When I shop around for a TV for myself, these are my top three categories I prioritize in order of importance: (1) size, (2) image quality, and (3) value. As a person whose entire job revolves around finding deals, you’d think value would take precedence, but it doesn’t. I appreciate a TV that delivers an exceptional picture. For that reason, when it comes to TVs 83″ and under, I would unequivocally recommend an OLED TV on sale. But for even bigger TV sizes, as of right now my recommendation skews towards TCL’s new 2026 QM8L TV with its SQD Mini-LED technology. Yes, even over OLED.
$2000 Off TCL QM8L SQD Mini-LED 4K TV (2026)
Part of this reason is that the TCL QM8L TVs are heavily discounted at the moment. Best Buy and other retailers are offering the 98″ TCL QM8L 4K TV for $3,999.99 after a $2,000 off instant discount. That’s considerably pricier than the absolute cheapest 100″ TVs (you can find one for as low as $1,400), but if you want top-shelf image quality, you’re going to also have to pay thousands more for another TV that might be marginally better, and only in certain scenarios.
TCL’s SQD mini LED tech is the real deal
Another big reason is the big new tech upgrade for 2026. This year’s QM8L features TCL’s highly-touted SQD technology. SQD – which stands for Super Quantum Dot – is a more refined version of QLED tech. Quantum dot panels have a layer of microscopic crystals measuring a few nanometers in size that are able to separate light into precise colors. SQD tech uses even smaller crystals – as small as a single nanometer in width. This allows SQD panels to pack in even more dimming zones, usually numbering in the thousands, which in turn produces a brighter image with higher contrast and richer colors. The 98″ model in particular boasts up to 6,000nits of peak brightness and over 4,000 local dimming zones.
Combined with TCL’s new Halo Control System, the QM8L completely eliminates the halo effect you get with other LED LCD TVs when white and black elements are placed next to each other. This is one way you can distinguish OLED TVs (which don’t exhibit the halo effect) to LED LCD TVs. TCL’s SQD TV levels the playing field in that respect. The QM8L also makes a fantastic TV for console gaming. The panel boasts a native 144Hz refresh rate and four total HDMI 2.1 ports.
I’d pick the 98″ QM8L over the 97″ LG G6 OLED
On the OLED front, the closest comparison to the 98″ TCL QM8L would be the LG G6 Gallery series TV, which is available in a 97″ screen size. Let’s ignore the fact that the TV costs $20,000 at most retailers and that OLED burn-in is definitely a real issue. What’s important to note is that that LG’s 97″ G6 model is inferior to its smaller counterparts. Whereas all the other G6 TVs feature LG’s latest Primary RGB Tandem 2.0 OLED panel, the 97″ version uses a traditional W-OLED panel similar to the one found in the LG B6 TV. It’s also dimmer (far dimmer than the QM8L) and caps out at 120Hz refresh rate. In a nutshell, don’t expect LG’s fantastic “Gallery series image quality” in the 97″ variant.
I’d pick the 98″ QM8L over a home theater projector
With the QM8L on the market, there’s also no telling reason to get a home theater projector unless you’re getting a significantly larger screen (120″ or bigger). You’d have to spend well over $4,000 to get a projector than can hope to compete with the image quality of the QM8L, and even then that would be limited to a completely dark room with an optimized screen that could easily run you another $1,000. For both movie watching and games, there’s really no comparison, and that’s coming from someone who’s owned a high-end Sony projector for over a decade.
I’d pick the 98″ QM8L over TCL’s higher-end X11L
TCL makes one additional 98″ TV that is technically a superior TV. The 98″ X11L is available for $8,999.99, or more than double the price of the QM8L. Although both TVs use the new SQD Mini-LED tech, the X11L has far more dimming zones: 20,000 on the X11L compared to 4,000 on the QM8L. That equates to higher peak brightness (10,000nits vs 6,000nits) and more precise colors. It truly is the cream of the crop. However, in real world scenarios, the difference in image quality doesn’t justify the $5,000 price tag, at least for me.
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Eric Song is the IGN commerce manager in charge of finding the best gaming and tech deals every day. When Eric isn’t hunting for deals for other people at work, he’s hunting for deals for himself during his free time.
