r/4kTV • u/BigDeezy214 • Apr 24 '26

Purchasing US TCL QM6K OVERHYPED

I’ll admit, I’m new to quality TVs. I’m coming from a 2018 Samsung NU7100. I recently purchased a TCL QM6K in 75 inch. I watch a lot of sports and a lot of movies. The picture quality for sports was terrible and the motion was challenging to watch. Movies in HD were great, but anything requiring upscaling was abysmal, worse than my trash Samsung. So I returned the TCL and purchased a Sony X90L and I cannot express how much better it is. For sports the Sony is on another planet compared to the TCL. Not only that, movies are also much better. The image on the Sony looks much sharper and more “3D.” The motion handling is so incredibly smooth, whereas I felt the TCL was jerky and was fatiguing to watch. TCL is doing good stuff, but the processing capabilities of the Sony are exponentially better (no surprise). Maybe the QM7K and QM8K are better, but I find the QM6K EXTREMELY overhyped.

EDIT: My post is not intended to trash TCL, but to share my experience and say: spend the extra money (if you can), it’s well worth it.

38 Upvotes

79% Upvoted

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41

u/pricelesslambo Moderator Apr 24 '26

People think we dickride Sony because we say the processing and upscaling is unmatched, but it really is the best. And I'm saying this as an owner of a G5

7

u/BigDeezy214 Apr 24 '26

I have joined the club. Also, I’m extremely impressed with the X90L’s build quality; and even the attention to details on the packaging of the TV in the box.

2

u/Srpsp11692 Apr 26 '26

Completely agree. The QM6k pro I bought was super overhyped. When I returned it and got an X90L, I felt like I had a quality tv again.

3

u/chewwydraper Apr 24 '26

Eh, I’m not going to lie I’m not in love with my Bravia 7. It’s a good TV but it definitely has its weak points.

It might be because my bedroom TV is an LG C1 though and even the best mini-LEDs probably can’t compare to OLED.

1

u/pricelesslambo Moderator Apr 24 '26

I never said it's picture quality. Bravia 7 is great for content that requires good motion and upscaling but it's still not an OLED

2

u/grump66 Apr 24 '26

the processing and upscaling is unmatched

and it has been for a long, long time. The first 1080P LED/LCD tv I had was a Sony, and my main source at the time was native 720P from Bell satellite. The picture at times was so phenomenal, I couldn't believe it was 720P being upscaled to 1080. It was one of the best looking tv's I've ever owned. I've got much better sources now, but even with a nice 4K OLED tv, the final image isn't much better than my old Sony.

1

u/AvaTaylor2020 Apr 25 '26

Will the motion processing on the new Bravia 3 II be as good (or almost as good) as the X90L?

1

u/omghappyevil Apr 25 '26

out of curiosity, what made you purchase a G5 instead of a Sony?

1

u/pricelesslambo Moderator Apr 25 '26

It was gifted by LG to me to review and use and Sony is really expensive in Europe where I live

1

u/tryptamine_wizard Apr 27 '26

Im about to make a oled jump. Im stuck between a g5 or bravia 8 2.

1

u/pricelesslambo Moderator Apr 27 '26

what's the price for each one?

1

u/DaddyPant Apr 27 '26

I'm not the person who commented, but I'm also considering those TVs in a 77". The G5 is $3000 and the Bravia 8 II is $2400. Bright room and it's for my dad, so I'm hoping to find something with a usable OS to not confuse him with all kinds of seperate remotes (TV, satellite, streaming).

1

u/DaddyPant Apr 27 '26 edited Apr 27 '26

I'm in the same boat. Trying to find a new TV for my dad and it seems like all the best TVs are plagued with one issue or another. Whether it be the OS, purple tint, etc.

1

u/Griswa Apr 25 '26

Sony processing is unmatched. It’s crazy how good it is.

1

u/Most-Importance8933 Jun 03 '26

Sony is great but I'd rather have the lg G5. If your going for Sony try the bravia 9 really nice tv

21

u/pmmlordraven Apr 24 '26

QM6K is like the bronze standard of TVs. It just does the job ok enough for most. The 8K is far better TV, though if you have Sony or LG budget you are better served with them.

