After the technological breakthrough, how can TCL go further?

The continued growth of Chinese companies and their continued success in major industries around the world have always been one of the best manifestations of China's rise.

Take the "Consumer Electronics Show" held in different countries around the world as an example. It provides major manufacturers with the opportunity to showcase themselves, and brands use this to advocate a more futuristic sense of technology and a more advanced lifestyle to the public.

It is no exaggeration to say that this type of exhibition is the most competitive "arena" in the huge consumer electronics industry. Global companies in the same industry are arranged in adjacent areas to display similar products. As long as you look more, ask more, and compare more, you can judge the winner in a very short time.

In the past 10 years, whether it is CES (International Consumer Electronics Show) in Las Vegas, the IFA (International Consumer Electronics Show) in Berlin, Germany, or AWE (China Home Appliances and Consumer Electronics Expo) held in China, Chinese brands have been blowing up. They have promoted product upgrades with technological innovation, and have begun to surpass traditional European and American leading brands in product strength and influence in many categories.

In this wave of "involution" in technological power, Chinese brands have successfully overtaken others.

The battle to break through with new technologies begins again

"Display" has always been the most important track in the consumer electronics industry. It has been developing for nearly a hundred years since the invention of CRT technology.

But now the "say" in this important track has firmly fallen into China's hands: in 2021, the scale of the display panel industry jumped to the first place in the world, and the industry scale and display panel shipment area directly accounted for 36.9% and 63.3% of the global market; in 2023, the scale of the new display industry will also rise to the first place in the world.

Such a brilliant achievement is the result of nearly 50 years of hard work by China's display industry and major enterprises. As the industry leader, TCL's 42-year corporate development history is the best portrayal of China's display industry. Today, TCL's global leadership in the field of technology is one of the best examples of Chinese companies adhering to the path of science and technology.

At the recent International Consumer Electronics Show (IFA 2023) in Berlin, Germany, TCL smart terminals once again brought a technological breakthrough for Chinese brands. TCL displayed the world's largest 115-inch QD-Mini LED TV overseas. This TV is equipped with 20,000+ backlight partitions, directly raising the large-screen display technology to the top level in the industry.

Its biggest feature is that it combines "extra-large size" and "ultra-high display quality" into one, and the most critical thing is the Mini LED technology route led by TCL globally.

By changing the backlight structure of traditional LCD panels, using a large number of micron-level LEDs to form a large number of individually controlled partitions, and controlling them through dedicated chips, the weaknesses of LCD in regional brightness control are compensated, allowing it to surpass new foreign-dominated technologies such as OLED in terms of comprehensive display effects.

In the ultra-large-size segment, the technical advantages of Mini LED are further magnified. For products larger than 100 inches, ordinary LED TVs have poor picture quality and obvious halo; laser TVs have fuzzy picture quality and large limitations; MicroLED TV technology is limited, it is difficult to solve existing defects, and mass production is difficult; only Mini LED TVs have the advantages of controlling light intensity without light leakage, mature technology and mass production.

In the backlight unit, TCL uses the Mini LED six-crystal square core, which it calls a "nuclear weapon" level breakthrough. The light points of a single unit are upgraded from 2 to 6, and the overall brightness is increased by 27.5%. In addition, the industry's first "light control lighthouse" level optical imaging microlens is superimposed to accurately control the direction of light, greatly improving the uniformity and stability of the entire backlight, and effectively solving the long-standing halo problem in the TV industry. On the key screen panel, TCL continues to use the world's leading latest quantum dot display technology Quantum Dot Pro, and is equipped with A++ butterfly wing star screen. The screen liquid crystal layer uses nano-level bionic technology to achieve a 5-fold contrast improvement. In addition to the breakthrough Mini LED display capabilities, TCL has also equipped it with many luxurious configurations, such as the collection of TCL's self-developed TXR Mini LED picture quality enhancement chip and Lingyao chip M2, which can provide users with picture quality optimization including contrast, color, clarity, and specific scenes. In terms of sound experience, it is equipped with Onkyo's 6.2.2 Hi-Fi speakers and 10-channel hardware-level ultra-surround.

It is not difficult to see that after 42 years of development, TCL has entered a new stage of self-driven innovation and self-transcendence. Its 115-inch, the world's largest QD-Mini LED TV is an example.

