TCL's first MicroLED TV is unsurprisingly expensive, but it could hint towards the future of next-generation TVs

TCL has announced its first MicroLED TV, joining Samsung and LG in the race to bring the next-generation display technology to the masses. While we certainly wouldn't call the X11H Max a TV with mass appeal quite yet (more on that in a moment), it is technically the cheapest MicroLED TV on the market. It also happens to be the biggest, surpassing its competitors when it comes to sheer scale by quite a large margin.

TCL is launching the X11H Max exclusively in its home country of China for now, with an exorbitant launch price of 800,000 yuan (roughly ￡86,000 / $110,000 / AU$165,500). For your money, you get a whopping 163-inch 4K display, with a claimed peak brightness of 10,000 nits. TCL also says that this TV features a staggering 24.88 million individual LEDs, and its gaming chops are set to surpass OLED thanks to a claimed "nanosecond level" response time.

The MicroLED panels are set to have an expected lifespan of up to 100,000 hours, meaning you'll have to watch a serious amount of content on this TV before it shows any serious signs of wear.

While this TV might not appeal to those who haven't won the lottery recently, it's technically speaking the best value MicroLED set we've seen yet. Samsung's The Wall TV will set you back close to $155,000 (around ￡121,000 / AU$233,000) and it's much smaller at 110 inches. LG's MicroLED is also smaller at 136 inches, but it costs an eye-watering $237,000 (roughly ￡190,000 / AU$370,000). Realistically speaking, none of these TVs are within reaching distance of the average consumer, but if you're in the market, it looks like the TCL offers the most bang for your buck.

We know that this TV probably won't fly off the shelves, but it's an encouraging product to see as it could mean we're closer than ever to seeing MicroLED actually becoming a mainstream, commercially available panel technology. TCL is best known for its affordable TVs, which have jettisoned it into the big leagues of mass-market appeal alongside Hisense and Samsung.

Seeing a company like this take on the challenge of next-generation panel technology could signify greater things to come; could TCL be the key to making MicroLED TVs a fixture in living rooms worldwide in the years to come? It's entirely possible.

MORE:

Read our list of the best TVs

As well as our experience with the 115-inch TCL Mini LED (QM891G)

And our review of the TCL C745K