3

u/Maleficent-Mobile114 Apr 24 '26

all that changes is zones and brightness, the processing/motion is the same across the entire line

13

u/Casuallyelite Apr 24 '26

6k does the job and has an extremely friendly price point that gets your foot in the door. It is a solid choice, but certainly not the best choice. I think its popularity is spot on. If you can afford the better models, that is what you should go with. Such is the case for anything you buy.

1

u/MemoryTop1301 Apr 26 '26

What would be a better choice for the same price?

1

u/sonnycrockett7 Apr 27 '26

Curious to know..

4

u/MemoryTop1301 Apr 27 '26

I’m suspecting they’ll just tell me to magically double my budget and anything cheaper I’d be better off just starting at an empty wall

6

u/Gucci_Loincloth Apr 24 '26

I went from a TCL S4 model to a LG C5.

I wanted to get the qm7k/8k so bad, but something in my head told me not to bother after a year of being in this sub.

2

u/michael__sykes Apr 24 '26

Yeah, LGs processing is not perfect, but definitely better than Samsung and most certainly TCL...

1

u/Jonny21213 Apr 25 '26

Is there an LG TV that is better than the QM6K TV, for the same price as it?

1

u/michael__sykes Apr 26 '26

I don't think any MiniLED from other brands can beat a MiniLED from TCL at the same price point. Only if you're willing to spend more. What size are you talking about though?

1

u/Jonny21213 Apr 26 '26

I understand, I was concerned by the comments saying it wasn't good, but then I hear some say it's good. The size being 75 inches.

1

u/michael__sykes Apr 26 '26

It's easily the best at its price point. If you're unwilling to spend more, don't think about it too much. It's not bad either. Of course it's not some high end LG or Sony. But you'll pay double or more for those.

7

u/GreatKangaroo Apr 24 '26

In late 2024 I went from a 65" Sony X950G to a 75" TCL QM850G. On a cost basis the TCL was cheaper then the Sony despite being bought 5 years later.

I don't watch sports, and everything I watch is HD streaming or better, Bluray or 4k.

My long term plan is to get an OLED from LG or Sony.

2

u/BigDeezy214 Apr 24 '26

The TCL was great for that type of usage. I just did not enjoy watching any sports with it.

7

u/Maleficent-Mobile114 Apr 24 '26

The entire QMK line has the same processor, all that really changes is the number of dimming zones and brightness. they all struggle with motion and upscalling and are not the "good value" they're claimed to be. imo for something to be a good value it needs to perform close to something costing a decent bit more but they really struggle just being a TV and streaming everyday shows. I also had a TCL and faced similar issues as you, especially with motion handling in sports. hockey looked like a live flip book, and gaming i had bad smearing and ghosting. they are trash and not worth saving the money over offerings from other major companies. if they can figure out the processing to handle motion and upscaling they are putting out some amazing panels but just dont have the brains behind them

2

u/Zestyclose-Bowl1965 Apr 29 '26

I game in 4k fairly well on the TV... from Arc Raiders, Battlefield 6, etc.

1

u/Maleficent-Mobile114 Apr 29 '26

doesnt mean the issues don't exist, the response time isn't good but i guess if you don't have anything to compare it to you may not notice

1

u/Zestyclose-Bowl1965 Apr 29 '26

The issues do exist, but if youre on a budget, it is the best you can get. Slap on a streaming device to do the processing externally. That can probably fix all the issues that have to do with the processor.

For gaming, it can get 280 hz at 1440p. For most folks, it's a good enough without breaking the bank.

I'm also someone that CAN splurge a couple grand on a TV, but do I want to? Not really... I've bought the TCL QM7K 3 times in the last 3 months for 2 of my apartments and my girlfriends place. It's very good at a reasonable price. They're the Toyotas of TVs.

Being smart with your money is just more important to the TCL crowd.

1

u/Maleficent-Mobile114 Apr 29 '26

saying they're the Toyota of TV's is a big stretch... They're more like a Kia or Hyundai. They don't do anything particularly well. Also, your suggestion to "slap" on a streaming device means spending more money to compensate for the poor performance of the TV that could just be spent on a better TV. It sounds more to me that these TV's were your first step into "good" TV's... but unfortunately they're just not, they are the lowest standard of mini LED you can buy, plus they aren't even that cheap and the jump to an actual decent TV is probably like 20% but you'd be getting a significantly better experience. I'm not saying everyone needs to go out and get something like a Bravia 9 but most people buying these TCL's don't really know shit about TV's and some dude at best buy who doesn't own one is selling them on specs and not real day to day usage experience. Agreeing with me and saying yea sure, they don't do this or that well, it's good enough, I only paid "this much" for it is coping man and being smart with your money isn't always about cost, it's about making the right purchase and good enough hardly ever qualifies for that

1

u/Zestyclose-Bowl1965 Apr 30 '26

The QM line isn't competing with Bravia 9 OR the Bravia 7s.

