TCL Unveils 'Affordable Premium' Mini LED QM6K TV With A Big Brightness Boost

At CES in Las Vegas, Chinese consumer tech giant TCL announced how the 2025 QM6K has become the "affordable premium" option in the lineup thanks to quantum dot mini LED panels that boost image quality in almost all sectors over the current OLED-based Q-series, while keeping prices in check. The baby in TCL's strengthening TV catalog is also the first to roll out the company's precise dimming tech.

While the rest of TCL's Q-series televisions have gotten the mini-LED treatment, its Q6 series had to wait till this year to gain the "QM" title. Nonetheless, TCL didn't just add mini-LED backlighting to the new entry-level QM6K and call it a day, hence the "K" in the moniker.

The QM6K spotlights multiple improvements that will trickle over to upcoming models like the QM7K and QM8K. The first of which is the new Super High Energy LED chipset. Compared to the older (but still highly capable) chip, the improved version bumps brightness output by 53% and light efficiency by 10%, TCL claims.

TCL has also replaced the previous Ultra Wide Angle Dual Focus Lens with something called Condensed Micro Lens, which supposedly provides more precise light control. Furthermore, the QM6K's backlighting has a radically smaller optical distance between the backlight and diffuser plate, dropping from 25mm in the old gen down to an impressive  mm (thus greatly reducing blooming or halo effects). This advancement, called Micro OD, is also said to improve backlight uniformity by up to 143%.

Together with the improved QD-mini LED backlight, TCL has designed a high contrast CSOT HVA panel that possesses a better dark state to block out more light when the LCD closes, providing as much as 7,000:1 static contrast.

Rounding up the specs, the QM6K with Google TV has native 144Hz refresh rate, Dolby Vision IQ, Dolby Vision Filmmaker Mode, HDR10+, Dolby Atmos, DTS Virtual:X, voice control, and an Onkyo 2.1 speaker array (complete with a rear-firing subwoofer).

Considering that TCL develops and manufactures pretty much everything in-house, the company is able to cram so much tech and improvements year to year without charging an arm and leg compared to many brands. The TCL QM6K is available for pre-order now, although ship dates have not been revealed. Prices range from $750 to $3,500 (98-inch beast), but if you pre-order the 65-inch ($1,000), 75-inch ($1,300), or 85-inch ($2,000) models now, TCL will throw in a free Q75H soundbar.