The best QLED TV I've tested isn't from Samsung or LG, and it's still available for $500 off at Amazon

What’s the deal?

 Amazon’s Prime Big Deal Days sale has been over for a couple of days now, but you can still save around $500 on the 65-inch TCL QM8 This is one of the best QLED TVs on the market for streaming movies and shows, as well as for console gaming.

What makes this deal ZDNET recommended:

• The TCL QM8 (2023) features a vibrant and bright QLED panel that supports Dolby Vision and HDR10+, providing exceptional color depth and contrast.
• The TV’s dedicated gaming mode lets you monitor the frame rate and refresh rate, and it performs well with the PS5.
• It has some minor drawbacks, such as the need for a soundbar for better audio and the lack of automatic power-on with connected devices.

Last year’s TCL QM8 made our list of the best 85-inch TVs, and the other model sizes were just as good. It features a QLED panel as well as support for both Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos for better picture quality and virtual surround sound. This TV’s dedicated gaming mode lets you the frame rate and VRR status. Plus, our testing proves the QM8 is a well-rounded TV — and for a price that is a little easier on the wallet than competing brands.

Also: I optimized the cheapest 98-inch TV available to look and sound amazing. Here’s how

I’m sure you’ve heard of TCL and even seen its more budget-friendly TVs at Walmart or on Amazon. The QM8 is part of the company’s mid-range line. It boasts a QLED screen with support for Dolby Vision and HDR10+, which helps create bolder colors and deeper contrasts.

View at Amazon

Setting up the HDR is a quick, two-to-three-minute process. You can always make changes later in the TV’s settings, and when you set up game consoles like the PlayStation 5, you can set up game-specific HDR settings.

There’s also a dedicated game mode, which you can access by holding the hamburger menu button while using a game console via HDMI. The mode creates a top and bottom bar, which allows you to monitor your frame and refresh rates as well as choose different color temperature settings, or even share screenshots and videos of your gameplay.

Also: Best TVs for the PS5: LG, Samsung, Hisense, and more

The picture quality of the QM8 is much better than what I was expecting, as I’m more familiar with TCL’s budget TVs. The QLED panel is bright, clear, and vibrant, making it a great choice for gaming and revisiting old favorite shows and movies.

I sat down for my semiregular re-watch of the original Teen Titans show from Cartoon Network, and even though the cartoon is 20 years old, the resolution upscaling was clean, eliminating that odd “fuzziness” that older, pre-1080p media can have.

By playing around with the picture settings, I was able to tweak the contrast and color to take advantage of the dynamic art style, which is full of dark shadows and bright, colorful superhero costumes.

For gaming, the QM8 worked wonderfully with both my PS5 and Nintendo Switch, offering smooth playback and great picture quality. Keep in mind that your Switch hardware may not support 4K output, especially if it’s a first-iteration model (which is what I have).

Also: The best TVs: Expert tested

Although the Switch graphics looked chunky with some titles, especially Wheel of Fortune (it added to the charm), they never looked bad, per se. Other games like Hades looked amazing, with smooth animations, dynamic on-screen action, and vivid colors.

The QM8’s built-in speakers sound respectable but quiet, so I recommend picking up a soundbar like the TCL Alto 6+ to boost dialogue and enhance the sound in movies, music, shows, and games. 

Another drawback to the QM8 is that it doesn’t automatically turn on when a connected device is powered on. I own several other televisions, and each of them automatically turns on when I power on a game console or DVD player. It’s a very small gripe, but it’s a quality-of-life feature that I personally like to have in my TVs.

ZDNET’s buying advice

TCL’s QM8 (2023) may not be the company’s latest model, but it’s one of the best QLED TVs you can still buy today. Its price point undercuts competing models from Samsung, Sony, and LG. For just about all things visual, including gaming, the TV gets the job done. If you want to make the experience even better, I suggest pairing the set with one of the best soundbars available.