It was not that long ago that consumers considered a 65-inch TV to be the largest size that they would consider in their living room or den. The pandemic and a new wave of TVs in the 75 to 88-inch range changed all of that. As popular as UST projectors have become, there are rather obvious limitations to their performance in rooms where consumers don’t have a lot of control over ambient light and not everyone wants a 100-inch movie screen on their wall next to Grandma’s photo.
CES and CEDIA 2023 were notable for the introduction of TVs in the 90 to 118″ range from almost all of the major manufacturers. Those new models all come with rather hefty price tags; in many cases more expensive than comparable 4K projectors/screen combinations.
So is anyone offering something under $6,000 in that screen range that is worth considering? TCL has three 98-inch TVs that fall into that category and they just went on sale!
2023 TCL 98-inch TVs
Each 98-inch TV offers 4K resolution and has a very thin bezel, but their capabilities, thinness and stand design varies. It shouldn’t be a surprise that the most expensive model is the thinnest, and delivers the best picture quality and widest viewing angle. It should also visually look best when mounted on the wall. Although the stand is included, any wall mount would cost extra.
Where to buy:
- GOOD: TCL 98S550G 4K TV – $2,999 at Amazon | Best Buy
- BETTER: TCL 98R754 QLED 4K TV – $3,999 at Amazon | Best Buy
- BEST: TCL 98QM850G QLED Mini-LED 4K TV – $5,999 at Amazon | Best Buy
Feature Comparison
| 98QM850G | 98R754 | 98S550G | |
| Price | $5,999 | $3,999 | $2,999 |
| Diagonal Size | 98-inches | 98-inches | 98-inches |
| Display Resolution | 4K UHD | 4K UHD | 4K UHD |
| TV Type | QLED | QLED | LED/LCD |
| Backlight | Mini-LED with Local Dimming | LED with Full Array Local Dimming | LED Direct-Lit (no local dimming) |
| Refresh Rate | 120Hz | 120Hz | 120Hz |
| Motion Processing | Motion Rate 480 with MEMC | Natural Motion 480 | Motion Rate 480 with MEMC Frame Insertion |
| Gaming Support | Game Accelerator 240 VRR with ALLM and AMD Freesynch Premium Pro | Auto Game Mode (ALLM), Variable Refresh Rate (VRR) 120Hz | Game Accelerator 240 VRR with ALLM |
| HDR Support | Dolby Vision IQ, HDR10+, HDR10, HLG | Dolby Vision, HDR10, HDR10+, HLG | Dolby Vision IQ, HDR10+, HDR10, & HLG |
| Video Processing | AIPQ Engine with Deep Learning AI | AIPQ Engine with Machine Learning | AIPQ Engine with Deep Learning AI |
| IMAX Enhanced | Yes | No | No |
| DTS Virtual:X | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Audio Passthrough | Dolby Atmos, Dolby Digital +, Dolby Digital, PCM, DTS-HD | Dolby Atmos / Dolby Digital Plus | Dolby Atmos / Dolby Digital + /Dolby Digital/PCM/ DTS HD |
| Dolby Processing | Dolby Atmos, Dolby Digital+ | Dolby Atmos / Dolby Digital Plus | Dolby Atmos / Dolby Digital+ |
| Built-in Subwoofer | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Bluetooth | Bluetooth 5.2 | – | Bluetooth 5.0 |
| Wi-Fi | Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) | Wi-Fi 6 – 802.11b/g/n/ac/ax 2×2, 2.4 GHz & 5 GHz | Dual-band 802.11ac |
| Ethernet | Yes | Yes | – |
| Streaming Support | Google TV OS, Chromecast Built-in, Apple Airplay 2 | Google TV OS, Chromecast Built-in | Google TV OS Chromecast Built-in |
| HDMI | 4 HDMI Inputs (1 eARC) | 4 HDMI inputs (1 eARC) | 4 HDMI Inputs (1 eARC) |
| USB (2.0) | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| Voice Control | Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, Apple HomeKit | Google Assistant | Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant |
| Weight | 149 lbs | 138 lbs | 125 lbs |
For more information, find all TCL TVs on Sale at Amazon or learn about more 2023 TCL TVs.
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