- Matching (Score) |
- Our verdict |
- Competing TVs |
- TV appearance |
- Where to buy |
- Contrast and black detail |
- HDR effect quality |
- Factory color reproduction |
- Color reproduction after calibration |
- Smoothness of tonal transitions |
- Image scaling and smoothness of tonal transitions |
- Blur and motion smoothness |
- Console compatibility and gaming features |
- Input lag |
- Compatibility with PC |
- Viewing angles |
- Daytime performance |
- TV features |
- Apps |
- Playing files from USB |
- Sound |
- Panel details
Panel type: LCD VA Refresh rate: 144Hz Brand: TCL Resolution: 3840x2160 System: Google TV Model year: 2026
TCL X11L is one of the most advanced and decked-out Mini-LED TVs to appear in 2026. Contrary to market trends, TCL didn’t opt for the new RGB backlighting in its flagship X series. Instead, it features an absurdly large number of local dimming zones paired with new Super QLED quantum dots. How does that pairing work in practice, and is the X11L the best LCD TV of 2026? We checked it out for you!
TCL X11L - Our verdict
8.5
Overall rating
TCL X11L is, without a doubt, a powerful showcase from the manufacturer and a TV that impresses in many areas. It’s clear the engineers focused on what matters most: peak brightness, blacks and contrast. The new quantum dots with an SQD filter do such a good job that colour saturation is on par with the top new RGB panels. And the blacks? The X11L can easily stand next to an OLED and doesn’t lose that battle by much, which is a real achievement for a Mini-LED. On top of that there’s a whole lot that surrounds the panel. The new MediaTek Pentonic 800 processor has completely solved TCL’s old issues; image processing, upscaling and the smoothness of tone transitions finally look as good as those from rivals in Korea or Japan. There’s no longer any cause for embarrassment. Gamers will be thrilled too: four full HDMI 2.1 ports, refresh rates up to 288 Hz, a console-inspired Game Bar and Dolby Vision without any noticeable input lag. All of this is tied together by a very smooth Google TV system. Sounds like a recipe for the best Mini-LED of 2026, right? It would be perfect if not for one irritating quirk that stems directly from TCL’s stubborn tuning philosophy. This TV can simply ignore the director’s intent and, in HDR formats, arbitrarily and artificially brighten entire scenes. The result? The image is sometimes too bright, occasionally even blown out. Worst of all, the software offers no way to fix it; even during professional calibration we couldn’t fully correct this flaw. For a screen at this price that aspires to be the “best of the best”, that sort of behaviour is simply not acceptable, especially in the Filmmaker mode. All that said, if you don’t care about perfect studio accuracy and want a picture that’s above all spectacular, showy and very bright in daylight, the X11L is a true beast. It’s the first Mini-LED to get so close to OLED black levels while utterly crushing it on brightness. The only real brake here is the price. The amount you’ll pay for this model (regardless of size) is a serious outlay. Is it worth that money? We’ll leave that up to you. One thing’s for sure: it’s currently one of the best Mini-LEDs we’ve tested so far.
Advantages
Najlepsza czerń na rynku w ekranie MINI-LED
Ekstremalnie wysoka jasność HDR i SDR
Świetne nasycenie barw dzięki filtrowi SQD (Super QLED)
Bardzo dobra obróbka obrazu (MediaTek Pentonic 800)
Masa funkcji dla graczy: 4x HDMI 2.1, VRR, ALLM, odświeżanie do 288Hz (PC)
Dobra płynność ruchu
Otwarty system operacyjny: Google TV
Rewelacyjny wygląd i wykonanie
Podświetlany, metalowy pilot
Wbudowany system audio strojony przez Bang & Olufsen
Disadvantages
Artificial brightening of the picture: the TV brightens the entire HDR image on its own
Glossy panel does a poor job of reducing reflections
Lack of "TV" features, e.g. USB recording (PVR), PiP
High price
Movies and series in UHD quality8.5
Classic TV, YouTube7.8
Sports broadcasts (TV and apps)7.2
Gaming on console9.1
TV as a computer monitor8.6
Watching in bright light10.0
Utility functions8.3
Apps9.6
Sound quality8.2
Complete the survey to find out what fits your preferences
TCL X11L - Competing TVs in this price range
TCL X11L - TV appearance
HDMI inputs: 0 x HDMI 2.0, 4 x HDMI 2.1 (48Gbps) Outputs: Toslink (Optical audio), eARC (HDMI), ARC (HDMI) Network Interfaces: Wi-Fi 2.4GHz, Wi-Fi 5GHz, Ethernet (LAN) 100Mbps
Build quality: Super Premium
Stand type: Legs
Bezel color: Graphite
Stand: Height adjustment
Flat design: Yes
Accessories: Stand
The X11L is the most attractive and best-built TCL device we've tested so far. First and foremost, high-quality materials have been used throughout, and the entire bezel is made of metal in a graphite-copper finish. It looks truly spectacular, especially thanks to the design TCL calls "ZeroBorder"; the TV doesn't have that classic black bezel around the screen. The device is also exceptionally slim, measuring just 2.4 cm thick overall, so when mounted on the wall the screen can appear almost flush against it.
