Which TCL TV You Should Buy in 2024, According to Esquire’s Tech Editor

Why go with QLED?

QLED screens are an affordable 4K standard. Though OLEDs are nicer and reduce glare, they’re much more expensive on the consumer level. But go back to a regular ol’ LED and you’ll start to want something better. That’s why QLED (powered by quantum dot tech) is the gold standard for TCL TVs based on our testing.

Okay, cool, but then what is a mini LED?

A mini LED is a newer form of QLED that provides greater contrast to the picture. Basically, images can now get brighter and darker while still being legible. Mini-LED screens are more expensive than QLEDs, but compared with OLEDs, they are still a bargain.

Should I care about refresh rates?

Only if you play video games. Seriously. And if you play on a console, most games are capped at 60 Hz anyway, which is the baseline of what all these TVs can do. So no worries if you skip this part.

Which HDR mode is best?

It used to just be that HDR was enough. The tech that makes colors pop in movies and games is native to all 4K TVs at this point. But there’s way more than that. At this point, HDR10 is the standard. All these TVs support HDR10+, which is better than HDR10. Ultra HDR and Dolby Vision are even better than that.

What about the TCL NXTFrame?

I haven’t spent extensive hands-on time with TCL’s take on the frame-TV trend. I saw it in person for a couple minutes and can admit that the Ultra Matte screen was weird to get used to—especially sitting right next to a standard QLED. These start at $1,500, and for an unknown quantity, we just can’t tell you whether that’s worth it or not yet. For now, proceed with caution.