This Mini-LED TV got 4 stars in our review — and it just crashed to $497 ahead of Black Friday

As a TV expert, one of the points I’m always trying to get through to people is that it’s completely possible to overspend on a super-affordable TV. In other words, don’t spend $450 on a not-so-great TV when you can spend $500 on a TV that, in many ways, is better than its price would indicate.

With just under a few weeks to go until Black Friday weekend, exciting, value-packed TVs are falling in price — closer to the price level of boring, basic-looking TVs. The TCL QM6K is one such set.

Seemingly overnight, the 65-inch TCL QM6K fell to just $497 at Amazon. It’s the lowest price I’ve seen this TV hit since it launched earlier this year. If you want to learn a bit more, stick around and I’ll explain why I’ve been recommending this TV to friends and readers for months.

If you were to spend just a little bit less on a different TV, you’d probably end up with one that doesn’t offer Mini-LED backlighting. This is, by far, the QM6K’s best attribute.

Its modest array of Mini-LEDs is why the QM6K delivers higher brightness and better overall contrast than TVs with more rudimentary display types. Like I said: You can spend less on a TV with a low-level, edge-lit display, or you can shell out a bit more on something like the QM6K. This TV was already one of the most affordable ways you could lock down Mini-LEDs in 2025, but this deal makes it even more of a no-brainer.

The QM6K also arrives with a handful of useful gaming features.

If you want your next TV to act as your daily portal to the streaming realm, the QM6K is a good candidate, too. It comes with the straightforward, easy-to-use Google TV smart platform built right in. (I still prefer Roku, but Google TV is my #2.)

The QM6K also arrives with a handful of useful gaming features, including support for 4K gaming at 120Hz or 144Hz. You can read more about these features in our full TCL QM6K review.

Let’s recap: For just under $500, this is a 65-inch Mini-LED TV with a pretty reliable smart platform and better-than-average gaming features. Let’s compare that to a TV I don’t like: the Samsung Q7F.

The Q7F doesn’t come with Mini-LEDs. Its edge-lit display is its biggest weakness. Its built-in smart platform isn’t as easy to use as Google TV, and it doesn’t come with HDMI 2.1 inputs. Right now, the 65-inch Samsung Q7F is $497 at Amazon — the exact same price as the QM6K. Let's just say I know which one I would buy.

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Michael Desjardin is a Senior Editor for TVs at Tom's Guide. He's been testing and tinkering with TVs professionally for over a decade, previously for Reviewed and USA Today. Michael graduated from Emerson College where he studied media production and screenwriting. He loves cooking, zoning out to ambient music, and getting way too invested in the Red Sox. He considers himself living proof that TV doesn't necessarily rot your brain.

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