc. There is a whole litany of advancements/improvements listed for this TV, which I think is better suited to be reviewed on TCL site as most of the technical info is beyond my scope to discuss. I had no problem viewing the TV in a very bright or dark room. There was no washing out if viewed from the extreme side, high or low angles - but it is a tad reflective depending on scene viewing (but not obtrusive). While picture quality is very subjective, I found the screen colors really pop with very deep blacks and nice contrast. The picture has a wide array of preset options as well as “intelligent” settings. I normally turn off most if not all “intelligent” options as they just never seem to give me the consistent picture I want. Having said that I did like the “intelligent” and filmmaker screen options. Suffice to say that I will be spending the next couple of weeks to tweaking looking for my “perfect” settings. Watching action movies, auto racing, baseball, and golf all looked good with virtually no ghosting with 144Hz. A completely black screen was consistent over the entire screen – even the corners. Picture supports Dolby Vision, Hybrid Log-Gamma (HLG), HDR 10+, HDR 10, IMAX Enhanced Certification and BT 2020 compliant. BB states 9000 nits but TCL site states max of 4000. Speakers are Bang and Olufsen using its audio system. Includes a built-in sub-woofer. Sound is fine (could not find wattage specs) but can’t compare to external speakers. It seems you can add wireless B&O subwoofer and rear speakers if wanted. I added my soundbar using eARC and it was picked up with no issues. I sometimes turn off the soundbar when listening to certain sporting/racing events as the crowd/engine noise drowns out the voice. Make sure to set sound input to auto so when soundbar is off TV will use internal speakers. It has an extremely small bezel/border with 0 gap between it and the actual picture. I was planning on mounting to the wall replacing an 85-inch TV. I naively thought there might be only an inch or two difference between the TV’s so it would be as simple as taking down the old TV, installing mounting brackets on TCL and setting it on the wall. Unfortunately, the mounting holes on TCL are at the top of the TV – not the middle and has been the case for every other TV I have owned. The difference is 15 inches meaning the bottom of the TCL would be 15 inches lower than previous TV. This would not clear my TV stand. So be aware if planning on wall mounting as you will need to account for most the height of TV. It uses a 600mm x 400mm mount. TCL site indicates it has an optional mount for purchase, but I could not find the particulars. There are plenty of connections; 3 HDMI 2.1 (4K @ 144Hz) 1 HDMI 2.1 (4K @ 144Hz - ARC/eARC) 2x USB 2.0 0.5A 1x SPDIF Digital Audio Optical RF connection (cable/antenna) Ethernet (LAN) input No Composite input No RS-232C No Headphone jack All connections are on the right side (looking at screen from front) with power connection on left. No connections come directly out the back of set, making for sleeker/better wall mounting. Supports FreeSync Premium Pro and HDR+ Gaming. Wi-fi 6 supported also has LAN attachment Bluetooth 5.4. Remote is connected using this so no chance connection will be “blocked” to TV. I easily connected to a pair of headphones, but sound still only came through soundbar. I had to turn off soundbar to get headphones to work. Dis-appointing as I have a couple of other TVs with soundbars and I do not have to turn them off for headphones to work. I attached a 2TB USB drive (NTFS format) and it recognized it with no issues. I played several movies (m2ts and mp4 formats at 720P & 1080P) and the picture was excellent as well as recognizing Dolby Atmos sound processing. Could also control CC including size, color and position. Remote has backlight and is well thought out with reasonably sized/tactile buttons. Has voice control, which I found works well. As mentioned, it connects to TV by Bluetooth.But I am not a fan of the VERY bright and reflective stainless-steel look. Very difficult to see buttons and have to tilt for better view. It is so irritating I may synch with my other TCL remote as it is black and very easy to view. 1-year limited warranty Negatives; I am dis-appointed with the wall mounts as well as headphone/soundbar connection. And am VERY irritated at the remote design. But the TV makes up for it by providing high performance viewing and is overall, a worthy option and do recommend.

