TCL Q65 98-Inch QLED Smart TV

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75%
25%
78%
Picture Quality
74%
HDR Performance
83%
Gaming Performance
71%
Motion Clarity
91%
Screen Size & Impact
77%
Smart TV Interface
69%
Upscaling & SDR Content
58%
Audio Performance
86%
Value for Money
73%
Build Quality & Design
62%
Installation & Setup
81%
Connectivity & Ports
76%
Brightness & Glare Handling
72%
Remote & Voice Control
More

Overview

The TCL Q65 98-Inch QLED Smart TV is one of the few ways to get genuinely cinematic screen real estate in your living room without building a projector setup. At 98 inches, it occupies a size tier that very few QLED options reach at this price point — and the 2024 model positions TCL's Q-series directly against far pricier competition from Samsung and Sony. Google TV handles the smart platform side well, feeling more organized than Roku and less cluttered than some older smart TV interfaces. Just go in clear-eyed: this is a strong value pick for its scale, not a reference-grade display. Contrast and black levels are the honest weak spot.

Features & Benefits

The Quantum Dot panel is where this large-format smart TV earns its keep. Colors pop with real depth — covering nearly the full DCI-P3 color space — so HDR content on Netflix or Disney+ looks noticeably richer than what a standard LED backlit panel would produce. Dolby Vision and HDR10+ dual support means it adapts to whichever format a stream or disc throws at it. Gamers will appreciate the 144Hz variable refresh and dedicated Game Accelerator mode, which cuts input lag considerably on a screen this large. The AIPQ PRO processor does a decent job upscaling 1080p content, though stretched SDR material can look soft at 98 inches. Turn off MEMC if the motion smoothing effect bothers you — it is easily adjustable.

Best For

This 98-inch TCL QLED really shines in the right room — and that qualification matters. You need at least 12 to 14 feet of viewing distance for a screen this size to feel comfortable rather than overwhelming, so it is best suited to dedicated home theater spaces or large open-plan living areas. Sports broadcasts look genuinely spectacular at this scale: crowds, stadiums, and the fine detail of a football field all benefit from the extra real estate. Console gamers with a PS5 or Xbox Series X get the bonus of a massive low-latency display with VRR support. It is also a practical alternative to a projector setup — simpler to install, brighter in ambient light, and no bulb to replace.

User Feedback

Buyers consistently praise the out-of-the-box brightness and color saturation — most say it looks genuinely impressive from the moment it is powered on. Where criticism surfaces, it tends to focus on dark scene performance: the edge-lit backlight produces noticeable blooming around bright objects against dark backgrounds, which is a real limitation in dimly lit rooms. The Google TV interface gets generally positive marks for ease of use, though a handful of owners report occasional lag when switching between apps. Most buyers flag the installation weight early on — at over 120 pounds, getting the Q65 panel on a wall without professional help is a genuine challenge. Built-in audio is passable for daytime TV, but nearly everyone ends up adding a dedicated soundbar.

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Pros

  • 98-inch screen size delivers a near-cinematic field of view that no comparably priced QLED rival currently matches.
  • Quantum Dot color coverage makes HDR content on Netflix and Disney+ look rich and vivid right out of the box.
  • Dolby Vision and HDR10+ dual support ensures compatibility with virtually every HDR format across streaming and physical media.
  • 144Hz variable refresh with Game Accelerator mode gives console gamers a responsive, low-latency experience on a massive display.
  • Google TV is one of the better smart platforms available — clean, app-rich, and easy to navigate daily.
  • Built-in Chromecast and Alexa support make this large-format smart TV a natural fit for established smart home setups.
  • Motion processing handles live sports broadcasts particularly well, keeping fast-paced action sharp and fluid.
  • The bezel-less design looks far more premium in person than the price point would suggest.
  • Strong upscaling performance means cable TV and 1080p streaming content remains watchable at this size.
  • For buyers who priced out 98-inch options from Samsung or LG, the Q65 panel offers genuinely comparable core specs at a meaningful discount.

