The TCL Q5/Q550G QLED is TCL's lowest-tier Q-series TV in 2023, below the TCL Q6/Q650G QLED and TCL Q7/Q750G QLED. It's a simpler TV than its more expensive siblings, so it's better suited for someone who doesn't need any advanced features or capabilities. It comes with three HDMI 2.0 bandwidth ports with variable refresh rate (VRR) support, and the 55 and 65-inch models have TCL's Game Accelerator 120 feature for 1440p @ 120Hz gaming. It supports Dolby Vision HDR and HDR10+ advanced video formats and can pass through some Dolby and DTS advanced audio formats.
It uses the popular and easy-to-use Google TV operating system. It doesn't have hands-free voice control, but its remote has an integrated microphone through which you can interact with Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa. It has built-in Chromecast, so you can seamlessly stream your videos using your phone. We bought and tested the 65-inch model, but it's available in three other sizes: 43, 50, and 55 inches. The 43-inch model is a Canadian-only variant available from different retailers.
Our Verdict
The TCL Q5 is a decent TV for mixed usage. The TV's contrast is adequate, and its HDR brightness is only decent, so it's not very good for dark room usage or for watching HDR content. On the other hand, its SDR brightness is very good, and it has decent enough reflection handling to use in a bright room. Unfortunately, the TV has a narrow viewing angle, so it's not a good choice to use in a group setting. However, it does have some modern gaming features like 1080p/1440p @ 120Hz and VRR, so it's a good cheap option for gamers.
- Very good SDR peak brightness.
- Decent reflection handling.
- Narrow viewing angle.
- No local dimming feature.
The TCL Q5 is alright for watching TV shows during the day. The built-in Google TV smart interface comes loaded with a huge selection of streaming apps, so it's quick and easy to find your favorite shows. It has decent reflection handling and good enough peak brightness in SDR to fight off a bit of glare in a bright room. Unfortunately, the TV has a narrow viewing angle, so it's not a good choice for watching shows in a group setting, as anyone not directly in front of the TV has to watch a degraded image. It also has middling processing features, so if you watch lower-quality streams or shows on DVD, they aren't as smooth and sharp as they could be.
- Very good SDR peak brightness.
- Decent reflection handling.
- Narrow viewing angle.
- Inadequate low-quality content smoothing.
The TCL Q5 is okay for watching sports during the day. The TV has a very good response time, so fast motion is clear and easy to see, with very little blur around fast-moving balls and players. It also has good peak brightness in SDR and decent enough reflection handling so that visibility isn't an issue in moderately lit rooms. On the other hand, it has a narrow viewing angle, so it's not a good choice for watching the game with friends, as anyone seated to the sides of the screen sees a degraded image. The built-in speakers are mediocre at best, so you'll want to pair it with a good soundbar or home theater system.
- Very good SDR peak brightness.
- Decent reflection handling.
- Narrow viewing angle.
- Inadequate low-quality content smoothing.
The TCL Q5 is a very good TV for gaming. It has a good enough response time that fast motion in games is clear, with very little blur or ghosting behind quick-moving objects. The TV has incredibly low input lag that provides a very responsive feel, and this model also supports VRR, so there is almost no screen tearing. Unfortunately, it has no ports capable of HDMI 2.1 bandwidth, so you can't play in 4k @ 120Hz. However, it supports up to 1440p @ 120Hz on the 55-inch and 65-inch models, so you can play at a higher frame rate if you prefer performance over image quality.
- Very good SDR peak brightness.
- VRR support for 1080p @ 120Hz and 1440p @ 120Hz.
- Incredibly low input lag.
- Poor pre-calibration color accuracy.
- No HDMI 2.1 bandwidth.
The TCL Q5 is decent for watching HDR movies in a dark room. It's better for watching high-quality content from Blu-rays, as its low-quality content smoothing is inadequate, so movies from streaming platforms have noticeable compression artifacts. The TV has adequate contrast but lacks a local dimming feature, so blacks aren't deep and inky in a dark room. It gets bright enough for some minor highlights to stand out, but it's not bright enough for specular highlights to pop like they should with HDR content. Unfortunately, its color accuracy in SDR is poor without being calibrated, so calibration is needed if you care about accuracy.
- Fantastic PQ EOTF tracking.
- Wide color gamut.
- Dolby Vision and HDR10+ support.
- Poor pre-calibration color accuracy.
- Inadequate low-quality content smoothing.
- No local dimming feature.
The TCL Q5 is very good for HDR gaming. It has decent HDR brightness in Game Mode and good enough contrast for dark room gaming, but since it lacks a local dimming feature, blacks aren't very deep, and highlights don't pop as much as they could. It has incredibly low input lag, so it delivers a responsive gaming experience. It also has a good enough response time that you don't have much blur or ghosting around quick-moving objects on the screen.
- Wide color gamut.
- VRR support for 1080p @ 120Hz and 1440p @ 120Hz.
- Incredibly low input lag.
- Dolby Vision gaming @ 60Hz.
- Poor pre-calibration color accuracy.
- No local dimming feature.
- No HDMI 2.1 bandwidth.
