Chinese tech brand TCL is on a mission to make further inroads into Africa. While we’re somewhat ambivalent about the consumer tech scene in other African countries, South Africa is a part of Africa. It’s right there in the name. So when TCL invited Stuff to Dubai to be present for the unveiling of its newest tech, we couldn’t stop ourselves from going.
On the menu for the Middle East and Africa are a Mini LED set, the C845, and a pair of QLED screens, the C745 and C645. The brand also announced a new football partnership with Arsenal FC, acting as a sponsor for the European club in addition to expanding its ties with various cricket teams.
Needs a little TCL
Sporting news is cool and all but generally we’re all about consumer technology. Starting with the C845, viewers can expect to secure the Mini LED TV in one of several sizes. It’ll ship in 55in, 65in, 75in, and 85in flavours and will bring along Dolby Vision IQ and Dolby Atmos support. The 4K display is powered by the company’s AiPQ Processor 3.0, has a peak brightness of 2,000 nits, and supports HDR10+ and a 120Hz refresh rate (up to 144Hz variable refresh). It might sound gaming-capable but that’s actually what the other two models are for.
TCL’s C745 and C645 and both QLED sets, with the TV with the large model number being the better option in terms of performance. Obviously.
The C745 will be available in sizes from 55in to 85in and features the same 144Hz variable refresh rate as the C845. There’s something more, though — a feature called Game Master 2.0 that offers improved visual and audio performance, lower latency, and AMD FreeSync Premium Pro support. Since AMD makes the chips for most consoles, this is a very good thing. Finally, the C745 offers a Game Accelerator mode of up to 240Hz. Because why the hell not?
The C645 is a little less capable, but only a little. It’ll launch in the same sizes as its better-skilled brethren, as well as two others — 50in and 43in. It includes Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos support, a 120Hz Game Accelerator mode, and AMD FreeSync support. Premium Pro, sadly, is not included. This is more of a general-purpose television but we’re sure that TCL won’t object to you using it as a gaming centrepiece.
When will these land in South Africa? We have an answer to that. TCL’s new television hardware is set to turn up in South Africa from August this year. Pricing, exact availability, and specific models will be made known at a later stage, like at a local launch event, perhaps.
