Who needs Black Friday? This 85-inch Mini-LED TV just crashed to $849 just in time for the holidays

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This big-time deal is one of the best you'll see this year on a big-screen TV

The TCL QM5K Mini-LED TV displaying an NFL player in front of a colorful background. To the right of the TV is a blue badge that reads: Tom's Guide Price Drop
(Image credit: TCL)

Black Friday and Cyber Monday are behind us, but if you know where to look, there are still some sensational TV deals flying under the radar ahead of the holidays. If you’re in the market for a big-screen TV and didn’t manage to find a match during the biggest shopping day of the year, you’re in luck today.

The 85-inch TCL QM5K is just $849 at Best Buy, and it’s one of the best deals you’ll see on a big-screen TV between now and the end of the year. This Best Buy-exclusive model is one of the first I’d recommend to anyone looking to save money on an 85-inch TV.

TCL 85" QM5K Mini-LED TV
TCL 85" QM5K Mini-LED TV: was $1,399 now $849 at Best Buy

The QM5K arrives with built-in Google TV features for all of your streaming needs, plus Dolby Vision support. Its handiest feature is its Mini-LED backlighting, which is tough to find at this price point. If you're going to shop in this price range, I recommend going with the QM5K over a super-cheap TV from a brand like Insignia or Onn.

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When it comes to performance, the QM5K isn’t one of the best 85-inch TVs money can buy, but there’s one feature here that sets it apart from ultra-cheap, bottom-of-the-barrel 85-inch TVs: Mini-LED backlighting.

The QM5K leverages a modest array of Mini-LEDs compared to higher-end models, but trust me: You definitely want Mini-LEDs. If you’re trying to avoid buying an edge-lit TV (which I recommend you do, especially at the 85-inch size point), the QM5K is a terrific option.

The TCL QM5K Mini-LED TV displaying the Google TV home screen

(Image credit: TCL)

Trust me: You definitely want Mini-LEDs.

The QM5K comes with just three HDMI inputs rather than the usual four, but thankfully, its built-in smart platform is robust enough to forgo the use of a dedicated streaming device. It arrives with Google TV, which is one of my preferred smart platforms due to its easy-to-navigate interface and sensational app support.

It's not a fully-fledged gaming machine (especially compared to higher-end Mini-LED TVs), but it supports 4K gaming up to 60Hz. That's pretty much par for the course in this price range.

The QM5K won't blow you away, but if you’re looking for a reliable 4K TV for everyday use, the QM5K is a better choice than most of the the super-cheap, 85-inch TVs on sale right now.

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Michael Desjardin
Michael Desjardin
Senior Editor, TV

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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