Cons

  • Edge-lit backlight causes visible blooming and halo effects around bright objects in dark scenes.
  • Black levels cannot compete with OLED or mini-LED rivals — a real limitation for movie enthusiasts.
  • Built-in speakers are underwhelming for a screen this large; a soundbar purchase is practically mandatory.
  • MEMC motion smoothing is too aggressive on default settings and creates a soap opera effect on film content.
  • At over 120 pounds, professional installation is almost essential, adding cost that buyers often overlook.
  • The Google TV interface can feel sluggish when switching between apps, which is frustrating during everyday use.
  • Low-bitrate or older SDR source content looks noticeably soft and noisy stretched across 98 inches.
  • The back panel and stand materials feel budget-grade compared to premium competitors at a similar screen size.
  • Rooms with direct sunlight may still experience glare, as the screen coating is not best-in-class for reflection control.
  • HDMI port placement on the rear panel makes cable management awkward once the TV is wall-mounted.

Ratings

The TCL Q65 98-Inch QLED Smart TV has been put through its paces by our AI rating engine, which analyzed thousands of verified global buyer reviews while actively filtering out incentivized, bot-generated, and duplicate feedback to surface what real owners actually experience. The scores below reflect a transparent picture of this large-format panel — where it genuinely over-delivers for the money and where it falls short compared to pricier competition. Both the praise and the frustrations are represented honestly, so you can decide whether this 98-inch screen fits your room and your expectations.