For those who would rather place the X11L on a cabinet or stand, there's an option as well. The set includes sturdy metal legs positioned at the outer edges of the screen. Although they can't be adjusted in width, their height can be changed, for example to easily fit an additional soundbar underneath. However, many people choosing the X11L probably won't even consider a separate soundbar, because another feature that sets this model apart is the built-in audio system along the bottom edge of the screen. As with last year, the sound has been tuned by Bang & Olufsen, and you'll find proud logos on the casing reflecting that collaboration.
The X11L is, without a doubt, the best-looking TV from this brand, and there really isn't a single design element that could put you off.
Buy at the best price
Select size:
TCL X11L - Contrast and black detail
9.1/10
Local dimming function: Yes, number of zones: 11520 (80 x 144)
Result
1,842,100:1
Result
942,400:1
Result
93,700:1
Result
91,450:1
Result
27,550:1
Visibility of details in the lights:
Black levels and contrast on the X11L are simply A M A Z I N G. The main credit goes to the astronomical number of local dimming zones combined with the proprietary WHVA 2.0 VA panel. In the 75-inch model we tested, we counted exactly 11,520 of them. Yes, you read that right, over 11 thousand local dimming zones in a Mini-LED screen! That translated into outstanding results in our tests: most scenes, especially the less complex ones, had blacks uncannily similar to those on OLEDs. Even in total darkness, when the screen displayed deep, almost pitch-black parts of the image, you could mistake it for an OLED panel. This is currently the best Mini-LED if you care about the deepest possible blacks.
That said, remember this is still an LCD TV. Even with such an astronomical number of zones, very complex sequences with lots of small elements against a black background (like a starfield or our demanding test pattern no. 5 from the Pioneer Kuro) can reveal some haloing, a faint glow around bright objects. Undoubtedly, however, the effect is not as noticeable as on other screens of this type we've tested so far. The algorithm does a great job.
Naturally, the number of zones increases with the screen diagonal. Below you can see the number of zones for each size:
X11L screen size | Number of local dimming zones |
75" | 11,520 zones |
85" | 14,400 zones |
98" | 20,736 zones |
Halo effect and black detail visibility:
TCL X11L - HDR effect quality
9.2/10
Supported formats: HDR10, HDR10+, Dolby Vision, Dolby Vision IQ, HLG
Luminance measurements in HDR:
Result
2934 nit
Result
2105 nit
Result
2809 nit
Result
1782 nit
Result
2841 nit
Such a large number of zones translated not only into deep, inky blacks but also into the panel’s brightness. The X11L is an extremely bright TV. Peak brightness can easily exceed 4000 nits, and with the special "Boost" mode enabled, under specific conditions that brightness can even hover around the marketing figures of 9000–10,000 nits. This is undoubtedly one of the brightest, if not the brightest, screens on the market. But how do those numbers translate to real-world movie measurements? The results are very good, though of course far from the marketing promises. Our measured brightness in actual movie scenes hovered around 2000–3000 nits. That’s an outstanding result, considering that the vast majority of content is produced to those brightness levels, including the rarer material mastered to 4000 nits. But it also shows that the numbers the manufacturer brags about don’t always translate directly to the video content available at home. The only "quirk" (if you can call it that) is that when very small, bright elements appear on the screen, their brightness drops below 2000 nits. The dimming algorithm does this deliberately to preserve deep blacks and minimize halo. This is entirely understandable and the effect remains very strong, but it also demonstrates that even with such powerful hardware, Mini-LED technology has its limits and does not always work without compromise. In HDR, brightness isn’t the only thing that matters; color saturation and color accuracy do as well. On the X11L these are very good thanks to the new Super QLED quantum dots (SQD). The addition of a newly applied filter delivered excellent coverage of the P3 color gamut and the ultra-wide BT.2020. Although it doesn’t reach the advertised 100% of BT.2020, values around 89–90% can be called excellent. Colors are not far off those of RGB Mini-LED panels. We can even say they’re more stable because they use a less demanding algorithm than the one RGB screens often have to deal with.
