This QLED TV Packs Serious Brightness and Gaming Specs for Under $800

The 65-inch TCL QM7K is currently selling for $797.99, down from $999.99, and price trackers show that’s the lowest price it’s dropped so far. The QM7K isn’t a slimmed-down budget model: it’s a mini-LED TV with full local dimming, wide HDR format support and brightness levels exceeding 2,000 nits. In practice, this means that HDR highlights the pop, contrast remains controlled and the screen remains usable even in brightly lit rooms. It doesn’t reach the extreme peak brightness of TCL’s top-end QM8, but for most living rooms the difference is negligible. And if you’re also looking for a solid gaming and streaming setup without dropping too much money, the QM7K fits the bill.

TCL has equipped this one with specifications adapted to gamers: a native 144 Hz refresh rateAMD FreeSync Premium Pro and less than 5ms input lag for 1080p at high frame rates. Even at 4K60, input lag remains less than 14 milliseconds, keeping it comfortably below the one-frame lag that PCMag uses as a benchmark for solid gaming performance on a TV. Connectivity is also solid, with four HDMI ports in total, two of which support 144Hz signals and one with eARC for audio passthrough, as well as USB, Ethernet, and optical audio. Google TV handles the smarts, with support for Apple AirPlay, Chromecast, hands-free Google Assistant, and all the big-name streaming apps. The included remote is backlit, easy to use, and comes with shortcut buttons for popular apps. And the interface is easy to navigate.

That said, there are some tradeoffs. Color adjustment is hot out of the box and may require adjustment, and the panel does not support ATSC3.0so you are missing out on the new standard of live streaming. Plus, like most LED TVs, you’ll lose some color saturation and contrast when viewing from sharp side angles. But these compromises are minor for most people who use it as a living room centerpiece or gaming monitor. PCMag gave the QM7K an “Excellent” ratingand our own writer, Daniel Oropeza, named the 65-inch model as one of the best budget QLED TVs to buy.