Google TVs, display glasses, rollable screens, and more

It’s not a tech show that TCL is showing some of its latest display merchandise. At CES 2021, TCL announced its third generation mini LED backlight technology called “OD Zero”. The company also got on the Google TV train, showing off its rollable phone display concept and introducing wearable display glasses. There’s quite a bit of work to be done, so let’s break these announcements down for you.

TCL 2021 television

TCL is the second Android TV OEM after Sony to announce that it is rolling out the new Google TV UI introduced with the latest Google Chromecast. The brand will ship its Google TV-enabled devices in the US and other parts of the world later this year. There’s no clarity on which series will get the Google TV makeover, but TCL says it will be available for its mini-LED, 8K, and QLED lines.

TCL is also updating its 6-series TVs at CES 2021. The new TVs promote TCL’s longstanding collaboration with Roku and all 2021 models, and will offer 8K resolution. The screen sizes of the new 6 series TCL TVs are unknown, but we do know they will be available later in the year.

In addition to the new 8K range, TCL will also introduce a new XL collection – the first range of 85-inch televisions. There are three different models to choose from: an affordable 4-way LCD Roku TV, a 4K HDR QLED Roku TV, and a premium mini LED 8K TV. According to TCL, the XL collection “fits into every budget and exceeds the highest standards of performance to offer larger-than-life home entertainment.”

OD Zero mini LED technology

TCL also used the CES 2021 platform to introduce its new mini LED TV technology “OD Zero”. The name comes from the 0mm distance between the mini LED backlight and the LCD display plane. TCL claims that the reduced distance results in very even picture quality, improved contrast and minimal optical halo.

You can also expect televisions to be ultra-thin with this new technology thanks to the minimized distance between the light source and the panel. The exact TV models will be announced later this year, closer to launch.

Rollable TCL phone

LG wasn’t the only one to show off a rollable phone at CES this year, although its version may be closer to the launch than others. TCL also showed off a rollable device with an AMOLED display that can stretch from 6.7 inches to 7.8 inches with the tap of a finger. The smartphone is less than 10 mm thick and therefore significantly thinner than normal foldable phones.

The brand states that the device mechanism can hold up to 100,000 slides and the software interface can be customized for one-handed use and multitasking.

However, TCL’s rollable phone is just one concept for marketing its display technology. There is no word about an actual unit going into mass production.

In addition to the rollable phone, TCL announced a flexible 17-inch OLED display that is only 0.18 mm thick and can be rolled up like a scroll for small spaces.

Wearable display glasses

Finally, TCL’s display portfolio for 2021 also includes glasses with two integrated 1080p FHD micro OLED displays. They let you watch videos and play games on the go as if you had a 140-inch screen just yards away.

Again, there’s no word on pricing yet, but TCL says they’ll be available in select markets later this year. The company is also working with a content subscription service to bring the new wearables to the US as part of a 5G smartphone package.