TCL XESS Rotating Smart Screen: Suitable for both horizontal and vertical use, it is a TV and a 55-inch ultra-large screen "mobile phone"

Just like a metaphor, the TV that had been hanging sideways for a long time suddenly stood up, and a new large-screen vision integrating mobile Internet was opened.

After the full-screen revolution, the screen size of smartphones was finally fixed at around 7 inches. However, consumers' pursuit of the comfort brought by large screens is endless. In order to solve this problem, in 2019, TCL released a rotatable smart screen product - TCL XESS Rotating Smart Screen. The biggest highlight of this product is that it supports 90° screen rotation, presenting vertical screen content that was previously only available on mobile phones in vertical form.

There is a contradiction between the large-screen TV and the vertical screen of the mobile phone, which is the carrier form and the content presentation method. Therefore, TCL has taken a different approach and launched a new form factor device to meet the high-quality experience needs of "mobile phone addicts" for large-screen products, which is undoubtedly the best solution to resolve this contradiction.

It is no exaggeration to say that at a time when both smart TVs and smart phones have reached their ceiling, the product concept of TCL XESS rotating smart screen, which integrates the characteristics of the two devices, has had a profound impact on the development of the TV industry.

The rounded screen is more visually dynamic

Judging from the popular sense, the TCL XESS rotating smart screen is still a smart TV, but in terms of appearance, the smart screen is very different from traditional smart TVs.

First of all, since the screen needs to be rotated, the TCL XESS rotating smart screen adopts a double-layer design, with a whole large screen in the front and a bracket with a pair of Onkyo speakers on the back.

On the front, the Smart Screen is equipped with a 55-inch 4K resolution large screen. The four sides of the screen do not adopt the right-angle design of traditional TVs, but have a rounded arc transition. It is speculated that this is mainly to make the screen look more beautiful when it is rotated. Interestingly, it is precisely because of the rounded screen design that the front of the Smart Screen looks more flexible than traditional TVs.

In addition to a whole large screen, the front of the smart screen also has a small circular screen with a diameter of about 6 cm. This small screen can display information such as date, weather, and playback status, and can bring many novel experiences to users at the interactive level.

In order to make the interaction with the smartphone more convenient, a hidden camera is installed on the top of the smart screen, which will pop up automatically when a video call is needed. It is worth noting that in order to prevent third-party applications from accessing the front camera permission without reason, the smart screen also adds a physical front camera switch at the bottom of the body, which cannot be turned on without the user's permission, effectively protecting the user's personal privacy.

Behind the screen, the smart screen has a fabric stand. Although from a design perspective, one more element may add clutter, the smart screen uses clever color and structural design to hide the fabric stand behind the screen, trying not to overshadow the screen.

The smart screen has all the necessary interfaces, all hidden at the bottom of the body. It has two USB 2.0, one HDMI 2.1, one HDMI 2.0, a network interface and a digital audio interface, which can fully meet the needs of most people for large-screen interfaces.

For many public places that need to be moved, wall-mounting is not very convenient. The smart screen also considerately provides a base form for selection, but the base needs to be purchased separately. Of course, no matter which form, it does not affect the presentation of vertical screen content.

Vertical screen, breaking the boundaries of TV display

From a product perspective, it is easy to make a TV stand upright, but it is not easy to make the entire industry stand upright as well. Because between horizontal and vertical, it is actually a collision of two major content presentation methods, and it is also a wrestling competition between long videos and short videos for user time.

Obviously, the reason why TCL·XESS rotating smart screen is to be upright is also based on this consideration. Since short videos cannot be adapted to large screens, large-screen products should take the initiative to adapt to it. From the user's perspective, this seemingly concession change is actually a big step forward. The carrier contradiction between short videos and large screens has disappeared.

Therefore, to complement the vertical screen form, the smart screen has made the mobile phone screen projection function its main push function. When using it, we only need to download the multi-screen interactive App on the mobile phone, bind the device, and shake it to project the content of the mobile phone to the smart screen.

At present, the largest application scenario of the vertical screen format of smart screens is watching short videos. When we project short video content from platforms such as Douyin and Kuaishou to smart screens, we will get an unprecedented shocking viewing experience. Compared with smart phones, the experience is more than an order of magnitude higher.

In addition, TCL has also reached an in-depth cooperation with Keep, which can bring customized fitness content to users in vertical mode. Thanks to the large screen, when using the smart screen for fitness, there will even be an immersive feeling that the fitness coach is right next to us.

Although the camera of the smart screen is placed on the top of the body, it does not mean that the front camera cannot be used in the vertical screen state. When making a video call in the vertical screen state, we will find that the front camera can still accurately capture the dynamics of the characters, and obtain a call effect similar to that of an "ultra-large screen" mobile phone.

In short, the vertical screen state of the smart screen is trying its best to cater to the content display form of smartphones to fill the gaps in short videos, games, comics and other resources on smart large screens. After several days of actual experience, it is found that thanks to the advantages of the large screen and the minimalist operation concept, when watching mobile Internet content on the smart screen, the sense of presence that comes to you is irreplaceable by mobile phones.

The circular secondary screen brings a new way of interaction

Since it adopts a brand-new design form, we also need to pay close attention to whether the interaction of TCL XESS rotating smart screen keeps up with the product changes.

