Surprise! TCL — makers of some of the most competitive, budget-friendly Mini-LED TVs in the game — just debuted a brand-new model without so much as a peep.
Best of all? It’s already ridiculously affordable.
Right now, you can land the all-new 55-inch TCL QM5K for just $379 at Best Buy. At the moment, the QM5K appears to be a Best Buy exclusive.
Here’s everything we know about the TCL QM6K — from specs to available size options.
TCL QM5K: sizes and pricing
We’re working our way through reviews for TCL’s 2025 TVs, so we have a pretty good understanding of where the QM5K slots into the brand’s lineup.
All of TCL’s mainline TVs leverage Mini-LED backlighting, including the entry-level QM6K, the mid-range TCL QM7K and the recently announced flagship, the TCL QM8K.
The QM5K is situated below the QM6K, making it an even more accessible entry-level option than the QM6K.
Here’s how the series shakes out in terms of pricing:
- TCL 50QM5K (50-inch): $649.99 | sale: $349.99 at Best Buy
- TCL 55QM5K (55-inch): $699.99 | sale: $379.99 at Best Buy
- TCL 65QM5K (65-inch): $899.99 | sale: $499.99 at Best Buy
- TCL 75QM5K (75-inch): $1,199.99 | sale: $699.99 at Best Buy
The series includes an elusive 50-inch model — a rare size option for this day and age.
TCL QM5K: specs
We’ve reached out to TCL to get the full scoop on the QM5K, but there’s plenty we can glean from its reported specs.
As an ultra-affordable Mini-LED TV, we can reasonably assume that its brightness, overall contrast and backlight control aren’t as impressive as what you’ll find on the higher-end QM6K, and certainly nowhere near the QM7K.
Still, it’s nice to have local dimming of any kind at this price point, especially if you’re trying to avoid buying an edge-lit TV.
Despite its limitations, you’re still getting HDR support with the QM5K, including Dolby Vision and HDR10+. I wouldn’t expect its HDR performance to be as impactful as the TVs situated above it in TCL’s lineup, though, so adjust your expectations accordingly.
It’s nice to have local dimming of any kind at this price point, especially if you’re trying to avoid buying an edge-lit TV.
The same goes for your expectations of the QM5K’s gaming prowess. According to Best Buy, all sizes in this series are limited to a native refresh rate of 60Hz across three HDMI 2.0 inputs. This means that gamers will have to settle for 4K gaming at a maximum of 60fps.
The QM5K is built around the Google TV smart platform, which is great news for folks who want their next TV to handle streaming duties. (And, with only three HDMI inputs to spare, I imagine most people will.)
Most of the people covering TVs at Tom’s Guide (myself included) appreciate Google TV for its ease of use and stellar app support. If you’re upgrading to a smart TV for the first time — or if you’re just worried about learning a whole new software suite on the fly — you’ll be relieved to know that Google TV has a gentle learning curve.
TCL QM5K: outlook
We can’t make any definitive claims about the QM5K Mini-LED TV until we wrangle one in our test lab for an official review, but from where I’m sitting right now, it looks like a pretty sweet deal.
I spoke at length about the QM5K’s limitations, but truth be told, the Mini-LED backlighting alone puts it at a serious advantage when compared to similarly priced models like the Samsung DU8000.
If you're on the fence about the QM5K's leaner performance profile, I recommend spending just a little bit more on the QM6K. Right now, a 55-inch TCL QM6K is just $499 at Best Buy — about $120 more than the QM5K.
We’ll be sure to update this page when TCL gets back to us with more information.
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