New year, new Ces, and with the most important trade fair in the world comes a shower of announcements and news. He also responded to the appeal Tcl, one of the leading manufacturers of televisions and telephones in the world. However, the Chinese company took the opportunity not only to show the news in the two markets in which it has been able to move best in recent years, but also to announce its entry into new sectors, further expanding its presence both in the smart home field. , as well as in entertainment and broader productivity. A first taste, without going into too much detail between technical specifications, release dates or prices (with some exceptions), but useful to get an idea of what is to come.
Technology to see and wear
The launch conference, conducted by the President of TCL Electronics Juan Du and the executives of the mobile and smart home divisions, started with one of the most curious and futuristic announcements, namely that of Tcl Leiniao AR, technological glasses that exploit Augmented Reality to always have the appointments of the day, videos, messages, but also several screens at a time at your fingertips to be able to work and operate on multiple fronts at the same time. With a touch, you can take pictures by pointing your face towards the subject to be immortalized, or display luminous indications along the path to allow yourself to be directed towards your destination, in front of your eyes, integrated into the field of view. Nothing new (just think of the Ray-Ban Stories or the unfortunate Google Glass), but despite not having confirmed any launch date or price, the intention is to have them ready for sale by the end of 2022: in short, a taste much closer future than expected.
More concrete and closer to the launch, remaining in the accessory field of the future, is the new version of TCL’s portable and wearable screen: NxTwear Air. This is an evolution of the glasses launched last year, which connect via cable to hundreds of devices (smartphones and PCs, as long as they are equipped with a Type-C port), and which offer the equivalent of a 140 “screen, with 1080p resolution, all with only 75 grams of weight. Cable and size don’t seem to make them too comfortable, but to compensate for the somewhat raw aesthetic, TCL has also come up with a range of interchangeable lenses. No indication on the price, except that they will be “affordable”. The first version, we remember, cost around 600 euros.
From phones to tablets, passing through 5G routers
Space then for the mobile strategy, with a new range of tablets designed for various user groups, united by the common denominator of the anti-glare and multi-layer screen, designed to protect the eyes and not tire them, in line with increasing attention. of TCL to the panels, regardless of their use. The flagship product is the Tcl NxTpaper 10s, arriving at the end of January at a cost of € 249, with eight-core chipset, 4GB of RAM and 64 of memory, 8000 mAh battery and T-Pen included, accompanied by the smallest and most compact Tab 8 4G, arriving in spring and the only tablet shown to be equipped with a SIM slot to connect anywhere, and from Tab 10L, available from € 129 within the first quarter of the year.
Do not miss an eye to the little ones with the expansion of the series Tkee with three new models: Mini, of the 7″, Mid, 8-inch and equipped with a 4G module, e Max, 10 “, characterized by a simpler interface and designed for children, the predisposition to the subscription service Tcl Kids (containing over 20,000 videos, 400 storybooks and 50 kid-friendly apps, as well as parental control tools), and a colorful, drop and drop-proof rubber shell.
Unsuspected, a laptop: not pure, as it is too far from the manufacturer’s comfort zone, but hybrid, not too dissimilar to devices like the Samsung Galaxy Book Go, which we tested recently. It mounts a Qualcomm Snapdragon 7C processor, weighs 1.3 kg, will come with Windows 11 pre-installed and it will be possible to insert a SIM to surf 4G even without Wi-Fi. And speaking of the absence of Wi-Fi, Tcl is ready to launch two different solutions to overcome the problem: the LinkHub 5G a 5G router equipped with Wi-Fi 6 technology that supports up to 256 users, useful both for the home and for offices and co-working, and the LinkZone, small and portable Wi-Fi hotspot to connect anywhere (but in 4G)
The line is also brand new smartphone, the serie 30: 8 new models, 3 of which are ready for 5G (via MediaTek Dimensity 700 processor), with a focus on screen quality (with 90 Hz refresh rate) and battery life. The Chinese company did not go into too much detail, limiting itself to postponing insights and more details to Mobile World Congress in Barcelona (to be held between February 28 and March 3), and to reiterate the importance of a 5G accessible to all, especially in terms of price. In fact, in Europe it will only be the top of the range, the Tcl 30 5G, to offer this technology, while i 30XE e 30V they will be exclusive to the US market, effectively limiting availability at these shores. A market in which, thanks to the difficulties of illustrious competitors (such as Huawei), TCL is growing rapidly, but it is important to remember that although the Chinese company aims to expand into other segments of the variegated universe of technology, its core business remains that of televisions. It is not surprising in this sense to reiterate several times that both with glasses and with the TVs themselves, the smartphone can be easily kept in your pocket, or at the most exploited as a game controller, where other competitors (such as Realme) consider it as the hub, the beating heart of your IoT strategy.
TV: the heart of the smart home
Tcl Home, the app from which to control all Tcl smart devices (from the refrigerator to the air conditioner, passing through the robot-vacuum cleaner), will in fact be activated and controlled directly from the TV, as if to make this category of devices even more important and sovereign . Category in which TCL wants to become a leader within 5 years, at least in the portion of the Mini-Led market that it has helped to create and develop year after year, throwing the gauntlet right from the Ces stage. In 2022, the company’s focus is on improving brightness and contrast, increasing the number of local dimming zones (more than 1000), and for the highest end of its televisions, also the refresh rate, which will reach 144 Hz, like the best performing gaming monitors. The goal is to offer smoother images even in the living room and also for consoles, although for the moment there are not many video games that support 120 Fps (among which Call of Duty: Vanguard stands out), but with the video game industry in constant growth, moving forward in this sector is a strategic move not to be underestimated.
The more concrete news, however, concerns more software than hardware, with the arrival of devices Google Tv where the voice command becomes the real remote control, di Google Stadia, now compatible with Tcl TVs, thus being able to play via the cloud simply by connecting a controller, of the support to the FreeSync of Amd, or of the increasingly frequent integration of Game Master Mode, which automatically optimizes the image when you connect and turn on a new generation console to the TV, activating features such as Auto Low-latency Mode or Vertical Refresh Rate, which reduce lag and improve the fluidity of image. Also interesting is the possibility of showing up to 4 different screens, especially useful for productivity, minus that of dividing the screen in two: in the presentation we are shown a football fan and a gamer to enjoy their different games at the same time, but he must not be the maximum enjoyment of two completely different contents from the same screen and on the same audio channel. And the Tcl Health Hub, a service with which to train and keep fit, setting goals and programs to follow, watching the tutorials on the screen and, through the integrated camera, see your movements in real time, so that you can possibly correct them in case of incorrect posture.
The most admired curiosity of Tcl at Ces is undoubtedly the new ultra-thin TV: record-breaking definition, 8K, Mini Led technology, 85-inch diagonal, but what impresses is the thickness of only 3.9 mm. This is also a prototype, and we will have to wait a few years to see it on the market.
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