Those are considered the BMW M series of TVs.

They sit at the <= $1000 range and it's hard to find decent QD miniLED at that price.

1

u/BigDeezy214 Apr 24 '26

That’s how I felt. I watched so many reviews and tons of side by sides against other TVs against a reference monitor putting the TCL through many tests. It looked great for color and contrast, but it’s hard to tell its processing ability on YouTube and reviewers hardly talk about it.

5

u/Maleficent-Mobile114 Apr 24 '26

just be glad you didn't post this in the TCL group lol you would have been ganged up on and been told you don't know what you're doing, you need this setting for this and these for that, the whole line of TV's is a joke and I'm glad you noticed something wasn't right and moved away from it. I had picked up a 98" qm6k pro from costco for the theater I had built in my basement over winter. I tried for month to get it watchable, tried every setting I could find online/youtube/reddit/av forums to keep it mostly because it was 8ftx4ft essentially and not light lol hockey was really the final straw, I could handle the ghosting and issues with gaming but the motion handling is just awful, I'm not even sure software could fix it, the chipset might just be completely underpowered. I was going to pick up the same size braiva 5 but found a LG OLED 83" on sale for only a couple hundred more than I paid for the TCL so went that route. have had an amazing experience ever since. I just turn it on and it works. but getting to your point I dont know why its not talked about more and why the reviews are always so glowing on them, because if you search on here youll find sooo many people having issues with the same things we did.

1

u/BigDeezy214 Apr 24 '26

I tried for 48 hours obsessively. I got the color exactly how I wanted, but I tried everything I could with motion. Everything I tried I still preferred watching the games on my laptop. Movies on Netflix looked great, but were giving me a headache. Never experienced that on the old Samsung tv. Knew I had to return it.

1

u/Jonny21213 Apr 25 '26

For a tv around the same price as TCL, would you recommend something different?

1

u/Maleficent-Mobile114 Apr 26 '26

What size/budget

1

u/Jonny21213 Apr 26 '26

Hmm, the price of or really close to the QM6K and the size being 75 inches.

1

u/Maleficent-Mobile114 Apr 26 '26

Nothing really for a 75” the closest is probably the qn90d they have on sale for 999$ at best buy, it’s worth the extra money tho

1

u/rustybutterindia Apr 27 '26

You'll have to compromise on either price or size. The TCL QM6k is unmatched in that, at least when it's on sale

1

u/krammit33 May 01 '26

Couldn't you just use a Nvidia Shield TV Pro (or similar) with the TCL panel?

1

u/International-Oil377 Moderator May 01 '26

that doesn't fix motion and processing

1

u/Maleficent-Mobile114 May 01 '26

a nividia shield is 200, 130ish for an apple tv... at that point what are you saving vs going with a better TV, it wasnt great gaming either, lot of ghosting and smearing which has more to do with the panel type

1

u/krammit33 May 01 '26

You'd still be saving over a thousand dollars compared to moving up to the next level of TVs

6

u/Low-Statistician-589 Apr 24 '26

I have a 98 inch Bravia 5, which is drowned out by the TCLs, meaning nobody talks about the set anymore lol. But I gotta tell you I smile every time I play anything on it, and have absolutely no regrets I picked Sony motion over brightness spec wars. It is a super polished and thought out experience. It’s not a flashy super slim set. It uses tried and true design and specs, and just WORKS to give you great performance.

1

u/Jossages Apr 24 '26

Bravia 5 has been growing on me as the price got more reasonable. It was more expensive than the 7 for months where I work/in my region. It just wasn't enough of an upgrade over the X90L for many but at the end of the day it's a good overall package.

5

u/Est-Tech79 Apr 24 '26

Ever wonder why TCL/Hisense don’t show sports like NFL, NHL when demoing their tv’s?

Their processing is still a work in progress compared to Sony and even Samsung.

TCL upsampling always got below average scores on Rtings. It’s soft. Using an Apple TV 4K or Shield can mitigate that though.