BT.2020 color gamut coverage and primary color luminance
| Data set | BT.2020 [%] | P3 [%] | R [%] | G [%] | B [%] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Synthetic patterns | 88.9 | 97.4 | 66.3 | 70.4 | 72.4 |
| Film measurements | 89.0 | 97.5 | 86.5 | 88.7 | 92.4 |
Arithmetic means of BT.2020 and P3 gamut coverage and the luminance of the primary colors (red, green, blue) as a % of target.
Scene from the movie “Pan” (about 2800 nits)
Scene from the movie “Billy Lynn” (about 1100 nits)
So how do actual films stack up against those excellent measurements? Pretty well, though with a small gripe from us. You have to give the X11L one thing: it can produce an incredibly striking picture. Bright areas are extremely bright, while scenes meant to be shrouded in shadow and black stay exactly that. The overall image is full of detail and nothing melts into uniform white patches. In films like Pan or Billy Lynn’s, regardless of a scene’s overall brightness, the picture looked fantastic, making the most of HDR. But honestly? That’s simply what you should expect from gear at this price. So where’s our gripe? It’s about how those scenes actually look versus how they should appear according to the director’s intent. In the out-of-the-box Filmmaker Mode, and even after professional calibration, the image in many areas is simply too bright. The TV lifts brightness where it shouldn’t, which robs the material of its cinematic fidelity. On one hand, some people might like that: the image seems “livelier”, you can see more detail in the shadows, and certain elements hit harder. On the other hand, with a product in this class we can reasonably expect near-reference quality. For some reason TCL is “resistant” to that and sticks to its philosophy of tuning TVs toward the “wow” factor. Well, you just have to live with it.
HDR luminance chart:
What we wrote earlier becomes clear when you directly compare material in the classic HDR10 format with a Dolby Vision signal. When a TV has to tone-map using static HDR10 metadata, it tends to over-brighten; the picture can be washed out with whites and lose detail in some areas. The X11L, however, gets help from a Dolby Vision signal, available on almost every modern streaming platform. Thanks to dynamic metadata, the TV no longer has to 'guess' how a scene should look; all the precise instructions for brightness and contrast are embedded directly in the format. It's also a perfect example that extreme HDR brightness alone isn't enough to properly display this kind of content, and smart management of that power is just as important. Fortunately, because the X11L fully supports all dynamic formats, both Dolby Vision and rival HDR10+, we can expect that in 99% of cases the picture will look exactly as it should.
Static HDR10
Dynamic: Dolby Vision
Factory color reproduction
5.2/10
When you switch on what should theoretically be the best Filmmaker Mode, you expect a one-to-one image of what the director saw. On the X11L it's quite good, but the mode has obvious flaws that our measurements immediately exposed. Let's start with SDR. Both the white balance and the gamma are simply miscalibrated. The white point has too much blue and red, so there's a faint pink cast on the screen. That also affects the gamma, which instead of holding the cinematic 2.4 runs closer to 2.2. What does that mean? The whole picture ends up pushed and artificially brighter. The worst, though, is saved for last: the HDR measurements. Besides the slight white balance shift, the X11L fails on the luminance management curve, the so‑called EOTF. What we saw in the measurements immediately explains what we saw earlier in films. The image is unnaturally bright because the curve massively overshoots the reference. The TV just unapologetically lifts the dark parts of the picture to create a "wow" effect, completely ignoring the director's intent.
