Televisions · 2025 · TCL

TCL QM8K 65-inch (65QM8K)

The 65-inch version of TCL's 2025 North American flagship Mini LED TV. It offers a QD-Mini LED backlight, a WHVA panel, 144 Hz VRR, Dolby Vision IQ and HDR10+, plus Bang & Olufsen audio. Tests praise brightness and colour coverage; off-axis contrast loss, HDR tone tracking, the sound and only two HDMI 2.1 inputs are criticised.

65QM8K · North America · Google TV

Specifications

SpecificationValue
Model65QM8K (QM8K series, 2025)

The series comes in 65, 75, 85 and 98 inches; dimensions, weight, VESA and energy figures vary by size. This entry is the 65-inch North American model.

Panel65-inch class 3840 × 2160; CrystGlow WHVA panel; anti-reflective ZeroBorder front

WHVA is TCL’s name for its wide-angle VA LCD panel; VA panels offer high native contrast but can lose contrast off-axis.

BacklightQD-Mini LED; Halo Control System; Precise Dimming

Mini LED dims thousands of small LEDs in zones for deeper blacks; halos (blooming) can still appear around bright objects. The series sheet says “up to LD3800” zones; the 65-inch page gives no zone count.

HDR brightnessHDR 5000 nits (manufacturer class)

This is TCL’s marketing class and describes the peak reached on a small bright area. Independent measurements came in lower.

HDR formatsDolby Vision IQ, HDR10+, HDR10, HLG

Dolby Vision IQ and HDR10+ carry scene-by-scene tone-mapping data; IQ also adjusts for room light.

Refresh and gamingNative 144 Hz; VRR up to 144 Hz; Game Accelerator 288; Auto Game Mode, Game Bar

The native panel rate is 144 Hz; 288 is the upper limit of Game Accelerator mode. The manufacturer page does not say which HDMI inputs support 4K 144 Hz.

ProcessorTCL AiPQ Pro
Operating systemGoogle TV
AudioAudio by Bang & Olufsen; Dolby Atmos, Dolby Digital+, DTS:X, PCM passthrough

The sheet does not give total output power or channel count.

HDMI4 × HDMI (1 with eARC)

eARC sends audio from TV apps and connected sources to a soundbar or receiver over one cable, including lossless formats.

Other connections1 × USB 3.0, 1 × USB 2.0; Ethernet; optical (SPDIF) out; Wi-Fi 6; Bluetooth personal audio

Bluetooth version is not stated.

TunerATSC 3.0, ATSC 1.0, NTSC, Clear QAM

These are North American broadcast standards;

Energy360 kWh per year (65-inch); standby under 0.5 W
Size and weightWith stand 56.46 × 33.86 × 14.49 in, 50.93 lb; without stand 56.46 × 32.44 × 1.97 in, 46.52 lb

About 23.1 kg with stand, 21.1 kg without.

Wall mountVESA 300 × 300, M6 screws
In the boxBacklit voice remote (2 × AAA), quick start guide

From the manufacturer

TCL says its Halo Control System delivers “halo-free” images and rates the TV in its 5,000-nit HDR class. These are manufacturer claims; independent tests saw blooming and lower peaks. TCL Canada

Strengths and limitations

  • Tom's Guide measured the 65-inch set at 231 nits SDR (10% window) and 3,333 nits HDR in Filmmaker Mode at 10% (about 4,400 nits in Standard and Movie); UHDA-P3 coverage was 97.28% with Delta E 2.71. Input lag was 13 ms. The picture greys slightly off-axis. The B&O system, quoted at 85 W, rarely got loud without distortion; only two HDMI 2.1 inputs counted as a negative.

    Matthew Murray, 65QM8K, 21 July 2025; firmware not stated.

    Tom’s Guide: TCL QM8K QD-Mini LED TV review

  • Home Technology Review's 65-inch loaner from TCL showed HDR EOTF tracking below target so HDR looked dim, blooming that grew off-axis, rattling sound and PWM-like flicker in some 24 fps content. SDR Delta E was about 1.5, about 1,800 dimming zones were counted and total system latency at 144 Hz was 29 ms.

    TCL loaner, 1 July 2025; firmware not stated. The counted zone number is not a manufacturer figure.

    Home Technology Review: TCL’s best TV ever has issues — 65 QM8K Mini LED review

Owner experiences and issues

  • In a January 2026 Slickdeals deal thread four users who say they bought a QM8K left positive visible comments: Bizkit64 replaced a Sony OLED in a very bright living room and is happy, pbolcar2 and kukblue1 bought it and are satisfied. Sizes and ownership length are not stated; glossy-screen reflections come up only as a question.

    About 15 visible comments (57 total); sizes unclear. Short satisfaction notes are not detailed long-term use.

    Slickdeals: 65" TCL QM8K deal thread and comments

Tags

2025TCLMINI-LEDGOOGLE-TV144 HzDOLBY-VISION65-INC

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Sources

  1. TCL Canada: 65QM8K QD-Mini LED Google TV product page
  2. TCL: QM8K series specifications sheet
  3. Tom’s Guide: TCL QM8K QD-Mini LED TV review
  4. Home Technology Review: TCL’s best TV ever has issues — 65 QM8K Mini LED review
  5. Slickdeals: 65" TCL QM8K deal thread and comments