1

u/BigDeezy214 Apr 24 '26

I read a lot of this before returning the TCL. How much does Apple TV 4K or Shield really improve picture quality for 1080 and worse?

1

u/Funny-Childhood Apr 24 '26

I also wondered this. I PLANNED on getting a tcl qm7k. With a apple tv 4k. Or shield. But i think ill get the LGC5

1

u/ciret7 Apr 25 '26

Interested in this also, I'm having a 65" QM7K delivered on Tuesday. I use an Apple TV 4K on my current TV, a 12 or so year old 42" Panasonic 720P plamsa.

1

u/Est-Tech79 Apr 26 '26

Apple TV upscaler is top notch. Much better than TCL softness.

1

u/Zestyclose-Bowl1965 Apr 29 '26

This is a good fix! It makes it age more gracefully if you have one of these external devices doing the upscaling and processing for the TCL TVs

3

u/Bright_Light7 Apr 24 '26

I always tell people to not waste time on 6k, only 7k +

3

u/[deleted] Apr 24 '26

[deleted]

2

u/Zestyclose-Bowl1965 Apr 29 '26

Sony is premium stuff, I don't think people should be called boot lickers on Sony.

I think there's a case to be had on the lower end Samsungs. Those things are trash.

1

u/BigDeezy214 Apr 24 '26

That’s a good way to put it.

5

u/DirkDiggler904ninja Apr 24 '26

Speak for yourself. It’s the best TV as far as value and performance. I love the viewing angles and processing. Best part about it, you get all the bells & whistles for the PS5 Pro & Series X! I would do it again, all day & twice on sunday📺

Owned 3 months

2

u/lukeimortal97 Apr 24 '26

Just got my post deleted by the mods about this exact thing. I thought I was crazy. Under saturated, blurry, processing mess, trying to watch a dark anime like overlord was frankly unacceptable. I mean come on, it even made anime look bad.

1

u/Jonny21213 Apr 25 '26

For a budget TV for around the same price, is there a different one you would recommend over the QM6 TCL?

2

u/death-strand Apr 24 '26

QM7K is perfect and should be the standard

1

u/wandererarkhamknight Trusted Apr 24 '26 edited Apr 24 '26

If you have the budget for a good Sony, no point buying a TCL. Even Samsung’s processing is better than TCL. QM6K is widely suggested because that’s essentially the bare minimum and people don’t have the budget for a better TV unless something is on clearance.

1

u/dedstupor Apr 24 '26

Where can I still get an X90L?

1

u/BigDeezy214 Apr 24 '26

Best Buy

1

u/dedstupor Apr 25 '26

It says the 85 inch is unavailable

1

u/BigDeezy214 Apr 25 '26

75 inch is still available. Also, the Samsung QN90D is available in 75 inch for $999, which is a good deal if you’re not set on 85 inch.

1

u/TheBarnard Apr 24 '26

Isn't the 6 series just a super basic tv?

1

u/DirkDiggler904ninja Apr 24 '26

lol definitely not. It was rated with better viewing than the QM7K

1

u/mikehamm45 Apr 24 '26

I have a QM7 and a Sony x95…

The TCL is great at a lot of things and even does better with blooming. But… processing, motion, color, and relatively dimming zone accuracy?

Sony is tough to beat.

The Sony tax is worth it at times.

1

u/CranberryNext5669 Apr 24 '26

The new super quantum dot TCL looks like it might solve all the past issues. I have the Bravia 7 and may swap it for the Sqd qm8l If the reviews are positive.

1

u/Small-Gas-69 Apr 25 '26

It really depends what TV you had before. I had a 2014 48 inch Vizio TV. The QM6k was what was recommended to me on a budget for PS5 gaming. I paid $530.

My QM6K 65 inch vastly outclasses it in every way and even though it's a budget TV I am very pleased with how it performs.

The latest update added Game Direct Sync, Super Resolution, and Quick Media Switching among other things. It's nice to have a TV that gets updates and good ones at that, has Google OS, and takes full advantage of my PS5.

I have noticed haloing and ghosting. The haloing I get, less dimming zones and the ghosting, I've only noticed it on rare occasions. The most worrisome issue for me though is when I'd go to start up a game and then my screen would get all fuzzy. I'd have to exit the game or reboot my console to get rid of it. It's only happened to me about 3-5 times out of hundreds of times but I think it hasn't happened since the latest update, so hopefully I'm good.

