The TCL QM5K is positioned as the company’s most affordable Mini-LED TV for 2025, designed as a step below the QM6K while delivering much of the same visual performance at a noticeably lower price. It lacks some of the gaming-oriented specifications of its pricier sibling, but for most people, especially those seeking strong image quality on a tight budget, the QM5K may well be one of the best deals of the year.
TCL offers the series in five sizes, ranging from 50 to 85 inches. For this review, we took a close look at the 55-inch TCL 55QM5K to evaluate its design, picture quality, gaming capabilities, smart features, and overall value.
The TCL 55QM5K TV boasts a surprisingly premium design for its price.
Design and Build Quality
TCL has been steadily improving the design of its more affordable TV models, and the QM5K is another example of how a budget television can still look refined. At first glance, it resembles the more expensive QM6K with its slim bezels and textured rear panel. The stand consists of two adjustable plastic feet that can be positioned in two ways depending on your table width, and they elevate the TV high enough to slide almost any soundbar beneath the screen.
Most of the construction is plastic, which is expected at this price point, but there are no obvious flaws or signs of poor assembly. The back panel flexes slightly when pressed but not enough to suggest durability issues. The ports are located on the side, making them easily accessible even if you decide to mount the TV on the wall. TCL also includes simple cable-management clips to keep things organized.
It’s very similar to the TCL QM6K , with a textured back panel and two simple feet serving as a stand.
Google TV Experience
The QM5K runs Google TV based on Android TV 12, giving it access to one of the most polished and content-rich smart TV platforms available today. Performance feels responsive thanks to TCL’s AIPQ processor, and streaming apps launch quickly.
As with most smart TVs, ads are part of the experience. You can disable personalized recommendations, but ads do not disappear entirely unless you switch the TV to Google TV’s “Basic Mode,” which strips out nearly all smart features. For most users, the standard mode will be the preferred way to use the television.
Sound Quality
Audio performance is one area where the QM5K shows its budget roots. The TV includes a 2.1-channel speaker system with two 10-watt drivers and a 20-watt subwoofer. Sound remains pleasant and well balanced at moderate levels, but clarity drops noticeably when pushed toward maximum volume. Bass response is limited despite the dedicated subwoofer.
The TCL QM5K has decent build quality.
Fortunately, the TV supports eARC, allowing you to send uncompressed Dolby Atmos audio to a compatible soundbar or receiver. Anyone who wants serious sound will want to pair this TV with an external system, but the built-in speakers are serviceable for everyday viewing.
Gaming Performance
While the QM5K will not satisfy gamers who insist on 4K at 120 Hz, it performs remarkably well for a budget television. Input lag in Game Master mode is extremely low, measured at just 5 milliseconds in some cases. This gives games a very responsive feel, ideal for competitive play.
The limitation lies in the panel’s native 60 Hz refresh rate at 4K. To reach higher refresh rates, you must step down to 1080p or 1440p, both of which can run up to 144 Hz. At these resolutions, variable refresh rate also works across a wider range thanks to support for LFC, resulting in smoother motion and fewer instances of screen tearing.
The TV is mostly compatible with the PlayStation 5. It accepts 1080p and 1440p at 120 Hz but caps 4K gaming at 60 Hz. Auto Low Latency Mode ensures the TV automatically switches to its lowest-lag setting when a console game is detected.
The feet raise the TV approximately 9 cm above the table, allowing almost any soundbar to fit underneath without obscuring the view of the screen.
Picture Quality
The QM5K uses a VA-type QLED panel with Mini-LED backlighting, delivering inherently strong contrast and deeper blacks than most IPS-based competitors. Native contrast sits around 6000:1, which is excellent for a budget Mini-LED set. With local dimming enabled, black levels become even more impressive, although blooming around bright objects can still occur, particularly in challenging scenes with subtitles or small highlights against dark backgrounds.
HDR performance is solid but not exceptional. The TV can reach around 900 nits in a 25% HDR window, which is enough to give midtone scenes noticeable impact, though highlights lack the “pop” seen on more expensive Mini-LED models. A puzzling limitation appears when using the low-latency Game Master mode, as HDR brightness drops to roughly 500 nits. This appears to be a design oversight, because TCL’s other 2025 models do not suffer from this reduction.
Color accuracy out of the box is average. Whites lean too cool, and bright colors contain too much red and blue. The TV also uses a BGR subpixel layout, which may reduce text clarity slightly when used as a PC monitor. However, after calibration, accuracy improves dramatically. White balance, gamma, and color temperature become nearly perfect, and most viewers would never notice the remaining minor inconsistencies.
The TCL 55QM5K TV has incredibly low input lag across all resolution and refresh rate combinations in Game Master mode, with a minimum of 5 ms.
In SDR, performance is excellent. The TV becomes bright enough to overcome reflections in well-lit rooms and maintains strong contrast even in difficult scenes. Uniformity is also good in the center of the screen, with only mild dirty-screen effect during sports. Edges are less consistent, especially in dark scenes, but this is typical at this price point.
Motion handling is another strength. The panel’s response time is fast enough to reduce blur during fast-moving content, although low-frame-rate material such as 24-fps films may show slight stutter. The TV can automatically remove judder from 24p sources, and TCL’s Motion Clarity feature helps smooth out 60p and 60i content when enabled.
The TV is equipped with three HDMI inputs, two of which are limited to HDMI 2.0 bandwidth.
Connectivity and Ports
The QM5K includes three HDMI ports, though only one offers full 48 Gbps HDMI 2.1 bandwidth. The remaining ports are limited to HDMI 2.0. Additionally, the TV features a USB 3.0 port, an Ethernet jack, an optical audio output, and antenna connections. Wireless connectivity includes both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. The 50-inch model includes one extra HDMI 2.0 port, for a total of four.
Pricing
As of mid-November 2025, pricing is as follows:
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TCL 50QM5K: $650
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TCL 55QM5K: $700
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TCL 65QM5K: $900
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TCL 75QM5K: $1,200
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TCL 85QM5K: Price not yet revealed
These numbers place the QM5K firmly in the budget-Mini-LED category, undercutting many competitors while offering a feature set that feels much closer to mid-range territory.
QM5K Backpanel
Conclusion
The TCL QM5K succeeds in delivering much of what people expect from a modern Mini-LED TV without inflating the price. It offers strong contrast, excellent SDR brightness, respectable HDR performance, and a fully featured Google TV interface. Its gaming limitations at 4K will disappoint some console players, but PC gamers at 1080p or 1440p will find it an excellent match.
Local dimming is effective but not flawless, and viewing angles remain narrow due to the VA panel. Even so, the overall picture quality is impressive for the price, especially after calibration, and the TV’s wide HDR format support ensures compatibility with virtually all modern content.
For movie watchers on a budget, value-focused gamers, and anyone who wants a bright, high-contrast TV without crossing into premium pricing, the TCL QM5K is one of the strongest options of 2025.
