Dreadful TCL QM8/QM850G Discovery

[BoomerPlusUltra]

It’s just a manufacturing defect. Literally every product in the world has a failure rate. It all depends on the rate.

[nikkic]

You have bad led strips in that lower quarter. Became obvious when you played with it to get rid of the lines. Somehow power is not getting to the edge of the led strips then suddenly gets through. Defective unit. I've fixed several led sets by replacing led strips and that is definitely a manufacturing defect since it's a new set.

[Iammohinpa]

I have the smaller but similar issue. The size of a tennis ball. How did this disappear.? I have reset the tv, unplugged the power & all cables but was not successful. Was wondering if you had to switch the unit .?

[mack]

Hoping they address and figure it out before the 98s come later this year. If not, I’ll have the extended warranty.

[markmoore]

Same thing happened to mine (75’) although I can’t get mine to go away. BB is coming to swap it out for another, but after seeing this … feeling like this is way more common and I should just ditch the TV altogether.

[weeblewooble]

Same thing for me, I purchased the 6 inch QM8 from best buy in November 2023. Lucky for me I was able to send it back and buy a LG C3. This was my last TCL, just bad quality.

[joshhowie]

Would you give us your calibration results still?? :)

[HigaSmash]

All TV's have bad apples, my sister got a 75 inch LG and in just a little over a year the bottom half back lights gave out.

[EdmundMyers]

Thank you for this great review! I have purchased the Hisence 85UX but it has not shipped. This is suppose to be the top of the line Hisence and maybe this will have problems too! The TV is available for immediate shipment from Best Buy and has not sold out of the 200 units that the US was to get. I WONDER WHAT IS GOING WRONG ON THE SALES OF THIS UNIT! maybe it is $4, 999 price tag. I was going to buy the TCL QM8 but after hearing everyones problems I wonder if I should take a chance on Hisence?

[ArcticWolf]

Can confirm a similar issue although not as aggressive on my S646 as well.

[noahthegildedone]

Mine is just constant with software issues. Freezing, 5-10 second lag after remote inputs (if it registered the import at all, and yes, I swapped the batteries)

[Kaohteeko]

That’s very disappointing. I was rooting for this model! There’s always the risk of a wining the bad hardware lottery with anything tech, but for a top tier product, it is expected for tighter QC tolerances; even for underdog brands such as TCL.
Reputation is everything for a brand.

[digitalillusionsart]

Please finish testing the unit. Give us the real numbers based on your test. This finding is huge and important, it was great that you manage to catch and document it. I used to work as a Quality Control Lead for a mayor tech company and catching fails is important, but catching intermittent issue is even more important because we are talking about an anomaly that can potentially affect hundreds of units without TCL knowing about it. Like I said before, please finish your testing and give us like always your honest opinion. Thanks!! 🔥👏🏼👍🏼

[Barbwire]

Interesting. Just got an 85” qm8 and did the latest firmware update. Will keep an eye out for this.

[stevehall]

I've been waiting for the new tv's to come out, thinking I would get the 85" QM8. Would you still recommend someone get this? If not, what would you recommend in the $2500-$2500 range for a 75-85" tv?

[tamarindo]

You must of got a bad screen I got the 75 inch and this tv is perfect no issues here best tv I ever bought.

[austinjerrett]

Did it ever show back up for you ? It don’t own this tv I was thinking about getting one

[DarkKnight-gwgw]

As good as the specs are on these new TCL and Hisense sets, I still worry about their quality over the long term. These two brands just don’t have enough history for me to be comfortable with them to invest in. At least for a few more years, I’ll only consider the big three. I think most Sonys, Samsungs, and LGs are at least good for 4-6 years.

[alfredsnyder]

It's still a great TV. But like every major purchase of this price range, purchase the warranty or extended warranty to cover yourself for the next 3-4 years. Just know that only Best Buy will cover burn ins

[fordmanc]

I like TCL and what they are trying to offer, however I bought a new R635 and it was great until 13 months later the panel started developing a spot, which grew and grew to almost 90% of the screen, no warranty. I now switched to heisesne U8H 2 year warranty no issues 13 months in