Color reproduction after calibration
7/10
After professional calibration we chiefly managed to fully master the SDR signal. The X11L responded perfectly to our adjustments. We completely straightened the white balance, removed that pink tint and set gamma to a stable 2.4. After that treatment the picture finally became consistent with the director's vision, natural and free of artificial boosts. We were also able to make minimal tweaks for HDR, but the TV's biggest flaw remained unchanged. I'm talking, of course, about how the X11L handles its brightness and how much it overshoots the EOTF curve. Unfortunately, TCL provides practically no controls to adjust this parameter. Even during professional calibration the software does not allow you to rein in that curve, so the TV in HDR will always tend to brighten the image on its own.
TCL X11L - Smoothness of tonal transitions
9.5/10
The smoothness of tonal transitions is worthy of praise. In both bright and dark areas the image simply looks smooth and is free of annoying banding or contouring. Importantly, with Dolby Vision content this issue is also not pronounced, which very often happens on other TVs. Minor gradation errors can be seen only in specific shades of grey, but they are so small that in everyday use they will bother practically no one. In this respect the X11L performs almost perfectly.
Image scaling and smoothness of tonal transitions
7.8/10
Smooth transition function
Image without overscan on the SD signal
As with the C8L we tested earlier, TCL has delivered a substantial upgrade in its flagship X series in this area. It's all down to the MediaTek Pentonic 800 processor used in this model. Thanks to it, features like smoothing tonal transitions and even upscaling content to higher resolutions finally look the way they should. The biggest Achilles' heel of previous TCL models has finally been overcome. The processor handles digital processing superbly, and in this respect the TV no longer falls short of flagship models from Korea or even the most polished ones from Japan.
TCL X11L - Blur and motion smoothness
7.7/10
Maximum refresh rate of the panel: 144Hz
Film motion smoothing option: Yes
Blur reduction option: Yes
BFI function 60Hz: Yes, 120Hz (double contours)
BFI function 120Hz: Yes, 240Hz (double contours)
Brightness drop with BFI: 50%
Spec-wise the X11L can impress, supporting refresh rates up to 144 Hz at 4K, and in Full HD it can be pushed as high as 288 Hz. From a real-world perspective, though, we were most interested in how the screen handles 120 Hz — that's the limit of today's hardware, led by current-generation consoles. How does it perform in practice? Even though it's a VA panel, the screen doesn't exhibit heavy ghosting. With very fast-moving objects you can notice a slight trail, but it's subtle enough that you hardly notice it while gaming or watching sport. Also very helpful is the motion smoothing feature called "Wyrazistość ruchów", where you can adjust motion fluidity to your liking. You'll find the recommended settings in the photo.
Blur (native resolution, maximum refresh rate):
Blur (BFI function enabled):
Blur (1080p@288Hz):
The BFI function deserves high praise. When enabled, the screen delivers noticeably improved motion clarity. What's more, the image does not flicker annoyingly, a problem that plagues many other TVs, so this feature can actually be used, for example when watching fast-paced live sports. Of course, due to how the feature works, the price for perfect smoothness is visible double outlines around moving objects when viewed up close and a halving of brightness. However, when watching from a normal distance of a few metres the outline issue disappears. Furthermore, even with brightness halved, the X11L still reaches a level high enough that the model's huge brightness headroom completely offsets that loss.
TCL X11L - Console compatibility and gaming features
9.8/10
- ALLM:
Yes
- VRR:
Yes
- VRR range:
48 - 288Hz
- Dolby Vision Game Mode:
Yes
- Correct implementation of HGIG:
Yes
- 1080p@120Hz:
Yes
- 1440p@120Hz:
Yes
- 4K@120Hz:
Yes
- Game bar:
Yes
For gamers the X11L is simply a superb screen. TCL has already trained us to expect that it packs practically every feature available on the market into its products, and it’s exactly the same with the flagship X series. Thanks to the new processor, the X11L gets four HDMI 2.1 ports with full 48 Gbps bandwidth. Naturally, HDMI 2.1 brings a set of very useful options, such as automatic low-latency mode (ALLM) and variable refresh rate (VRR) synchronisation, working across the full refresh range up to 288 Hz. All of these features can be conveniently controlled from the dedicated Game Bar. Interestingly, you can customise its appearance to your taste, with three ready-made themes directly referencing the Nintendo, PlayStation and Xbox consoles. And speaking of Xbox, Dolby Vision Gaming also runs without issue on the X11L.
