- The good news: TCL launches 163-inch micro-LED for under $40K
- The bad: currently only in China, and it’s pretty big too
- TCL is also launching a mainstream SQD mini-LED TV in China
TCL has unveiled two huge micro-LED TVs – and while they’re expensive, they’re not as expensive as you might expect.
Micro-LEDs have been ruinously expensive to manufacture, which is why you’d expect a 100-inch micro-LED TV to cost around $100,000. But it’s TCL’s micro-LEDs very cheaper than that.
As Notebookcheck reports, the more affordable of the two models, the TCL Max163M, is priced in China at 249,999 yuan. That’s around $36,375 / £27,410 / AU$51,615. The more expensive TCL Max163M Pro is 349,999 yuan, which equates to around $50,925 / £38,375 / AU$72,259 before tax and tariffs.
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These are amazingly low prices for micro LED TVs and look like a game-changer. While we can’t assume the Chinese price will translate directly to what it would cost in the US (just the shipping…), consider this: the 116-inch Hisense 116UX RGB mini-LED costs $30,000, so paying $36,000 for a 163-inch TV actually seems right in line with that.
TCL’s micro-LED and Super Quantum Dot TV: key features
The TCL Max163M TVs both have a 163-inch micro-LED screen, which the company says is capable of up to 10,000 nits of HDR brightness and 100% of the BT.2020 color gamut.
The screens are low-reflective and smart functions are powered by TCL’s control system 3.0. The ports are four HDMI 2.1, one USB 3.0 and one USB 2.0. The Pro model has a higher refresh rate than the standard model: 4K at 120Hz. TCL hasn’t shared the specs of the second TV yet, but I think we can assume 60Hz.
Both TVs are currently exclusive to the Chinese market and it is unclear if they will come to other markets.
Chinese customers can also purchase a new quantum dot mini-LED, the TCL Q9M Pro SQD. This will be available in 55-, 65-, 75-, 85- and 98-inch sizes. SQD stands for Super Quantum Dot, and we have just measured a version of this technology in the TCL X11L TV. The panel has a native 150Hz refresh rate that can be boosted to 300Hz (presumably at a lower resolution).
It’s very similar to the previous generation, the Q9L Pro, and retains the Onkyo 2.2.1-channel sound system from its predecessor, but the panel is brighter, with TCL claiming 5,000 nits compared to the Q9L Pro’s 4,500. There are four HDMI 2.1 ports and Wi-Fi 6.
As with the micro-LED TVs, there’s no news yet on pricing or availability outside of China, but pricing in that market ranges from 6,199 yuan for the 55-inch to 19,999 yuan for the 98-inch. That works out to around $898 / £677 / AU$1,275, rising to $2,899 / £2,185 / AU$4,110 for the largest model.
TCL’s current X11L SQD range in the US tops out at just under $10K for the 98-inch model, so these new TVs could be considerably more affordable – based on the name, it looks like it might sit above the TCL Q9M RGB TV, but below the X11L super-flagship.
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