The TCL 98-inch Q6 is a 98-inch QLED smart TV that runs Google TV out of the box. The QLED panel uses quantum dots to expand the color range past what standard LED TVs deliver. A 120Hz refresh rate handles sports, gaming, and action movies without motion blur, with support for Dolby Vision, HDR10+, HDR10, and HLG on the HDR side. Dolby Atmos audio runs through a built-in 30-watt speaker system, and the three HDMI ports on the back handle a soundbar, console, and cable box.
A massive TV that’s perfect for streaming and watching from any living room
Big-screen home theater used to require knocking down a wall, hiring an installer, and writing a five-figure check. The cheapest 98-inch TVs on the market in 2018 cost over $13,000, and most were sold as part of an installation package rather than as a standalone consumer purchase. Pricing in the 98-inch class has dropped roughly 80% over the past five years, and the TCL Q6 now represents the lower end of that pricing.
Picture quality is what most people walk away talking about. QLED with quantum dots produces brighter highlights and a wider color range than a basic LED TV, which is most obvious on bright outdoor scenes, animated content, and Dolby Vision-mastered movies. The High Brightness+ backlight handles glare from a sunny living room better than most budget QLEDs. Skin tones, sunsets, and grass during a baseball game all benefit from the wider color reproduction.
Sound runs through downward-firing speakers with Dolby Atmos and DTS Virtual:X processing. Dialogue stays clear, and the built-in speakers produce more low-end than a typical thin TV does, but a soundbar plugged into the HDMI eARC port takes audio quality much further. Auto Game Mode on the gaming side kicks in low-input-lag settings the moment your PS5 or Xbox Series X powers up, with Game Accelerator 120 running variable refresh rate up to 120Hz for compatible titles.
Google TV is the streaming platform on the Q6. The Home Screen brings together all that you are currently watching across Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, Max, Apple TV+, and Prime Video, as well as continuing to watch rows for each streaming service. Chromecast built into Google TV lets you cast video directly from your smartphone or computer to the television, without purchasing an additional streaming device. You can also use voice search functionality via either Google Assistant or Amazon Alexa.
Theater-sized viewing is the whole point of buying into the 98-inch class. At $1,400, down from $3,000, the Q6 offers the lowest entry point for that TV size on the current market. If you’ve got a couch placed 12 to 15 feet back from the wall, 86 inches of wall space for the screen, and the studs to anchor a 120-pound TV, this is the easiest path to a theater-sized screen for under $1,500.