Don’t be fooled by the label: TCL urges TV buyers to check these 3 features

TCL is encouraging consumers across West Africa to look beyond the “Mini LED” label when shopping for a television and to pay closer attention to three specific features that can significantly influence picture quality.

The call comes as the company solidifies its position in the global television market. According to Omdia’s global Mini LED TV shipment data for the first half of 2026, TCL ranked number one worldwide by shipment volume, recording 2.43 million units, an increase of 77.1 per cent compared with the same period last year.

As Mini LED technology gains popularity, the market has become increasingly crowded, with the label appearing on models across different price points, from premium flagship sets to more affordable options. Yet, two televisions carrying the same label can deliver noticeably different viewing experiences. Mini LED uses LED chips approximately one-fifth the size of those found in conventional LCD television backlights, allowing manufacturers to fit more LEDs behind a screen to create a denser backlight system. These LEDs can be grouped into independently controlled zones to produce deeper blacks, brighter highlights, and clearer details. However, the label alone does not indicate how many LEDs a television uses, how they are arranged, or how effectively their brightness is controlled.

TCL is therefore encouraging buyers to consider three key features: dimming technology, the number of dimming zones, and backlight architecture. “Mini LED gets talked about as if it’s a single technology, but it’s really a family of approaches with very different results,” said Daniel Ray, Director of Sales and General Manager of West Africa for TCL Middle East, Africa & Beyond. “The three things that actually decide the outcome — hardware versus software dimming, zone count, and backlight architecture — are things any shopper can ask about, for any brand, before they buy.”

Hardware local dimming physically adjusts the brightness of different LED clusters behind the screen, allowing specific areas to be brightened or dimmed independently, unlike software-based virtual dimming which relies heavily on image processing and can result in less precise control. Furthermore, the number of dimming zones determines how precisely a television can control different areas of its backlight; generally, the more independently controlled zones, the better the distinction between bright and dark sections of an image.

The way LEDs are positioned also matters. Edge-lit televisions, while supporting slimmer designs, generally offer less precise localised backlight control. Direct-lit televisions position LEDs behind the screen, while Full Array Local Dimming takes this further by distributing LEDs across the back of the screen and allowing different sections to be controlled independently. This provides more precise brightness and contrast control and forms the foundation of TCL’s Mini LED backlight approach.

To ensure consumers get value for their money, TCL has incorporated Full Array Local Dimming across its Mini LED range, from entry-level models to flagship offerings. The company advises buyers to ask about the dimming technology, the number of dimming zones, and the backlight architecture before making a purchase, as these details offer a clearer indication of what a television can deliver beyond the name printed on the box.