I've been testing the new 85-inch TCL RM9L for the last week. For some reason, TCL is downplaying the relevance of this TV, but I think it's the real flagship of their 2026 lineup. The first thing to point out is that this TV is very heavy. I didn't weigh it, but unboxing and assembling this TV really requires three people and an open space. I was able to unbox it and install the stands using only two people, but it felt very risky. The stands do a good job of keeping the TV steady and balanced, but because of the height and weight of the TV, it still wobbles a bit when pushed around the top of the frame. If you use it freestanding and have kids that can climb, I would recommend using a strap to secure it to a wall. Setup was very simple. There was an on-screen guide that walked me through every step and even allowed me to choose all my streaming services. The Google TV OS is perfectly integrated into this TV, and I would say it is the best smart OS in the TV industry. It's very responsive and allows for a lot of customization of the video and sound settings. The remote is light and comfortable to hold. It uses two AAA batteries, and when I pick it up, the backlighting immediately illuminates. Button placement is well thought out, and key presses are registered quickly. However, I've noticed a strange high-pitched sound when pressing the enter key. It doesn't happen every time, but it's something that captures my attention. When it comes to performance, in my opinion, the RM9L delivers near-OLED-level blacks. Anyone who tells you otherwise isn't using the proper video content. I would recommend testing it with demo content from any TV manufacturer or streaming services that provide high-quality content, rather than a random video on the internet. Blooming is present, but it is kept to a minimum. The brightness of the screen is amazing. For me, 61% brightness is good enough for my viewing pleasure; however, my girlfriend prefers it at 100%. While on the topic of brightness, I love that the remote also features dedicated brightness toggles. Colors are extremely vibrant and skin tones are very natural. 1080p content can look washed out, but that's just because of the sheer size of the 85-inch screen and the fact that upscaling does not perform miracles. 4K, HDR, or Dolby Vision content, on the other hand, looks amazing, and I love that the TV gives you an on-screen indicator in the top-left corner to tell you you are receiving true HDR or Dolby content. The built-in B&O speakers sound really good. At 29%, voices were clear, and it was loud and bassy enough to eliminate any need for a soundbar. I would only recommend adding some surround speakers to really make movies more immersive. That said, the RM9L is an excellent choice if you are looking for the most recent display tech, superior brightness, contrast, and color representation. I highly recommend it.

The TL;DR Summary - The Core Appeal: Utilizes the current peak of RGB-Mini LED technology (a backlight system where microscopic diodes directly emit red, green, and blue light without relying on color filters), resulting in colors that are noticeably punchier and more realistic than older Mini-LEDs or even OLEDs. This is especially true for skin tones, which are noticeably more lifelike. - The Hardware: 85 inches packed with 8,736 dimming zones (independent backlight sections that can dim or brighten) and 4,000 Nits of peak brightness, it delivers inky blacks that creep surprisingly close to OLED territory while pushing highlights that will make you squint. It also features an integrated Bang & Olufsen audio system and runs on the Google TV platform. - The Caveat: It isn’t flawless. While high-quality HDR content looks stunning, feeding it lower-bitrate or demanding low bitrate HDR content can introduce noticeable blooming. I would describe this blooming as almost a cloud or fog of light around light-against-dark areas. However, importantly, I did not notice any color crosstalk (where colors incorrectly bleed into one another) in any of my testing. - The Verdict: If you want a TV that effortlessly outmuscles a sun-drenched living room while maintaining reference-level skin tones, very impressive blacks, and incredible gaming performance, this is easily a top-three contender. But it will cost you. BRIGHTNESS AND GLARE: This TV is rated for 4,000 Nits, and while I don’t have calibration equipment to measure raw output, my eyes can confirm the math: in a dark room (where I did most of my testing to intentionally stress the display), peak brightness will make you squint and want to look away during quick transitions to light scenes, literally lighting up the entire room as if you just flipped the light switch. Specular highlights (the small, intense reflections of light on objects) absolutely pop, yet the TV maintains deep blacks. While there are plenty of settings like the Auto Brightness Limiter (ABL), Brightness slider, Peak Brightness, and Local Contrast to kneecap the brightness for dark rooms, I left them off. You don't buy a 4,000-nit TV to throttle it. Where this TV truly flexes is in a bright environment. With the lights on and direct sunlight pouring through the windows, the RM9L easily overpowers the ambient light, remaining bright and eye-catching. TCL’s 0.5% low-reflection film works exceptionally well—unless you are actively hunting for reflections, they are barely noticeable. Additionally, the bright room environment naturally tricks your eyes into seeing even darker average blacks, and the blooming becomes virtually unnoticeable. CONTRAST AND BLACK LEVELS: We are currently dealing with three competing top-tier technologies: OLED (perfect pixel-level blacks), standard Mini-LED (high brightness with increased dimming zones), and now RGB-Mini LED, which historically had fewer dimming zones because every single zone requires dedicated red, green, and blue chips. However, this TCL model represents the pinnacle of current tech, bypassing that limitation by cramming an astonishing 8,736 precise color zones into this 85-inch panel. But this is still limited as the processor itself has now become the bottleneck. To stress-test this, I watched high-bitrate HDR content in a pitch-black room. In visually demanding movies like Encanto, the letterbox bars stayed pitch black, and the space scenes showed pinpoint stars without turning the background into a