The TCL Q5 is a good TV to use as a PC monitor. Due to its incredibly low input lag and very good response time, cursor movements are smooth and responsive, with little motion blur. When set to 'PC' Picture Mode, the TV displays chroma 4:4:4 signals properly, which is essential for clear text from a PC. It has very good SDR peak brightness and decent enough reflection handling to fight some glare in brightly lit rooms, but any direct light sources will cause visibility issues. Unfortunately, it has a narrow viewing angle, so the sides of the screen aren’t consistent with the middle when you sit close.
- Very good SDR peak brightness.
- Decent reflection handling.
- Incredibly low input lag.
- Ability to display chroma 4:4:4 for clear text.
- Poor pre-calibration color accuracy.
- Narrow viewing angle.
Changelog
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Updated Apr 02, 2025:
We mentioned the newly reviewed TCL QM6K in the Contrast section of this review.
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Updated Nov 28, 2024:
We mentioned the newly reviewed TCL Q5/Q550F QLED in the Differences Between Sizes and Variants and Compared To Other TVs sections of this review.
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Updated Nov 18, 2024:
We rewrote sections of the review for clarity to ensure it's up-to-date.
- Updated Aug 30, 2024: Mentioned the newly reviewed TCL Q6/Q651G QLED in the Pre-Calibration section of this review.
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Differences Between Sizes And Variants
We bought and tested the 65-inch TCL Q5/Q550G QLED, but these results are also valid for the 55-inch model (TCL 55Q550G). The 43-inch (TCL 43Q550G) and 50-inch (TCL 50Q550G) sizes perform roughly the same, but they lack TCL's Game Accelerator Feature 120, so you're limited to 60Hz on those sizes. The 43-inch model is only available in Canada, and you can purchase it from different retailers. This TV also has a Fire TV variant, the TCL Q5/Q550F QLED. The two TVs are mostly identical, although the Q550F does passthrough advanced DTS audio formats.
| Size | US Model | Canada Model | Game Accelerator 120 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 43" | - | TCL 43Q550G-CA | No |
| 50" | TCL 50Q550G | TCL 50Q550G-CA | No |
| 55" | TCL 55Q550G | TCL 55Q550G-CA | Yes |
| 65" | TCL 65Q550G | TCL 65Q550G-CA | Yes |
Our unit was manufactured in July 2023, as seen on the label.
Popular TV Comparisons
The TCL Q5 is a decent TV and is a solid performer for its price. Its most notable features are its incredibly low input lag and its ability to play games in 1080p @ 120Hz natively or 1440p @ 120Hz with resolution halving on the 55 and 65-inch models, so it's a great option for competitive gamers on a budget who care more about performance than image quality. You can easily find other similarly priced TVs with better performance, like the equally-priced Hisense U6K or the slightly more expensive but much better Hisense U7K. If you prefer Amazon's Fire TV to Google TV, then you could get the otherwise nearly identical TCL Q5/Q550F QLED.
For more options, check out our recommendations for the best budget TVs, the best QLED TVs, and the best gaming TVs.
The TCL Q550G and the TCL Q651G are better than each other in different areas. The Q5 displays deeper blacks thanks to its higher contrast ratio, is brighter in both SDR and HDR, is more accurate in HDR, and has slightly better upscaling. However, the Q651G has much better pre-calibration SDR accuracy, less banding in color gradients, better low-quality content smoothing, and supports DTS audio formats.
The TCL Q550G and Hisense QD65NF are closely matched, but the TCL is slightly better overall. The TCL gets a bit brighter, so HDR stands out better, and it can handle more glare during the day. The TCL also has much better processing. Unlike the Samsung, it can remove judder when using the native apps, and it's slightly better at reducing compression artifacts when watching low-quality streams.
The TCL Q550G and the TCL S551G are similar TVs, but the Q550G is better overall. Thanks to its superior contrast, the Q550G displays deeper blacks, delivering a better dark room experience. Highlights pop out more in HDR content on the Q550G due to its higher HDR peak brightness, and its superior SDR brightness means it's more suitable for rooms with the lights on. Additionally, the Q550G has a slight edge with upscaling low-resolution content.
The TCL Q750G is better than the TCL Q550G. As a higher-tier model in the same lineup, the Q750G just does more overall than the Q550G. The Q750G has HDMI 2.1 bandwidth, so you can game in 4k @ 120Hz. The Q750G also has local dimming, so its contrast is much better, and blacks are much deeper than on the Q550G. On top of that, the Q750G gets much brighter in both SDR and HDR, and it supports more advanced DTS audio formats.
We buy and test dozens of TVs yearly, taking an objective, data-driven approach to deliver results you can trust. Our testing process is complex, with hundreds of individual tests that take over a week to complete. Most of our tests use specially designed test patterns that mimic real content, but we also use the same sources you have at home to ensure our results match the real-world experience. We use two main tools for our testing: a Colorimetry Research CR-100 colorimeter and a CR-250 spectroradiometer.
Test Results
Older Test Bench: This product has been tested using an older TV test methodology, before a major update. Some of the test results below aren't directly comparable with other TVs. Learn more
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