Flagship features such as Mini-LED, OLED, and support for VRR were once reserved for the premium audience. Even if a budget brand marketed these features, there was usually a catch: it either didn’t work properly or gave a lacklustre experience. It looks like that time is behind us.
We recently reviewed the Lumio Vision 9, a great 55-inch Mini-LED TV with local dimming. For the price, that TV was a bang for the buck. But it seems that wasn’t an outlier. Today, we have with us the Thomson Masterclass QD-MiniLED TV. It packs a serious punch when it comes to performance, with only minor drawbacks.
The short review is this: if you want a 65-inch TV at 65K, then consider the Thomson Mini-LED TV. Read on for all the details.
Table of Contents
Key specifications at a glance
- Panel Size: 65-inch (Available in 75-inch as well)
- Panel Type: IPS
- Backlighting: QD-MiniLED
- Dimming Zones: Yes, 288 zones (claimed)
- Panel Resolution: 3840x2160p – 4K
- Panel Refresh Rate: 60Hz
- HDR 10 Support: Yes
- HDR 10+ Support: No
- Dolby Vision Support: Yes
- Dolby Atmos Support: Yes
- HDMI Ports: 3 (one is eARC)
- USB Ports: 2
- Bluetooth: Yes
- Wi-Fi: Yes
- Ethernet: Yes
- Number of speakers: 6
- Sound Output: 108W
- Price: Rs 64,999
Thomson QD-MiniLED TV – HDR and SDR performance
As the name suggests, the TV has QD-MiniLED backlighting with a claimed 288 dimming zones and an IPS panel. The combination of Mini LEDs, dimming zones, and an IPS panel ensures you get the best of both worlds with wide viewing angles and deep blacks. But this does come at the cost of some very light black crushing, similar to what we saw on the Lumio Vision 9.
I played my standard selection of content on the TV, and here’s what I noticed: the content looks bright, crisp, and provides a fantastic experience, whether in a well-lit room or when the lights are dimmed for movie night. The TV offers several picture presets, but these are the ones that worked best for me.
- Local Dimming (LD in the settings): Keep this on High
- For SDR Content: Movie preset is the most colour-accurate
- For HDR Content: The HDR Movie preset is the most colour-accurate
- For Dolby Vision Content: Dolby Vision Bright works best
- Dynamic Contrast: Keep it on as it helps with black crushing
In SDR content, shows like Young Sheldon looked really bright, crisp, and vivid in the Movie preset. While the Standard preset is also enjoyable, it has a noticeably cooler tone. I prefer the warmer tone of the Movie preset, as it makes the content look more natural.
When you switch to HDR and Dolby Vision content, things get very interesting. Let’s start with the good. Movies like Top Gun: Maverick, Ready Player One, Fallout, The Dark Knight, and more look sublime. In Fallout, when the protagonist leaves the vault for the first time, you feel the same intensity she does seeing the sun for the first time, thanks to the panel’s brightness.
Watching The Dark Knight Rises in Dolby Vision is also a great experience. However, in the rooftop fight sequence with Catwoman and Batman at night, you lose some detail in the dark areas, such as the textures in their outfits. This is the same black crushing issue we noticed on the Lumio Vision 9. Though, unless you’re actively looking for it, you probably won’t notice it here either.
Additionally, if you’re consuming content from an external source like a Fire TV Stick or an Apple TV box, switch the output to SDR and rewatch the same content. You’ll notice the improvement in detail almost instantly.
While SDR still tends to look better than HDR on budget TVs, it’s clear that budget models have come a long way, offering a very solid overall experience.
Thomson QD-MiniLED TV – Gaming Performance
Let’s get the worst out of the way first. The TV is marketed as a 120Hz model, but it actually has a native 60Hz display. So don’t expect to play console games at 120Hz, even where supported. However, the good news is that the TV supports VRR and ALLM on all three HDMI ports, making it a solid choice for console gaming. On the PS5, you can expect VRR support between 48–60Hz. It’s not much, but it’s definitely better than nothing. The TV also supports HDR and Dolby Vision Gaming.
