📣 TCL announces a new flagship QM9K Mini LED 4K featuring Google Gemini AI
🤖 Gemini AI lets you search for media, control your smart home, and activate routines with your voice
🗣️ Conversational search lets you ask for media recommendation
🤩 Killer feature: find shows/movie with a vague idea of its premise instead of its name
📺 TCL QM9K features 6,500-nit brightness and 6,500 dimming zones
📆 Available later this month in 65-, 75-, 85-, and 98-inch
💵 Pricing has yet to be announced
TCL has announced a new flagship QM9K 4K Mini LED TV that makes bold peak brightness claims while also being the first screen to leverage Google’s Gemini AI.
We got to test Gemini AI for the first time ever on a TV, and it works very similarly to voice search on an Android phone like the Google Pixel 10 Pro. You can talk to the TV using either its remote or the far-field microphones on the TV itself to ask questions like what are some of the Star Wars movies, or what are the upcoming NFL games for this week.
The search results I saw and talking to Gemini AI felt very conversational, and I could ask follow-up questions to narrow down my queries. For example, I could easily go from looking up the Toy Story movies to asking for a quick synopsis of the series, and also ask which was the best movie in the series.
You can even ask it to find shows if you don’t know the exact name. I tried this by asking it for the medical show everyone is talking about and Gemini brought up St Denis for me. I could even ask it other questions completely outside of shows and media to have it explain how volcanos work to a four-year-old or high-schooler.
You’ll also be able to use Gemini AI to control your smart home from the TV and see notifications, including doorbell camera alerts on the TV. And if you’re worried about security, TCL tells us its TVs will securely store voice search recordings for only 10 minutes.
Gemini AI doesn’t seem to have Click to Search, help with calibrating the picture, or other features Google has worked together with Samsung to develop its Vision AI, so Gemini AI on TV still feels very much in its infancy. But I like where Google has started, and I can’t wait for it to mature and come to all Google OS-powered TVs.
TCL also told us Gemini AI will also come to the TCL QM8K with an over-the-air update.
TCL QM9K specs
Spec-wise, the TCL QM9K comes loaded to bare with the highest-end specs we’ve seen on any TV. It features a claimed peak brightness of 6,500-nits and contains the same number of 6,500 dimming zones. The QM9K is dramatically bright to the point of even overpowering the streaks of daylight hitting the screen.
The TCL QM9K also features some premium gaming specs, including a 144Hz native panel that can boost up to 288Hz VRR gaming.
The TV otherwise features a Presence Sensor that detects when you're close to the TV using mmWave. You can set this sensor to auto-wake the display and present daily brief information like weather and Art Mode backgrounds. The TV also features Bang and Olufsen audio with up-firing speakers.
The TCL QM9K will be available in 65-, 75-, 85-, and 98-inch sizes later this month; however, TCL has yet to announce pricing.
Kevin Lee is The Shortcut’s Creative Director. Follow him on Twitter @baggingspam.