Redakcja Choose TV
TCL is increasingly focusing on Mini LED TVs and already has an idea of how to use this technology in higher-end models as well. According to Omdia analysts, the company is developing SQD Mini LED, which is expected to offer a very wide color gamut at a lower production cost than competing RGB Mini LED solutions.
TCL aims to move further into the premium segment
SQD Mini LED is an extension of quantum dot technology that TCL uses together with advanced Mini LED backlighting. The manufacturer combines a panel with a very wide color gamut, SQD materials and precise local dimming. At CES 2026, TCL said it could achieve 100% of the BT.2020 color space. According to Omdia, TCL has chosen a different path than Hisense and Samsung. Hisense is developing TVs with RGB LED backlights, while Samsung is focusing on cheaper Mini LED TVs. TCL, however, wants to use SQD Mini LED to build its position in the premium segment as well.
Manufacturer | Technology | Details |
|---|---|---|
TCL | SQD Mini LED | • Building a strong position in the premium TV segment thanks to SQD Mini LED technology • Focused on achieving the highest quality color reproduction • Full optimization of LCD panels and backlight technology for the use of quantum dots (QD) |
Hisense | RGB LED | • As one of the pioneers of this technology, aiming to maintain a leading position in the RGB Mini LED TV market • Expanding RGB Mini LED technology into the mainstream segment • Introducing cheaper RGB Mini LED TVs with fewer local dimming zones |
Samsung | Mini LED | • Shifting the mainstream segment from QLED TVs to Mini LED TVs • Introducing a new Mini LED TV as the successor to QLED series models • Positioning cheaper models for the mainstream segment without using a quantum dot (QD) layer |
Table: Omdia
It should be cheaper than RGB Mini LED
Interestingly, SQD Mini LED doesn't have to mean only expensive TVs. Omdia estimates that production of a 4K module with 5,000 dimming zones could cost around $1,400, about 20% less than a comparable RGB Mini LED module. With fewer zones, the cost could drop even further. TCL is already using SQD Mini LED in this year's TVs, including the QM7L series on the US market. The company has also introduced the C8L and C7L models in Europe, which we had the chance to test.
Omdia forecasts that by 2030 the Mini LED TV market in the premium and mainstream segments could exceed 27 million units a year. If TCL's strategy succeeds, SQD Mini LED TVs alone could account for more than 10 million units sold.
TCL therefore doesn't want to limit SQD Mini LED to its most expensive TVs. The company is counting on the combination of a very wide color gamut and lower manufacturing costs to allow it to compete in both the premium segment and much cheaper models.
Sources: Omdia, FlatpanelsHD
