It’s a more moderen model, however TCL has already cemented its place on the Mount Rushmore of TV producers. Over the previous decade or so, it has gone toe to toe with main electronics producers like Vizio, Samsung, and LG, and it is at all times come out forward relating to delivering the most effective image for the cash.
TCL TVs are so good, in actual fact, that we preserve recommending cheaper and cheaper fashions as our prime choose. So is it value splurging for this Q7 mannequin over the way more reasonably priced Q6 (7/10, WIRED Evaluate)? For each gaming and daytime viewing, I feel it’s.
Whether or not you’re zooming round a digital F1 observe or watching the newest Wes Anderson flicks, the brand new Q7 delivers a number of the crispest, most vibrant photos that I’ve seen for its comparatively reasonably priced value. Other than a couple of stutters within the Google TV interface and a mildly extra reflective display than I might desire, this is without doubt one of the greatest TVs of the 12 months.
Fast Setup
{Photograph}: TCL
The Q7 is a well-known hunk of rectangular plastic and glass that’s rounded on the edges, due to this fact simpler than most to position on its stomach to put in the legs on both facet of the display. The legs stick out awkwardly contained in the 65-inch mannequin’s footprint, extending about 4 inches on all sides as soon as it’s stood up on my TV stand. I dislike ft like this, because it means you want outsized furnishings to mount the TV in your house. A pedestal mount solves this downside, and I nonetheless surprise why it’s not the business normal. You may additionally simply purchase a wall mount.
Setup is very simple and straightforward, with the Q7 boasting 3 HDMI ports, together with HDMI eARC for simple soundbar or speaker setup that permits you to use the included distant for quantity. Mentioned distant is concerning the size of a king-size sweet bar, with white buttons that make it straightforward to identify them in the dead of night.
The Google TV interface is a change from TCL’s outdated Roku working system, however it’s not likely one which I can complain about. You continue to get help for nearly each app by way of Google, and this provides simpler casting for these of us with out iPhones, because of the built-in Google Smartcast. The interface is tremendous straightforward to make use of (as is the voice management help for Alexa, Google Assistant, and Apple Homekit), however I did discover that it’s not the quickest TV I’ve ever scrolled by.
Often I’d wait whereas the curser held on some menu or one other. It wasn’t sufficient to make me instantly hook up an outboard streaming system, however that’s at all times an possibility (and an affordable one at that) when you get fed up. One factor it would be best to improve is the audio system. Purchase a soundbar when you do not have already got one. This TV sounds tinny.
Modern Seems
{Photograph}: TCL
The primary cause to purchase this TV is the image high quality, which is nice out of the field. A whole bunch of zones of native dimming and TCL’s quantum dot panel pair for a number of the brightest and most enjoyable colours I’ve ever seen at this value. It is not precisely photo-book correct in all modes, however TCL’s processing makes for a really enjoyable watch within the overwhelming majority of circumstances, and it will get even higher when calibrated. This mannequin simply competes with higher-tier choices from Samsung and LG in my e-book.