milky, glowing gray. I did occasionally notice some light spill into the black letterbox bars when a character's bright head moved very close to the edge in a dark scene. Keep in mind, this TV relies heavily on the quality of what you feed it; bad quality compression sticks out like a sore thumb. With SDR content and all processing features turned off (as purists recommend), the blacks occasionally lift into a dark gray, and you will see some blooming in highly demanding scenes. But overall, the synergy of the WHVA 2.0 panel and the massive zone count makes for one of the best contrast experiences you can get without going full OLED. COLOR ACCURACY: REACHING REALISM This is the main reason to buy this TV: the color accuracy here is getting close to realism. TCL claims up to 100% of the BT.2020 color gamut (the widest standardized color spectrum), and practically speaking, it feels highly accurate. This is further supported by their 120-bit precise light and color control. Because RGB-Mini LED doesn’t filter a white or blue backlight to create color, a red fire engine looks perfectly red, and fresh grass looks genuinely green. But the biggest takeaway here is skin tones. I’ve never seen non-white and varied skin tones look more realistic on a display; the clothing textures and high-luminance colors have a uniformity that makes the image feel tactile and real. This absolutely blew me away at first. The longer I watch this TV, the more differences I notice when I switch back to other screens, and I never experienced any color banding. When A/B testing against an OLED or a higher-zone Mini-LED, you do lose a fraction of realism due to the OLED's absolute pixel-level contrast. However, I personally prefer the jaw-dropping brightness "pop" and the raw color accuracy of the RM9L. The whole image feels more realistic despite the contrast difference, and honestly, that contrast difference is minimal. Furthermore, this panel supports an exhaustive list of formats (Dolby Vision IQ, HDR10+, IMAX Enhanced, etc.), ensuring whatever you watch is optimized. VIEWING ANGLES: TCL’s marketing will have you believe that off-axis viewing on this panel is fully resolved. It isn't. This is still a VA panel, meaning the picture is best viewed dead center. You get a viewing cone of about 90 degrees before you start seeing a shift. The closer you sit, the faster you will notice haloing and blooming in dark scenes as you move horizontally. The vertical viewing angles hold up much better, and thankfully, color shift remains minimal unless you are sitting at extreme angles. The viewing angles are good, but they aren't magic. (For context on how panel technologies stack up: OLEDs offer the best viewing angles, followed by IPS panels, with VA panels like this one coming in last). GAMING PERFORMANCE: I fully expected an 85-inch VA panel to struggle with gaming, but it is surprisingly fantastic. Is it as smooth as an OLED? No. OLEDs have a near-instantaneous 0.03 ms response time, which essentially eliminates motion blur. The RM9L still has some noticeable smearing in fast-paced games, but for a display of this size and tech type, the latency and visual disturbances are minimal. In fact, I think the average layman who isn’t used to pixel-perfect OLED response times wouldn’t even notice the motion blur. Because it’s an 85-inch 4K screen, it has a pixel density of 52 PPI (Pixels Per Inch), compared to the 130+ PPI of standard gaming monitors. You WILL notice lower-resolution textures and draw distances much easier simply due to the sheer size of the TV and the lower pixel density. But firing up Escape from Tarkov, Gran Turismo 7, or Demon's Souls on a screen this massive is incredibly immersive. You almost feel like you’re there. I did extensive testing with Resident Evil: Requiem since it’s a dark game with a fantastic engine. With a few setting tweaks, I achieved near-OLED level blacks and immersion, but with vastly superior colors, highlights, and brightness. It was literally a toss-up whether I wanted to keep playing on the TCL or move to my OLED monitor. The only reason I'd switch back to the OLED is for slightly better blacks and the superior response time with less motion blur. A crucial tip: For consoles, use the built-in Gamebar. It runs smoothly between 48–144 Hz via the four HDMI 2.1 ports, with the hardware capable of boosting the refresh rate to 288 Hz for lower-resolution competitive gaming. However, if you hook up a gaming PC, switch the TV to "PC Mode." I found it significantly reduced motion artifacts and smearing compared to standard Game Mode (on PC only), while perfectly preserving color accuracy and input lag. My casual benchmark tested the input lag around 176–186 ms, with some pretty wild fluctuations (230 – 260 ms), compared to the 140–160 ms range of my OLED, which was a lot more consistent (always less than 200 ms). THE VERDICT: This is undeniably a premium, enthusiast-grade TV, packed into a surprisingly sleek 1.4-inch thin chassis (seriously, couldn’t believe how thin it is for this type of TV). From a practical standpoint, the physical design is well thought out. The stand allows for two levels of height adjustment so you can easily fit a soundbar underneath, and the legs feature built-in cable management. It also covers all modern connectivity bases, including Wi-Fi 6.0, Bluetooth 5.4, Google Cast, AirPlay 2, and a side-mounted USB 3.0 port. It does almost everything at the highest level. If your viewing diet consists entirely of low-quality, compressed SDR cable TV, save your money. But if you feed it modern, high-bitrate HDR or BT.2020 mastered games, it trades blows with the very best OLEDs on the market, making it a matter of user preference rather than a flat-out win for either tech. Yes, for this price, you could buy a smaller OLED TV for the bedroom, a high-end gaming monitor for the gaming room, and likely a solid Mini-LED for the living room. But the RM9L gives you everything in one monolithic package. Walking the aisles of Best Buy, this TV outclassed every other Mini-LED on the wall, except for TCL’s own higher-tier flagship—which had minimally better brightness and contrast, but ultimately lost out on color accuracy. As processors get faster and manufacturers figure out how to pack even more RGB zones into these panels, OLED technology will need to watch its back, because we are already trading blows.

