TCL has launched quite a few TVs in 2025, but the ultimate flagship of their lineup is the QM9K. But that’s not the major thing that makes this TV stand out. Instead, TCL and Google decided to launch Gemini on Google TV with the QM9K. So this is the first TV to come with Gemini built in.
It also comes with an incredibly bright picture, to rival the Hisense U8QG, which I reviewed earlier this year. TCL says that it gets up to 6,500 nits of peak brightness, which is incredibly bright, and you’ll never have it that bright. But this does explain why this TV is much more boxy than others, as it needs extra cooling for all of that brightness.
The TCL QM9K starts at $1,999 for the 65-inch model (it’s also available in 75″, 85″, and 98″ sizes). Quite pricey, but a lot is going for this TV. But is it worth your money? Let’s find out.
Google Gemini Turns TCL’s QM9K into the Smartest TV of 2025.
Pros
- Incredibly bright picture without destroying picture quality
- Google TV with Gemini
- Built-in speakers from Bang & Olufsen are incredible
- 144Hz panel with broad VRR
- ATSC 3.0 included
Cons
- Two HDMI 2.1 ports only
- High starting price
- Quite thick, difficult for TV backlights with a camera
TCL sent over the 65″ version of the QM9K for us to review. We’ve been using it for almost two months before writing this review. This is not a sponsored review, and TCL did not see this review before it was published.
TCL QM9K TV Specs
TCL QM9K Specs
| Screen type | QD-Mini LED |
| Display Sizes | 65″, 75″, and 85″ |
| HDR Support | HDR10, HDR 10+, HLG, IMAX, Dolby vison IQ |
| Peak Brightness (advertised) | 6,500nits |
| Local Dimming Zones (advertised) | Up to LD6000 Precise Dimming |
| Audio Support | Dolby Atmos, Dolby Digital+, Dolby Digital, PCM |
| Software | Google TV with Gemini |
| HDMI Ports | (2) HDMI 2.1 (4 HDMI total) |
TCL QM9K TV Review: Design and Build Quality
The TCL QM9K has a single pedestal-style stand, which I actually really like, and it’s something I’ve seen a lot more with TVs this year. It’s easier to install, and if you have a console that might not be quite big enough, it’ll still fit. It also looks cleaner in my opinion.
The front of the TV has thin, uniform bezels, as you’d expect in 2025. While the sides are quite thick. It’s built a lot like the Hisense U8QG, which you’ll hear me compare it to a lot in this review, since that is the direct competitor here. Whereas a lot of other TVs are pretty thin and even tapered at the edges, because of the brightness on these TVs, it needs more space for cooling. And even so, both of these TVs can run pretty warm, not as warm as Samsung’s 8K TVs, however.
The back of the TV has a checkerboard style, which is fine, you won’t really ever be looking at the back of the TV – in fact, I totally forgot it had this style, and I’ve had this TV for a couple of months already. But on one side, you have all of your ports – 4 HDMI (2 HDMI 2.1), coaxial, USB-A 2.0, USB-A 3.0, and, of course, Ethernet. The opposite side has the power.
It’s worth noting that on the back of the TV, I do have the Govee TV Backlight 3 Pro installed, which does have a camera that is pointed at the display to color-match the lights. Because the TCL QM9K is so thick, the camera doesn’t actually fit properly on the top of the TV. Just worth mentioning if you were also looking at adding some lights to the back of the QM9K.
On the bottom of the TV, you’ll notice a new set of lights, which is for Gemini. Since you can use Gemini when the TV is turned off. It’s also part of a feature that is really annoying to me, which is Ambient Mode. Essentially, when it senses you are in the room, it’ll turn on your screensaver, even if the TV is turned off. It’s annoying, because sometimes it turns on when my alarm on my iPhone goes off (meaning, it’s not connected to my alarm). But you can turn this off in the settings, which is a nice thing.
The remote is harder to lose
TCL has quietly improved its remote this year, and it’s one of those small changes that make a surprisingly big difference in daily use. The remote now has a more pronounced, angled shape that feels better in the hand — and just as importantly, makes it harder to lose between the couch cushions. I’ve only managed to misplace it once, and that’s because I carried it into another room. So yes, user error, not TCL’s fault.
