TCL unveiled the concept in September last year, and called it Project Archery.Smart glasses device prototype designAt the CES 2021 Media Day event held online, it was announced that it will enter the US market for sale this year. The NXTPAPER reflective screen design, which was also displayed in concept form last year, has now officially launched a tablet device using this screen design.
According to TCL, its smart glasses device will be called TCL Wearable Display. In essence, it is an "external display" that must be connected to a mobile phone or other device. At the same time, the operating power is also provided by the USB-C connection device. It does not have any initial computing power and simply transmits the display content through the connection device. Therefore, it is almost the same as the VR head-mounted display created by LG a few years ago.
However, the TCL Wearable Display uses two Full HD OLED panels to provide a 140-degree wide viewing angle, so the color display performance should be better.
TCL currently plans to sell this eyewear device by bundling it with mobile phones and content subscription services, that is, it will be sold as an accessory. However, it is not yet confirmed what kind of bundling plan it will be sold with, and whether it will be limited to connection with TCL products.
On the other hand, the NXTPAPER reflective screen design that TCL showcased last year was applied to a tablet device called TCL NXTPAPER at CES 2021. It is claimed to be able to illuminate the screen through reflection, thereby reducing the direct impact of traditional LED backlight lighting methods on the eyes, while also reducing screen flicker and blue light affecting vision.
TCL said that the current NXTPAPER screen can achieve a viewing experience close to that of an e-paper screen, while reducing power consumption by up to 65% compared to traditional LCD screens. The display response and display contrast are higher than e-paper screens, and the device can be made thinner, making it very suitable for use as an e-reader.
However, the NXTPAPER reflective screen design is not without its drawbacks. This is because it uses a reflected light source to illuminate the screen. Therefore, if the ambient light is insufficient, the screen brightness will be relatively dim. In this case, it is necessary to rely on additional light to directly illuminate the screen. For example, TCL provides an additional set of small lights that can be clipped onto the tablet to illuminate the screen in darker environments.
The TCL NXTPAPER tablet, currently equipped with the NXTPAPER reflective screen design, will be launched in the European, Middle Eastern, African, Latin American and Asia-Pacific markets in April this year with a suggested retail price of 4 euros. The hardware specifications include a MediaTek MT349e processor, 8768GB of memory and 4GB of storage capacity, as well as LTE connectivity. The screen size is 64 inches.