THIS…. IS The 85" TCL RM9L, A giant next generation RGB-Mini LED tv that is purpose built to take down the king of home entertainment: OLED. At the bleeding edge of screen technology and a price tag that reflects it… how does the RM9L stack up when comparing it to the best of the best and does TCL have what it takes to put out a premium TV? Let's take a look at TCL’s RM9L. Taking the RM9L out of its giant box for the first time is a two person job, not just because the tv is over 100lbs… but because at 85” it is over 6 feet wide! That is just as insane as me telling you that 85” is the smallest form factor that TCL makes for the RM9L below their 98” and 115” size models. Enough of that though, taking this out of the box for the first time reveals a very high quality body for the RM9L with premium brushed metal bands around the slim bezels. The RM9L is also relatively pretty thin at just under an inch and a half thick, and while it isn’t ultra thin like its OLED counterparts, it makes up for it in brightness and color accuracy. Moving to the rear of the TV shows several options for mounting and two giant speakers to help illuminate your room with sound and several options for cable management / HDMI inputs. The RM9L has a refined and polished exterior look that does a great job at both blending in and being very functional on the rear. NOW… What we are all here for. Turning the RM9L on for the first time is nothing short of fantastic. From its rich color portfolio and accuracy to its insane brightness to its near OLED blacks… TCL is cooking something good here. Being an RGB-Mini LED tv, each pixel has an actual red, blue and green diode for color when compared to a QD-LED that uses a single color light that is changed with a filter or quantum dot. The outcome is some of the best and brightest color reproductions I think that I have ever seen …. kind of ever? Watching a color demo on this TV demonstrates exactly how it kills oled. It isn’t just the brightness that ruins oleds, but the contrast and accurate color reproduction that really puts the nail in the coffin. While it is hard to say that the RM9L has just as inky blacks as oleds, it is a really close second. With over 5600 local dimming zones, 16000 color zones and over 9000 nits of brightness, the inky blacks are seemingly still there in the stark contrast ratios. I can safely say that the RM9L has virtually no halo or blooming either, which is the glow when going from a bright spot on the TV to a very dark spot such as an image of the moon in space. There is more though, the RM9L is packed with just about every feature you could imagine in a home entertainment centerpiece. 144hz on every HDMI port, 100% BT2020 color ratio, unnoticeable crosstalk (color blurring from the small RGB diodes), perfect off-axis color viewing, 288VRR, ALLM, low input latency…. I mean this is really a check every box tv from home entertainment to gaming and beyond. This is truly a masterclass panel and TCL is proving it can make the best TV on the planet. Beyond the picture, the Google TV software is so good that I stopped using my apple tv box… something I never thought I would say! From being able to control the RM9L with my iphone to the blazing fast and easy to navigate UI, It is near impossible to find a weak spot in the RM9L’s UI The giant speakers on the rear of the TV aren’t just for show either, the B&O tuned sound system is the first that I have heard on a TV where I could not only feel the bass… but was genuinely impressed with the room filling sound stage that it was able to provide. So good in fact, that my wife thought that I had our soundbar hooked up to the TV when I was running my first test on it. TCL allows you to expand and integrate the TV’s sound with their soundbar system as well to enhance its sound. The last thing that I wanted to talk about was just how good the remote that comes with the RM9L is, and it is fantastic. It lights up in the dark and has quick buttons for just about every app you could want such as Netflix, Youtube, Prime video and more. One of my favorite features about the remote is the brightness rocker on the right side of the remote that allows you to easily change the brightness of the TV as well as change its picture mode without having to go into settings, another testament to just how bright this TV is! Wrapping this up, all I can say is WOW. I truly haven’t felt this way about a TV since I bought my LG G8 back in 2018… and to think I thought that TV’s would never get better than that! TCL has not only made a world class TV, but proved that they can make the best in the world with the RM9L. With every feature that you could imagine packed into a TV that is just so easy to use… it is hard to say no to the RM9L. Now, there is the SQD X11L that you could compare it to that does cost a little bit less. If you want a TV that is a little bit brighter and has a slight contrast edge, then I would go with the X11L. However! If you want the absolute best colors, deepest and boldest reds and greens, then the RM9L takes the cake by far and I think having tested both TV’s… I would take the RM9L! While it is pricey, the best always has been… and that's what the RM9L is. Until next time :)

