News
AI Is Taking Over—and TCL Is Quietly Winning the Display War

China’s AI hardware market is expected to exceed 1.1 trillion yuan ($140 billion) in 2025, according to a new report from research firm RUNTO. This marks a 13.4% year-on-year increase and excludes AI smartphones and vehicles. The report also forecasts sustained growth over the next five years, driven by rapid AI integration across consumer electronics. As AI hardware expands, demand for high-end display panels is set to rise sharply. TCL, with its strong presence in the display industry, is expected to benefit significantly.
AI features have already reached deep into the Chinese consumer tech market. AI TVs now account for over 70% of shipments, offering features such as picture enhancement, voice control, and content suggestions. AI laptops make up 50% of available models, and AI tablets account for 76%. Wearables like smartwatches and AI bands have reached over 85% penetration, while AI smart glasses now represent 65% of all smart eyewear sales. AI smart locks and surveillance cameras have both passed the 25% mark.
Analysts expect the AI hardware boom to shift display panel demand toward the high-end segment. Most AI-enabled devices initially launch in premium categories before features expand to lower-tier models. This trend supports higher-margin panel shipments and strengthens the position of suppliers like TCL Technology and BOE, who already lead in advanced display manufacturing.
TCL is also applying AI to improve display production. In June, TCL CSOT launched X-Intelligence 3.0, a vertical AI model focused on reasoning for the display industry. This model supports domain-specific decision-making and can offer solutions that go beyond traditional engineering approaches. TCL uses it to optimize manufacturing processes and improve efficiency.
As AI continues to shape the next generation of consumer electronics, TCL’s investment in both display technology and AI-driven manufacturing gives it a clear advantage in a rapidly evolving market.
In related news, TCL shipments dropped 23% in Q2 2025 amid rising demand for Indian-made smartphones in the US, while Samsung and Sony have just stepped into the RGB-Mini LED race—but they’re already playing catch-up.
Featured
TCL SQD-Mini LED Tech Explained: New Benchmark for Mini LED Displays

TCL SQD-Mini LED (Super Quantum Dot Mini LED) technology is the company’s most ambitious evolution of Mini LED to date. Debuting with the flagship X11L series, this new display tech is designed to overcome the limitations of conventional RGB-Mini LED systems by delivering better color accuracy, more efficient light control, and higher brightness, all while allowing for ultra-slim TV designs.
In traditional RGB-Mini LED setups, backlighting is achieved using red, green, and blue LEDs grouped together to form white light. While this allows for rich colors, it comes with downsides—namely, the potential for color bleeding, limited zone density due to complex layouts, and inconsistent performance when rendering mixed-color scenes.
SQD-Mini LED solves this by switching to a single-type blue LED light source, which passes through a high-density layer of upgraded quantum dots. These dots convert the blue light into red and green wavelengths, which are then blended to produce full-spectrum white light. The result is purer, more stable colors with minimal distortion.
Unlike RGB-Mini LED, which achieves only localized high color gamut (often peaking at around 97% BT.2020), TCL’s SQD-Mini LED panel delivers a true global high color gamut, reaching 100% BT.2020 across the entire screen. It maintains consistent accuracy whether the scene is monochromatic or multi-colored. Because each pixel’s color generation process remains uniform, there’s no shift or compromise during complex scenes.
This architecture also makes the backlight more compact and thermally efficient. A single chip can replace a cluster of three RGB LEDs, allowing more dimming zones within the same area. In the case of the X11L, the 98-inch version reaches 20,736 zones—an industry-leading figure. Brightness is another strong point, with peak levels hitting 10,000 nits, ideal for true HDR playback.
SQD-Mini LED also enables thinner TVs. The X11L is just 2cm thick, making it the slimmest Mini LED TV ever. In short, TCL’s SQD-Mini LED is not just a refinement of Mini LED; it’s a full-stack rethinking designed to rival OLED in color precision while surpassing it in brightness and durability.
In related news, we recently explored TCL’s strategy to dominate the Indian TV market in 2025. Check it out as well.
News
TCL Launches World’s First SQD-Mini LED TV with Record-Breaking Brightness and Color

