TCL says its wearable display will go on sale in July starting in Australia for $899 AUD (about $680 US), with more markets to follow. The company has been teasing the concept for a couple of years now and showed it off earlier this year at virtual CES.
TCL calls it NxtWear G and emphasizes that it’s not a VR or AR device in its current configuration. Instead, it acts as an external display for your mobile device or laptop, with two 1080p Micro OLED panels that give the effect of looking at a 140-inch screen.
The wearable display works with phones, tablets, and laptops that offer USB-C DisplayPort functionality, including recent MacBooks, iPad Pros, and Samsung S21 series phones. The glasses plug directly into your device, displaying content on a 16:9 screen in front of your eyes. The whole thing, cable included, weighs 130g (4.6oz), and stereo speakers are built into the frames, though TCL recommends using wireless earbuds or a headset.
Among other global announcements timed for Mobile World Congress, TCL is announcing a new screen-sharing function for its smartphones called Multi-Screen Collaboration. At launch, it will work only with the TCL 20 Pro 5G and will allow owners of the phone to wirelessly share files, photos, clipboard content, and messages with a compatible Windows 10 laptop or PC.
Photos and videos can also be shared from the phone to a TCL TV. In this mode, the phone acts as a trackpad so you can move a cursor around the TV screen to select images or clips to play. TCL says the feature will come to the 20 Pro 5G via a software update in the coming months.
TCL is also previewing another new wearable — one for the kids. Movetime Family Watch 2 is a kid-oriented version of its 4G-enabled smartwatch designed for seniors. It features a 1.54-inch screen along with voice and video calling. There’s real-time location tracking and a geofencing feature, an IP65 rated housing, and up to seven days of standby time on its battery. It will be sold in Europe starting mid-August for €149.