Forget 115-inch 4K TVs – TCL says 130-inch sets are coming soon, with 150 inches on the horizon
TCL says 130-inch and possibly even nearly 150-inch LED TVs will soon hit the market, thanks to the latest display manufacturing methods, as reported by FlatpanelsHD.
Despite recently launching a 115-inch 4K mini-LED TV (see image above) – which will be known as the 115QM891G in the US, or X955K Max in the UK/Europe/Australia and will feature about a 6.2.2 Onkyo speaker system that rivals the best TVs in sound and 5,000 nits, clearer than any of the best TVs out there – TCL is already think of even larger sets.
TCL CSOT, the company’s manufacturing arm (which also sells these screens to other manufacturers), is developing its 115-inch screens using so-called Generation 11 or 11G factories – an upgrade of its Generation 8.5 or 8.5G factories used to develop its 98-inch panels. TCL says larger screens are possible at its 11G factory, which produces even larger panels (called “mother glass”) that can be cut into two 130-inch screens.
TCL even said that a huge 148-inch screen could be possible in the future, again at the 11G factory, although it did note that this would be significantly more expensive than a 115-inch or 130-inch screen. To give you an idea, the 115-inch TCL QM891G/ serious premium.
Bigger screens for less
It’s worth noting that this isn’t the largest screen TCL has developed, as it unveiled the X11H Max in China earlier this year – a massive 163-inch micro-LED TV, a more advanced TV technology than the LCD /LED screens we are talking about for the 130-inch and 148-inch screens.
TCL isn’t the only brand to release a big screen, as LG and Samsung also have large micro-LED sets, with LG’s 136-inch luxury micro-LED with B&O speakers making waves.
The problem with micro LED is the price. The 163-inch TCL The price for the LG 136-inch? An eye-watering $300,000.
When TCL introduced 98-inch TVs to the market a few years ago, it must have seemed like they would never be affordable. But the 98-inch sets are already falling in price, with the entry-level P745 selling for less than £2,000 in Britain and the TCL Q series for less than $2,500. More and more brands are also jumping on the 98-inch bandwagon, with LG, Samsung and Sony all launching sets – and, fun fact, they all have a TCL panel because TCL CSOT develops all 98-inch panels. Even some of the best OLED TVs today come in 97-inch sizes.
With this in mind, it’s probably only a matter of time before TCL’s 115-inch LED TVs drop in price, sliding $20,000 towards the prices of the 98-inch models. Maybe in a few years 130-inch TVs will get ‘budget’ options too…