TCL QM9K Google TV pops up when I walk around the room (Gallery)

Smart TVs have been relatively static in terms of big new features for a while. Display quality continues to improve, software continues to learn new tricks, but getting a new hardware feature is pretty rare. That’s why I was excited to check out TCL’s QM9K series, and after a few months of using this top-of-the-line Google TV set, its unique presence-sensing technology that turns on the TV when I walk around the room is still a very nice, and perhaps slightly pointless, mix.

TCL QM9K it’s basically a flagship-level TV. The set, which works on top of Google TV, offers sizes ranging from 65 to 98 inches. I’ve been using the smallest 65 inch option that most people use for the past three months.

The quality is excellent when it comes to the actual TV.

The panel itself is very high quality, using TCL’s excellent QD-MiniLED setup. It’s pretty bright – up to 6,500 nits in HDR – and continues to make me want to try an OLED TV with bright, deep blacks. I’m over three months away from everything from network TV to live movies a lot satisfied with the overall quality. I’ve switched from standard power saving to more vivid mode, which instantly boosts colors and brightness so you can really enjoy the full potential of your new TV. Viewing angles are the highlight here, as you don’t lose any color vibrancy or brightness when viewing off-angle. In a living room like mine where someone can sit a good way outside the “ideal” viewing window, this is greatly appreciated.

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If the equipment of the TV is also standard, it is well thought out. It’s less than 2 inches thick and has thin bezels on all sides, while offering a central base if you place it on a tabletop. I opted for wall mounting and was pleased to see that the VESA mount here is in the ‘normal’ position – in other words, you’re unlikely to fit this TV into an existing fixture and find it doesn’t fit in the same spot as the previous TV. I tested the latest Hisense model. The back is also relatively flat, which is nice for mounting curved lighting strips (I use A selection from Philips Hue).

For ports and plugs, you have four HDMI inputs – one with Arc and – with full HDMI 2.1 bandwidth – as well as Ethernet, optical audio, a pair of USB ports and a 3.5mm aux port. I wish there was some USB-C here to easily connect to a laptop or tablet for screen mirroring, but hopefully that will become more standard over time.

The remote is pretty standard too, with a premium-feeling part-metal finish and an intuitive layout. At this point, you’d think every TV would get the last one right, but you’d be surprised how often there’s a button where you can’t get your head around it, so I appreciate that TCL’s layout is easy to pick up and use without a second thought.

And then there’s Google TV.

As you’d expect from a flagship TV, the Google TV experience on board is fast and smooth, and about the same as you’d get from a Google TV Streamer. TCL pre-loads a few apps that are mostly overlooked (although they all work well for their jobs) and also has its own Settings menu. TCL gets my thanks for the fast and well-organized Settings overlay. I’ve never spent more than a second or two looking for an option to change, and when needed it goes to Google TV’s own Settings.

The TCL QM9K was the first Google TV product to get Gemini, especially when it launched last year. It’s since expanded to the Google TV Streamer, but there was never a “reason” to buy this TV in the first place – Gemini replaces the ubiquitous Assistant, and all Google TV devices will eventually make the switch.

But the big story here is the Google TV feature that’s exclusive to the TCL QM9K series, and I’m very interested.

The front of the TCL QM9K has a radar-like presence sensor that can detect a person in the room. The idea is to have a TV that you can interact with the environment. Enter the room and without pressing any buttons, the TV activates to display the normal Google TV screensaver with your photos. Get close – say to the couch – and the screen lights up to reveal a page with potentially useful information like the time, weather and news. If no one is in the room, everything turns off completely. You can turn all this off at night too.

It’s a great idea, but after a few months I’m still a little unconvinced.

A good feature I found is the on/off automation. Having the TV automatically turn on and off based on who is in the room, no remote needed, is really nice. What makes this really useful is that it’s not an “all or nothing” setup. Because it works like a radar, you can set the exact distance that the TV reacts to. I’ve set the screensaver to start if someone is in the room, but it only starts the widgets when they get closer – specifically at 7 feet, which is how far you actually are in living room rather than passing by.

But it has only been a novelty, not really useful.

The widgets page isn’t customizable – it only shows these three widgets, and frankly, I’m not sure I want the news headlines to be on the screen all the time, especially when I can’t control the theme. You can also do nothing but activate the screen saver and this widget page. I’d love to have the TV fully activated when I get on the couch, ready to go when I sit down, but I still have to pick up the remote to do that. However, I was pleased to find that this experience was not compromised by using anything other than the built-in Google TV software. Running an HDMI device such as a Google TV Streamer or console has no effect on presence sensing features.

The idea of using presence detection on your TV looks like it has a lot of potential, but after a few months of using it, I don’t think we’ve settled on the right idea yet. Certainly not enough to make a purchase decision.

TCL has yet to announce any other new TVs with presence-sensing hardware, and I suspect there’s a good chance it won’t be back for a while. It just lacks utility, at least for now.

The TCL QM9K series starts at $1,999, but is regularly on sale — currently $1,599 for the 65-inch model. at Best Buy.

What do you think about being present on TV?