This year's Mini LED at a great price! TCL 55T8D dropped below 13 thousand, gamers will appreciate the 144Hz refresh rate

Black Friday on Alza has also reached televisions from this year’s offer. The TCL 55T8D with Mini LED backlighting started selling for 15,990 CZK, now you can get it for 12,990 CZK, which is 3,000 CZK cheaper. It has never been this cheap on Alza since its market launch, and you also get four months of SledovaniTV with your purchase.

Quick summary:
✅ Makes sense for a living room where streaming series and console gaming alternate.
⚠️ Consider if medium brightness and two fast HDMI ports are sufficient for you.
💡 For 12,990 CZK you get a 55-inch Mini LED television with Dolby Vision and a gaming mode up to 144 Hz.

Compared to the October promotion, TCL is cheaper by another two thousand

With Black Friday discounts, it’s worth checking that it’s not just a relabeled price tag. Here, the numbers add up. According to Hlídač Shopů, the TCL 55T8D cost 14,989 CZK during the previous promotion in October, so now it is cheaper by another 1,999 CZK, roughly 13%. Compared to the launch price, you save 3,000 CZK, which corresponds to a discount of almost 19%.

Mini LED backlighting dims the picture by zones, but won’t dazzle with brightness

A regular LED television illuminates more or less the entire area behind the panel, so black is more like dark gray. Mini LED, instead, uses a large number of tiny diodes divided into zones that light up and dim independently. Dark scenes thus appear deeper, and bright objects stand out more. TCL also adds quantum dots (hence the QD-Mini LED designation) for richer colors and an HVA panel, which is a variant of a VA panel with good contrast.

The picture has 4K resolution and supports both main HDR formats, Dolby Vision and HDR10+. It can thus handle HDR content from streaming services regardless of which format they are currently using.

Here, enthusiasm needs to be tempered. Alza states a maximum brightness of 450 nits, and the German website Netzwelt measured a similar value in HDR. This is not enough for dazzling HDR effects, so you will enjoy movies most in the evening twilight, not in a living room bathed in midday sun. The 55T8D also lacks the thousands of dimming zones found in more expensive TCL series, so a subtle halo may appear around white subtitles on a black background.

Only two HDMI ports can handle 144 Hz gaming mode

Gamers will appreciate HDMI 2.1 with automatic low latency mode (ALLM). As soon as you turn on the console, the TV automatically switches to settings with the lowest possible delay. Netzwelt measured an input lag of 15 ms at 60 Hz in its test, which is more than enough for casual gaming.

The panel itself runs at 100/120 Hz, and in gaming mode, it can handle 4K resolution at up to 144 Hz and even 288 Hz with a compatible source. Take this value with a grain of salt; according to Netzwelt’s test, the TV can only achieve it in Full HD resolution. Furthermore, the full 144 Hz will primarily be utilized by a gaming PC. Both PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X send video at a maximum of 120 Hz, which the TV handles without issues.

The ports are the biggest weakness for more demanding gamers. According to Netzwelt’s test, only two of the four HDMI inputs can handle 144 Hz, so with two consoles and a gaming PC, you will have to swap cables. With one console, no problem will arise.

Google TV, satellite, and AirPlay for iPhone all in one

The television runs on Google TV, so you can download apps like Netflix, YouTube, HBO Max, or Oneplay directly from the store. Content can be searched by voice via Google Assistant, and sent from your mobile via Chromecast, while iPhone or Mac owners can use AirPlay 2.

Inside, there’s a tuner for antenna, satellite, and cable (DVB-T2/S2/C) with a CI+ slot, so you can tune in terrestrial broadcasting without an additional box. The single USB port is less pleasing. According to Netzwelt, you also cannot record broadcasts to a connected drive.

Sound is provided by 30W speakers with Dolby Atmos and DTS:X support. This is sufficient for news and series, but Netzwelt points out weaker bass. Anyone who wants proper sound from movies will need a soundbar.

For 12,990 CZK, it’s aimed primarily at gamers and series fans

The TCL 55T8D makes sense primarily for families who stream series in the evening, and for gamers with a single console who want 120 Hz and low latency. It will also serve as a main television for a smaller living room, eliminating the need for a terrestrial broadcasting box.

Those who want more precise dimming should look at more expensive series, such as the TCL 55C8L with 1,008 dimming zones. But for those who want Mini LED for a reasonable price, they probably won’t go wrong with the 12,990 CZK option.

Would you swap your TV for a Mini LED because of the Black Friday discount?