Big TVs are getting cheaper than ever, with TCL’s 98-inch Q55K being reduced to less than $1,000 (around ₤765) for the Black Friday sales in the U.S.
TCL is the company that first made 98-inch TVs somewhat affordable in 2022 when it launched its first such model, boasting a massive QLED panel, and it has since entered into a frenzied competition with rivals such as Hisense to try and make monster-sized TVs even cheaper.
Brands including Samsung, Sony and LG Electronics have also launched 98-inch TVs in recent years, based on VA LCD panels made by TCL CSOT, while Hisense offers ever-so-slightly-bigger 100-inch models based on a different panel manufactured by BOE.
Some of the more recent models have been launched with tempting price tags, but TCL’s Q55K really takes the biscuit. To our knowledge, its discounted price tag of $999.99 -- first reported by FlatpanelsHD -- from now until the end of Black Friday on Nov. 28 makes it the cheapest 98-inch TV available to date. It’s normally priced at $2,499, but the discount enables those who move fast to benefit from an enormous discount.
Not surprisingly, at that price, the Q55K is not the most advanced TV. It’s a basic direct LED backlit panel, rather than Mini-LED, but it does nevertheless offer 4K resolution and a 144Hz frame rate. However, it’s limited to four HDMI 2.0 ports, rather than HDMI 2.1, so gamers won’t be able to take advantage of the rapid refresh rates it’s capable of. The TV runs the Google TV platform and supports Apple’s AirPlay 2 and Google Cast for mirroring content from a smartphone.
But even so, the price will likely make this TV a very tempting choice for anyone who’s desperate to get their hands on a tank of a television. As you can see in this video, 98-inch TVs are pretty damn huge, and that explains why they’re growing in popularity, especially in North America, where homes tend to come with much larger living rooms than European dwellings.
The price of monster-sized TVs has dropped dramatically in the last couple of years, with even some 115-inch TVs now looking relatively affordable, compared to what they used to cost.
It’s not just TCL that’s driving this trend. Samsung’s DU8900 is currently on sale in the U.S. for $1,499, while Hisense’s 100-inch QD6 is available for just $1,299, both at Best Buy. Not every brand is playing this game though. Sony, which has long maintained a premium brand, sells its cheapest 98-inch Bravia 5 for $3,999.
Regardless, this is all good news for TCL CSOT, the panel-making subsidiary of TCL, which has perfected the art of manufacturing super-large panels at lower costs, leveraging economies of scale to successfully drum up greater demand for the products.
