TCL QM7 2024 Review: Cheaper Doesn’t Mean Worse

One of the worst feelings you tin person erstwhile buying an costly tech merchandise is the thought that you’re settling. TVs, especially, terms galore radical retired of the marketplace erstwhile they privation thing of much prime than an IPS LCD. Unfortunately, it remains arsenic existent arsenic it ever has. You volition ne'er get the eventual representation prime of the highest-end OLEDs oregon QLEDs, particularly erstwhile looking for a caller TV from this year. However, with flatscreens similar the TCL QM7, the drawbacks are truthful minimal that astir won’t request to perceive to that devil connected your enarthrosis telling you to dive deeper into your savings for that shiny caller TV.

Suppliers similar Hisense, TCL, and now Amazon person brought the much affordable mini-LED into its heyday. You could, of course, opt for much expensive, fantabulous mid-range models from 2024, similar Samsung’s QN90D oregon Panasonic’s W95A. They person fantabulous representation prime and comparatively coagulated viewing angles for mini-LED, amended than what you tin typically get from thing similar a Hisense U7. That is, if your eagle eyes tin genuinely spot the difference.

The TCL QM7 has a listed terms of $1,100 MSRP for a 55-inch TV (though presently $800 MSRP from Amazon and Best Buy), though my 65-inch reappraisal portion costs $1,500 (closer to $1,100 from astir sites) erstwhile not connected sale. Samsung’s QLED costs $2,700 MSRP. That’s each to say: you tin ever find these TVs astatine 1 woody terms oregon another, adjacent much truthful heading toward Black Friday (at the clip of writing, the 65-inch QM7 is going for $700 connected sale).

The QM7 has large representation quality. If it weren’t for my job, I wouldn’t adjacent beryllium capable to archer you there’s immoderate benignant of gulf betwixt it and much costly screens. However, you whitethorn privation to opt for thing a spot much costly depending connected however galore radical you expect to assemblage astir the display. The TCL QM7 has precise shallow viewing angles. Walk extracurricular the saccharine spot, and the representation prime takes a hit. As different caveat, if you expect to bent your QM7 successful a nice, sunny den, cognize you whitethorn request to adjacent the blinds to debar a dense sheen of reflection and glare.

But if each you’re looking for is simply a prime mini-LED TV for that fund price, the QM7 is very, precise solid. Plus, it’s not skimping connected larboard selections oregon basal TV audio. The QM7 has a coagulated fig of audio ports, 4K HDMI ports (though lone 1 of them supports 120 Hz refresh rates), and USB (one 3.0 and different 2.0). There’s capable determination should you yet determine to upgrade your movie acquisition with a soundbar oregon other speakers, and you’ll ne'er tally retired of 4K ports for your consoles.

And I privation that were it, but beyond each that, the QM7 a Google TV. I can’t accidental it’s my favourite UI for this oregon immoderate television. But if you tin tummy that and those different insignificant symptom points, it’s casual to urge the TCL’s QD-mini-LED, particularly during these pre-holiday times erstwhile immoderate sellers are hawking it for mode beneath its starting price.

TCL QM7 Review: Picture Quality

© Photo: Adriano Contreras / Gizmodo

Once I had each the settings the mode I wanted it, the QM7’s 4K representation is crisp and bright. The TV supports some HDR10+, and Dolby Vision, and I was satisfied with the opposition successful everything I watched oregon played. I sat done the full of Deadpool & Wolverine connected the QM7, and it’s wide this benignant of TV volition bash you conscionable good with immoderate colorful flick. The basal audio is besides reasonably loud, capable to capable the country and beyond. You’ll inactive privation to yet put successful a soundbar oregon talker strategy for amended bass, but what’s determination is bully capable to start.

This TV does necessitate immoderate fiddling to get right. To debar immoderate question smoothing nonsense, you’ll request to debar some the Dolby Vision IQ mounting and the “Motion Clarity” setting, which is—of course—on by default. That being said, the automatic Dolby Vision Bright preset is simply a coagulated prime for astir content. You request to retrieve that Google TV automatically defaults to Dolby Vision representation settings successful apps similar Disney+. I besides preferred it with the Local Dimming mounting connected High, and you should excessively if you privation thing adjacent to TCL’s promotional pics, oregon the shots successful this review.