[PROS] Vibrant in Every Way: There's so much I can say. First, the richness in color is absolutely astonishing. The color range on this panel is so full that my phone and camera couldn't even capture it accurately. Fortunately, I was able to gather a few images that provides a small glimpse of how wonderful the picture quality is. Secondly, the screen is so bright that I had to turn it down slightly. This is not bad thing at all given that glare in a moderately lit room can be fought off. Furthermore, I was able to enjoy the TV in its standard mode. Most times, I would have to switch to a "Vivid" mode to get a pop in color, but this wasn't the case at all. Top Notch Sound: The most surprising thing about this TV has been the audio quality. When I first set up the RM9L, I forgot to attach my soundbar and subwoofer. I played a number of videos before I realized that what I was hearing was native output. I was highly impressed with how crisp and bold the audio was even without an external device connected. I have a 75" TV, but it doesn't sound anything like this. Excellent Contrast/Deep Blacks: The implementation of contrast is superb. Objects and environments are very distinguishable and standout as necessary in all scenes. Obviously, nothing obtains perfect level blacks like an OLED panel. However, this TV makes the difference extremely negligible. I mean very negligible. From the images, I've attached it's almost as if segments of the screen is off while an image is being projected. It's that good. Other Positives: The Google OS makes the RM9L a pleasant experience. I'm able to search content, tweak settings, and toggle inputs without issue. Game Mode is an excellent feature. Once turned on, I'm able to have a stable, high FPS experience with my PC and certain console titles on my PS5 Pro. [CONS] None. [CONCLUSION] I used to believe that everything outside of OLED was subpar, but this RGB-Mini LED changed my mind. The RM9L is an A+ in the areas of image quality, color, sound, and ease of use. Watching content on it feels like a movie and an overall grand experience. There's so much love about this TV, and I would highly recommend it.

It goes without saying, but this TV is large. I knew that going in, but I did not “know” that going in. I have had some large and nice TVs over the years, but none this large or this nice. I thought I had a grasp on what an 85-inch TV would be, but I did not lol. That said, getting it out of the box, set up, and running was still a fairly simple process. Definitely have another person on hand though. Once up, I was immediately impressed. Full stop. Colors are rich, vibrant, full of range, and accurate. Not in an overblown everything maxed out look, but just bright and realistic. The brightness does really stand out; and, while I think the blacks here are still not to OLED levels, the contrast of the beautiful color representation with the excellent brightness against those blacks really does work. What does that mean, really, big picture for both techs? That is difficult for me to say, right now, but I love the output this TV produces. Personally, I do a bit of gaming, with some TV as well as some streaming, but I am a movie lover and “most” of my serious movie watching is via a dedicated 4K player and physical discs (the TV gives stunning picture there). Rare these days, I know. Across the board, I am genuinely very happy. Everything looks very good, is very immersive, and it provides a great experience. That said, some content looks better than others, taking into account the source material, upscaling, resolution, and size, but that is just kind of how this works, and it is not an issue for me. I should add I think it is definitely worth the time to spend some time dialing all the settings (and calibrate it) in to your preferences. As for the build, I like it. I mean, it is a TV, but it is solid, seems well put together, and I like the stand system. It is somewhat ridiculously thin for its size, has minimal bezels, and has all of the connections you are looking for. Further, it is often an afterthought, but the speakers (Bang & Olufsen) both get loud and sound quite good. I am often using an external sound system, but this is nice to see. Additionally, I am mostly all-in on the Google ecosystem, so I like that Google TV as the OS here. It is intuitive, pretty clean, and largely easy to use. It seems to have a bit more lag than I am used to, but I am hoping this will be fixed in an update. Not really an issue, but just something to note. Lastly, I like the look. Clean. Sleek. Plain. Some may say boring, but it is perfect for me. Ultimately, I do really like this TV. I may have a small nitpick here and there, and the tech is new, but I think it delivers an often stunning picture, in clarity, vibrance, and especially color…but maybe more importantly to me it just delivers a wonderful viewing experience. There is real value to that. This is a premium product, certainly, so be sure to check your needs and if they meet up with all this TV has to offer.