When playing in the standard HDR10 format you should be aware of the screen’s specific brightness-curve tuning, which can cause problems during initial setup. Even though the TV supports HGiG, getting everything set correctly in the PlayStation or Xbox system menus can be tricky. The screen’s algorithms tend to artificially brighten the test checkerboard, so nailing the correct white-clip point by eye is genuinely difficult. For HDR10 to look correct, we suggest manually setting the console brightness in the console menu to around 2500–3000 nits.
TCL X11L - Input lag
9.8/10
Input lag is very good. Figures of around 10–15 ms admittedly don't break market records, but in practice deliver exactly the same responsiveness as a top-tier 5 ms. At such low values the difference becomes purely theoretical. While gaming, nobody would be able to detect any delay.
| SDR | HDR | Dolby Vision |
|---|---|---|
| 1080p60: 17 ms | 2160p60: 16 ms | 2160p60 DV: 16 ms |
| 1080p120: 10 ms | 2160p120: 9 ms | 2160p120 DV: 10 ms |
| 2160p60: 16 ms | ||
| 2160p120: 10 ms |
TCL X11L - Compatibility with PC
8.6/10
Chroma 444 (max. resolution and refresh rate): Yes
Font clarity: Very Good
Readability of dark text and shapes: Average
Input lag in PC mode (4K, max. refresh rate): 9ms
Matrix subpixel arrangement: RGB
Max refresh rate: 144Hz
G-Sync: Yes
Performance with a PC on the X11L is excellent, mainly thanks to a powerful suite of gaming features. In addition to benefits familiar from consoles and very high refresh rates, it offers support for PC frame-sync technologies (G-Sync Compatible and AMD FreeSync Premium PRO), tailored to specific graphics cards. In short, when it comes to gaming, even from a PC source, this screen is simply outstanding. Text handling is a bit weaker because of the particular way the fonts are rendered. Looking closely at the letters, you can see that horizontal strokes are slightly darker than vertical ones, and there are faint artefacts around the edges. The truth is, though, that from a metre or two away it's completely unnoticeable. And given the dimensions of the X11L series, nobody's likely to put this "beast" on their desk. 😉
TCL X11L - Viewing angles
4.5/10
Brightness drop at an angle of 45 degrees: 69%
Thanks to the proprietary WHVA 2.0 panel, the viewing angles (for an LCD TV with this type of panel) are actually quite decent. Colours don't wash out as much as with classic VA panels you find in lower-end models. It's not, of course, at the level of good IPS/ADS panels, and certainly not comparable to any OLED, but nevertheless it's not a weak point of this model.
TCL X11L - Daytime performance
10/10
Panel finish: Glare
Reflection suppression: Average
Black levels during daytime: Very Good
The X11L offers superb daytime performance, mainly thanks to its extremely high brightness. With SDR content the TV can typically push out around 2000 nits on average! The screen is bright enough that, in typical home conditions, it will easily cut through any sunlight entering the room. In that respect a bright day is no challenge. The only drawback for the X11L in this area is a fairly glossy panel. Unfortunately the screen doesn't suppress reflections well, so it acts a bit like a mirror. For evening viewing it's best not to turn lights on directly opposite the screen, because lamps and bright items in the room will be quite visible on the panel surface.