The design itself keeps things simple and functional. You still get the familiar Google TV layout, with a full directional pad, volume and channel controls, and quick-access buttons for the most popular streaming services — YouTube, Amazon Prime Video, and Netflix all get their own dedicated keys. TCL even dressed it up this year with a brushed-aluminum finish, which gives the remote a bit of premium flair without changing how it works.
It’s not a revolutionary redesign, but it’s a smart refinement. The angled body feels more ergonomic, the materials look more expensive, and the layout remains intuitive. In short, it’s a remote that does its job well — and one you won’t have to go digging under the sofa to find.
TCL QM9K TV Review: Picture Quality
Perhaps the most important aspect of any TV review is going to be the picture quality, and well TCL amazes here as well. The QM9K has an incredible picture, of course, we’d expect that from QD-Mini LED. It has incredible brightness and contrast, with rich color and incredible detail. The viewing angles are also really incredible here. When looking off-axis, you really don’t suffer from poor picture quality.
I’ve kept the brightness pretty high on this TV, because a lot of the shows I tend to watch are taking place at night or in dark environments, and well, I want to see them. Even at higher brightness levels, say 60-70%, the picture quality still looks incredible. I really don’t notice a difference – other than it being brighter, of course.
The QM9K has an incredible picture — rich color, deep contrast, and brightness that rivals anything short of OLED.
While it’s no OLED panel, this QD-Mini LED still looks incredible. Keep in mind that most QD-OLED panels are still nowhere near this brightness. The most popular QD-OLED TV we can think of is the BRAVIA 8 II which doesn’t have an advertised peak brightness, but testing has found it to be around 1,600-2,000 nits. That’s about a third of the brightness of the TCL QM9K.
Bottom line is, the picture quality is surely worth the $1,999 starting price. And if you’re in the market for a great TV that has great picture quality and incredible brightness, than the TCL QM9K is the place to look.
TCL QM9K TV Review: Sound
The back of the TCL QM9K boasts the Bang & Olufsen speaker system. And let me tell you, this sounds incredible. Typically, I hook up a soundbar to whatever TV I’m using, because for years TV makers completely forgot about the sound quality. But for the QM9K, that wasn’t the case. I never even thought about hooking up my Sony Dolby Atmos soundbar and wireless sub to this TV, it just didn’t need it. The bass here is incredibly deep, even at higher volumes. While the mids and highs remain crystal clear, even past 60%. But let me tell you, you don’t even need it to be that loud.
This TV does have all of the audio features you’d expect. Including Dolby Atmos, Dolby Digital+, Dolby Digital, and PCM. So you’re covered on every audio front.
I’m not an audiophile by any means, so you might want to take this all with a grain of salt if you are. But for most people, these speakers will be perfectly fine. If you are an audiophile, you definitely will want to hook up your own speakers, which you likely already have and paid a lot for.
TCL QM9K TV Review: Software
While not as important as the picture quality and sound quality, the software is still quite important for a TV. I’ve reviewed quite a few TVs that ran Google TV, Android TV and Fire TV OS that have been quite laggy. The reason for this is that companies put their higher-end chip inside for picture quality, and cheap out on the processor for the actual software. Though that hasn’t been much of a problem as of late. In fact, I reviewed the QM6K earlier this year, and still use it in my living room, not a hint of lag has been noticed in the 6+ months that I’ve had it. So I had high hopes for the QM9K, and it did not disappoint.
As mentioned, it does run on Google TV, like a number of other TCL TVs. So the software hasn’t changed a whole lot, you still have a giant ad front-and-center on Google TV – don’t forget that Google TV is a ad company first. You can navigate down to other shows you’ve been watching, as well as your apps, or go further and find recommendations.
Now TCL does have its own TV app, its called TCL TV+. This is a FAST TV app, similar to Pluto TV, Tubi TV and others. So you’ll find hundreds of free TV channels in this app. It’s a nice addition since it does have a lot of the Pluto TV channels included.