PROS: * The color and brightness can be absolutely stunning * Blacks are distinct, but not quite OLED levels * Brightness will help with glare (but it’s important to know where you install it versus any large windows) * Google TV (I guess you either love it or hate it) SO-SO: * Glare can be an issue when viewing from the sides, but that can be true for most TVs CONS: * Price * It doesn’t separate itself enough from an OLED in my opinion to merit a purchase, but it is still a very beautiful TV Buying a new TV can be stressful, especially without many real-life reviews. It’s not supposed to be stressful. My family loved our 65-inch OLED for over seven years, but we decided to upgrade to an 85-inch RGB Mini-LED. The size difference is huge, and I was curious how the picture would compare to OLED’s deep blacks. TCL's new RGB tech is supposed to blow viewers away with the richness and brightness of its colors. And I can tell you without a doubt it has. But is that worth the upgrade or the $6000 price tag? The new TCL RML9 is extremely vibrant. The colors are beautiful without feeling like a superficial filter has been applied to the scenes. It will immediately remind you of watching a screen in one of those neon museums, if you’ve ever been to one. The TV has amazing color and brightness. The brightness of 9,000 nits is probably more than you will ever need. If you’re coming from an OLED, you’ll turn down the brightness because you aren’t used to it. But even when turning it down, the colors still pop the way you’d want them to. With the colors so vibrant, the tech allows the blacks to be very dark. They won’t be the “inky black” that OLED provides, but the contrast with the colors popping and the blackness is impressive for a non-OLED. That’s one of my biggest gripes: even though the blacks are still very dark, they just don’t have the same look as an OLED screen, which I’m realizing is one of my favorite aspects of OLED screens. Without it, you’ll still love the picture, but I am going back and forth as to which one I love more, and that shouldn’t be a question when comparing a $6000 TV to a $2000 one. With new technology, you’ll have to pay the price. This is a first-generation TCL RGB-Mini-LED, which I’m sure costs the manufacturer much more than an OLED panel does. This is especially true with an 85-inch screen. However, I feel like a TV's price-to-performance ratio affects its rating. It has to. Because many hesitant buyers will purchase this unit instead of proven models and tech. As I said before, it’s difficult to jump into a first-generation technology that's being introduced for the first time. I wish I knew which issues can be fixed with firmware and which cannot. But that’s just the nature of the game. Some of the media you see on this TV may have imperfections, especially when streaming or watching Blu-rays. You must tell the difference, though, between the source of media and what the TV shows. Not everything was outstanding on my OLED either, so I understand some media will not look great on this TV, especially when you’re adding 20 inches to the screen. The larger the screen, the easier it is to nitpick. I use my PS5 Pro, Xbox Series X, Switch 2, and an Apple TV for most of my media. And I’d say out of that, 95% of what we watch is in 4K. The 4K media we play looks outstanding on this TV. I’d say the Apple TV delivers the best picture quality for movies and shows, but the PS5 Pro will impress with the clarity and fidelity of gaming. Having a massive 85-inch screen to play Crimson Desert on is an absolute treat. I’ve found that the Xbox Series X has one of the best screen calibration tools there is. However, if you don’t have one, there are other options out there. At minimum, there’s always YouTube, which will get you close to where you want to be. From there, it’s subjective a lot of the time anyway. Regarding sound, I have a fairly massive Dolby Atmos setup with standing speakers on each side, Atmos speakers on top, a large center speaker, and larger rears. I don’t need the TV to have great sound. However, I do have kids, and sometimes they have to use the TV speakers if the AVR is acting up. And these onboard speakers are impressive for a TV this thin. They won’t rival the impact of having separate speakers with a sub, but they’re more than fine if sound isn’t as important to you or if you don’t have the room for a full-blown AVR system. The onboard system UI is a Google TV layout, which I love more than most onboard UIs (especially LG’s). I have a Google TV player upstairs in the office, and I love the fluidity of it. And while sometimes the TCL version of Google’s UI isn’t as fluid, it still works well and is easy for anyone to use. However, we will be using the Apple TV the majority of the time. Again, with kids, they often find the easiest way to watch something is through the system UI.

Let's start with the good stuff about this television. It is a nice size and makes my living room feel like a theater, to me anyway. It has a very nice sleek bezel, the inputs are easily accessible, the back of the TV has a really cool looking design and the power light being in the middle of the tv is better than being on the side. I really like the remote control. It has a nice weight to it and pairs easily. I like that I don't have to point it directly at the TV to use it. The button layout, minimal but fully functional, is great. The speakers that are built into this TV are pretty good. They sound great for TV speakers and they can get pretty loud without distortion. It definitely helps with clearer dialogue and sound effects. Last good thing is the gaming mode. My Xbox runs 4K UHD at 120HZ. It's very smooth and there is no lag whatsoever. I like this feature a lot. Before that I only got 60hz. The difference is night and day. The Google TV is what you'd expect and works well. Now, the bad stuff. The picture is terrible, especially with 1080p or less content. The colors are so washed out, no matter what setting or calibration I set it to. The motion is awful. With the motion settings on, it looks so unnatural and there are many artifacts around people and moving objects. With the motion settings off, the blur, stutter and clarity is so bad. It reminds me of when LCD TVs first came out years ago and they had major ghosting or shadowing issues. It's very unpleasant to watch. I use many devices, such as a high quality streamer, UHD blu-ray player and a gaming PC. I have the picture issues with all of them. My older TCL TV from 7 years ago, that is only 60hz, looks so much better than this, with all the same devices. Overall, I am so disappointed with this TV because the things that matter most, are not good. Not happy TCL!