Panel brightness
TCL X11L: 1949 cd/m2
TCL X11L - TV features
8.3/10
System: Google TV
System performance: Very good
- HDMI inputs: 0 x HDMI 2.0, 4 x HDMI 2.1 48Gbps
- Outputs: Toslink (Optical audio), eARC (HDMI), ARC (HDMI)
- Network Interfaces: Wi-Fi 2.4GHz, Wi-Fi 5GHz, Ethernet (LAN) 100Mbps
- TV reception: DVB-T, DVB-T2, DVB-S, DVB-S2, DVB-C
Classic features:
Recording to USB (terrestrial TV): No - Recording programming: No
- Picture in Picture (PiP): No
- RF remote control (no need to aim): RF
- Backlit remote control: Yes
- Teletext: Yes
- Audio only mode: Yes
- Bluetooth headphones support: Yes
- Simultaneous Bluetooth headphones & TV audio: Yes
Smart features:
- AirPlay: Yes
- Screen mirroring (Windows Miracast): Yes
- Voice search: Yes
- Voice search in native language: Yes
- Ability to connect a keyboard and mouse: Yes
Smart TV: Google TV
When it comes to Smart TV, the flagship TCL runs Google TV and it's simply excellent software. The platform offers a huge library of apps, where you'll find virtually every major VOD service today. Everything runs very smoothly, and the intuitive interface makes browsing content day to day easy. A big plus is the responsive voice assistant, which, together with Gemini AI support, can accurately suggest movies or TV shows based on our previous choices.
Traditional features and the remote
While the Smart TV system is top‑tier, the traditional features really... there's not much to say. The TV offers a working teletext, and that's pretty much all you get in terms of traditional television. TCL skimped on basic features here. On board there's no USB programme recording (PVR), nor even a screen‑splitting option like Picture‑in‑Picture (PiP). As for the remote, it's really well made, feels great in the hand and even has backlit buttons that make night‑time use easier. Unfortunately, the manufacturer chose not to include numeric buttons. That may not sit well with older users or those who like to channel‑surf the classic way by entering channel numbers manually.
Sound connection options
HDMI audio:
Other audio outputs:
- Toslink: Yes
Wireless audio:
- Bluetooth: Yes
Supported audio formats (external HDMI eARC audio):
- Dolby Digital Plus 7.1: Yes
- Dolby True HD 7.1: Yes
- Dolby Atmos in Dolby Digital Plus (JOC): Yes
- Dolby Atmos in Dolby True HD: Yes
- DTS:X in DTS-HD MA: Yes
- DTS-HD Master Audio: Yes
Senior accessibility
- Numeric keyboard on TV: No
- Font size adjustment: Yes
- Audio description: Yes
TCL X11L - Apps
9.6/10
TCL X11L - Playing files from USB
9.4/10
| Maximum photo resolution: | Supported photo formats: |
|---|---|
| 4 Mpix | JPEG |
| 6 Mpix | HEIC |
| 8 Mpix | PNG |
| 10 Mpix | GIF |
| 12 Mpix | WebP |
| 16 Mpix | TIFF |
| 20 Mpix | BMP |
| 24 Mpix | SVG |
| 28 Mpix | |
| 32 Mpix |
The built-in player works very well. We put it through its paces and it played practically every video file and audio format we threw at it without a hitch. The only minor issue was that the player wouldn’t work with external text files in .txt format. However, if that's a big problem for you, the operating system has you covered. From the app store you can always install an external player, such as the reliable VLC, which can handle any kind of subtitles. In most cases you won’t need to, though, because the stock TCL app is top of its class when it comes to file compatibility.
TCL X11L - Sound
8.2/10
84dB
Maximum volume
Supported codecs (TV speakers)
Dolby Digital Plus 7.1
Dolby True HD 7.1
Dolby Atmos in Dolby Digital Plus (JOC)
Dolby Atmos in Dolby True HD
DTS:X in DTS-HD MA
DTS-HD Master Audio
The sound in the X11L is really good, thanks to a very extensive audio system. The Bang & Olufsen-branded audio plays very cleanly; the sound is quite spacious, clear and free of any odd distortions or cabinet resonances even at higher volumes. In that respect the X11L delivers. Still, we felt a slight sense of disappointment. Given that there's an integrated soundbar across the front of the cabinet, we expected a little better. We certainly wouldn't liken this sound to the similar setups fitted by its direct rivals. Despite our minor reservations, the sound is clearly above average and solid. It's ideal for everyday viewing, and buying a basic soundbar without a subwoofer for this model makes no sense at all.
Sound Quality Test:
Acoustic Measurements
84dBC (Max)
75dBC
TCL X11L - Panel details
Software version during testing: v8-0015T01-LF1V080.000644
Panel uniformity and thermal imaging:
Backlight Type: Mini-LED QLED
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