TCL has launched its flagship X11L series alongside Q9M and Q10M Ultra at the 2025 Mini LED TV Autumn Launch Event in China. The company describes it as the new “king of TVs” and the first to feature its proprietary SQD-Mini LED display technology. This panel promises purer color output and higher backlight precision compared to conventional RGB-Mini LED solutions.
The X11L series is available in three sizes. The 75-inch model is priced at 19,999 yuan ($2,800), the 85-inch version costs 34,999 yuan ($4,900) and features 14,400 local dimming zones, while the top-end 98-inch model comes in at 59,999 yuan (~$8,400) and boasts 20,736 dimming zones.
TCL X11L Mini LED TV Specifications
The 98-inch variant features a 4K panel with a peak brightness of 10,000 nits. It supports HDR formats including Dolby Vision, HDR10+, HDR10, HLG, and IMAX Enhanced. The display covers 100% of the BT.2020 color gamut and delivers professional-grade color accuracy with a ΔE value of less than 0.99. TCL uses a “butterfly wing” LCD layer with low-reflection coatings to improve contrast and viewing angles while keeping the body thickness at just 2 cm.
TCL has equipped the X11L with the MediaTek 9655+ chipset, paired with 4GB RAM and 128GB storage. The TV supports 4K 144Hz input through four HDMI 2.1 full-bandwidth ports. Other connectivity options include USB 3.0, USB 2.0, LAN, AV-in, RF input, and optical audio out. Wi-Fi 6 is built-in.
For audio, it uses a custom speaker system tuned by Bang & Olufsen. It includes dual woofers, a center channel, and front-firing drivers designed for clean and dynamic sound.
The X11L runs TCL’s Lingkong System 3.0, which features a clean card-style UI, no boot ads, and support for AI voice control, NAS media playback, and education tools. Each unit ships with a magnetic wall mount and tabletop stand.
In related news, we recently explored TCL’s strategy to dominate the Indian TV market in 2025. Check it out as well.
News
TCL Q9M RGB-Mini LED TVs launched with up to 2880 dimming zones, 2000-nit brightness

TCL has officially launched its new Q9M series RGB-Mini LED televisions alongside Q10M Ultra series at the 2025 Mini LED Autumn Launch Event in China. The lineup starts at 7999 yuan ($1,120) for the 65-inch model and goes up to 19999 yuan ($2,800) for the 98-inch variant. The TVs feature thousand-level local dimming, with the top model offering up to 2880 RGB zones.
TCL Q9M TVs Specifications
The Q9M series supports up to 2000 nits peak XDR brightness and delivers 100% BT.2020 color gamut coverage. TCL has used its fourth-generation RGB-Mini LED backlight system along with a “Butterfly Starry Screen” panel that offers a native contrast ratio of 7000:1. The panel includes dual-layer anti-reflective coatings, reducing light reflectance to as low as 0.5%.
The televisions support Dolby Vision, HDR10+, IMAX Enhanced, and HLG. TCL has integrated an Onkyo 2.1.2-channel Hi-Fi sound system that includes upward-firing speakers and a dedicated subwoofer. The system is powered by independent audio chips and is tuned for a cinematic experience.
Each model is powered by the MediaTek 9655+ chipset with 4GB of RAM and up to 128GB of storage. The TVs include four full-bandwidth HDMI 2.1 ports with support for 4K at 144Hz, as well as VRR, ALLM, and MEMC. TCL also claims support for refresh rates up to 288Hz and features such as FreeSync Premium Pro and a dedicated gaming dashboard.
The Q9M series runs on the Lingxi 3.0 system with Fuxi AI integration for voice commands, content recommendations, and smart photo editing. It supports wall mounting with an 8mm magnetic mount and includes features such as Wi-Fi 6, USB 3.0, LAN input, and NAS protocol support.
In related news, we recently explored TCL’s strategy to dominate the Indian TV market in 2025. Check it out.