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Questions raised over TCL’s RGB mini LED TV marketing

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By Kang Seung-woo
  • Published KST
  • Updated KST
The TCL Q9M TV / Courtesy TCL

The TCL Q9M TV / Courtesy TCL

Controversy has emerged over alleged false advertising involving a budget red, green and blue (RGB) mini LED TV released by Chinese TV manufacturer TCL.

According to a report Thursday by market research firm Omdia, TCL’s budget RGB mini LED TV uses two blue chips and one green chip, but lacks a dedicated red chip.

RGB TVs are designed to independently control red, green and blue backlights, a method widely regarded as enabling superior color reproduction and higher brightness compared with conventional white LED-based TVs.

Omdia analyzed TCL’s budget model, the Q9M, saying it uses a combination of blue and green chips with red phosphors, rather than pure RGB chips, to lower production costs.

Red chips are far more expensive than blue or green chips, prompting TCL to standardize the use of cheaper blue and green chips and rely on red-emitting phosphors to produce red light.

Despite lacking a dedicated red chip, TCL continues to market the TV as an RGB mini LED model.

“Even RGB mini LED TVs using pure RGB chips made by Chinese manufacturers have already drawn criticism over picture quality. Without a red chip, the picture quality competitiveness would be even weaker,” a display industry official said.

“As cost-cutting measures are adopted to expand the market, consumers could end up paying a premium for so-called RGB mini LED TVs that are barely different from conventional mini LED TVs.”

TCL’s 85-inch Q9M model is priced at about $1,680, which is higher than the price range of conventional mini LED TVs.

Omdia also noted a significant reduction in the number of local dimming zones in the Q9M.

TCL’s flagship RGB mini LED TV reportedly has about 8,736 local dimming zones, compared with just 2,160 zones in the budget model, or roughly one-quarter as many.

A lower number of local dimming zones makes precise brightness control harder and increases blooming, undermining picture quality.

Conventional mini LED TVs typically have around 2,000 to 3,000 local dimming zones. As a result, the Q9M may deliver picture quality that is similar to, or even inferior to, existing mini LED TVs, despite its higher price.

TCL has previously been embroiled in allegations of false advertising related to its quantum dot light-emitting diode (QLED) TVs.

In the United States, consumers who purchased TCL’s 55-inch QLED TVs filed a lawsuit against the company’s North American unit in California, alleging that TCL falsely advertised the TVs as incorporating QLED technology despite using little or none of it.