On different apps oregon successful supporting movies, you tin astir apt instrumentality to the Smart HDR mode, though Vivid mightiness beryllium a bully 2nd choice. The blacks successful these modes are plentifulness deep, avoiding the grays you mightiness get connected an IPS LCD display. The TV defaults to the Low Power representation setting, but the representation prime is truthful overmuch much washed retired than successful immoderate different modes I can’t recommend. You suffer truthful overmuch of the opposition that way, and it’s a wonderment TCL doesn’t marque immoderate different mode default.

You’ll bask the prime of the representation connected the QM7, but lone if you’re lasting straight successful beforehand of it. When you get a fewer degrees disconnected angle, the representation prime instantly starts to dip. Even going 20 degrees from astir 10 feet distant results successful a overmuch grayer representation than astir would want. It’s an contented with galore mini-LED screens, but this is person to the aforesaid issues I had with the Sony Bravia 7 released earlier this year.

The different annoying facet of the TCL QM7’s mounting illustration is that you request to crook connected the mounting to use each your representation settings crossed apps and inputs. At the precise least, the TV’s automatically adjusted crippled settings don’t necessitate immoderate much fiddling, astatine slightest for the astir part. The “Original” mounting connected the TCL crippled barroom is fine, but the colour is possibly excessively lukewarm compared to the “FPS” mode, particularly portion I was playing Call of Duty: Black Ops 6.

I’ll discuss the crippled settings successful much item successful the adjacent section, but I tin accidental that these games look coagulated crossed the board. Playing Black Ops, Star Wars: Jedi Survivor, and Mortal Kombat 1, I was impressed with the prime of the display, as long arsenic I was lasting straight successful beforehand of it with each the close settings enabled.

TCL QM7 Review: Build and Setup

© Photo: Adriano Contreras / Gizmodo

Make definite to person a person oregon household subordinate connected standby to get your QM7 acceptable up. Of course, you’ll request idiosyncratic to assistance you assistance it retired of the box, but you whitethorn request an other manus conscionable to dependable the “L”-shaped basal portion you screw it into place.

After that, the large contented you’ll tally into is Google TV. If you person immoderate acquisition with Chromecast oregon adjacent if you person a standby Google account, it doesn’t necessitate excessively overmuch effort, particularly if you program to link everything done Google Home. The TV volition automatically brace to your Home app connected your telephone if you privation to get successful easier, but it takes a batch much typing connected the distant if you don’t privation to bother.

The distant itself is what you expect. There are peculiar buttons for Netflix, Prime Video, YouTube, TCLtv, AppleTV, and Pluto. It besides connects with Google Assistant for voice, but it’s inactive acold amended to manually spell done the settings menu, pat the triple-line fastener successful the mediate of the distant to alteration settings, oregon clasp it to bring up the crippled bar.

The crippled barroom is rudimentary if you’ve utilized immoderate modern astute TV successful the past fewer years. It offers an always-on reticule, representation settings, and “Shaw enhancement” settings to summation brightness (and find immoderate campers hiding successful acheronian corners). The High Frame Rate Mode enables immoderate crippled to tally astatine the max 120 FPS, but it won’t enactment each game. If you’re a PlayStation 5 Pro proprietor oregon a PC gamer wanting to play connected the large screen, this mounting whitethorn beryllium useful.

But, still, I’m not excessively fond of Google TV. The menus are basic, and there’s nary motion successful the main paper for what devices you person connected to the HDMI ports. Instead, you person to deed the input fastener astatine the apical of the distant to power betwixt consoles. At the precise least, the UI is elemental and clean. It’s conscionable not precise helpful.

That said, the TCL QM7 is not the benignant of surface that volition inactive look just successful nonstop sunlight, either. On a cloudy day, astatine afloat brightness, sticking the TV adjacent the model results successful reflections clogging up the picture.

TCL QM7 Review: Verdict

© Photo: Adriano Contreras / Gizmodo

The TCL QM7 is the benignant of TV you tin unrecorded with. It’s not perfect, and of people it wouldn’t be. Imagine if TCL’s cheaper TVs had perfectly everything the much costly models had. The Samsungs and Sonys retired determination would stroke a fuze. There whitethorn beryllium an alternate beingness wherever that’s true, but not successful this demented timeline.

The 3 large issues—limited viewing angles, glare, and—to a lesser extent—Google TV—are not hard to overcome. You tin bash acold worse for the wealth you mightiness beryllium spending connected the QM7, particularly if you get it connected merchantability present for nether $1,000.