2021 TCL TVs to include Google TV and more 8K models

XDA

TCL's 2021 TV lineup to include Google TV and more 8K models

By Mishaal Rahman

Published Jan 11, 2021

TCL Electronics will roll out TCL TVs with Google TV built-in this year. The company also says its entire 6-series will have 8K resolution.

The first official day of CES is almost over, and we've already seen numerous new processors, laptops, smartphones, and TVs. TCL Electronics was at the show once again, taking the wraps off of its new TCL 20 series and NXTPAPER tablet. At the show, the company also unveiled details about its new TV lineup. The company has announced that it plans to roll out a TCL Google TV series later this year, and they're also planning to make 8K TVs more mainstream by offering the resolution across its entire 6-Series line.

TCL Google TV Series

In a press release, TCL says its new Google TV series will debut in the United States sometime later this year before rolling out in other parts of the world. The new TCL TVs will sport the company's latest display technologies, including mini-LED backlights, 8K resolution, and QLED. However, the company hasn't confirmed exact configurations for its upcoming Google TV series.

Google TV is the new branding for Google's Android-based TV OS, previously called Android TV. The new interface is more content-oriented, placing recommended TV shows and movies front-and-center. It also comes with a live TV tab for YouTube TV integration and deeper Google Assistant integration. Google plans to make Google TV mandatory for new TVs running Google-certified Android builds by 2022, but they're allowing TV makers like Sony and now TCL the ability to ship the new software in 2021 models. Thus, some of the new 2021 TCL TVs will be among the first to support Google TV built-in without the need to connect the Google Chromecast with Google TV dongle.

2021 6-Series TCL TVs with 8K resolution

TCL plans to make 8K TVs more mainstream this year by equipping the entirety of its 6-series with 8K resolution panels. TCL's 6-Series is one step down from its most premium 8-Series while still featuring display technologies like mini-LED backlighting. Now, 2021 6-Series models will also have 8K panels, though the question remains at what price? TCL is known to aggressively price its TVs in the US, making it one of the top TV brands in the market. Thus, while we expect the new 2021 6-Series to be more expensive, we also expect they'll undercut most 8K TVs on the market right now.

The only problem with buying an 8K TV is finding native 8K content to watch on it. While TCL hasn't solved that problem, their AiPQ engine promises to upscale 4K resolution content, of which there is plenty to be found these days. TCL's current 6-Series TVs support 120Hz at up to 1440p resolution, so hopefully, the new 2021 6-Series TCL TVs support 4K@120Hz as that's the target resolution and frame rate for some next-gen console games.

The XL Collection

Later this year, TCL also plans to unveil The XL Collection, a trio of 85" TVs. The first of these TVs is an 85" 4K HDR 4-Series model with Roku TV coming in Q1 for $1,599. The second is an 85" 4K HDR QLED model, and the last is an 85" 8K QLED TV with mini-LED backlighting.