In addition, TCL has been continuously expanding in the fields of smart home appliances and smart solutions. Take this year's IFA as an example. You can see TCL's fresh air air conditioning technology that can actively "breathe" and improve ventilation efficiency. It is understood that in the first half of 2023, TCL's global air-conditioning shipments increased by 23% year-on-year, and its market share ranked among the top four in the world. You can also see TCL's ultra-thin zero-embedded refrigerator equipped with the latest "molecular preservation technology" and the world's first TCL NXTPAPER mobile phone equipped with "Future Paper" (NXTPAPER) technology. The twin-cabin duplex partition washing machine products equipped with classified washing double-drum technology exhibited at the exhibition can also make you feel TCL's great progress in washing and care capabilities. In addition, TCL has also launched smart conference solutions specifically for commercial users, including ultra-large conference giant screens and smart and fully connected smart guest room solutions.

In addition to hardware products, TCL also showcased its rich technical strength and innovative products in the field of AI at this year's IFA, including three AI technologies: "Super Smart Painting" AI Story Collection, Movie Mood Explorer and Tact-Contact Launcher. "Super Smart Painting" AI Story Collection is the first customized content column in the Internet TV industry that is automatically generated by AI big model technology. It uses AI big models to turn 4K screens into interactive electronic picture books, and provides a practical new paradigm for industry content innovation with a rich Internet TV content ecosystem; Movie Mood Explorer uses TCL's computer vision algorithms and gesture interaction technology to allow users to interact with the AI ​​recommendation system and get movie recommendations that meet current emotional expectations, bringing users a more humane viewing experience; Tact-Contact Launcher improves the intelligence level and content search efficiency of voice assistants, and can accurately understand and extract key information from users' natural conversations, allowing users to enjoy film and television content more directly and naturally.

It is visible to the naked eye that TCL's TVs have once again refreshed the scale of screen size, which reflects the continuous development and growth of TCL's smart terminal business, both in terms of global capabilities and business scale.

It is understood that TCL's smart terminal business now covers nearly 160 countries and regions around the world, with multiple global R&D centers and smart manufacturing bases, as well as the world's leading vertically integrated supply chain advantages, and its leading advantage in overseas markets continues to expand. In the first half of 2023, TCL TV shipments in Asia Pacific, Latin America, Middle East Asia and other regions increased significantly year-on-year, with an increase of 17.6%; in the North American market, TCL TV shipments increased by 18.6% year-on-year, and retail volume ranked among the top three in the US market; in the European market, TCL TV shipments in France jumped to second place; Czech Republic and Sweden ranked third in shipments.

The time has come to actively create a second growth curve

As far as a single track is concerned, as long as there is enough R&D investment and enough focus, companies like TCL can always become leaders in the industry track. The question is: after becoming a leader, what should be done next?

Considering the outstanding performance of such enterprises in China's manufacturing industry, the simplest and most reasonable answer must be "to quickly expand the product, channel and technological advantages accumulated over the years to other related fields."

Nowadays, the time has come for China's leading companies to actively create a second curve, and TCL has also made this choice.

Take this year's IFA for example. In addition to the main track of large-screen display, TCL also focused on displaying technologies and achievements in two new tracks: new interaction and new energy. Take the consumer-grade true AR smart glasses "Thunderbird X2" launched by TCL at this year's IFA as an example. It is the world's first mass-producible binocular full-color MicroLED optical waveguide AR glasses, which solves the mass production problem of MicroLED optical waveguide full-color light engines.

You should know that the combination of MicroLED + optical waveguide technology is recognized by the industry as the best solution for AR glasses and the ultimate path to consumer-grade AR, but mass production is extremely difficult and the industry has not achieved a breakthrough. Based on its long-term investment and technological accumulation in the fields of optics and display, Thunderbird Innovation, a subsidiary of TCL, has developed its own full-color light engine and self-developed SLAM technology, realizing the integration of four key features: lightweight volume, natural display, all-weather scenes, and virtual-real fusion. It has also made significant breakthroughs in key technologies such as MicroLED full-color display, optical waveguide brightness, and precision and miniaturization of the fully self-developed light engine. Through independent development of mass production equipment, it finally captured many technology fans with this AR glasses at this IFA. According to iResearch data in the first half of 2023, Thunderbird Innovation has firmly ranked first in sales volume of major online platforms for domestic consumer-grade AR glasses with a market share of 32.9%; during this year's 618, Thunderbird Innovation's smart glasses won the double championship of total sales volume and total sales of AR categories on JD.com and Tmall platforms.

