TCL QM6K Series TV review – Fantastic picture for a mid-level price!

REVIEW – Television technology is changing rapidly, with features and quality that appeared on high-end TVs just a few years ago making their way down to the mid-range models now. That’s what the QM6K series from TCL represents – premium features, in a mid-priced package.  Our first flat-screen TV was a chunker – it was about 4 inches thick, weighed about 75 pounds, and had bezels that were about 3 inches across!  The QM6K series from TCL is thin, light, and almost without bezels, and with an awesome picture!

⬇︎ Jump to summary (pros/cons)
Price: $949.99 (75 inch model)
Where to buy: TCL or Amazon

What is it?

The TCL QM6K Series TV is a flat-screen wall-mountable TV that features UHD (ultra-high-definition) resolution illuminated by QD-mini LEDs.

What’s included?

• TCL QM6K Series TV
• Remote
• Batteries
• Removable tabletop stand
• Quick-start guide

Tech specs

Sizes:  55”, 65”, 75” 85”, 98”
WiFi:  Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac)
On-screen languages:  English, Spanish, French
Parental Control (V-chip): yes
Audio Power: Onkyo 2.1 channel 40W (2 x 10W +20W)
Audio Passthrough: Dolby Atmos, Dolby Digital +, Dolby Digital, PCM
Audio Processing: Dolby Atmos, Dolby Digital +
Smart Platform:  Google TV
Signal Format Compatibility: ATSC, NTSC, Clear QAM
LED Technology:  QD-Mini LED
Display Technology: QLED – Quantum Dot Technology
Panel Refresh Rate:  120 Hz
Panel Resolution: 4K Ultra HD (3840 x 2160)
Display Colors:  1.07 billion
High Dynamic Range (HDR) format: HDR10, HDR 10+, HLG, Dolby vison, Dolby Vision gaming, Dolby vison IQ
Connections: RF Input (1, NTSC, ATSC); Ethernet (1); USB (1 x USB 2.0, 1 x USB 3.0); HDMI (4 HDMI (1 eARC));  SPDIF Digital Audio Optical (1)
Mount: Tabletop stand or VESA 300 x 300
Energy Star:  no
Standby Power; <0.5W

Design and features

There’s not much to the design of flat-screen TVs anymore.  They seem to be trending to “just screen” with no bezels, and trying to be as thin as possible.  This one is no exception.  There is a bezel around the screen that is about half an inch thick, and a single LED light on the front to indicate standby power and when a command is received from the remote. On the back, there is a panel on the side with all the connections, that is still accessible while the TV is wall-mounted (like mine is).

The remote control is backlit automatically, as soon as you pick it up, and features quick-access buttons for Netflix, Prime Video, YouTube, Apple TV, Disney+, and TCLtv. The remote also features a “google assistant” button for interacting with your TV using your voice, and also interacting with the google assistant.

In terms of features that TV nerds will really care about, there seems to be a lot (hint – I’m not a TV nerd and generally care more about how a TV sounds than how it looks!). One feature that is noticeable is how black the blacks get, and without any halo effects common in lower-cost TVs. TCL has done a lot of work to ensure that the colors of this TCL QM6K Series TV are very accurate, and bright, thanks to the DLA or Dynamic Lighting Algorithm. The enhanced QLED technology helps with this as well.

Speakers are by Onkyo, and feature two built-in 10W stereo speakers, and one 20W “subwoofer.” The TV has some interesting settings, including a “game master” setting which optimizes performance for gaming.  It also has “eco” settings which let you make some changes to save power (note that the TV is not “Energy Star” compliant.).

The TCL QM6K Series TV supports HDR10, HDR Dolby Vision Gaming, and Dolby Vision IQ, as long as your source supports those formats. The TV will pass through all the Dolby audio formats up to uncompressed Dolby Atmos.  The TV also features “Filmmaker Mode” which changes picture settings to a more “cinema-like” experience.

Performance

Here’s the TLDR:  The TCL QM6K Series TV looks fantastic, and sounds OK. But let’s take a step back.  It arrived via truck freight on a pallet, which was surprising. I wasn’t able to get a photo of the packaged TV because the driver requested we immediately open the box and plug the TV in to ensure it was not damaged in transport.  But I did get a photo of all the packaging!

We got this TV to replace a very old flat-panel TV that was wall mounted, so I immediately mounted this one in its place.  That process went very smoothly thanks to the 300×300 VESA mounting (which is standard for most TVs now).  But this TV was MUCH lighter than the one I was replacing, despite being much larger. That was a pleasant surprise, given I was always a little worried my wall mount would pull out of the studs in my 125 year old house!

In terms of the picture, it’s quite good, especially for a “non-premium” TV. The colors are very bright and vivid, and seem very accurate. The white balance is fantastic, with very good black levels and backlight.  There are lots of motion smoothing options, for those who like a little or a lot of the “soap opera” look on their TV.  The off-angle viewing is impressive, which is important if you have a really big room with some viewers not directly in front of the screen. Everything we’ve watched on the TCL QM6K Series TV has looked great.

Flat screen TVs have never been known for great sound, but I was excited when I saw this TV had 40W of audio power, split between 2 10W Onkyo stereo speakers and one 20W “subwoofer.”  Unfortunately, my expectations were overly hopeful. The sound is OK, but no better than what you would expect from any flat-panel TV.  There just isn’t the space to do very much with sound. Your viewing (and listening) experience will be much improved with at least a sound bar, and even more so with a sound bar and subwoofer.  The included HDMI-ARC port makes this a very easy solution.

We love the remote.  It lights automatically as soon as you pick it up, which is fantastic for viewing in a dark room. It has an intuitive design, but the volume and channel buttons seem reversed. The volume buttons are marked with a “+ and -” and the channel buttons are marked with a “up and down.”  This seems backward – channels are numeric so they should have the + and -, and volume goes up and down. But I’ll get used to that soon. The quick-access buttons are for channels we actually use – Netflix, Prime Video, YouTube, Apple TV, Disney+, And it includes a Google Assistant button and microphone.

The Smart TV interface is Google TV, which is not really part of this review since it is its own product, but it works for us. TCL also makes other model TVs that feature the Amazon Fire and Roku interfaces if you prefer those to Google TV. But we like Google TV. It integrates with the rest of our smart home ecosystem nicely and provides us with all the features we need.

Final thoughts

The TCL QM6K Series QD-Mini LED QLED 4K UHD Smart TV has been a great upgrade from our 10 year old flat screen TV in our living room. We’ve enjoyed the  great picture, bezel-less design, the well designed remote, and the intuitive Google TV interface. If you’re considering a new TV, take a good look at the QM6K Series from TCL.

What I like about the TCL QM6K Series TV

• Beautiful picture
• Premium features, great price
• Really nice remote control

What needs to be improved?

• Audio is still weak, especially for an Onkyo 2.1 system.
• Volume and channel buttons on the remote seem backward.

Price: $999.99 (75 inch model)
Where to buy: TCL or Amazon
Source: The sample of this product was provided for free by TCL. TCL did not have a final say on the review and did not preview the review before it was published.

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• Hisense U8N 55″ ULED 4K Smart TV review – Bargain price with premium features!
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