Featured
How to Calibrate Your TCL TV for the Best Picture Quality
TCL TVs sold in the U.S., from budget 4-Series models to high-end QLED and Mini LED sets, include a wide range of picture settings. With a few careful adjustments, users can unlock much better image quality across all content types.
This guide outlines how to set up your TCL TV for Movies, Gaming, Live TV and Streaming, and Sports. It covers both SDR and HDR (including Dolby Vision) content and explains platform differences between Roku TV and Google TV.
Before You Start: Turn Off Eco and Adaptive Settings
Before adjusting any picture controls, users should disable automatic features that interfere with consistency. On Google TV models, go to Settings > System > Power & Energy and turn Energy Saver off. Also, turn off Adaptive Brightness, Contrast, or any Intelligent Picture options in the settings. On Roku TVs, set TV Brightness to Normal under the general settings menu. These steps ensure the TV will not override manual picture settings.
Movies and Cinematic Content
To get a film-accurate image in a dark room, start with the Movie picture mode. This preset reduces backlight intensity, warms the color temperature, and disables motion smoothing. On Roku TVs, press the star (*) button during playback to access the picture menu and select Movie. On Google TV, go to Settings > Picture > Picture Mode and choose Movie.
Adjust the backlight based on the lighting in your room. For a dim home theater, a 40–50% backlight level works well. In a brighter room, raise it to around 70–80%. Set contrast to 90 or higher for strong highlights. Use the Warm color temperature setting for more natural skin tones. Set Sharpness to 0 to avoid artificial outlines and turn off any motion smoothing options like Action Smoothing or Motion Clarity.
For HDR10 content, keep the Movie mode active, set Backlight and Contrast to 100, and turn Local Dimming or Local Contrast to High. On Dolby Vision content, choose Dolby Vision Dark for night viewing or Dolby Vision Bright in a well-lit room. TCL locks most settings in Dolby Vision mode, but users can still adjust brightness based on viewing conditions.
Gaming (Console and PC)
TCL TVs include a Game Mode that reduces input lag by disabling unnecessary processing. On Roku TVs, access this under Advanced Picture Settings. On Google TVs, either switch to the Game picture mode or ensure Game Mode or ALLM is enabled when a console is connected.
Keep contrast high and backlight at maximum for HDR gaming. Use Warm color temperature for accurate colors. Set Sharpness to 0 and turn off noise reduction. In HDR games, verify that Local Dimming is still set to High if available. Users should also calibrate HDR using their console’s built-in utility.
For Xbox and PC users with supported TCL models, enable VRR and connect through HDMI 2.1 ports. TCL automatically detects variable refresh signals when Game Mode is active. If the TV shows brightness fluctuations during VRR gameplay, consider setting Local Dimming to Low to stabilize the image.
PC users should rename the HDMI input to “PC” or “Computer” to force 4:4:4 chroma and better text clarity. Set the GPU to output Full Range RGB and ensure the TV’s black level is not clipping shadow detail.
Live TV and Streaming
For general TV watching, use the Standard picture mode. This profile balances brightness, contrast, and color for a wide range of content. Raise the backlight to suit your room lighting. On Roku TVs, select a brighter preset if you are watching during the day. On Google TVs, push the Brightness slider to around 70–100, depending on ambient light.
Keep contrast high and adjust color temperature to Normal or Warm if faces appear too cool. Moderate sharpness, around 10 to 20 on a 0–100 scale, helps with cable news or older YouTube content. Use Low or Auto noise reduction if the signal is low-quality. For motion, enable Low smoothing if you want smoother camera pans, or leave it off for a more natural feel.
In HDR or Dolby Vision streaming, use HDR Bright or Dolby Vision Bright modes for daytime viewing. These modes raise midtones to prevent images from appearing too dim in well-lit rooms. For evening or dark-room viewing, switch to HDR Dark or Dolby Vision Dark for a more accurate tone curve.
Sports Viewing
TCL’s Sports mode is tuned for fast motion and bright environments. Activate this mode during live games to boost clarity and motion smoothness. It increases backlight, contrast, and sharpness and often sets the color temperature to Cool.
