TCL - 98" Class QM8L Series 4K UHD HDR SQD-Mini LED Smart TV with Google TV (2026)

Great tv with awesome picture. Black levels are on par with oled

Clear images, great quality, and brightness. I was able to price match after my purchase and saved $800.

The TCL 98” QM8L is a monster of a television, and after spending time with it, I can confidently say it delivers one of the most impressive big screen experiences I’ve ever had in my home. Picture quality is excellent across the board, and with proper 4K sources, it’s just plain awesome. This is the brightest screen I’ve ever used. Setup is a big job, but once this TV is in place and powered on, it’s worth it. This is my first experience with Mini LED backlighting; it’s not perfect, but it’s darn close. Unboxing and Setup: Unboxing and installing this 98 inch television turned into a weekend project. Study the instructions on the outside of the box; they do an excellent job walking you through the unboxing process, and I strongly recommend you understand them before you even touch the box. The tips greatly simplify the experience, but even with that guidance, this is absolutely a two person job. Make sure both people can safely lift and maneuver over 100 pounds. The TV is large, awkward, and demands careful handling. Once the QM8L is positioned, the thoughtful design becomes apparent. TCL placed all the connections (HDMI, USB, Ethernet, optical audio, power) in easy to reach locations. Cable management is excellent thanks to the included guides that fit invisibly over the TV legs. It’s a small detail, but it makes the final installation look clean and intentional rather than like a bundle of wires hanging off the back of a giant screen. Picture Quality: It’s a TV; what’s more important than image quality? The picture quality is outstanding. Standard cable looks great. But with 4K HDR content, the TCL QM8L produces amazing clarity, color, and depth. Some images look like you should be able to reach out and touch them. Brightness is the first thing I noticed; it was initially shocking how bright the picture can get. Daytime viewing is easy, even with the curtains open. This is the brightest screen I’ve ever used. Contrast is excellent. No, it’s not OLED, but it gets surprisingly close. Dark scenes have real depth, and shadow detail is preserved. The Mini LED backlighting does a great job controlling light, though it’s not perfect. There is minor blooming in certain situations, most noticeably white text on a black background. It’s not distracting with normal content, but it’s there, and it’s the one area where the QM8L reminds you it’s still a backlit panel. Motion handling is another strong point. I’ve watched baseball, auto racing and hockey, and the QM8L handles it with ease. Fast movement remains clear – I never lost track of the puck! – and I haven’t noticed any distracting artifacts or smearing. Gaming Performance: Gaming on the TCL QM8L is outstanding. Both console and PC performance are excellent. Input lag is low, responsiveness is immediate, and the size of the display makes games immersive. Cyberpunk in my family room never looked so good. Sound Quality: This is the best sound I’ve heard from a TV. If I didn’t already have a full surround system installed, I could easily be happy using just the built in speakers. Dialogue is clear, bass is surprisingly present (I can feel it in the floor), and overall volume is more than adequate. The Bang & Olufsen Beosound tuning is new to me, and it does a good job tweaking audio as needed. I’m still amazed that this quality of sound is coming from my TV. Screen reflectivity: This is really the only negative thing I can say about the TCL QM8L. The screen is quite reflective. In dark scenes, room lights and windows become prominent and distracting. In normal viewing, the TV’s brightness easily overpowers reflections, but in dim or dark scenes, they’re noticeable. Google TV: If you’ve used Google TV before, you’ll feel right at home. Navigation is intuitive, responsive, and predictable. Apps load quickly, menus are smooth, and I haven’t encountered any lag or stuttering. It just works. Picture Adjustments and Calibration: Out of the box, the QM8L brightness and contrast were already excellent without touching a single setting; however, the settings menus provide direct access to anything you might want to adjust. We’ve used a short throw projector on a 120 inch screen for several years, and I’ll admit that moving to a 98 inch TV felt like a downgrade on paper. My wife was especially skeptical. Once the QM8L was in place and we saw what it can do, all concerns disappeared. The brightness, clarity, and contrast are beyond any projector we’ve owned. The notion of a “downgrade” vanished the moment we powered it on. We have zero regrets about the switch. Overall, The TCL 98” QM8L is a phenomenal television. It delivers exceptional brightness, excellent contrast, outstanding motion handling, and the best built in sound I’ve heard from a TV. Gaming performance is top tier, Google TV runs smoothly, and the thoughtful design makes installation and cable management easier than expected for a display this large. The only real drawback is the reflective screen. In dark scenes, reflections are noticeable and occasionally distracting. It’s not a dealbreaker, but it’s something to be aware of. Even with that caveat, I love the TCL QM8L. It has transformed our viewing experience, and we have no regrets after making the switch from a 120 inch projector setup. If you want a massive, bright, high performance TV, the QM8L is an easy recommendation.

TCL smashed it out of park with their 2026 TCL QM8L SQD Mini LED line of TV's to go as far for me to say that this may be considered the mythical "Forever TV". What makes it a "Forever TV"? Quite simply it’s that there really is nowhere significant to go from here so you would keep the TV forever! It's big and bright so room choice doesn't matter which is something you have to consider for other tv panel technologies like OLED and it gets near OLED black levels as well as contrast at a cheaper price point without having the worry of burn in which is a giant plus when viewing sports. The packaging of the QM8L is thoughtful and the protection is well distributed. They even make it so you can put the feet on the TV without removing it from the bottom of the giant box. One thing I wish they would have added was the screw on handles from the 115" TV models as that makes moving the TV much easier. You will need an extra set of hands to setup the TV and a 3rd person would make things go even smoother. The remote has a premium finish and has side brightness adjustments which you may need to quickly tune your content to your liking. The software is straightforward as it uses the Google TV operating system and there are plenty of streaming apps. I did run into one issue where the serial number of my TV was not properly registering so I could not use certain apps on the TV, after contacting TCL's support they quickly fixed the issue on their end without having to send a technician so if you have any issues, you will be in good hands. TCL also has a quick menu button that lets you change certain settings like picture modes and sound without having to dig into the settings. The QM8L has 6,000 nits max brightness and 4,000 local dimming zones and they are superb! All the content I tried from sports to nature documentaries looked amazing and I never saw any other light source drown out the tv in the room. The panel can do 144 Hz for pc or 120 Hz for console @4k as well as 288 Hz @1080p which is amazing for future proofing the TV. My jaw dropped repeatedly while using the QM8L and I look forward to using it forever as it has been deemed my Forever TV!

I am not noticing a significant difference from the qm7l, but it scales pretty well. If your room is too bright, then the brightness, although good, will not help/ the screen is reflective. I think video quality is good at this size, leaves room for more however. the speakers are amazing. You do not need a sound bar, maybe get a subwoofer.