OLED VS MINI-LED — $2,500 TIER
Samsung S90H vs TCL QM8L — QD-OLED vs SQD Mini-LED
By Rick Baron · SWAT A/V · 28 years of installs · Updated 2026-05-29
★ Rick's bottom line
Room-dependent — same logic as C6 vs QM8L
OLED wins dark rooms. SQD Mini-LED wins bright rooms. Both ship 4× HDMI 2.1. TCL's reliability tier sits below Samsung but the spec sheet swing is massive (1,500 vs 6,000 nits is a real gap).
Samsung S90H QD-OLED 65"
MSRP $2,699
VS
TCL QM8L SQD Mini-LED 65"
MSRP $2,499
Live street prices — refreshed daily
| Spec | Samsung S90H QD-OLED 65" | TCL QM8L SQD Mini-LED 65" |
|---|---|---|
| Panel | QD-OLED | SQD Mini-LED LCD |
| Peak HDR brightness | ~1,500 nits | 6,000 nits |
| Black level | Perfect | Excellent for LCD |
| HDMI 2.1 | 4× | 4× |
| Refresh | 165Hz | 144Hz · 288Hz @ 1080p |
| Smart OS | Tizen 2026 | Google TV (Gemini) |
| Dolby Vision | ❌ | ✅ |
| HDR10+ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Glare-Free coating | ✅ | Anti-reflective screen |
| Brand reliability tier | Premium | Mid |
| Rick's score | 8.9 / 10 | 9.0 / 10 |
★ Buy this one if
Samsung S90H QD-OLED 65"
Buy the Samsung S90H if you watch movies in a dark room, you value Samsung's 5-year reliability tier, or you're in the Samsung ecosystem.
Read full review →★ Buy this one if
TCL QM8L SQD Mini-LED 65"
Buy the TCL QM8L if your room is sunlit, you want Dolby Vision (S90H lacks it), or you're a spec-sheet buyer.
Read full review →