TCL has proven to be extraordinarily stubborn in the face of OLED’s growing domination of the premium television and computer monitor markets, refusing to embrace the technology. Until now. The company has just announced its first ever OLED monitor, and it looks pretty slick.
The company ignored OLED for years, instead preferring to focus on technologies such as Mini-LED and RGB LED in its premium products. But it’s now beginning to warm up to the technology, and it’s doing it fast.
Last year, the company’s display making subsidiary TCL CSOT broke ground on a new factory that will manufacture 8.6-generation OLED panels using an alternative process known as inkjet printing. It’s planning to mass produce its first panels next year.
So it makes sense that TCL itself would want to start selling OLED models, complementing its lineup of Mini-LED TVs and monitors that already provide stiff competition to the likes of Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics.
TCL’s first OLED television may still be a few years away, but we can expect to see its first OLED monitor arrive soon. The 32-inch TCL 32X3A has just been announced in China. It’s likely using one of LG Display’s WOLED panels, though.
One standout feature is the sleek 6.44mm design that reminds us of some of the first-ever OLED displays that launched more than 15 years ago. Its specifications are top tier, with the monitor having a 3,840x2,160 resolution display, a 240Hz refresh rate that can be cranked up to 480Hz at 1,080p and a 0.03 ms response time. TCL quotes a peak brightness of 1,300 nits and 99% coverage of the DCI-P3 colour spectrum, and there are HDMI 2.1, DisplayPort 2.1 and USB-C ports for connectivity. The audio system is designed by Bang & Olufsen.
It’s a pretty high-end product but it won’t cost the Earth, at least not in China, where it will go on sale for 5,999 RMB (around £649)later this month. While it hasn’t said anything about a global launch, TCL traditionally debuts products in its home country before releasing them elsewhere.
The launch of the TCL 32X3A sets the stage for TCL to introduce its first products featuring TCL CSOT’s inkjet-printed RGB OLED panels, which will initially be made in smaller sizes only, aimed at monitors and tablets.
The company has already showcased a few prototypes at various trade shows, and the initial impressions of the technology have been good. TCL’s RBG OLED uses self-emitting red, green, and blue subpixels to create colours directly, and the company claims it provides superior efficiency, higher brightness, and better colour purity than either WOLED or QD-OLED. Unlike WOLED, RGB OLED eliminates the inefficient colour filters, and unlike QD-OLED, it doesn’t rely on a blue light source to convert colours.
TCL’s claims cannot yet be verified, but it will be interesting to see them put to the test when the first products arrive, hopefully towards the end of next year.
Of course, TCL has not forgotten about Mini-LED, and it also took the opportunity to debut a couple of premium new monitors in this category too. They include the TCL 27P2A Ultra (pictured above), which features a 27-inch IPS LCD display with an unconfirmed number of Mini-LED dimming zones. It has 1,440p resolution and a blazing fast 550Hz native refresh rate, with the dual-mode feature allowing this to go all the way up to 1,040Hz at 720p resolution.
This means TCL becomes the latest monitor brand to break through the 1,000Hz barrier, promising smoother, slicker gameplay action. However, it’s expected that 720Hz OLED monitors will still provide a superior overall performance, thanks to their faster response times.
In addition, the company announced the new TCL 27C3A Pro LCD monitor, which features a 4K resolution Mini-LED display with 2,304 local dimming zones. It boasts a 165Hz native refresh rate that goes up to 330Hz in dual mode, has 2,200 nits brightness and supports Dolby Vision HDR and Dolby Atmos sound.
What’s interesting about the TCL 27C3A Pro LCD monitor is that it has the exact same number of local dimming zones as Apple’s new Studio Display XDR monitor, which launched last week. Apple hasn’t said who is supplying the panel for that product, but the fact it shares the same specifications as TCL’s new product is likely to be more than just a coincidence.
