TCL is trying to bring 8K resolution to the masses with the launch of what looks to be one of the most affordable sets of its kind ever made.
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The 8K TCL 6-Series Mini-LED QLED TVs look to be an absolute steal with a price tag of just $2,200 (£1,596) for the 65-inch model, rising to $3,000 (£2,137) for the larger 75-inch version.
There are only two other TV brands in the world that sell 8K TVs with Mini-LED displays. Samsung Electronics’s cheapest such model is the QN800A, and the 65-inch version of that is listed at $3,000 on its website. The 65-inch version of LG Electronic’s QNED MiniLED 99 Series meanwhile costs even more at $3,500.
Assuming the TCL 6-Series arrives in the U.K. (and we do assume that), then it’s likely to be a good few hundred pounds cheaper than the only current alternatives.
Of course it is certainly possible to find an older 8K TV lying around that cost less, but you definitely will not be getting Mini-LED at a lower price tag. And Mini-LED is a big deal that really promises to come into its own with an 8K resolution screen. Mini-LEDs are of course much smaller than regular LEDs, which means you can pack many, many more of them onto a screen. The benefit of having more LEDs is more local dimming zones, which means much more precise control of things like brightness and contrast. Indeed the TCL 8K 6-Series TVs are said to have 240 local dimming zones, quite a number.
It’s interesting to note TCL was actually the first TV maker in the world to introduce Mini-LED displays, almost a year before the likes of Samsung, LG and Sony, despite them being more traditional premium brands. Mini-LED first appeared on its 2019 8-Series models, and then winged its way down to the 6-Series in 2020. Both of those models were 4K resolution though, so this year’s is a big, big upgrade.
It promises to be interesting, as the resolution bump will be a good test of TCL’s very capable AiPQ Engine, which is the processor it uses in its premium TVs that’s also responsible for upscaling 4K content to 8K.
The 2021 TCL 6-Series TV has more impressive features besides. Support for Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos is present and correct, as is Apple AirPlay 2, Apple HomeKit, Google Assistant, Alexa and Siri. The excellent Roku TV platform ensures access to all of the content you’ll ever need from a slick interface, and there’s a cool new “premium” remote in the box too. TCL said it’s a bit longer and is made from higher quality materials. It includes rechargeable batteries, hands-free voice controls, a remote finder function for when it gets lost and even a headphone jack for when it’s necessary to keep the noise down.
Finally, the TCL 6-Series’ video games capabilities absolutely merit a mention. As the company happily boasts, it’s the first 8K TV in the world to offer its THX Certified Game Mode. This enables fast-paced gaming at up to 120 frames per second by coordinating things like picture processing, input lag, variable refresh rate and auto low-latency mode to ensure a super smooth gaming experience. THX Certified Game Mode further helps by optimising the TV’s picture settings to manage colour saturation and brightness, which should be beneficial to lazy gamers who can’t be bothered to tweak the picture settings themselves.
Check out the video below for a closer look at the 8K TCL 6-Series Mini-LED QLED TVs, which are on sale at a number of retailers in the U.S. today.
