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What Hi-Fi?
What Hi-Fi?
Technology
Joe Svetlik

Forget RGB Mini LED – TCL has just announced SQD Mini LED TVs

A family on a sofa watching a wall-mounted TCL X11L TV.

There's a lot of chat at the moment about RGB Mini LED being the next big thing in TV technology. Well TCL thinks it knows better, and has chosen SQD Mini LED as its flagship technology this year.

It will feature in the X11L, which launched in China towards the end of last year, and will come to Europe and the US later this year.

SQD stands for Super Quantum Dots. It refines how light is filtered at the colour level, reducing colour crosstalk (i.e. where colours unintentionally bleed into one another) and maintaining colour accuracy no matter how complex the scene might be.

It integrates TCL's Deep Colour System (which widens the colour spectrum and enhances contrast), and works alongside the firm's Halo Control System that so impressed us on last year's TVs like the Award-winning C7K. By minimising the halo effect around bright objects, SQD Mini LED promises to keep contrast under control even in well-lit rooms, creating a more immersive viewing experience.

TCL claims this will offer a 33 per cent boost in colour gamut performance and a 69 per cent improvement in quantum dot accuracy compared to previous-generation TVs. The promise is a picture that "remains stable at high brightness levels, preserves shadows more accurately and maintains colour." Which should make for a more lifelike, consistent image, especially in scenes of high contrast.

The X11L will offer an SQD Mini LED panel alongside TCL's Deep Colour System. This uses Super Quantum Crystals (Super QLED), an UltraColour Filter, and an Advanced Colour Purity Algorithm to produce more vivid colours with more nuance and greater accuracy. The Halo Control System is also onboard, with over 20,000 dimming zones and a peak brightness of 10,000 nits.

The promise is intense highlights and deep shadows without sacrificing detail, along with more localised light control for greater clarity.

The X11L also supports up to 100 per cent of the BT.2020 all-scene wide colour gamut, which is the gold standard used in cinema-grade content. Which should make for colours that are "clean, saturated and accurate."

We're also promised consistent brightness and colour from wider viewing angles thanks to the WHVA 2.0 Ultra Panel.

The X11L should be very unobtrusive in situ as well, thanks to a thickness of less than 0.8 inches (20mm) and a ZeroBorder design with an ultra slim bezel. A TSR AI Processor will use machine learning to optimise each scene, and the 144Hz refresh rate will keep up with even the most frantic action. The built-in speakers are made by Danish hi-fi doyens Bang & Olufsen.

The X11L will be one of the first TVs to support Dolby Vision 2 Max following a firmware update. It also supports Dolby Atmos FlexConnect for greater versatility with speaker placement.

The X11L and other TVs in the range will have Google Gemini Interactive AI integrated, letting you personalise your entertainment experience.

We're hoping to go hands-on with the X11L later this week, so stay tuned for more.

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