TCL has now entered the increasingly crowded space of “Smart Glasses”. However, the TCL NXTWEAR G Wearable Display Glasses don’t have any Virtual Reality or Augmented Reality, and neither do they have any battery.
First teased at this year’s virtual CES, TCL is actually promising to sell its Wearable Display, which consumers should not confuse with Smart Glasses.
TCL steers clear of AR and VR to offer simple, High-Def displays embedded in wearable glasses:
Nearly every tech giant is actively involved in developing some iteration of Smart Glasses. Facebook acquired Oculus and is offering the Quest 2 VR gaming headset. Microsoft is offering HoloLens. Even Lenovo, Qualcomm, and HTC have their own products.
However, all these companies rely on either Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality, or a combination of these, called Mixed Reality. TCL has steered clear of these technologies for NXTWEAR G Wearable Display Glasses.
The Chinese tech giant offered more details about the product at the Mobile World Congress (MWC). One of the most basic aspects of the product is that it is not a Smart Display at all.
TCL’s product essentially combines two 1080p Sony micro-OLED displays. The company promises that the glasses can emulate or virtually project a 140-inch display in front of the wearer’s eyes. The display will reportedly have the mainstream aspect ratio of 16:9.
The NXTWEAR G Wearable Display Glasses will have stereo speakers. And even those wearing prescription glasses can use the same because the display glasses have a lens adapter.
TCL NXTWEAR G Wearable Display Glasses can perform professional duties, but is primarily a personal entertainment device:
TCL also previewed a multi-screen collaboration feature, which lets users share screens across different devices. This strongly indicates the company is trying to position the display glasses as a potential productivity tool.
However, the design and specifications seem better suited for consuming multimedia content. And then there’s the added benefit of privacy when users are not at home.
New TCL NXTWEAR G wearable cinema
⁃Dual FHD micro OLED screens
⁃140 inch display perspective
⁃Open fit
⁃Weighs just 130g
⁃Plug-and-play
⁃Stereo sound
⁃Works with headphones @TCL_Europe pic.twitter.com/4DQ2U5UJ0h— Tomi (@GadgetsBoy) June 24, 2021
One of the unique aspects of TCL NXTWEAR G Wearable Display Glasses is that they are compactly Plug-and-Play. They merely require a wired connection to any device that sports a USB Type-C port with display-out standard.
Although the wired connection is mandatory, it also means there’s no battery, at all. Simply put, a buyer will only need the display glasses, a USB-C cable and a device that outputs display over USB-C. Buyers need not worry about keeping the glasses charged.
.@TCL_Brand is not quite at #MWC2021, but it had some show-related announcements anyway:
*#5G CPE equipment coming in Q4 (this should sell well)
*MOVETIME kids watch EU this summer
*NXTWEAR glasses availability — This is a display on your face. Not AR, but still cool. pic.twitter.com/YBdT9We2jH— Avi Greengart (@greengart) June 24, 2021
TCL is promising the NXTWEAR G Wearable Display Glasses are “immersive”. However, they sport an “open-fit design,” which leaves some pretty obvious gaps. But, the design also allows wearers to be aware of their surroundings and react, when needed.
TCL will start selling the NXTWEAR G Wearable Display Glasses next month. Sales begin in Australia, and could expand to other regions. There’s no confirmation yet about the exact selling price of the TCL display glasses.