TCL’s new QM9K TV could make your remote disappear forever – Automated Home

TV remotes have been one of those small daily rituals. You pick them up, point them, press buttons, and then misplace them between the couch cushions. That could change. TCL’s new flagship QM9K brings built-in Gemini AI, a presence sensor called Ambient Display, and flagship Mini LED picture hardware. Those three things together point to a world where voice and sensors do the heavy lifting and the remote becomes optional.

Here’s the problem. That future feels both obvious and fragile. The tech can be powerful, but it also raises privacy questions and real usability gaps. I dug through the specs and demo notes so you can see what is real and what still needs time, and why it could matter for the way you watch TV next. So let’s break it down.

Why this TV is making people talk about life without a remote

TCL is pitching the QM9K as its “Ultimate Performance” model and the first Google TV to ship with Gemini built in. The company says the TV packs extreme brightness and precise dimming, plus sensors and far-field microphones that let Gemini answer questions hands-free. It will ship in sizes from 65 inches up to 98 inches and arrive at Best Buy and select retailers later this month.

That combination matters because voice only becomes truly useful when the assistant can understand complex queries and when the hardware can react to your presence without a button press. TCL is trying to join those dots. It’s a sign that TV makers are no longer treating smart features as add-ons, but as the center of the experience.

How voice control finally got less annoying

Voice assistants used to be good for just a handful of commands. That’s starting to shift. Google has begun rolling out Gemini for Home, which replaces many older Assistant features on speakers and displays.

According to Techradar and industry reports, Gemini is designed to handle conversational follow-ups and more natural phrasing, a change that matters if you’re not holding a remote.

In early hands-on demos, Gemini showed promise in handling natural commands, though it wasn’t flawless.

Reviewers at Tom’s Guide noted that while the TCL QM9K’s smart features look powerful, their long-term usefulness will depend on how they perform in everyday settings outside of controlled demos.

Think about the difference this could make. Instead of fumbling for the volume button during dinner, you could just say “Lower the sound a little.”

Instead of clicking through menus to find a movie, you could ask, “Show me something lighthearted for a Friday night.” Those may sound like small changes, but over time they can add up to a very different relationship with your TV.

What Ambient Display does for you and why it matters

TCL calls its presence feature Ambient Display. The QM9K uses a mmWave sensor, not a camera, to detect when someone enters the room. When it senses motion, the TV can wake and display artwork, weather, or other widgets, turning the screen into something more useful than a blank panel .

That can be convenient for quick information without needing a phone or remote. If the TV can wake, show a forecast, or listen for a voice command, the remote’s role shrinks.

But the trade-off is trust. Consumer Reports has repeatedly warned that smart TVs often collect user data by default, and that privacy settings are not always straightforward for owners to manage. A presence sensor that knows when you enter the room is not a camera, but it still adds to the broader conversation about how much these devices should know about your habits.

Gesture controls and smartwatch tricks are neat, but not ready to replace buttons

Other companies are experimenting with gestures and smartwatch controls. For example, Samsung has showcased early-stage ‘Pointer Mode’ concepts using Galaxy Watch gestures, though these remain in development and are not yet publicly available.

These features are promising but still early. Because they’re under development, there are not yet many widely published reviews showing mature, reliable performance in varied home settings.

Early reports suggest the concept is futuristic and appealing, but gestures can be inconsistent depending on lighting, positioning, or accidental movements. Until those kinks are solved, physical remotes remain more dependable for everyday use and quick interactions.

If you want a quick taste before diving in, check out the video “TCL QM9K TV Stuns the OLED crowd at Cedia 2025”, then come back here and we’ll unpack what it really means.

The QM9K is a serious TV even without the remote talk

Don’t let the voice and sensor headlines distract from the hardware. The QM9K is a high-end Mini LED set. According to FlatpanelsHD, the Halo Control System gives it up to about 6,000 dimming zones and peak brightness of up to 6,500 nits.

The screen design also matters. It uses a CrystGlow WHVA panel for wider viewing angles, and a ZeroBorder frame so the bezel is very slim, almost making the screen look like pure content. These elements are not just cosmetic: they improve immersion, minimize distraction in group settings, and help the TV compete visually with premium sets. Together, they show TCL’s effort to balance futuristic AI features with the fundamentals of picture quality and design that matter to everyday viewers.

Here is the catch you should care about

Even with better AI, there are practical problems. Voice recognition still struggles in noisy homes. Smart features often work best when the network and cloud services are healthy. Presence sensors trigger concerns about privacy and unintentional activation. And many people simply like a physical controller they can hand to guests or use without learning new interaction patterns.

That is why the remote is not dead today. It will remain the fallback for reliability, quick access to menus, and for moments when voice is awkward. Imagine trying to whisper a command while someone else is asleep. In that situation, the humble remote still wins.

What this means for the future of living room controls

The QM9K is notable because it bundles three trends into one product. It pairs a stronger AI, presence-aware displays, and top-tier Mini LED hardware. That combination makes a plausible path to a remote-optional experience. But plausibility is not adoption. Widespread change depends on reliability, privacy safeguards, and whether the new ways of controlling a TV actually feel easier for everyday people.

If Gemini proves robust across homes and the presence features earn trust, the remote could slowly fade from daily use. If those pieces fail to deliver, the clicker will stay where it has always been. The QM9K gives us a clear view of both paths.

This might be the beginning of the end for the remote

TCL’s QM9K is not a gimmick. It is an ambitious product that pushes picture quality and folds in the next generation of voice and presence tech.

That does not mean you should throw away your remote today. But the QM9K shows how that familiar little gadget might quietly become optional over the next several years.

• TCL’s QM9K blends cutting-edge Mini LED hardware with Google Gemini AI and Ambient Display presence sensing.

• The combination points toward a future where remotes become less necessary.

• Voice assistants and sensors are improving, but privacy and reliability remain hurdles.

• Gesture and smartwatch controls are promising, though not ready for daily use.

• For now, the remote stays, but the QM9K shows how it could slowly fade from our routines.

If you want a top-tier TV now that also points to how controls will change, this one is worth a look. If you want a completely remote-free life, we are not quite there yet.

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This article was made with AI assistance and human editing.