Google Gemini Turns TCL’s QM9K into the Smartest TV of 2025.

The QM9K shows the entire market that an amazing TV doesn't have to be a horrible value.

Gaming performance is decent, though OLED panels are still superior in motion, and I noticed some quirks with low-quality content flickering and occasional menu freezes.

It takes everything the QM8K did well and doubles down with more brightness and black levels that are a bit better, thanks to all its dimming zones.

The TCL QM9K is the company’s flagship mini-LED for 2025, and while it's arriving late, it was well worth the wait. An exceptionally bright picture with rich color and strong contrast is enhanced by an anti-reflection screen and an ultra-wide viewing angle feature. An Audio by Bang & Olufsen speaker system provides clear, muscular Dolby Atmos sound, and the QM9K also supports the new Dolby FlexConnect wireless sound format. The QM9K is also the first Google TV to have its smart interface enhanced by Gemini AI, a feature that takes content search and smart TV interaction to the next level.

The TCL QM9K feels like the natural extension of what TCL started with the QM8K.

The TCL 85QM9K is a statement piece of a TV that backs up its ambition with serious hardware. It throws bright, colorful, high-contrast images that make HDR movies and sports feel alive, and it has the gaming chops to match.

I think it is the best TCL has to offer and it's extremely competitive.

The TCL QM9K feels like the natural extension of what TCL started with the QM8K.

The TCL QM9K is a great TV overall. It gets incredibly bright, making it a fantastic choice for a bright living room, as it can easily overcome daytime glare. It looks just as stunning in the dark, thanks to its very effective Mini LED local dimming feature.

Though it's hard to spot where the TV steers wrong in terms of color, bar testing it side by side with other TVs, the differences were obvious when testing with the Konica Minolta meter. As the results below suggest, the TCL has poor color and greyscale response -- even in its best mode (Filmmaker). Furthermore, gamma was unusually poor on the movie-centric modes -- hovering around the 2.0 mark.