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We Unboxed TCL's 115-Inch TV and Can Confirm It Is Indeed Large

Please don't try unboxing this 220-pound monstrosity by yourself.

Headshot of David Katzmaier
Headshot of David Katzmaier
David Katzmaier Editor in Chief
David leads the editorial team at CNET. We create expert reviews, articles and video on every aspect of technology, from AI to Zoox. We are thoroughly, proudly human.
Expertise A 25-year CNET veteran, David has been reviewing TVs since the days of CRT, rear-projection and plasma. He created CNET's methodology for testing TVs, streaming services and AI tools. Prior to CNET he wrote for Sound & Vision magazine and eTown.com. Credentials
  • Although still awaiting his Oscar for Best Picture Reviewer, David does hold certifications from the Imaging Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Standards and Technology on display calibration and evaluation.
David Katzmaier
2 min read
TCL 115-inch TV with a person standing in front for perspective.

The author stands, aghast, in front of a 115-inch TV from TCL.

 David Katzmaier/CNET

As a TV reviewer I've unboxed countless screens over the years, and most of them were big. But I've never seen, let alone opened, any TV box as big as this.

TCL's 115-inch TV just arrived at CNET's TV lab but before we could see what it looks like, we had to get it out of the box. And what a box: The slab of cardboard is tremendous, more than 9 feet wide and nearly 6 feet tall. The package weighs more than 220 pounds. To get it here, the freight company needed three burly dudes and we used every inch of the cavernous freight elevator in our New York lab. Hello, double dollie!

Watch this: TCL 115-inch TV Unboxing: OMG This Thing is Huge

During the course of the unboxing I learned a few things. High ceilings are key. Lift with your legs. And TCL has a pretty ingenious method for actually getting the TV itself on its included stand legs. It comes with four solid metal handles you screw into the sides to provide enough leverage to lift. My colleagues Ty Pendlebury, Laura Michelle Davis and I were able to (very carefully) ease it onto a pair of apple boxes to get it a bit off the floor, to a height that felt comfortable watching from the couch.

CNET Editor Ty Pendlebury roasting marshmallows at a TV fireplace.

S'more inches of TV screen, please.

 Tara Brown/CNET

Once we got it set up, the image looked as impressive as I expected from having seen the TV in earlier demos. It's incredibly bright, with the excellent contrast delivered by mini-LED and full-array local dimming. Sure, at that size, every imperfection in the video source is revealed, but with high-quality material, like Bridgerton on Netflix in 4K HDR, it looked superb. 

To be honest though, we had more fun browsing CNET's YouTube channel and summoning images of our co-workers that were literally larger than life. Or putting up a fireplace video and roasting some pretend marshmallows.

Here's where I mention that this TV costs $20,000, and that other TVs just a bit smaller are much, much more affordable. That said, this TCL is the only one that checks the "biggest" box.