TCL Rolls Out Flagship X11L Mini LED TVs With Super Quantum Dots To Take On OLED
As is customary at most Consumer Electronic Show (CES) events for a long while now, there is much ballyhooing on the latest TV technologies and product offerings. This year is no exception, and one of the more interesting announcements is TCL's new flagship X11L series, which looks to rival OLED and take on a rash of new RGB LED models with super quantum dots.
It's fair to say that TCL is somewhat of a market disrupting force. It has a history of undercutting juggernauts like LG, Samsung, and Sony by offering advanced models at cheaper price points. For example, you can score a 98-inch TCL Q65 QLED with a 144Hz refresh rate and Dolby Vision support for $1,299.99, or an also-big 85-inch mini LED model (QM6K) for $997.99.
TCL's new X11L SQD-mini LED series isn't going after budget buyers, and instead is attempting to mesh the image quality of OLED with the brightness of LED.
"The industry has spent years debating which compromise is better: OLED's darkness or LED's brightness. The X11L ends that debate by harnessing 20,000 dimming zones and 10,000 peak nits to deliver both simultaneously," said Chris Hamdorf, EVP, TCL North America.
"As the US TV industry's fastest growing TV brand, top selling Mini-LED brand, and the number one brand in XXL models (87-inch and above), TCL is now changing the game with new display innovation in our X11L. We didn't just move the goalpost; we built a whole new stadium," Hamdorf added.
Those are big claims and we'll be curious to see how they stand up in person (we have boots on the ground at CES and hopefully will get a chance to stop by TCL's booth).
Key to the claims is the use of super quantum dots, which supposedly enable better coverage of the BT.2020 color spectrum (100%) compared to regular quantum dots. According to TCL, its new X11L series can save off color artifacts known as color crosstalk or color blooming, "which can happen with RGB mini LED TV technology."
TCL also says it's upgraded to a 26-bit backlight controller to keep up with the processing demands of its new hardware. Along with some other software-side tricks, TCL is promising a new level of precise dimming to produce deeper black levels to achieve "the most accurate and lifelike picture yet."
Three size options comprise the X11 series: 75-inch, 85-inch, and 98-inch. All of them are built around a WHVA 2.0 ultra panel with a 4K resolution, native 144Hz refresh rate, and lots of HDR support (Dolby Vision IQ, HDR10+, HDR10, and HLG).
The sets each feature four HDMI 2.1 ports (one with eARC), a USB 3.0 port and two USB 2.0 ports, Dolby Atmos and Dolby Digital support, Wi-Fi 6 wireless connectivity, and Google TV for smart chores.
Remember what we said about TCL not chasing budget buyers with its flagship X11L series? Pricing starts at $6,999.99, which gets you the 75-inch model. The 85-incher carries a $7,999.99 MSRP, while the 85-inch model is priced at $9,999.99.
Meanwhile, you can find it's now last-gen X11K series on deep discounts, with the 85-inch model on sale for $3999.99 (save $6,000) and the 98-inch model on sale for $5,999.99 (save $7,000).
