If you thought your TV was already smart enough, TCL just tried to make it a little more… aware. The company’s new QM9K line of QD-Mini LED Google TVs — flagship screens offered in 65-, 75-, 85- and 98-inch sizes — are available now, and they pack two headline-grabbing features: Google’s Gemini AI assistant built directly into the TV, and a built-in millimeter-wave (mmWave) presence sensor that can literally sense when someone is nearby. The 65-inch starts at $2,999.99 at Best Buy; the top-end 98-inch model lists for $5,999.99.

TCL is pitching the QM9K as a proper flagship: QD-Mini LED backlighting for better local dimming and contrast, a 144Hz native refresh rate for smoother motion (handy for fast movies and gaming), Dolby Atmos-capable speakers and a handful of HDMI 2.1 ports. On the software side, these are Google TV sets that come straight out of the box with Gemini — Google’s next-gen conversational AI — and with presence sensing baked into the hardware so the TV can respond to whether someone is in the room.

Gemini on Google TV aims to go beyond “play X on Netflix.” TCL and Google say the assistant understands conversational follow-ups and context, so you can ask things like “what episodes have I watched?” or “what’s a good thriller with a woman lead?” and then follow up without repeating the whole setup. TCL says the QM9K family is the first shipping Google TV product with Gemini, and Google plans to expand Gemini to more TVs and devices across 2025.

What really separates the QM9K from TCL’s other 2025 sets is the mmWave presence sensor. Unlike a camera or a simple PIR motion detector, mmWave uses radar-style radio waves to sense motion and presence — it can detect even small movements and can work without a direct line of sight (it can sense through thin materials and in low light). TCL’s product listings and reporting from outlets that previewed the set show the TV can automatically power on or off and show different screensavers or widgets “based on your proximity.” In practice, that means the TV can flip from ambient art to a normal home screen as you walk into the room, or dim/power down when no one’s there.

It’s worth underscoring that mmWave presence sensing is not the same as a camera: it doesn’t capture pictures of you. It works by emitting and analyzing high-frequency radio reflections, producing a kind of sparse motion/position map rather than video. Because of that, proponents call it a privacy-friendlier way to detect presence; researchers and vendors also note there are still security and privacy considerations (the data is different from images, but non-trivial analytics can still be run on radar point clouds). TCL and retailers say the feature is configurable, but if you’re buying a TV that can notice you from across the room, it’s sensible to read the privacy settings and controls carefully.

Samsung has offered ambient and motion-aware features on The Frame and on some appliances, and other TV makers have experimented with presence and gesture controls, but TCL’s QM9K is the first Google TV set to include mmWave presence hardware out of the box. That makes it a sort of first mover for Google TV’s new presence-sensing API and Gemini’s deeper integration into TVs. It’s also another step in the larger industry trend: AI assistants (Google’s Gemini, Microsoft’s Copilot on some vendors) and more ambient, context-sensitive UI are moving from phones and cars to the living room.

Price, who it’s for, and the compromises

At $2,999 and up, this isn’t TCL’s bargain bin — it’s a flagship price. That puts the QM9K in direct competition with other high-end mini-LED and OLED TVs from Sony, Samsung and LG, and it reflects the combination of premium panel tech, high refresh rate and the new sensor/AI features. If you want a big, very bright screen with advanced dimming, gaming chops and the experiment of conversational Gemini at your fingertips, the QM9K might be attractive. If you’re skeptical of always-listening or always-sensing devices, or you’re watching your budget, TCL’s other 2025 QM-series and even non-Mini LED models are cheaper and still offer Google TV.

Final take

TCL’s QM9K represents a clear bet: combine premium display hardware with AI that wants to be conversational and sensors that know when you’re present, and you get a TV that tries to be more like a room-aware hub than a passive screen. For early adopters who want Gemini-style interactions and novel presence features, that’s exciting — for privacy-minded buyers, the questions are legitimate and worth asking. Either way, TCL’s move makes this year’s TV launches more interesting: the living room is getting not just brighter and faster, but more context aware.