TCL CSOT (China Star Optoelectronics Technology, also called Shenzhen Huaxing Photoelectric Technology) is a China based display producer (owned by TCL, and Samsung Display). The company is producing both LCDs and OLED displays, and researching microLED displays.
Over the years, TCL CSOT demonstrated several microLED display prototypes, including tiled TV displays, flexible and wearable displays, and more. TCL itself also announced several AR headsets based on microLEDs.
In 2020, CSoT launched a $43 million project with San'an Optoelectronics to co-develop micro LED materials and production processes and equipment.
No.5 FuHong Road
Guangdong Sheng,
China
TCL launches a commercial 163" MicroLED TV, the X11H Max, priced at $110,000
Chinese TV producer TCL announced its first commercial microLED TV, the 163-inch 4K TV X11H Max. The TV offers an XDR peak brightness of 10,000 nits, 22bit+ color depth, extremely fast response speed (nanosecond level) and a lifetime of over 100,000 hours. The price is set at 799,999 Yuan, or around $110,000.
This is obviously an ultra-premium product, but it is great to see TCL formally enter the microLED market. TCL first demonstrated a prototype 163" microLED panels back in 2023. It is likely that this new tiled TV features an Oxide-TFT (IGZO) backplane.
TCL shows a tiled 163" microLED display prototype
TCL has demonstrated a 163" microLED TV display prototype. This seems to be the same display showed at IFA 2023 last year.
We do not have any more technical details. In May 2023, TCL unveiled a small tiled display (18.8"), this could be based on the same tiles. The 2023 display featured a pixel-pitch of 0.43 mm, an IGZO backplane and a peak brightness of 1,200 nits. CSoT says that the LED chips have an area of 400 squm, which means chip size of about 20 microns.
TCL announces the RayNeo X2 Lite smartglasses powered by full-color microLED microdisplays
TCL's RayNeo announced a new smart glasses product, the RayNeo X2 Lite, based on full-color 1500-nits microLED microdisplays. The company did not provide more details on the microLED displays, beyond saying that they will offer 3D images and a 30-degrees FOV.
The X2 Lite, powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon AR1 Gen 1 Platform offer innovative AI-backed live translation, smart assistant, 3D navigation, and HD camera features. TCL expects to ship the product in Q3 2024.
TCL CSoT shows a tiled 18.8" microLED display prototype
During Display Week 2023, TCL CSoT showed a new microLED display prototype, a tiled 18.8" 960x540 display.
This is TCL's largest microLED shown to date, we believe. The display offers a pixel-pitch of 0.43 mm, an IGZO backplane and a peak brightness of 1200 nits. CSoT says that the LED chips have an area of 400 squm, which means chip size of about 20 microns.
TCL demonstrates a new microLED AR smart glasses, the RayNeo X2
TCL announced and demonstrated its latest AR smart-glasses, the RayNeo X2, which features a full color microLED display engine.
We do not have any information on the microLED display, but other specifications include a Snapdragon XR2 chipset and a wearable ring controller. The RayNeo 2 will ship to developers in Q1 2023, and TCL hopes to launch it as a commercial product later on.
San'an and CSoT launch their microLED Joint Venture
In March 2020, we reported that CSoT (owned by TCL) and San'an Optoelectronics have agreed to co-develop micro LED materials and production processes and equipment, in a 300 million Yuan (around $43 million USD) investment.
A few days ago it was reported by the Xiamen Xiang'an Industrial Zone that the new CSoT/San'an joint project have been officially launched. CSoT and San'an Optoelectronics established a new company called Xiamen Xinying Display Technology, which will establish an R&D base in the Xiang'an industrial zone.
TCL unveil the TCL Leiniao AR smart glasses, based on microLED displays
TCL announced the Leiniao AR smart glasses, which are based on color microLED displays.
It seems as this is not a ready product yet, but more of a concept. This device seems very similar to the Thunderbird Smart Glasses Pioneer Edition, which the company unveiled in October 2021 - which, we speculated, are based on JBD's monochrome 0.13" VGA microLED display engines.
TCL CSoT shows new flexible, wearable microLED display prototypes
TCL's CSoT showed its latest display prototypes at the company's DTC 2021 event. CSoT unveiled two new microLED display prototypes, that it never displayed before.
The first display is a small 1.37" 320x360 (353 PPI) wearable LTPS microLED display, that achieves a brightness of >2,000 nits. The display also uses TDDI touch technology (in which a single chip shares the display driver and the touch sensor).
TCL announced smart glasses with a color microLED display
TCL announced a new AR smartglasses product, which it calls the Thunderbird Smart Glasses Pioneer Edition. TCL did not reveal much, but it says the color display is based on microLED technology, with a pixel pitch of 4 um. TCL did not release any estimated shipping dates or a price for this new product, which is likely still at an early stage.
The video above is not clear, but it seems as if this solution uses three monochrome microdisplays, combined to show a single full-color image (the video shows one panel, but it later shows three monochrome images combined into one full-color display). This kind of solution was suggested by Vuzix, based on JBD's 0.13" VGA monochrome microdisplays. Which incidentally offer a pixel pitch of 4um, which leads us to speculate that TCL is also basing its Thunderbird glasses on JBD's displays.
TCL's CSoT shows a 4-inch 320x180 IGZO microLED display prototype
TCL's China Star subsidiary (CSoT) demonstrated new display technologies at the DTC 2020 trade fair a few days ago.
One of these displays is the 4-inch 320x180 microLED prototype you see above. The active-matrix display is produced on an IGZO backplane.