The TCL RM9L 85” RGB-LED Television offers a stunning color display, featuring a full 4K (from multiple viewing angles), Local Dimming, and Smart Functionality (although I would beg to differ). PROS: * Easy Unboxing and setup (with some help) * Calibration is a must. * Incredible 4K picture content, and decent up-scaling. CONS: * Some glare involved * Google TV Operating System is laggy/buggy. Unboxing was actually easy (if you watched unboxing videos of other TCL products, which are large). With the help of a buddy, we carefully unboxed (piece by piece) the television. I decided (for now) to use the heavy feet included with the TV, and mount (screw) them directly to the back of the unit. Once in place, my buddy and I carefully (we wore white gloves and lifted the TV by the legs) set the TV onto the television stand. Next, I used an AudioQuest cable 2.1 HDMI (6’) I had to connect to my Oppo UDP 203 4K Blu-ray player. Out of the box, while I played the film Top Gun Maverick (this physical release is known for its great sound and picture quality), the picture was already stunning. However, the picture was insanely bright (even for my living room with the curtains semi-closed during the late afternoon). The 4000nits was way too much (in my opinion) and even with dimming, I found the picture slightly brighter than it had to be (even from an 8’ viewing angle). Included as well are Bang and Olufsen speakers (with an additional subwoofer(s) on the back of the television). Surprisingly, the sound was good, considering ultra-slim televisions are not known for their speakers. Still, I would recommend hooking up to a soundbar or home theater system. Again, everything out of the box was fine (outside of brightness). However, I encourage anyone purchasing this television to demo several YouTube calibration videos, which are free to use. I was fortunate enough to use the included Google TV (smart operating system) to find a calibration video to follow along with (more on the Smart functionality later) and calibrate the colors, lighting, and overall look of the RGB television (I would recommend this). After spending significant (45 minutes at least) calibrating, I decided to put Top Gun: Maverick back on. To my surprise, colors were more vivid (motion rate was 120Hz), and the contrast ratios were excellent, providing deep blacks (up to 7000:1), precise dimming technology that practically allowed the picture to jump off the television (I changed the picture to “cinema” during the setup phase, and found the skin-tones more like-like). Overall, I was very impressed. However, I was a little hesitant (upon a previous review) to place a standard 1080p Blu-ray in my 4K player. I decided to watch Blade Runner 2049 on Blu-ray, and I was too impressed with the upscaling. I did not see any “halo effects,” judding, or loss of refresh rate (I still see 120Hz from my Oppo display, and from the TCL display). Does it look great? Not exactly, but it does a decent job attempting to upscale without losing clarity or severe “judding” taking place in the picture (better than most televisions I have viewed). Lastly, the overall RGB precision control allows for richer colors, deeper blacks, and, I must say, better viewing when it comes to watching Dolby Vision or HDR/HDR+ content. I even found live 4K TV (via YouTube) to provide stunning pictures (I tuned into a couple of basketball games, and I was impressed by the live feeds). Now, I previously mentioned a “glare” on the television (even with the very bright television) out of the box. Upon turning down the brightness and calibrating the television, I still witnessed a glare on the television. I wound up darkening the entire room with my blackout shades and did not witness this as much (I also turned down the brightness even more). Also, viewing angles (from one side of the couch to another, and eventually the middle), I saw more of a glare from the sides (someone watching from the left or right side of a couch, be warned). Although the picture quality is still stunning, keep that in mind when you have multiple users watching at once. Alright, so the included Google Smart TV operating system was fine at first, when logging into multiple apps (Netflix, Prime Video, Paramount, HBO, Disney +, etc.) I found that the more apps I logged into, the more the menu became “laggy” and there was definite latency when switching between apps. Also, I connected an Ethernet cable (with more than 1.5 GB of internet) directly to the back of the TV, and I still experienced lag/slow-load times. Funny, when I removed/logged out of apps, the RM9L performed a little better. If you are thinking of using the included “smart” system, please do not. Buy yourself a ROKU or Apple TV streaming device and connect to your television; I found infrequent issues, and connectivity/picture quality did not suffer (especially when using high-quality cables). Overall, the TCL RM9L provides incredible picture quality (with a little calibration help). The stunning RGB precise dimming delivers the best colors onto the screen: beautiful/rich, life-like colors and deep blacks. Where the TCL RM9L takes a step back is from the viewing angles (glare) and the buggy Google Smart TV operating system (seriously, consider something else). Overall, if you are looking for a theater-like viewing experience, the RM9L delivers.

