TCL brings new mini-LED tech, Google TV sets, and concept rollable phone to CES

It’s not a tech trade show without TCL showing off some of its latest display wares. At CES 2021, TCL announced its third-generation mini-LED backlighting tech labeled “OD Zero.” The company also jumped on the Google TV bandwagon, showed off its rollable phone display concept, and introduced a pair of Wearable Display glasses. There’s a fair bit of ground to cover so let’s break down these announcements for you.

TCL’s 6-Series 8K TV has won Android Authority‘s CES 2021 Top Picks Award for Best Budget TV. Check out all the awards here.

TCL 2021 televisions

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

TCL is also updating its 6-series TVs at CES 2021. The new TVs further TCL’s longtime association with Roku and all of the 2021 models will feature 8K resolution. There’s no word on screen sizes of the new 6-series TCL TVs, but we know that they’ll be made available later in the year.

In addition to the new 8K lineup, TCL will also debut a new XL Collection — its first lineup of 85-inch TVs. There will be three different models to choose from — a budget 4-Series LCD Roku TV, a 4K HDR QLED Roku TV, and a top-of-the-line mini-LED 8K TV. TCL says that the XL Collection “will fit any budget and exceed the highest performance standards to deliver larger-than-life home entertainment.”

OD Zero mini-LED Technology

TCL also took the CES 2021 platform to showcase its new “OD Zero” mini-LED TV technology. The name comes from the 0mm distance between the mini-LED backlight layer and the LCD display layer. TCL claims that the reduced distance makes for highly-uniform picture quality, improved contrast, and minimal optical halo effect.

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

TCL rollable phone

LG was not the only one to show off a rollable phone at CES this year even though its version might be closer to launch than anyone else’s. TCL also showed a rollable device with an AMOLED display that can extend from 6.7-inches to 7.8-inches with the tap of a finger. The smartphone is less than 10mm thick, making it significantly thinner than regular foldable phones.

The brand says that the device mechanism can last for up to 100,000 slides and its software interface can be adapted for single-handed use and multi-tasking.

TCL’s rollable phone, however, is just a concept designed to market its display technology. There’s no word on an actual unit going into mass production.

In addition to the rollable phone, TCL also announced a 17-inch flexible OLED display that’s just 0.18mm thick and can be rolled up like a scroll to fit small spaces.

Wearable Display Glasses

Lastly, TCL’s display portfolio for 2021 also includes a pair of glasses that come with dual 1080p FHD micro OLED displays built-in. They’ll let you watch videos and play games on the go as though you have a 140-inch screen placed just a few meters away.

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