TCL is best known for its TVs and far less known for its projector models, mainly because it doesn’t sell any. Or at least, it never used to. But that has changed as of this week.
The company’s first ever projector is called the TCL Projector A1, and it’s a portable model that offers consumers an affordable big-picture viewing option with Google TV, integrated speakers and Wi-Fi support.
As the company relates, it’s a full HD projector with 1080p resolution, and it supports brightness of 360 lumens, so it’s unlikely to blow people away with its big-screen visuals, even if it can project images of between 45-inches and 120-inches at the most.
The product is intended to be simple to use, and it supports easy setup features including automatic focus and keystone correction to aid in that endeavor. It further simplifies things with its pair of 8-watt onboard speakers, which eliminate the need to connect it to an external audio system, although users do have that option if they desire. As a bonus, it supports Dolby Audio surround sound, and the Projector AI can also be used as a bluetooth speaker when it’s not being used to watch movies.
With Google TV onboard, users should be able to find plenty of things to watch, especially if they happen to subscribe to a streaming service such as Netflix or Amazon Prime Video, whose apps are both preinstalled.
Google TV also enables voice controls via Google Assistant, as well as smart home control options.
Other features include support for Chromecast, enabling content to be streamed from mobile devices to the projector. Meanwhile, the design itself appears to be quite funky, particularly the integrated VersaGrip handle that doubles as a stand to elevate the angle of the device when it’s set on a table or the floor.
Its compact 127mm x 193 x 264mm dimensions make it a great portable option, and it weighs just 2.5kg, so it can easily be thrown into a bag and carried from place to place without any hassle.
While the image specifications aren’t great, the TCL Projector A1 is clearly an example of consumers getting what they pay for, and it can be had quite cheaply, with TCL slapping on a relatively affordable price tag of just £395, or $499 in the U.S.
That makes it a great alternative to rival portable projectors like Samsung’s The Freestyle and LG’s CineBeam Q.
Though of course, the portable projector market is one that's saturated with different products, and there are plenty of other low cost options, from the likes of Anker, JMGO, Optoma and Xiaomi’s Redmi brand.