Something worth pointing out, with the current Disney and YouTube TV debacle is that the QM9K does have ATSC 3.0 tuner support. That includes support for NextGen channels, and they are displayed along with Google TV Freeplay and TCL free ad-supported channels. You do still need an antenna plugged in, but otherwise, you’re going to get higher-resolution OTA channels here.
The big new feature on the QM9K is going to be Gemini. This was something we first saw demoed at CES back in January – yes that long ago. And the QM9K is the first TV to launch with Gemini and Google TV. So with Gemini, you can do things like ask it to “show martial arts movies from the 1980s” and you can follow up by asking it to show ones that had a 80% or higher on Rotten Tomatoes. You can also do this for specific actors, maybe you want to see more Ben Stiller movies, you can ask Gemini to show them to you. And when Gemini brings them up, you can easily see where you can watch them.
The QM9K is the first TV to launch with Gemini built in — this is Google TV’s next big leap.
Gemini can do just about anything you want, from your TV. This includes controlling your smart home devices. Google TV also brings news briefings to your home page now. So you can easily keep up with the news, even if you have cut the cord and don’t have any live TV streaming services. This is taking stuff in from YouTube and other sources. It’s not something I used much, since I’m always head first into news, given my occupation, but it is a nice feature to have.
Now the unfortunate thing here is that updates for TVs are always quite slow. So it’s hard to say when the next version of Google TV might arrive. In fact, Google has skipped some versions, which makes it even harder.
Outside of Google TV, TCL has also included AirPlay 2 and Chromecast built-in, so you can stream from your phone, no matter which platform you’re on. There’s also support for Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, and Apple HomeKit.
Should you buy the TCL QM9K?
At the end of the day, the TCL QM9K represents everything the company has been working toward over the past few years. It’s the culmination of TCL’s QD-Mini LED technology, aggressive pricing strategy, and now, Google’s newest AI integration with Gemini on Google TV. This isn’t just another big, bright television — it’s a flagship that genuinely redefines what a high-end Google TV can be.
Picture quality remains the star of the show. With up to 6,500 nits of peak brightness, the QM9K can blast through any lighting condition without breaking a sweat. HDR content absolutely shines, black levels are impressive for a non-OLED panel, and the color accuracy makes movies and games look stunningly lifelike. It’s one of the few TVs that can truly rival the Hisense U8QG and even make OLEDs feel a little dim by comparison.
The Bang & Olufsen-tuned speakers are another pleasant surprise. TCL could’ve easily phoned in the audio like so many manufacturers do, but instead, it delivers one of the richest built-in sound experiences I’ve heard on any modern TV. Deep bass, clear dialogue, and excellent balance mean you don’t need a soundbar — a rare statement in 2025.
Gemini integration rounds out the experience by turning the QM9K into something more than a display. You can ask it to surface movies by genre, actor, or Rotten Tomatoes score; control smart-home devices; and even catch up on daily headlines without ever picking up your phone. It’s the kind of feature that feels futuristic today but will be standard a year from now.
There are trade-offs, of course. At $1,999 for the 65-inch model, this isn’t an impulse buy, and TCL’s cheaper QM6K and QM7K models still offer tremendous value if you can live without Gemini and that retina-searing brightness. The bulky chassis won’t win any design awards either — but it’s a necessary concession for the thermal demands of a 6,500-nit panel.
Still, when you look at the complete package — performance, sound, software, and innovation — the TCL QM9K feels like the first Google TV that’s genuinely next-gen. It’s bold, unapologetically bright, and smart in ways that actually matter.
If you want the best all-around 4K TV of 2025 that doesn’t cost as much as an OLED flagship, this is it. TCL didn’t just build a bright TV — it built the future of Google TV.
You should buy it if:
- You need a bright TV.
- You don’t want to use or don’t have a soundbar.
- You want Gemini on your TV.
- You want a great picture quality at a non-outrageous price.
You should not buy it if:
- You want to save some money – the TCL QM6K and QM7K are both great, cheaper options.
- You don’t care about Gemini.
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