In the new energy track, TCL Photovoltaic Technology, which also appeared at the IFA exhibition, brought a one-stop smart energy solution. It organically combines photovoltaic components, energy storage and heat pump technology to create a complete and intelligent energy ecosystem, allowing household energy use to move towards efficient, intelligent, safe, reliable, low-carbon and environmentally friendly.

As one of the core modules, TCL's integrated energy storage unit and split energy storage unit both use high-safety, long-life lithium iron phosphate batteries, and are paired with hybrid inverters to form a household energy storage system. These two products can store the electricity generated by photovoltaic panels, maximize the use of clean and green energy, and provide continuous power supply (emergency backup power) for families, save electricity purchase costs, and achieve profits from peak and valley electricity prices. In the first half of 2023, TCL Photovoltaic Technology expanded rapidly in the domestic market, adding 350 new distribution channels and supermarkets, and signed contracts with more than 10,000 farmers. At the same time, photovoltaic technology is actively seizing overseas markets.

A closer look at these two new directions reveals that both have technological innovations that are no less than TCL's main display track. In the new energy track, they even further combine the results of the rapid development of China's overall industrial chain. This horizontal expansion of product tracks with technological innovation as the core is becoming a powerful "second growth curve" for TCL's smart terminals.

TCL's layout, which covers multiple consumer electronics sectors and is rich in technological innovation and influence, is full of its determination to continue to innovate and lead the world.

Nowadays, new interactions and new energy have not only become new engines to drive its steady growth in performance, but in turn, as value-added products and services, they empower TCL's core business of smart terminals and expand its full-category layout of the "smart Internet of Things ecosystem" with smart display as the core.

Technology attacks the city, "new" marketing conquers the stronghold

Looking at the capabilities that TCL demonstrated in multiple technology and product tracks at IFA this time, it reflects the thinking that "only technology can dominate industrial development and influence."

As technology overcomes difficulties and products are put into engineering, marketing innovation must follow closely to reshape consumer minds and expand the global market. Just like the new interactions mentioned above, new things cannot be without the experience and support of the younger group.

In recent years, TCL has deeply refreshed its marketing strategy based on the audience of its products and services. In terms of the younger operation of the brand, TCL has launched a series of activities for young users, dedicated to inspiring young people and deeply communicating the brand spirit. TCL has successfully broken through with the Extraordinary E-sports League by linking up with colleges and universities across the country, allowing young people who like to "open black" and brands to have more common topics. In the summer of 2023, the S2 season of the TCL Extraordinary E-sports League will also usher in a major upgrade. Recently, TCL has also launched a college "camp" influence competition to compete for marketing creativity. The good marketing ideas that stand out will come true on the stage created by TCL for it. There are also activities such as the TCL Fresh Air Air Conditioning Music Festival, which further open the communication window between TCL and the younger generation.

TCL, which has been deeply engaged in sports marketing, showcased its grand IP cooperation map at the IFA exhibition, covering FIBA ​​International Basketball Federation, Copa Libertadores, Arsenal Football Club, Italy National Football Team, Spain National Football Team, Czech National Football Team, France National Rugby Team, etc.

During IFA, Arsenal legendary star Robert Pires appeared at the TCL booth and interacted enthusiastically with fans around the world, making TCL's booth one of the most popular booths at this year's IFA.

As a pioneer and leader in the globalization of Chinese brands, TCL has always dared to break conventions and pursue innovation. TCL's brand spirit of daring to be extraordinary has gradually been recognized and respected by more and more consumers. In 2023, TCL was listed in the Google×BrandZ "Top 50 Chinese Global Brands" for the seventh consecutive year, ranking 11th, jumping 7 places from the previous year.

At this point, a "big" and "new" TCL smart terminal is being presented to global consumers.

Author: Yanwen Source: Huxiu APP

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.