OPINION : TCL ’s ascent in the TV grocery store has been one that ’s almost happened quietly . Such is its leap to prominence that it is now one of the biggest TV makers on this major planet behind Samsung .
Market research conducted by Omdia earlier in 2023 demo that TCL had nudged LG out of the top two spot in terms of global shipments . It even outstrip Nipponese giants like Sony and Panasonic by some distance in the ranking . The make is the number one Android TV brand and breast is number one when it comes to 98 - inch video ( good for you if you ’ve got way ) .
Now there are hatful of subtleties with this data . One is that this pertain to ball-shaped dispatch to retail merchant , not telly sold . Another is that TCL is n’t operating at the same price premium as other brands , and that a lot of these despatch have been to position that have seen a growth in TV buying such as China and Africa . In other markets TCL belike does n’t have as strong a foothold .
But second place is nothing to whiff at , and there ’s room for more growth and expansion if TCL father its electronic messaging rightfulness .
I was invited to sunny Milan to see TCL ’s new product during the city ’s Design Week , and to continue the Samsung equivalence , it struck me just how like the approach was .
There was an vehemence onMini LED TVsand a disinterest ( so far ) in OLED screens . It embraces 8 K engineering and covets gamers by let in support forrefresh ratesup to 144Hz ( something TCL claims it bring to the market first ) . But it was the brand ’s concept lifestyle set that draw out the strongest whiff of Samsung .
The Art Series , as TCL label them , are concept TVs with no pricing usable or even a guarantee that they ’d reach the market place .
The Deco TV was basically theSerobut with a form of wheels at its base that much permit Tiago Abreu , Head of TCL Innovation and Design , to start twirling around with it . The Art video recalledThe Framewith its art deco stylings , although an interesting crease is that it can be partnered with a soundbar with detachable Dolby Atmos speakers . These can be placed in a elbow room to become surround speakers . Clever .
The one TV that was quite dissimilar from anything I ’d seen from Samsung was the Telly Table , which needs a raw name becomes because every time it was said , all I could think of was Teletubbies .
It ’s a article of furniture table that you could play interactive games on , or flip it up on its stand so it becomes a more traditional TV experience with a speaker system in its undercarriage / rearward side . It truly feel more like a ‘ lifestyle ’ TV than an art frame many other TV brands seem obsessed with .
And it ’s innovation like this where TCL can perhaps make a pedestal by being different from the rest . Right now , it is good have it away for its budget TVs , the marketplace it has made its presence felt as others have prompt towards agiotage sets . A partnership with Roku is flourishing in the US and the UK ( look out for our RP630 K review soon ) .
cistron in that it is cheaper than most of the competition and you could see TCL ’s scheme as readable as a VAR reviewer spots a handball . Samsung is still the world-beater of TVs , but TCL is get down to gain speed and self-confidence as the Art Series point . If they get it right , it could become a force to be reckoned with .