Set Backlight and Contrast to 100 to maintain visibility in bright rooms. Sports mode typically enables aggressive motion interpolation by default. On Google TVs, set Blur Reduction and Judder Reduction sliders to high values. On Roku TVs, use Action Smoothing = High. This ensures players and fast-moving objects remain visible during pans.
Use a higher color saturation level (around 55–60) to make team jerseys and field colors look more vibrant. Avoid pushing this too far, or faces may look unnatural. Leave Clear Motion or LED Motion off to avoid flickering and loss of brightness.
For HDR sports, use HDR Bright or a bright Sports HDR mode if available. Keep Local Dimming on High to maintain image depth.
Final Thoughts
Each TCL model may have slight differences in menu structure, but the core settings remain consistent. Disable adaptive features, choose a mode based on the content type, and fine-tune color and brightness to suit your environment. Calibrating each HDMI input separately ensures every source looks its best, whether you are watching a film, gaming online, or streaming daytime TV.
In related news, we recently broke down how TCL’s inkjet-printed OLED technology works and explored what makes the TCL Z100 soundbar stand out.
Featured
TCL QLED vs Mini LED vs OLED: What’s the Difference and Which Should You Choose?
In a world of increasingly dazzling TV displays, the terms QLED, Mini LED, and OLED can feel more like buzzwords than buying guides. But the truth is, each technology represents a distinct approach to image quality, with strengths that cater to different viewers, rooms, and price points.
TCL is pushing premium tech into affordable territory, offering some of the best examples of QLED and Mini LED implementation in 2025. OLED, while not yet available in TCL’s consumer lineup, is still worth comparing to understand what you might be trading off. So what are the differences, and which display tech makes the most sense for your next upgrade?
Let’s break it down.
The Basics: How Each Tech Works
QLED is TCL’s most accessible display technology. Short for Quantum Dot LED, it’s fundamentally an LED-backlit LCD TV with a layer of quantum dots that boost color brightness and volume. These dots glow when hit by light, helping TCL’s Q6 and Q7 series produce wider color gamuts and brighter highlights compared to traditional LEDs. But QLED is not self-emissive, meaning black levels and contrast rely on backlight control.
Mini LED takes this concept further by drastically increasing the number of backlight zones, sometimes into the thousands. TCL pioneered this in 2019 and now leads the pack in mass-market Mini LED TVs, especially in the QM7K, QM8K, and flagship X11K series. These sets offer ultra-high brightness (up to 5,000+ nits in some models), better local dimming, and more precise light control across the screen, bringing them closer to OLED-like contrast without the downsides of organic pixel aging.
OLED, meanwhile, is entirely different. Each pixel emits its own light, so it can shut off completely for true blacks and infinite contrast. The downside? Burn-in risk from static content, lower peak brightness (especially in full-screen scenes), and a price premium in larger sizes. TCL is still developing its first consumer OLED TVs, likely for late 2025 or beyond, but for now, you’ll need to turn to brands like LG or Sony if OLED is your target.
Picture Quality Breakdown
Let’s talk about brightness. If you’re planning to watch TV in a bright room or just want your HDR highlights to be eye-searingly intense, TCL’s Mini LED models are unmatched. The QM8K series can hit 2,000 to 2,500 nits, while the X11K boasts up to 6,500 nits. OLEDs, even the newest ones, typically top out around 1,000 to 1,500 nits in highlights. In full-screen brightness, they’re even dimmer. QLED sits in the middle, not as bright as Mini LED, but easily hitting 600 to 1,000 nits on midrange models like the TCL Q7.
Contrast? OLED wins. No blooming. No grayish blacks. Just pure, inky darkness. But TCL’s Mini LED sets come close, especially in real-world use. The thousands of dimming zones in the QM8K and X11K allow for excellent black levels with minimal haloing, even if not technically perfect. Standard QLED sets without Mini LED tech (like the Q6) do fine in bright rooms, but their black levels suffer in dim lighting, especially without local dimming.
