Skip to main content

TCL goes big with 85-inch XL Collection 4K and 8K Roku TVs

Though not everyone will agree, when it comes to TVs, there’s no such thing as too big. At least, that seems to be the guiding principle behind TCL’s new 85-inch Roku TVs, which have been dubbed the XL Collection. Initially introduced at CES 2021, the XL Collection has been formally announced by TCL today. It consists of three models: The entry-level LED 4K HDR version, the step-up QLED-based 4K HDR version, and an OD Zero mini-LED 8K HDR version. All three will be available by the end of the year.

TCL 85s745 XL Collection 85-inch QLED TV
TCL USA

Though they’re not the first 85-inch TVs you can buy — Sony, Samsung, LG, and Vizio all make models that measure 85 inches or more — they are the first to offer the Roku smart TV software.

“Sitting about six feet back from an XL Collection TV can deliver the same 60-degree field of view that is available from watching the gigantic 100-foot-wide screen from the middle row, center seats at the legendary TCL Chinese Theater in the heart of Hollywood,” the company said in a press release.

The most affordable model, the 85S435 — which TCL also refers to as a 4-Series model — actually went on sale earlier this year for $1,600. Beyond its unusually large size, its features are fairly standard for a budget TV. It uses an LED-backlit display that can do 4K and supports HDR10 and HLG flavors of HDR. It has four HDMI 2.0 ports and one that supports HDMI ARC.

It also has two 15-watt built-in speakers and can output Dolby Digital Plus via HDMI passthrough.

Of more interest to most folks will be the step-up 85R745, which is available starting today. It was initially reported as a “7-Series,” but TCL simply calls it an XL Collection model. At $3,000, it’s a good deal more expensive but helps to justify its price through better features.

Digital Trends was offered an early look at this TV. Here’s our in-depth TCL 85R745 review.

It uses a quantum dot-enhanced, full-array, locally dimming (FALD) backlight with 192 local dimming zones. It supports both Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos, and sports four HDMI ports, one of which works with HDMI eARC. These ports aren’t officially listed as HDMI 2.1, but TCL included support for several HDMI 2.1 features, such as variable refresh rate (VRR), and auto-low latency mode (ALLM). One feature that’s missing is 120Hz support for 4K gaming.

On the other hand, as long as you’re content with 1440p resolution at 120Hz, gaming on the R475 should still be pretty great thanks to its THX Certified Game Mode, which is designed to give gamers a more cinematic experience. Twin 15-watt speakers are combined with a 20-watt subwoofer.

Finally, the OD Zero mini-LED 8K HDR version is the XL Collection model we know the least about. TCL hasn’t released a price, an availability date, a set of specifications, or even some sample images.

It’s a safe bet, however, that image quality will be excellent — possibly rivaling that of OLED TVs thanks to mini LEDs’ ability to control brightness and contrast at a very granular level, thus avoiding much of the light bleed that can occur in regular FALD LED TVs.

Update: The original version of this post stated that the TCL 85R745 was equipped with HDMI 2.1, however only select HDMI 2.1 features are supported.

Editors' Recommendations

Simon Cohen
Contributing Editor, A/V
Simon Cohen covers a variety of consumer technologies, but has a special interest in audio and video products, like…
Sony claims mini-LED superiority with 2022 8K and 4K TVs
Sony 2022 Bravia XR TV lineup.

For Sony's TV ambitions, 2022 is looking like a banner year. Not only has it become the first company to bring a QD-OLED TV to market (the Sony A95K), but it is also branching out into mini-LED backlighting for its non-OLED flagship models, the 8K resolution Z9K, and the X95K, a 4K model. And naturally, Sony believes its version of mini-LED is better than the competition, thanks to a new version of its XR Backlight Master Drive and improvements to its Cognitive Processor XR technology.
Better mini-LED?

Why is Sony so confident that its min-LED TVs are better than TCL's mini-LED models, Samsung's Neo QLED TV, and LG's mini-LED QNED models? Apparently, none of these competitors are applying sufficient algorithmic control over their backlights, according to Sony, which results in less-than-ideal picture quality.

Read more
Hisense debuts its first 8K Roku TV, the 75-inch U800GR
Hisense U800GR 8k Roku TV.

We're still several weeks away from CES 2022, but don't tell Hisense that. The company has decided it doesn't need a big, splashy Las Vegas show to show off its big, splashy new Roku TV, which also happens to be its first Roku TV to offer 8K resolution: The Hisense U800GR, which is available December 8 from Best Buy and Amazon for $2,700.

The U800GR packs Hisense's ULED display technology, which in this case means a quantum dot LED panel with a native 120Hz refresh rate and up to 1,000 nits of brightness. Gamers will appreciate the extra smoothness this brings to their fast-action games, as well as the TV's support of auto low-latency mode (ALLM) and variable refresh rate (VRR). You get Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos support, in addition to HDR10 and HLG. Hisense says there are 180 local dimming zones for better contrast and black levels.

Read more
TCL’s 8K 6-Series mini-LED TVs are shockingly affordable
A TCL 8K 6-Series TV showing THX's Certified Game Mode.

TCL has been teasing us for months, making us wait to hear how much the company will charge for its 8K resolution 6-Series mini-LED QLED TVs. Now we know, and boy, was it worth the wait. The 75-inch model is just $3,000, while the smaller, 65-inch version rings in at $2,200. They both go on sale today with limited availability at major retailers.

To put those prices in perspective, LG and Samsung -- the only other companies that have mini-LED-based 8K TVs in 2021 -- charge $3,500 for their most affordable 65-inch models and $4,800 for their 75-inch models.

Read more