Why TCL Chooses SQD-miniLED Over RGB LED for Its Flagship X11L

TCL is embracing both RGB LED and miniLED technologies in its 2025 TV lineup, but the company has made an interesting choice for its flagship model. Instead of equipping the top-tier X11L with RGB LED backlighting, TCL opted for its latest SQD-miniLED system, while RGB LED is reserved for the lower-positioned RM9L series.

This strategy differs from competitors such as Hisense, Samsung, and Sony, all of which are promoting RGB LED as their most advanced LCD TV backlighting technology this year.

The goal for these premium LCD displays is clear: compete more directly with OLED televisions, which have continued to improve in both brightness and color reproduction.

One challenge for consumers is the growing number of marketing labels attached to display technologies. RGB LED serves as the broader industry term for technologies marketed under names such as “micro RGB,” “RGB miniLED,” and “TrueRGB.” While the branding varies, they all refer to similar RGB-based backlighting approaches.

It is important not to confuse RGB LED with MicroLED technology. Although both rely on red, green, and blue light-emitting diodes, they operate very differently. RGB LED functions as a backlight positioned behind an LCD panel and typically contains only a few thousand LEDs. MicroLED, by contrast, eliminates the LCD layer entirely and uses millions of self-emitting RGB pixels—over 24 million individual LEDs in a 4K display.

Traditional miniLED systems take a different route. Their LEDs emit blue light, which is then converted into red and green wavelengths using quantum dots before reaching the LCD layer. The LCD panel subsequently controls light output and color to create the final image. This arrangement is commonly known as QD-miniLED.

TCL’s latest advancement, SQD-miniLED, uses enhanced or “super” quantum dots designed to deliver more accurate and saturated colors that approach the performance of RGB LED systems.

Another key factor in image quality is local dimming. In modern LCD televisions, thousands of LEDs are organized into independently controlled zones behind the screen. When a bright object appears in a specific area—such as sunlight in one corner of the image—the corresponding zones can increase brightness without affecting darker portions of the scene.

The number of dimming zones has a major impact on performance. More zones generally provide finer light control, deeper contrast, reduced blooming around bright objects, and stronger HDR highlights.

TCL highlights this advantage with its flagship X11L. The 75-inch model features 11,520 local dimming zones, allowing the backlight to closely follow the structure of the original image. By comparison, the 85-inch RM9L equipped with RGB LED technology offers 2,912 zones, providing less precise control despite its advanced backlight design.