Color volume and saturation are also strong suits for both TCL’s QLED and Mini LED lines. Quantum dot layers allow these TVs to hit nearly 100 percent DCI-P3 coverage and retain color saturation at higher brightness levels, something OLEDs can struggle with. But OLED takes the edge in color accuracy, especially in darker scenes, and offers more consistent picture quality from wide viewing angles.
Speaking of angles, OLED is the clear winner if you have a wide couch or side seating. TCL’s QLED and Mini LED sets, which use VA LCD panels, tend to lose contrast and shift colors off-axis. That said, TCL has introduced wide-viewing VA tech in some 2025 models (like the C9K series) to improve this, but it still can’t fully match OLED’s uniformity.
Gaming and Motion Performance
For gamers, both OLED and TCL’s Mini LED models are excellent choices. OLED offers near-instantaneous pixel response times (around 0.1ms), which eliminates ghosting and motion blur entirely. But TCL’s QM8K and Q7 series support up to 144Hz refresh rates, VRR, ALLM, and extremely low input lag (around 6 to 10ms), making them top-tier gaming displays too.
Here’s where LCD-based tech wins: burn-in. OLEDs can degrade when static elements like HUDs or logos are left onscreen for long periods. TCL’s QLED and Mini LED TVs have no such risk. If you’re gaming for hours on end or watching news channels with constant tickers, that’s worth considering.
Durability and Power Use
When it comes to long-term durability, QLED and Mini LED win again. The inorganic LEDs used in TCL’s backlights last for tens of thousands of hours without visible degradation or risk of image retention. OLEDs, while much improved in lifespan, can still experience slow pixel wear, especially the blue subpixels, which can lead to uneven brightness over many years.
Power consumption depends heavily on content. OLEDs are very efficient when showing dark content (since black pixels are off), but they can draw more power in bright scenes. Mini LED TVs use more energy when pumping out their extreme brightness levels, but local dimming helps cut power draw during darker scenes. In mixed usage, the differences tend to even out.
TCL’s 2025 Lineup: What Can You Actually Buy?
If you’re in the market today, OLED isn’t part of TCL’s product catalog yet. What you do get is a robust lineup of QLED and Mini LED models at multiple price points. The Q6 is your affordable, wide-color option, great for casual TV watching. The Q7 steps up with 120Hz panels, local dimming, and better HDR chops.
For a premium viewing experience, the QM7K and QM8K Mini LED models are TCL’s best current offerings. They boast high brightness, deep blacks, and all the modern gaming and HDR features you’d want. The flagship X11K, with 14,000 dimming zones and absurd peak brightness.
Which Should You Choose?
If you want the best cinematic picture in a dark room and don’t mind paying a bit more or buying from another brand, OLED is still king. If you want an excellent all-rounder with insane brightness and no burn-in risk, TCL’s Mini LED TVs (especially the QM8K) are the sweet spot. For budget buyers or bright-room viewers, TCL’s QLED TVs offer solid performance and color for the price.
At the end of the day, it’s not about which display tech is best; it’s about which one fits your room, your budget, and your viewing habits. And that’s where TCL’s diverse lineup gives you more control than ever.
You must also check out our other article, where we explained TCL’s Inkjet-Printed OLED technology in detail.
Featured
TCL Inkjet-Printed OLED Tech Explained
TCL is gearing up to shake up the OLED landscape, not by refining existing methods like LG or Samsung, but by flipping the entire production process. Through its display subsidiary CSOT, TCL is betting on inkjet-printed OLED (IJP OLED) panels as a cheaper, cleaner, and sharper alternative to the industry’s dominant OLED manufacturing techniques. After more than a decade of R&D and a high-stakes collaboration with Japan’s JOLED, TCL has begun small-scale production and is now preparing to enter the OLED TV and monitor market with something fundamentally different: OLED panels built like they’re printed, not evaporated.