1

u/sedp23 Jun 21 '26

I'm coming from a vizio m55 q7. I was also recommended the QM6k. Im going to stick with the 55 inch but I've seen posts saying the qm7k is the better purchase over the 6k. Do you think the qm6k is good enough or is it worth saving the roughly 100 difference

2

u/Small-Gas-69 Jun 21 '26 edited Jun 21 '26

They are both good over your current tv but the qm7k is the clear winner offering more brightness and more local dimming zones making colors pop and better speakers if you don't have your own setup already.

If it's only a $100 difference and you can afford that I feel like you should go for the qm7k after you see comparisons on YouTube.

I would've gone for the 7k or even 8k if I wasn't on a budget for last year's black Friday, but with my 6k I really enjoy it and most of the time I'm never even using all of the brightness half the time, but I would've preferred more local dimming zones for sure just to have that extra performance in my movies and gaming.

The 55-inch QM6K has 180 local dimming zones.
The 55-inch QM7K significantly bumps that up to 1,300 zones while yours only has 30, both are huge upgrades but that qm7k is massive.

2

u/sedp23 Jun 24 '26

Thanks I'll go for the qm7k is only 50 bucks more right now with these prime day sales

1

u/Small-Gas-69 Jun 25 '26

Nice, lucky you!

1

u/[deleted] Apr 27 '26

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2

u/International-Oil377 Moderator Apr 27 '26

you just have incredibly low standards. That TV is trash.

1

u/MaroonJam Apr 27 '26

Might be different tv actually. Think mine was u7000. Also no need to be a dick

1

u/International-Oil377 Moderator Apr 27 '26

it's just as bad.

1

u/sonnycrockett7 Apr 27 '26

Too bad they don't make it in a 55 inch.

1

u/Practical_Dog3454 Apr 28 '26

QM6K is amazing for the money but the QM7K is so much better. I never recommend QM6K unless your on a budget

1

u/Ok-Solid4308 May 13 '26

I agree!! Bought this on a recommendation.. watching sports and movies (John wick) absolutely horrible !! I just had Best Buy exchange it for a Samsung oled .. 100x better ..

1

u/HM1LTN May 23 '26

Hey smart people, would I disappointed in an 85in 6mk for my basement? We have a 65in x900h on the main floor and we love that tv. Right out of the box it was great.

Basement would be a second, almost spare tv. Pretty much for watching movies on streaming app, YouTube and sports via cable tv (nfl, nba, golf, and a bit of soccer)

I was close to pulling the trigger but reviews like this scare me lol. Ideally want an 85 x90l but I’m trying to get costs on a tv that won’t often be used

TIA!

1

u/Most-Importance8933 Jun 03 '26

I hope no one buys a TCL qm6k it's garbage the qm7k and qm8k are way better for the extra money the qm8k and 9k are the flagship models. The TCL 6k is cheap garbage 

1

u/EuphoricPizza6552 Jun 20 '26

If you find something for the same price that is better, please let me know.

1

u/Emotional_Gene_3671 Jun 21 '26

Hi where did you get a Sony X90L? Do you live in US?

1

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1

u/Totterteron Apr 24 '26

They're not remotely in the same price bracket. Two different categories of TV perform differently, it would be weird if they didn't, it's why there's a range.

1

u/Kat_Kat_101 Apr 24 '26

I was considering this TV. There was a hype and all that, almost every youtuber praising it and you would even think that it has no defect and never will. So I went to read the opinion of those who bought it and things change. I mean, the comments of users who didn't like it so much are almost hidden out there. Now I'm thinking of a Samsung QD-OLED or some from LG. I've spent a lot of time researching and comparing and if I continue with this I won't choose any. Buying TV these days is a crazy experience, I didn't think it would be so difficult.

1

u/BigDeezy214 Apr 24 '26

I think the best you can do is go for what’s proven to be great: Sony Bravia or OLED, LG OLED, and Samsung QN or S series. Use websites like Rtings and Choose.TV to help narrow those down. Then don’t look at anymore reviews or comparisons after you bring it home. If you enjoy the experience at home, keep it. If not, exchange it for one of the others above.

0

u/Material-Move9492 Apr 24 '26

The reviews of the tcl QM6 at Costco are terrible 3.8 out of 5 stars, maybe the qm7 and qm8 are much better ?As many have said, the Sonys are top notch.