TCL under fire — report suggests its QLED TVs might not have any quantum dots

TCL QLED TV on stand in living room
(Image credit: TCL)

Update 9/13/2024: TCL explained to Tom's Guide that the TVs associated in these reports are not US-based models. 

Despite being advertised as having quantum dots — nanocrystals that produce brighter, richer colors on your display — some TCL QLED TVs might not even have them, according to a new study out of Korea. 

The claim was first published on Korean news site etnews.com, which cites a published analysis conducted by two independent certification agencies, SGS and Intertek. Quantum dot producer Hansol Chemical, which supplies the QLED panels for many of the best Samsung TVs, commissioned the study. TCL, however, shot back with its own analysis, which refutes Hansol Chemical's findings.

But whose analysis is correct, and what does this mean for the future of TCL QLEDs?

Which TCL QLEDs might not have quantum dots?

The QLED TVs in question are the TCL C755, C655, and C655 Pro. According to both SGS and Intertek, these models don’t contain any signs of indium and cadmium. These are elements used in the creation of quantum dots. 

The questions first arose when Korean quantum dot producer Hansol Chemical commissioned SGS and Intertek to conduct a study on TCL QLED TVs. Their findings concluded that the aforementioned TVs, the C755, C655, and C655 Pro, lack the chemical trace of cadmium or indium, two elements used in quantum dot display manufacturing. 

TCL isn’t one to ignore the commotion. In a copy of its own chemical analysis sent to etnews.com, it cites an opposing report conducted by SGS and commissioned by Guangdong Region Advanced Material, a quantum dot film supplier for TCL. The findings concluded that traces of cadmium were present in the TVs specified and a spectrogram on the QD film also confirmed the presence of quantum dots. 

Hansol’s report was conducted by literally tearing down TCL TVs. TCL, meanwhile, used its own QD film supplies to back up its claims.

There's an important distinction to be made between the two studies, however. Hansol’s report was conducted by literally tearing down TCL TVs. TCL, meanwhile, used its own QD film supplies to back up its claims.

In other words, TCL just tested material supplied by other vendors (of which there are quite a few), while the competing report tested actual TVs. It's possible that TCL sourced faulty QD films when producing these TVs. Unfortunately, even if this is the case, it still raises questions about TCL's quality control efforts.

Should I still buy a QLED TV?

For buyers looking to snag one of the best TVs, the confusion is sure to lead to some skepticism, particularly when it comes to QLED TVs. These TVs often sport lower prices, yet still provide premium features for most consumers, as the OLED TV vs QLED TV debate is one with many angles. 

According to Digital Trends, to combat the confusion (and potential misinformation), a new “QLED Alliance” might be on the horizon, one that would verify the legitimacy of QLED TVs and give a stamp of approval to those that pass certain requirements — namely the inclusion of quantum dots. 

The formation of this alliance is still up in the air. For buyers hoping to overcome doubt about that next big TV purchase, I suggest looking at some of the best OLED TVs, as they provide the best viewing experience. Many OLED TVs are priced at relatively low prices, too, like the impressive LG C3. 

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Ryan Epps
Staff Writer

Ryan Epps is a Staff Writer under the TV/AV section at Tom's Guide focusing on TVs and projectors. When not researching PHOLEDs and writing about the next major innovation in the projector space, he's consuming random anime from the 90's, playing Dark Souls 3 again, or reading yet another Haruki Murakami novel. 

  • johnmccain
    This is consistent with a recent video done by a Brazilian YouTuber showing striking difference between the review unit of C755 he received vs the one he bought from the store. The Latter was noticeably worse (visually) and several display functions didn't work properly. If it's QC issues as the article suggests then it is highly concerning as customers aren't receiving the product they paid for and may not be even aware of it. check out the video here.
    Reply
  • purposelycryptic
    Never buy a TV without at least spending a few hours doing your due diligence and reading reviews on it. Rtings.com seems to be the gold standard, but you should always look at multiple sources.

    A good QLED can be wonderful, especially in a bright room, and you never have to worry about burn-in. But if you have a darker dedicated home theater room, or just not that much natural light in you home, and don't plan on using it for any heavy static content use (like using it as a PC monitor), you can't beat the image quality of a solid OLED.

    I have a TCL Mini-LED QLED, the original 8-Series, - it looks exceptional, and gets bright enough that it can hurt my eyes in the evenings. It is fully calibrated, and has great color gamut. The only negative (and it has become more significant over time) is that it is a HDMI 2.0.

    Still, I prefer it to the Samsung QLED (Q85T, or something like that?) I have in the bedroom, despite that one being HDMI 2.0, as it just doesn't reach the same intense contrast levels.

    I have an LG C1 in my home office, lest you think I'm just an LED fanboy, and, since that room isn't as bright, the lower brightness isn't really an issue, and it looks gorgeous.

    I also still have some final generation Panasonic Plasmas in the exercise room and guest rooms, and, while they are 1080p with no HDR, they still manage to look really good.

    As long as you buy a solid, well-reviewed TV, it'll hold up well for quite a while - when there are whispers of weirdness like this, I would just hold off until the entire mess is sorted, or buy something else; it just isn't worth the risk. You don't want to risk getting stuck with something you won't be happy with, since when you get the right one, there really isn't any reason to upgrade for a long, long time.

    Personally, I don't plan on upgrading until Micro-LED TVs enter mass production and become remotely reasonably priced. Just not worth it for me.
    Reply
  • purposelycryptic
    johnmccain said:
    This is consistent with a recent video done by a Brazilian YouTuber showing striking difference between the review unit of C755 he received vs the one he bought from the store. The Latter was noticeably worse (visually) and several display functions didn't work properly. If it's QC issues as the article suggests then it is highly concerning as customers aren't receiving the product they paid for and may not be even aware of it. check out the video here.
    That sounds more like someone passed off either a badly treated in-store demo model, or one that was dropped in the warehouse or the like.

    Functions not working properly isn't going to be caused by the absence of QD film. I'm not saying it isn't possible that it might ALSO not have QD film on top of that, but I very much doubt it could be the cause of everything.
    Reply
  • johnmccain
    purposelycryptic said:
    That sounds more like someone passed off either a badly treated in-store demo model, or one that was dropped in the warehouse or the like.

    Functions not working properly isn't going to be caused by the absence of QD film. I'm not saying it isn't possible that it might ALSO not have QD film on top of that, but I very much doubt it could be the cause of everything.
    Yeah, the reviewer mentioned he may have been unlucky and would've gotten a defective piece, so he has ordered a replacement to confirm it. But since the article pointed out QC issues with TCL, i couldn't but help make the comparison for that video. (visually it's completely different to the review unit, the reviewer pointed out how to identify if you may have this visually inferior tv (as it isn't obvious if you don't compare it side by side) which is what i mentioned as "display functions didn't work")
    Reply