I’ve been a fan of TCL TVs ever since I got one of their 75 inch sets a few years ago. TCL was once considered a budget brand so it’s great to see them compete neck to neck with the major brands. Bigger is better right? So I thought my home cinema setup could take a larger television. Stepping up to the TCL 85" RM9L Series 4K UHD HDR RGB-Mini LED Smart TV with Google TV, I can definitely say that TCL isn’t just competing, they have arrived. I’ve had both OLED and QD Mini LED sets and this is by far the nicest TV I’ve owned. Unboxing this big of a television seemed daunting but it wasn’t that bad. The box is big and weighs a ton. You definitely need two people just to maneuver the box and to unpack it an extra set of hands is a must. The RM9L was nicely packaged to protect it behind thick layers of cardboard and styrofoam. In the box you’ll find the TV stand, a bag with instructions and some hardware, the remote, and batteries. I opted to wall mount mine. If you do as well, be warned that at 111 pounds and being so big you will absolutely need 3 people for this one. You’ll sure want to chose an adequate wall mount to make certain this is securely hung. The process was seriously nerve racking. Once mounted, you’ll want to remove the protective tape and film from the TV. This protective layer is nice but what a pain to remove. After taking a deep breath, I immediately noted the very minimal bezel design. Love it! It looks super sleek and modern with TCL’s ZeroBorder edge to edge design. I also very much like the minimal size of the TCL branding. It’s there, but tiny and barely noticeable. I also like the above average remote control with its silver metallic backlit design. Very classy touch TCL. Setup of the television was a breeze. This is a Google TV, so you basically connect to wifi and add your Google account. The RM9L supports Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.4. I also added mine to my Google Home setup too. Along the way there was an update which took a good bit of time, but once complete you have your typical Google TV interface with your streaming apps. Plus Google Assistant, and smart home control. The interface is really quite nice and very responsive. I had to remove my soundbar temporarily due to the size of the RM9L so my first impressions of sound on the set is was with the onboard speakers by Bang & Olufsen. I was seriously surprised by the sound quality. It sounds very impressive right out of the box, so you really won't be disappointed in the event that you don’t have a soundbar. TCL also offers a wireless subwoofer and satellite speakers to further compliment its built in speakers. On the back, you get a great selection of ports neatly arranged and easily accessible very near the right rear edge. I/O includes 4 HDMI 2.1 ports (including one with eARC). It also includes 3 USB ports 1 x USB-A 3.0, 2 x USB-A 2.0, an optical audio output, and an ethernet port. With a new TV I love to immediately check out a variety of 4K content to see how it looks and performs. Wow! I was blown away. The specs on this TV are crazy, largely thanks to TCL's new RGB-Mini LED technology. If you're wondering how this RGB-Mini LED tech compares to standard LED and OLED, it's a giant leap. While regular LED TVs use a white backlight this uses narrow band red, green, and blue LEDs. The result is a color purity that put my older QLED to shame. Colors were stunning. In fact, I found myself in awe of the intense colors. Then there is the OLED comparison. I own an OLED, but the RM9L gives it a run for its money. With over 5,600 dimming zones, it achieves the dark inky blacks which were absolutely comparable to my OLED. But where the RM9L completely outdoes OLED is its brightness. I knew from the specs it would be bright, but seeing it is another thing. BRIGHT! With 9,000 nits of peak brightness, the HDR impact is something my OLED simply can't compete with. Overall, I love HDR brightness and the halo free contrast. The WHVA 2.0 Ultra Panel also provides exceptional viewing angles. If you’re a gamer the RM9L offers 144Hz refresh rate plus a powerful 288Hz game accelerator and AMD FreeSync Premium Pro. One minor gripe was that the colors seem initially far too vivid to me. The standard picture mode on some content looks oversaturated and a bit unnatural. I spent some time dialing back the color and switched over to Filmmaker mode to get a more accurate cinematic picture. Also, standard definition content can look rough but tweaking some settings made all the difference. Once calibrated, I was blown away. Between the brilliant clarity and stunning HDR, visuals just pop. I found myself re-watching my favorite 4K Blu-rays since the stunning image quality of the RM9L makes them look new again. While the image quality is undeniable, this cutting edge TV comes at a cost and you have to decide whether the jump in performance justifies the investment. I sure love it.