TCL’s New Flagship XESS X6 QLED Display May Challenge Industry Elite
(TCL)(September 5, 2017) China’s TCL has spent much of 2017 establishing itself as one of the industry’s most popular low-cost television manufacturers, enjoying an ever-growing parade of praise from industry critics and technology evaluators. Its sales numbers are proof-positive that the brand is gaining serious momentum, with overseas sales reaching 5.74 million units (a 34% increase from last year). Recently, TCL hit Berlin’s IFA 2017 consumer electronics show with a new company-defining flagship model.
The super-sized Private Theater XESS X6 is an 85” giant that’s likely snagged the attention of competitors across the industry.
“Today marks a significant milestone for TCL, as we continue to innovate on behalf of our sophisticated global customer base,” said Tomson Li, Chairman and CEO of TCL Corporation, pledging to become a global leader in smart products and Internet services.
The XESS X6 employs Quantum Dot technology and ships with support for Dolby Vision, possessing the ability to accurately display 1.07 billion colors. More interestingly, it’s a direct-lit LED backlight design with full-array local dimming (FALD) technology, contained in a form factor that makes it the slimmest 80” or larger display on the market (less than 1” thick).
Drawing comparisons to Sony’s flagship Z9, the XESS X6 carries 1,200 LED backlights divided into 600 partitions, which suggests the display can deliver impressive black level performance. In addition, TCL claims the XESS X6 is rated to reach 1,200 nits of peak brightness (you may recall that Sony’s Z9 was the only television at this year’s 2017 TV Shootout capable of exceeding 1,000 nits).
Audio-wise, the XESS X6 is set to ship with an 11-channel Harmon Kardon sound system and support for decoding of 7.1.4 Dolby Atmos and DTS:X immersive sound. To date, LG is the only other manufacturer offering onboard decoding of Dolby Atmos.
Pricing and availability have not been officially released.
TCL also brought a new mid-range line to IFA. The P6 series offers screen sizes of 43”-65” with 5.1 Dolby surround sound. The company says these models employ “micro-dimming” for enhanced contrast and a Sports Mode for better live action viewing. P6 televisions are due to begin shipping during Q4 of 2017.
