TCL QLED X4 Review: As smart as you need, with the looks too

This TV really talks the talk, with QLED brandished all over the box, and Android as it’s big selling point it seems too good to be true.

With an original sticker price of over $2,000 this felt a touch out of it’s place to me, but if you look now you’ll find it under $1700 for the 55 inch version we’re testing and I’ve gotta tell you – that’s a cracker deal.

Let’s talk picture quality first.  With the QLED tag all over it, you’re thinking “so is this as good as a Samsung QLED”?  Short answer – No.

Long answer, its a bloody good picture. The blacks aren’t near what Samsung are getting, and the colours not quite as bright – but can the average eye tell? It’s $1000 cheaper at worst and much more depending on the Samsung Model.

It’s the first time I think that QLED really broke out of the Samsung brand.  Q stands for Quantum and the Quantum dots being used over each pixel to bring it to life with vibrant colour.  Many do it, including Hisense and others, but TCL have wisely made it part of their marketing to capture the curious.

I’m sure someone who studies the pixels and measures the nits will tell you how much better one is against the other, but to my eye, this is a great looking TV.

Under the screen as you face the TV is it’s next best feature – the Harman/Kardon sound.  Not to be confused with an actual sound-bar, this is really all you’ll need for sound though – it’s got oomph when you want it, and clarity all the time, on a TV like this you’re essentially including the cost of a $200 odd dollar soundbar.

Netflix is on the remote – of which there are two, one standard, one smart remote with mouse movement capabilities and voice searching of Google.  So you can launch into Netflix from anywhere you need.

Other apps are easy to find and install, because it is an Android TV.  This means a wide ecosystem of apps, a simple user interface and integration with your Google account.

Streaming Stan looks great – though I couldn’t get it in 4K.  YouTube HD also looks excellent and I’ve watched some World Cup highlights on it.

But there’s one big issue – the thing takes FOREVER to boot up. Could be one, maybe two minutes to turn on the TV.

Thankfully there is an instant on mode – which solves that, but why that isn’t on by default I’ll never know.

Oh, and I can’t for the life of me work out how to turn off the beeps and bloops when I turn the volume up and down.

At $2,000 I think its probably a touch out stretched.  But at $1700 or less, we’re talking value – not bargain, value.  Good picture, great sound, easy to use, instant streaming – the TCL X4 QLED TV is worth a look.