Picture Quality
78%
22%
Out of the box, color saturation impresses nearly every buyer — warm, punchy tones on nature documentaries and sports broadcasts look especially vivid thanks to the Quantum Dot layer. Bright scenes in HDR content on Netflix or Disney+ genuinely pop, and most owners feel the image holds up well from normal viewing distances.
Dark scenes are where this panel shows its edge-lit limits. Blooming around subtitles and bright objects against black backgrounds is a recurring complaint, and anyone coming from an OLED or mini-LED display will notice the contrast gap immediately in a darkened room.
HDR Performance
74%
26%
Supporting Dolby Vision, HDR10+, HDR10, and HLG means this large-format smart TV handles virtually every HDR format a streaming service or 4K Blu-ray player throws at it. Buyers who watch a lot of HDR-mastered content note that highlight detail in bright scenes — sunlit skies, stadium lights — looks genuinely impressive at this screen size.
Peak brightness, while above average for the price tier, is not high enough to fully resolve the specular highlights that premium HDR content is graded for. The edge-lit backlight also limits local tone mapping, so the HDR experience feels more like a strong SDR+ rather than true high-dynamic-range in challenging scenes.
Gaming Performance
83%
Console gamers running a PS5 or Xbox Series X consistently highlight the 144Hz variable refresh and low-latency Game Accelerator mode as standout features. Playing fast-paced titles on a 98-inch screen with VRR active produces a remarkably smooth experience that a projector setup simply cannot match in typical room brightness.
A handful of owners note that enabling Game Mode disables some of the picture processing, which can make the image look slightly flat compared to the cinema preset. PC gamers also point out that HDMI 2.1 bandwidth handling varies, and ultra-high-resolution PC configurations may not behave as expected.
Motion Clarity
71%
29%
For live sports — football, basketball, Formula 1 — the Motion Rate 480 processing keeps fast movement looking fluid and detailed. Buyers who primarily watch broadcast sports are among the most satisfied owners, noting that panning shots across a pitch or track hold together without obvious smearing.
MEMC frame insertion is the classic double-edged feature here: with it on, cinematic content takes on the well-known soap opera effect that many viewers find distracting. It requires manual adjustment to find the right balance, and the default settings are too aggressive for most movie content.
Screen Size & Impact
91%
This is simply where the Q65 panel wins most arguments. At 98 inches, sitting 12 to 14 feet away delivers a field-of-view that genuinely replicates a small commercial cinema screen. Buyers repeatedly describe the first power-on moment as a real wow experience, particularly during sports events and wide-shot cinematic content.
The sheer size is also a constraint — smaller rooms simply cannot accommodate it comfortably, and buyers who did not measure carefully before purchasing report that the TV dominates the space in ways they did not anticipate. Optimal viewing impact depends entirely on having the right room dimensions.
Smart TV Interface
77%
23%
Google TV earns consistent praise for its clean layout and the depth of its app ecosystem. Cord-cutters find that streaming apps like Netflix, YouTube, and HBO Max are well-integrated, and the unified search across services is a genuine daily convenience that owners of older smart TV platforms really appreciate.
Some buyers report intermittent sluggishness when rapidly switching between apps or returning from standby, which feels out of place on a 2024 model. A small but vocal group also dislikes the increased prominence of ad-supported content recommendations on the home screen.
Upscaling & SDR Content
69%
31%
The AIPQ PRO processor handles upscaled 1080p streaming content better than many buyers expect, and cable TV broadcasts — which still dominate in many households — look reasonably sharp rather than embarrassingly soft. Sports channels in 1080i upscale with decent edge clarity.
Stretching true SDR content to 98 inches is a stress test any processor struggles with, and low-bitrate streams or older DVD-quality video can look noticeably noisy and soft. At this screen size, source quality matters more than on a 65-inch panel, and that is not something the AI processing can fully overcome.
Audio Performance
58%
42%
Built-in speakers are loud enough to fill a mid-sized room for casual daytime TV watching, and dialogue clarity is acceptable for news and talk show content. Buyers who use this TV in a kitchen or bedroom as a secondary screen find the audio more than sufficient for that context.
For a screen this large, the audio experience falls noticeably short. Bass is thin, dynamic range is limited, and the speaker placement does little to project sound toward the viewer. Nearly every buyer who uses this as a primary home theater display ends up pairing it with a soundbar or full surround system.
Value for Money
86%
This is arguably the strongest argument for the Q65 panel: getting 98 inches of 4K QLED with a full modern smart platform and gaming-capable specs at this price tier is genuinely difficult to match. Buyers who shopped competing 98-inch options from Samsung or LG consistently note that TCL saves them hundreds of dollars for comparable core functionality.
Value is relative to expectations. Buyers who expected OLED-level contrast or a fully premium panel experience feel the trade-offs are real. If your budget allows stepping up to a mini-LED or higher-tier QLED from a competing brand, the picture quality gap is meaningful enough to consider.
Build Quality & Design
73%
27%
The bezel-less design gives the screen a clean, modern look that holds up well against far more expensive alternatives. Most buyers are pleasantly surprised by how premium the TV looks in person, with the slim profile helping it blend into living room setups without the bulk older large-format TVs carried.
At 120-plus pounds, the physical construction demands respect during setup — the stand legs feel functional rather than confidence-inspiring, and the back panel has a plasticky finish that reveals the cost-cutting compared to Sony or Samsung builds at similar sizes. Wall mounting is strongly preferred but requires professional help.
Installation & Setup
62%
38%
The initial software setup through Google TV is quick and intuitive, and buyers familiar with Android-based interfaces get up and running in minutes. The included remote is well-designed, with dedicated streaming app buttons that most owners find genuinely useful in daily use.
Physical installation is the most common source of buyer frustration. At 120-plus pounds and over 85 inches wide, moving and mounting this TV without at least two people and proper wall anchor hardware is risky. Several buyers reported damage during solo installation attempts, and professional mounting adds a real cost to the purchase.
Connectivity & Ports
81%
19%
The port selection covers the practical bases well — HDMI inputs, USB, Ethernet for a stable streaming connection, and both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth for wireless flexibility. Buyers with multiple HDMI devices like a soundbar, gaming console, and streaming stick find there are enough inputs to avoid constantly swapping cables.
A few buyers note that the HDMI port placement on the back panel is awkward once the TV is wall-mounted, making cable management more challenging than expected. The absence of a dedicated headphone jack is a minor but recurring mention among buyers in shared living situations.
Brightness & Glare Handling
76%
24%
Daytime viewing in bright living rooms is a genuine strength — the High Brightness+ LED backlight pushes enough light output to keep the image readable even with windows behind the viewer. Sports viewing during afternoon hours is one area where buyers consistently report being impressed.
Reflections on the screen surface can still be distracting in rooms with direct sunlight hitting the panel at certain angles, and the screen coating does not eliminate glare as effectively as some competing anti-reflective treatments. Rooms with south-facing windows may need blackout curtains for the best experience.
Remote & Voice Control
72%
28%
The included voice remote supports both Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa, which gives smart home users real flexibility. Buyers embedded in Alexa ecosystems appreciate being able to control the TV through existing routines, while Google Assistant handles content search and playback commands reliably.
The remote itself feels a bit lightweight given the premium screen size it controls, and buyers accustomed to premium remotes from Sony or LG note the build quality difference. Voice recognition occasionally misinterprets commands in noisy environments, which becomes frustrating during busy households.

