My Favorite Budget QLED TV Is $700 Off
Mid-range TVs have gotten so good in the last few years that it’s becoming increasingly difficult to justify spending two or three times more on a top-end OLED TV. Take TCL, for example: the company seems to be trying to master QLED technology to deliver outstanding quality at a relatively low price. The QM7 is a great example: I’ve had the chance to test and play with it myself , and I’m impressed.
And now this massive 85-inch model is $1,299.99 , down $700 from its original price. While it was a bit cheaper during Prime Day , it’s still a great value at its current price.
When it comes to mid-range TVs, QLED technology is the current standard before you get to the much more expensive OLED TVs. QLED TVs may never match the picture quality of the best OLED TVs , but for most people they can be pretty close — and for a lot less.
The key phrase for QLED buyers is “dimming zones”: the more you have, the better the deep blacks will look next to bright highlights. The QM7 has up to 1,240 local dimming zones, which is surprising for its price. It can also get very bright, reaching peak brightness of up to 2,400 nits. Of course, you get 4K resolution and HDR support (HDR ULTRA with Dolby Vision IQ, HDR10+, HDR10, and HLG). As a gamer, I appreciated the 120Hz refresh rate and 6ms input lag with Auto Low Latency Mode (ALLM) and AMD FreeSync Premium Pro, which kept my Halo games running smoothly.
The Google TV operating system is the icing on the cake: I love how easy it is to cast content from my phone to the TV, and the system is fast and responsive. The QM7 is my favorite non-OLED TV I’ve ever tried, and for the price, it’s the best non-OLED TV you can buy.