How Traditional OLED Manufacturing Works
Most OLED panels today are built using vacuum thermal evaporation (VTE) through fine metal masks. It’s a meticulous process: organic emissive materials are vaporized in vacuum chambers and deposited layer by layer onto glass substrates. This method works well for small smartphone displays, but it wastes materials, relies on expensive and fragile masks, and becomes increasingly inefficient as screen size grows. It’s also labor-intensive, with constant maintenance and frequent equipment cleanings needed to keep yields high.
What Makes TCL’s Inkjet OLED Different
TCL’s approach bypasses all of that. Instead of vaporizing materials, inkjet printing turns them into liquid form — OLED “inks” — and precisely deposits them onto the panel substrate using printheads. There’s no need for masks, and there’s far less waste since materials are only deposited where needed. Each subpixel (red, green, and blue) is printed separately, allowing for a true RGB OLED layout, which improves text sharpness and color accuracy, especially important for monitors and laptops.
Unlike LG’s WOLED, which emits white light and uses color filters, or Samsung’s QD-OLED, which uses blue OLED with quantum dots to generate red and green, TCL’s printed RGB OLED emits colors directly from each subpixel. There are no filters, no QD layers, and no blue-heavy bias. The result is a cleaner image with higher light efficiency and less optical loss.
Production Progress and Commercial Plans
TCL began pilot production in 2024 with a 21.6-inch 4K OLED panel aimed at medical monitors, the same panel size previously produced by JOLED. This marked the first commercial inkjet OLED display to enter mass production. The panels are currently built at TCL’s Gen-5.5 line in Guangzhou, but the real leap will come from the new Gen-8.5/8.6 “T8” line, which is designed for TV-scale panels.
TCL has already demonstrated 65-inch printed OLED TVs and foldable concepts, and it expects to deliver the first inkjet OLED TVs in late 2025. The company is targeting 55, 65, and 75-inch TVs initially, with expansion plans for 42- and 98-inch panels. Peak brightness is expected to hit 2,000 nits, with Rec.2020 color coverage around 90 percent, comparable to the latest QD-OLED and MLA-enhanced WOLED models.
Environmental and Efficiency Advantages
The biggest upside of inkjet OLED isn’t just image quality. It’s the potential cost and environmental savings. TCL claims a 2× improvement in material efficiency, since there’s no mask wastage and fewer discarded panels due to defects. The process uses less energy, avoids costly vacuum systems, and allows faster production with fewer interruptions. These advantages could eventually bring OLED pricing closer to mainstream LCDs and make high-end panels more accessible.
Compared to LG’s and Samsung’s methods, TCL’s process also avoids the use of heavy filters or quantum dot layers, which reduces complexity and improves lifespan. While long-term durability is still being validated, TCL says its printed panels already show promising results in both efficiency and longevity.
What Comes Next
TCL isn’t just preparing to launch its own OLED TVs. It’s positioning itself as a next-gen OLED panel supplier. If its 27-inch printed OLED monitor panel enters mass production, PC brands like Asus, Dell, and Lenovo could soon have a third option beyond LG and Samsung for high-end OLED screens. The roadmap also includes tablet and smartphone panels, flexible displays, and rollable form factors, all printed, not evaporated.
Xiaomi is also reportedly testing TCL’s printed OLED panels for its upcoming flagship smartphones. If adopted, this would mark a major milestone for inkjet OLED in mobile devices and signal growing confidence from other top-tier brands. TCL CSOT, meanwhile, is doubling down with a massive 8.6G inkjet OLED production line in the works, a multi-billion yuan facility that would enable high-volume manufacturing of large-format printed panels.
It’s still early. TCL’s OLED TVs haven’t hit the market yet, and scaling the technology will take time. But if the company delivers on its roadmap, it won’t just enter the OLED market. It could reshape how OLED is made. And in an industry long dominated by two players, that kind of disruption is long overdue.
Featured
What’s So Special About the TCL Z100 Soundbar?
There’s no shortage of smart speakers or Dolby Atmos soundbars in 2025, but TCL seems to be carving out a new category altogether with the Z100. This isn’t your typical soundbar, nor is it just another smart speaker with Bluetooth and some branding slapped on. The TCL Z100 is a modular, wireless, Dolby Atmos-enabled speaker system that feels like it was built with future-forward living rooms in mind, specifically ones that don’t want to be tethered by HDMI cables or speaker wire.