- Marvel’s Spider-Man 2
- Dirt 5
- Astro Bot
- Silent Hill 2 Remake
- Gears 5
- Ori and the Will of the Wisps
- Doom: The Dark Ages
Dirt 5 is a great example of a game mastered in HGiG. On budget TVs, I’ve often noticed the game looking washed out or burned, but that issue is almost non-existent here. Just calibrate the HDR settings on the PS5, and you’ll feel the virtual sun glaring into your eyes as you race.
Even in games like Spider-Man 2 and Astro Bot, colours really pop, delivering a vibrant experience. Silent Hill 2 Remake relies heavily on dark environments, and on many budget TVs, you can easily spot blooming. On this Thomson TV, however, there was no noticeable blooming, even in a pitch-dark room, which is impressive.
Ori and the Will of the Wisps also looks phenomenal, with Ori glowing at the centre of the screen against dark backdrops, creating a wonderfully immersive experience. Also, Doom: The Dark Ages on the Xbox felt smooth and responsive, with no perceptible lag. Of course, competitive players will still prefer a gaming monitor, but for those looking for a cinematic, large-screen experience, this TV does the job very well.
Thomson QD-MiniLED TV – Audio performance
Big sound is the first thing that comes to mind when you listen to content on this TV. I’d go as far as saying you really don’t need a soundbar for a small 12×10 room, as the speakers here are quite room-filling. The TV packs six drivers, including two woofers at the back. While the bass isn’t as deep as what you’d get from a dedicated subwoofer, the sound is more than sufficient for everyday TV viewing. That said, for a true cinematic experience, I’d still recommend saving up for a soundbar.
In movies like Top Gun: Maverick or Ready Player One, where high-octave sound effects, action sequences, and dialogue all happen simultaneously, you can clearly make out each layer of audio along with the voices.
Thomson QD-MiniLED TV – UI and remote control
The TV runs on Google TV, just like many others we’ve tested, and my biggest gripe here is with the UI performance. It lags and occasionally suffers from random crashes. This is the one aspect that feels “budget” on the TV. For a smoother experience, I’d recommend using an external device like a Fire TV Stick or an Apple TV box. That said, apart from the occasional glitches, the UI is functional enough for streaming OTT content. You can also download VLC from the Play Store to play back local files.
As for the remote, it has a nice tapering design that makes it comfortable to grip. It’s a full-sized remote with a number pad, OTT hotkeys, voice controls, and more. There are no dedicated playback buttons, but that’s not really an issue since the directional buttons and OK button handle playback controls just fine.
Thomson QD-MiniLED TV – Connectivity options
The TV comes with three HDMI ports, one of which supports eARC for connecting a soundbar. You also get two USB ports, an optical port, a 3.5mm jack, an Ethernet port, and support for Bluetooth as well as dual-band Wi-Fi.
Thomson QD-MiniLED TV – Build and design
The TV has an almost bezel-less design on three sides, with a slightly thicker bezel at the bottom featuring the Thomson branding. No complaints here. The TV is also fairly slim, giving it a modern look.
It rests on two metal feet that do a good job of holding the large panel securely in place when placed on a tabletop. The feet are angular, offering both stability and a bit of style. Overall, the build and design are solid, with nothing major to complain about.
Thomson QD-MiniLED TV – Verdict
The Thomson QD-MiniLED TV is available in two screen sizes: the 65-inch model priced at ₹64,999 and the 75-inch model priced at ₹95,999. At this price, it’s a great option if picture quality on a large screen is a top priority. Both HDR and SDR content look impressive, and the TV also delivers a surprisingly immersive gaming experience.
Where it falls short is in the UI, which feels sluggish and occasionally glitchy. That aside, for the price on offer, the Thomson QD-MiniLED is a fantastic choice for buyers who want new-age features without breaking the bank.
Editor’s rating: 8.8 / 10
Pros:
- Great HDR and SDR performance
- Good TV for gaming
- MiniLED backlighting + Local Dimming works well
- Good audio output
Cons:
- Slight black crushing
- UI can get laggy