Suitable for:

The TCL Q65 98-Inch QLED Smart TV was built for buyers who want the largest possible screen without crossing into projector territory — and it delivers on that premise exceptionally well in the right setting. If you have a dedicated home theater room or a spacious open-plan living area where you can sit 12 to 14 feet back, the sheer scale of this screen transforms sports, blockbuster films, and live events into something that genuinely feels immersive rather than just big. Sports fans will get particular value here — watching a Premier League match or an NFL Sunday at 98 inches, with smooth motion processing active, is a different experience from anything a 65-inch or 75-inch panel can offer. Console gamers with a PS5 or Xbox Series X also have strong reasons to consider this large-format smart TV, since the 144Hz variable refresh and dedicated low-latency game mode mean the gaming experience scales up with the screen size rather than suffering for it. Cord-cutters who have moved entirely to streaming will appreciate Google TV as a well-organized, app-rich platform that keeps everything from Netflix to YouTube to Apple TV+ a single click away.

Not suitable for:

The TCL Q65 98-Inch QLED Smart TV is not the right choice for buyers whose primary concern is picture perfection in dark or light-controlled rooms — the edge-lit backlight simply cannot produce the deep blacks and precise local dimming that OLED or mini-LED panels deliver, and if you are spending serious time watching cinematic content in a darkened room, that trade-off will bother you. Buyers in smaller apartments or rooms shorter than 12 feet should also reconsider — at 98 inches, sitting too close produces a fatiguing, overwhelming picture rather than an enjoyable one, and the physical footprint of a panel this large is genuinely difficult to accommodate in tighter spaces. This large-format smart TV is also not a great fit for buyers who expect satisfying audio straight out of the box; the built-in speakers are an afterthought at this screen size, so budget for a soundbar before you commit. Anyone planning to install it solo should think carefully — at over 120 pounds, moving and wall-mounting this panel without professional help is a real physical risk, and the added installation cost needs to factor into your total budget.

Specifications

  • Screen Size: The panel measures 98 inches diagonally, making it one of the largest consumer QLED displays available at this price tier.
  • Display Technology: QLED Quantum Dot technology covers nearly the full DCI-P3 color space, producing significantly richer color saturation than standard LED-backlit panels.
  • Resolution: Native 4K UHD resolution (3840 x 2160 pixels) delivers four times the pixel density of a 1080p Full HD display.
  • Refresh Rate: The panel runs at a native 120Hz and supports Variable Refresh Rate up to 144Hz for smoother motion in gaming and fast-action content.
  • HDR Support: Compatible with Dolby Vision, HDR10+, HDR10, and HLG, covering every major HDR format used by streaming platforms, 4K Blu-ray, and broadcast television.
  • Processor: The TCL AIPQ PRO processor uses deep learning AI to dynamically optimize color, contrast, and clarity on a per-scene basis.
  • Motion Technology: Motion Rate 480 combines MEMC frame insertion with multiple enhancement technologies to reduce motion blur during sports and fast-paced content.
  • Smart Platform: Google TV provides the operating system, with built-in Chromecast, access to thousands of streaming apps, and unified cross-platform content search.
  • Voice Assistants: Both Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa are supported natively, allowing voice-controlled search, playback, and smart home commands.
  • Connectivity: Connections include HDMI, USB, Ethernet, dual-band Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth for a broad range of wired and wireless device compatibility.
  • Dimensions: The TV measures 85.79″ wide, 49.09″ tall, and 2.81″ deep without the stand attached.
  • Weight: The unit weighs 120.2 pounds without the stand, requiring at minimum two people and ideally professional assistance for safe installation.
  • Aspect Ratio: Standard 16:9 widescreen aspect ratio, optimized for modern broadcast, streaming, and gaming content.
  • Backlight Type: Edge-lit LED backlight with High Brightness+ enhancement — produces strong peak brightness but does not offer full-array local dimming.
  • Included Items: The package includes one power cable, one quick-start guide, one voice remote, two AAA batteries for the remote, and two TV stand legs.
  • Model Number: The official model identifier is 98Q651G, which confirms the 98-inch Q65 series configuration released in 2024.
  • Release Year: This is a 2024 model, representing TCL's current Q65 generation with updated processing and Google TV integration.
  • Special Features: Notable features include a bezel-less design, built-in Chromecast, Wide Color Enhancer, and a dedicated Game Mode with reduced input latency.