And here’s the real kicker: it does this at a price that seriously undercuts the competition.
Reinventing the Soundbar Concept
Instead of a long, rectangular bar that lives under your TV, the Z100 is a compact standalone speaker with a unique 1.1.1 channel setup. Each unit packs four drivers, a woofer, a front-facing tweeter, and an up-firing speaker to handle overhead effects in Dolby Atmos mixes. The internals are tightly engineered, with neodymium magnetic tweeters, silk dome diaphragms, and oversized voice coils tuned for both high-frequency finesse and room-shaking volume. At peak, a single Z100 unit delivers 170W of sound and up to 94dB SPL, which already puts it in premium soundbar territory. Add more units, and the room truly comes alive.
But the real magic happens when you use multiple Z100s together. TCL lets you link up to four Z100 speakers and a dedicated Z100 SW subwoofer, creating a fully wireless 7.1.2 Atmos soundscape. No mounting requirements, no AV receiver, no symmetrical speaker placement. Just plug them in, set them around the room, and let FlexConnect do the work.
Dolby Atmos, the Easy Way
The Z100 is the first speaker to launch globally with Dolby Atmos FlexConnect, a spatial audio tech co-developed by TCL and Dolby. It scans your room using built-in mics and calibrates speaker output on the fly, no matter where each speaker is placed. The idea is to get full surround sound immersion without needing the precision of a traditional 5.1 or 7.1 setup.
That means you can scatter your Z100s across bookshelves, desks, or even different heights in the room, and still get directional sound that feels spatially accurate. It’s Atmos without the headache. And because it wirelessly syncs with TCL’s 2025 Mini LED TVs like the QM8K, QM7K, and QM6K, the whole setup is HDMI free and app free. Everything just works.
Designed to Be Seen (and Heard)
The Z100 looks nothing like your typical audio gear. The shell is anodized aluminum with a soft matte finish, while the grille follows a starburst pattern that’s both futuristic and functional. TCL says the three available colors, grey, gold, and cyan, are inspired by nebulae, which feels appropriately cosmic for a speaker built around spatial sound.
Every detail, from the fabric mesh to the cable management system tucked into the base, feels thought through. And if you’d rather not clutter your shelf, it supports wall and stand mounting too (though the stand is sold separately).
Specs That Matter
It’s easy to rattle off numbers, but TCL’s choices here are deliberate. Bluetooth 5.3 ensures low-latency connections with mobile devices, and OTA firmware updates mean the Z100 could get smarter over time. The optional subwoofer (Z100 SW) adds 130W of bass power and goes as low as 45Hz, using a large iron-core magnet and CONEX spider material for deep, punchy lows. That turns the Z100 from a high-end TV speaker replacement into a genuinely cinematic system.
The entire stack is scalable. You can start with one Z100, add a second for stereo, throw in a third for Atmos, then add a subwoofer when you want to feel the rumble. Or go all out and run four Z100s and the subwoofer for a full surround setup with up to 18 drivers working together.
The Bigger Picture
If TCL’s pitch sounds familiar, it’s because we’ve seen similar efforts before, like Sony’s $2,500 Bravia Theater Quad. But the Z100 aims for a broader market. At 1,499 yuan (about $206), it’s priced dramatically lower than most Atmos-ready wireless speakers. And TCL is planning global availability this summer, starting in the US and Europe.
This isn’t just TCL flexing its speaker manufacturing muscle. It’s TCL signaling that spatial audio shouldn’t be a luxury reserved for massive living rooms or deep bank accounts.
The Z100 is a bet on the future of home entertainment, one that’s wireless, modular, and sounds damn good even before you start thinking about building a full system around it.
In related news, the Redmi K80 Ultra will feature an OLED display sourced from TCL CSOT and Tianma, while TCL has launched the NXTPAPER 14 in the US with a paper-like display and a 10,000mAh battery.