Deal of the year! Giant 98″ TCL with MiniLED is more than 100 thousand cheaper than its original price

If you’ve been following the price development of 98-inch TVs over the past two years, you might have thought they couldn’t drop any further. In 2022, when the TCL 98C805 entered the Czech market, it cost 149,990 CZK. A few months ago, it could be bought for around 50,000 CZK. Now – with the discount code elektrodny15 on Planeo.cz – it’s available for 42,429 CZK. This is the historically lowest price on the Czech market, and for this amount, you get a 98-inch Mini LED panel with 1344 dimming zones, Dolby Vision IQ, 144Hz refresh rate, and HDMI 2.1.

What you get for 42 thousand: Mini LED with 1344 zones

The TCL 98C805 is a 98-inch TV with a Mini LED panel – a technology that uses thousands of small LED diodes instead of hundreds of large ones, allowing for more precise background dimming and better contrast. In the case of the 98″ version, the panel has 1344 dimming zones, which is a solid number.

The panel is VA type with 4K resolution (3840 × 2160) and a Quantum Dot layer, which ensures 94% coverage of the DCI-P3 color gamut. Maximum brightness reaches 1600 nits (according to the manufacturer); in independent tests, FlatpanelsHD measured 1200 nits on a 10% window and 1561 nits on a 25% window. This is sufficient brightness for HDR content and viewing in a bright room.

The TV supports all HDR formats – HDR10, HDR10+, Dolby Vision IQ, HLG – so you can enjoy the best possible quality on Netflix, Disney+, or HBO Max. Dolby Vision IQ also automatically adjusts the picture according to ambient lighting using a sensor.

Who is a 98″ TV suitable for?

A 98-inch TV is not for everyone. The dimensions are 216 × 126 cm (without stand) and it weighs over 60 kg, so you’ll need either a very wide TV stand (the metal feet are at the edges of the frame) or wall mounting (VESA 600 × 400 mm). If your living room is smaller than 25 m², you might find yourself sitting too close, which isn’t comfortable.

Conversely, if you have a larger living room or want a home cinema and don’t want to deal with a projector, the TCL 98C805 offers significantly better contrast and brightness than a projector. Next to a Mini LED TV, a projector looks washed out, lacking contrast.

Another group for whom a 98″ TV makes sense are console or PC gamers. The TV supports 4K 144Hz via HDMI 2.1 (two ports), VRR (AMD FreeSync Premium Pro), ALLM, and even a 240Hz Game Accelerator mode. AVForums writes that playing FIFA or FC 24 on a 98″ screen is “truly an experience.” However, in dark games like Ori and the Will of the Wisps, the limitations of Mini LED become apparent – blooming around bright objects on a dark background.

Real picture quality: decent, but not perfect

International reviews agree – the TCL 98C805 offers a decent picture for the price, but with limitations. Brightness of 1200–1500 nits is solid, but not as extreme as the top model X955 (5500 nits). Mini LED dimming with 1344 zones works well in a bright room, but in a dark room, you will see blooming – bright halos around bright objects on a dark background.

Another limitation is the VA panel, which has excellent contrast when viewed directly, but colors and brightness decrease even at an angle of 20° from the TV. If you sit far to the side, the picture looks washed out. This is especially problematic with such a large TV – if you sit close, you see the edges of the picture at an angle, and they look different from the center.

AVForums adds that black is not perfect in a dark room – it is slightly raised (raised blacks) due to Mini LED backlighting. If you want perfect black, you have to opt for OLED, but a 98″ OLED doesn’t exist at a reasonable price.

Google TV, HDMI 2.1, and gaming features

The TV runs on Google TV (Android 12), which means access to Netflix, Disney+, HBO Max, YouTube, and thousands of other apps.

Important for gamers: the TV has two HDMI 2.1 ports (48Gbps) – one supports 4K 144Hz, the other 4K 120Hz – and eARC is on an HDMI 2.0 port, so when you connect a soundbar via eARC, you still have both HDMI 2.1 ports free for PS5, Xbox Series X, or a gaming PC. Input lag in game mode is only 13.5 ms, which is an excellent result.

The Game Master Pro 2.0 menu offers quick access to gaming features – you can check if VRR is running, what your frame rate is, enable shadow lifting, or assist with aiming. However, in game mode, local dimming is automatically set to “Low” to minimize input lag, which means lower contrast and brightness than when watching movies.

Sound: 2× 15W, insufficient for 98″

The built-in speakers (2× 15W stereo) are, according to FlatpanelsHD, insufficient – mainly lacking bass and mid-tones. If you are buying a 98″ TV, you should budget for a soundbar or an external sound system. The TV supports Dolby Atmos and DTS:X and has eARC, so you can connect a quality soundbar or receiver and enjoy spatial audio.

Verdict: a cinema in your living room for 42 thousand

For 42,429 CZK with the discount code elektrodny15, the TCL 98C805 is the cheapest 98″ Mini LED TV on the Czech market. Yes, the picture isn’t perfect – in a dark room, you’ll see blooming, black isn’t as deep as with OLED, and the VA panel has worse viewing angles. But if you have a brighter room, the picture looks great, and the experience of a 98″ screen is incomparable to standard 65–75″ TVs.

If you’re looking for a home cinema and don’t want a projector, or you want a gaming display with 144Hz and HDMI 2.1, this offers the best price/performance ratio. Just consider if you have enough space – 98″ is quite a beast.

The offer is valid with discount code elektrodny15 on Planeo.cz. Heureka shows a price of 49,990 CZK, but after applying the code, it drops to 42,429 CZK.

Would you buy a 98″ TV? Or is it too much for a living room?