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FAQ

For comfortable 4K viewing at 98 inches, most display experts recommend sitting between 12 and 14 feet away. Any closer and the screen fills more of your field of vision than is comfortable for extended viewing; too far and you lose the immersive impact that makes a screen this size worthwhile.

Yes, this large-format smart TV supports Variable Refresh Rate up to 144Hz and includes a dedicated Game Accelerator mode that reduces input lag, making it a capable pairing for both the PS5 and Xbox Series X. You will want to enable Game Mode manually in the picture settings to get the lowest latency profile.

It can be if you leave the MEMC motion smoothing on its default setting, which is quite aggressive. The good news is that it is easy to dial back or turn off entirely through the picture settings menu. Most buyers who watch movies recommend reducing or disabling it for cinematic content while keeping a moderate setting on for sports.

Technically no, but practically speaking, almost every owner ends up buying one. The built-in speakers are loud enough for casual daytime TV, but at 98 inches the audio experience feels noticeably unmatched to the visual scale. A mid-range soundbar makes a significant difference and is worth budgeting for alongside the TV.

Yes, it is VESA mount compatible, but you need to use a mount rated for both the VESA pattern of this specific model and the 120-plus pound weight. Standard lighter-duty mounts are not adequate. More importantly, professional installation is strongly recommended — moving and anchoring a TV this heavy into wall studs safely is genuinely difficult without the right equipment and experience.

Google TV is one of the stronger smart TV platforms available right now. It organizes content from multiple streaming services into a single unified view, and the app library is extensive. Compared to Roku it feels more modern and better integrated with Android devices, and most buyers find it easier to navigate than Samsung's Tizen. The occasional sluggishness some users report is the main caveat.

This is where honest expectations matter. The edge-lit backlight on the Q65 panel is a real limitation in dark room conditions — you will notice blooming and a grayish quality to dark backgrounds rather than deep inky blacks. It is perfectly watchable for most people, but if you regularly watch films in a fully darkened room and contrast precision matters to you, an OLED or mini-LED panel would serve you better.

Yes, the TV supports Dolby Atmos processing, which means it can decode and pass through Atmos soundtracks from streaming services and physical media. To actually hear the spatial audio effect, however, you will need a compatible Atmos soundbar or receiver — the built-in speakers cannot reproduce the height channels that Atmos requires.

Since this large-format smart TV runs Google TV, you get access to the full Google Play Store ecosystem, which includes Netflix, Disney+, HBO Max, Apple TV+, YouTube, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video, Peacock, and thousands of other apps. Chromecast is also built in, so you can cast directly from a phone or tablet without needing a separate streaming stick.

The AIPQ PRO processor does a reasonable job upscaling 1080p and 1080i broadcast content, and most buyers find cable sports and news look acceptable on this screen. That said, at 98 inches any weaknesses in source quality are more visible than they would be on a smaller panel, so lower-bitrate cable channels may look softer than you expect. 4K HDR streaming content is noticeably where the Q65 panel performs at its best.