Generally speaking, in addition to the breakthroughs in the traditional software level, the interaction of the smart screen also incorporates hardware innovation. From the hardware point of view, TCL creatively added a small circular screen of about 6 cm below the smart screen. This small screen can display six categories of information, including clock, comprehensive display, smart home, etc.

For example, when we watch a movie through a smart screen, if we want to see the playing time, we may need to press the pause button on a traditional TV to see it. However, the small screen of the smart screen can display detailed information of the playing content in real time. Just glance and you can see the current playing time.

On the software level, in order to avoid being constrained by the physical remote control, it also adds an AI voice assistant function, which can achieve far-field voice wake-up up to 8 meters away, and also supports 6 major dialects.

In order to test the sensitivity of voice wake-up of TCL·XESS rotating smart screen, voice wake-up tests were performed at different distances from the TCL·XESS rotating smart screen and at different volumes. Multiple tests showed that the smart screen could respond within the next second of the "Xiao T Xiao T" wake-up word.

In terms of functions, checking the weather, choosing movies, and checking air tickets are easy for "Little T". It can be said that by adding intelligent voice, the smart screen has completely expanded the interactive boundaries of television and greatly improved the efficiency of human-computer communication.

Thunderbird system supports

The smart screen can rotate, which on the surface is just a change in form, but in fact it is a brand new revolution initiated from the underlying operating system. The Thunderbird system equipped in the smart screen plays a comprehensive supporting role behind it.

It is reported that in addition to bringing special optimization of vertical screen and intelligent voice interaction to smart screens, the Thunderbird system also adds the function of "super desktop", which is similar to the "negative one screen" on Android phones. Through it, video calls, smart albums, vertical screen areas and other sub-items can be cleverly loaded into it, greatly reducing the user's operating costs.

In terms of resources, in addition to bringing unique short video content, the Thunderbird system still maintains an overwhelming advantage in long videos. It not only integrates millions of hours of video resources from platforms such as Tencent Video, iQiyi, and Youku, but also combines intelligent AI recommendation algorithms, allowing everyone to find content of interest on the smart screen.

What deserves special praise is that, perhaps taking into account the family scene of the large screen and serving the whole family, the Thunderbird system also brings educational content of the Lexue education platform to students in elementary, junior high and high schools. For students who stay at home due to the epidemic, the role of the smart screen is perfectly transformed from an entertainment device to an educational device. From this perspective, the rotating smart screen once again expands the scene boundaries in the upward direction.

Overall, the form factor of the smart screen has enough impact, but ultimately it still requires corresponding system optimization to fully unleash the full strength of the smart screen.

In fact, looking at the vertical screen interaction, super desktop, dual-screen display, excellent content library, AI recommendation algorithm and other functions brought by Thunderbird Technology to the smart screen, we can easily find that Thunderbird Technology not only endows the new form of the smart screen with revolutionary functions, but also strengthens the underlying logic of the smart screen and breaks through the scene. Under the parallel forces, the smart screen and Thunderbird have interacted to create a set of refreshing product highlights. Just like Apple mobile phones and iOS systems, they support and complement each other until they complement each other.

Flagship audio and video quality

Although smart screens have many highlights in terms of functions and interactions, they are ultimately still classified under the category of televisions. Therefore, audio and video performance is also a highly competitive highlight of smart screens.

When we use the smart screen to open the "4K TV resolution test chart", we examine the basic qualities of the smart screen's 4K screen from the dimensions of text, lines, color blocks, etc.

Carefully observe the tiny text at the top of the picture above and the dense color blocks at the bottom. The smart screen not only presents the most subtle details, but also controls the edges of the text and color blocks without obvious dispersion, making the text and color blocks appear very sharp.

It is worth noting that the smart screen also supports MEMC motion anti-shake technology. When we watch videos of car chases, football games and other themes through the TCL XESS rotating smart screen, the pictures presented by the XESS smart screen will be clearer and more dynamic.

In terms of sound quality, it can be said that the performance of the smart screen exceeds that of most similar products. It is equipped with a 2 x 20W high-power Japanese Onkyo Dolby Atmos speaker with a 2-liter sound cavity volume. Whether it is the subtle sound of a silver needle falling to the ground or the roar of an airplane passing by, this large speaker can perform perfectly, and people can move with the scene.

Perhaps because of the high confidence in the quality of the audio, the smart screen also supports independent operation of the audio, so you can experience its heavenly sound without turning on the screen. For many users with limited living room space, this TV is enough to save you a space for placing audio, and the effect of 1+1>2 is immediate.

Summarize

Although the TCL XESS rotating smart screen officially entered the consumer market half a year after its release, its highlights in interaction, vertical screen, audio and video are indeed worthy of consumers' hard wait.

From an industry perspective, most smart TV manufacturers are currently trapped in a vicious circle of low-price competition, and few can reflect on the industry's value and prospects. Against this background, the emergence of smart screens is even more precious.

As a winner of Toutiao's Qingyun Plan and Baijiahao's Bai+ Plan, the 2019 Baidu Digital Author of the Year, the Baijiahao's Most Popular Author in the Technology Field, the 2019 Sogou Technology and Culture Author, and the 2021 Baijiahao Quarterly Influential Creator, he has won many awards, including the 2013 Sohu Best Industry Media Person, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Beijing Third Place, the 2015 Guangmang Experience Award, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Finals Third Place, and the 2018 Baidu Dynamic Annual Powerful Celebrity.