TCL is now shipping more ultra-large TVs than Samsung, another win for the Chinese-owned maker

[Alfonso Maruccia]

In brief: Despite their long-standing market dominance, Samsung and other TV manufacturers are steadily losing ground to Chinese competitors. A striking price difference, and direct involvement of Beijing's authorities, are making Chinese TV makers an increasingly appealing option for customers.

Consumer electronics company TCL Technology was recently able to surpass Samsung Electronics in the ultra-large TV market for the first time ever. According to recent estimations provided by market research firm Omdia, the state-owned, Huizhou-based corporation was able to ship more premium TV units than Samsung in the second quarter of the year.

The premium market Omdia refers to is for TV-sets that are 80-inch or larger. After surpassing Samsung, TCL was able to keep the lead in the third quarter as well with a 23 percent market share. During Q3, Samsung's share fell from 26 percent to 19 percent year-over-year. Even Hisense, another rising star in the Chinese TV business, succeeded at closing the gap with Samsung (rising 11 percent to 16.5 percent) and shipped more TV-sets than LG last year.

Once considered a cheap, low-quality alternative to premium devices coming from Korea, Chinese TVs are now good enough to entice wealthy customers looking for extremely large panels. Omdia said that Chinese companies have exploited their dominant position in the supply chain for LCD panels, developing their own ultra-large products at a very competitive price.

How competitive, you might ask? Quite a lot. During last month's Black Friday shopping craze, TCL was selling a 98-inch, mini-LED TV with a $2,900 price tag, while Hisense had a 100-inch TV on sale for just $1,599. Meanwhile, Samsung offered a 98-inch mini-LED TV for $8,997 during the same period, research firm DSCC said.

It's safe to say that Chinese manufacturers are eventually going to disrupt the premium TV market for good, after working for years on affordable models to try to boost their shipment quotas. TCL and other big technology companies are directly supported by Chinese authorities, which means Samsung and other premium manufacturers will not be able to keep them at bay for much longer.

"Given China's state-backed subsidies and low manufacturing costs, it's almost impossible for Korean companies to lower prices like Chinese brands," an industry insider stated. A potential alternative route to keep revenues afloat could be software, and embedded operating systems providing paid services to TV watchers. However, Chinese companies are catching up to traditional manufacturers in their devices' software capabilities as well.

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TCL is now shipping more ultra-large TVs than Samsung, another win for the Chinese-owned maker

 

[J Oelschl]

The saving grace for Samsung or LG is that these units will die within a year or two and those that got burned by them will never buy another TCL product. I tried one after having had bad luck with Samsung (died after 8 years old) and LG (died after 3 years old). The TCL died at only 1.5 years old. The panel went bad and had a large blue line running across it horizontally. Luckily I bought the extended warranty so my purchase price was refunded.Never again. I tried a Sony this time and we shall see how well it lasts.

 

[Kashim]

The saving grace for Samsung or LG is that these units will die within a year or two and those that got burned by them will never buy another TCL product. I tried one after having had bad luck with Samsung (died after 8 years old) and LG (died after 3 years old). The TCL died at only 1.5 years old. The panel went bad and had a large blue line running across it horizontally. Luckily I bought the extended warranty so my purchase price was refunded.Never again. I tried a Sony this time and we shall see how well it lasts.

So based on the fact that YOU got a lemon, that means all TCL products will die within 1-2 years? Sorry, that's not how things work. If what you say was true then millions and millions of consumers would have already been "burned by them" and would never buy another TCL product, but that is not the case.

 

[WhiteLeaff]

The saving grace for Samsung or LG is that these units will die within a year or two and those that got burned by them will never buy another TCL product. I tried one after having had bad luck with Samsung (died after 8 years old) and LG (died after 3 years old). The TCL died at only 1.5 years old. The panel went bad and had a large blue line running across it horizontally. Luckily I bought the extended warranty so my purchase price was refunded.Never again. I tried a Sony this time and we shall see how well it lasts.

Not necessarily, I don't know about Hisense but I had a TCL as a second TV for about 5 years and no problems yet

 

[kiwigraeme]

The saving grace for Samsung or LG is that these units will die within a year or two and those that got burned by them will never buy another TCL product. I tried one after having had bad luck with Samsung (died after 8 years old) and LG (died after 3 years old). The TCL died at only 1.5 years old. The panel went bad and had a large blue line running across it horizontally. Luckily I bought the extended warranty so my purchase price was refunded.Never again. I tried a Sony this time and we shall see how well it lasts.

Imagine they are pretty much same for returns, Samsung also gets hate for QC

However when you do finer analysis. Most people are complaining about low tier , cheap TVS

TCL and Samsung are here for the long-term.
One reason rest of world is not say cheap as US of A is consumer protection laws . Mid tier and flagships are expected by consumers to last 4 to 5 years.

Plus big box manufacturers start to get annoyed if too many returns - and TVS given size are painful

 

[Watzupken]

In my experience and observation, TVs (actually the same for most electronic devices/ appliances) are not built to last. My current LG OLED started having display issue slight over a year after purchase which they had to replace the entire panel. Going by this thinking that they are not built to last, I won't want to spend too much knowing that it won't be long before I need to shell out hard earned money for another in the near future.

I do feel at some point in time, US is probably going to claim some national security concerns and block TCL or Hisense. Its been the trend, so I won't be surprised if they do. Now in the crosshair is TP-Link.

 

[adamada72]

Purchased a Hisense for 1/3 the price this year and it's amazing. I can't really tell the difference from the top of the line TV's, just payed a bunch less. Thanks Hisense

 

[ScottSoapbox]

You don't have to be “wealthy” to buy an 80+ inch TV. They even listed a $1599 100” TV in the article. That's not wealth, Alfonso, that’s average money.

 

[whateversa]

I got a Samsung TV last year (4K Q60B) ... Its terrible - almost every show on Netflix and Disney+ is too dark, no matter what settings you set. It's an HDR TV that cannot handle HDR. Your only option is to lower streaming quality to 1080p.

And people that bought the much more expensive models (Q70 and up) complain of the same issues online.

 

[VikingOy]

I'm very disappointed with my new TLC 55" 4KHDR Google TV.
There's no way to make the audio out 3.5mm jack work.
If I turn off the TV using the API, it's impossible to turn it back on with the remote control. I have to power cycle the TV to turn it on.
When connected to an external Bluetooth speaker the sound is not in sync with the internal speaker.

 

[ferrellsl]

I bought two Hisense 55" TVs back in 2013 and they're still going strong. Video quality is excellent and hasn't degraded at all. Not sure how their newer sets are holding up but I would imagine that those are holding up very well also.

 

[Mihai S]

Hisense and TCL will always offer more for the price than Samsung, LG, Sony, etc. It's the cost of being a lesser brand—you have to offer more features.

And this is especially the case at the budget end of the market, which frankly Samsung and LG don't take seriously.

I too prefer getting an established brand, but their offerings in my price bracket are woeful (feature and quality wise). So, I have to settle for lesser brands.

 

[Mihai S]

You don't have to be “wealthy” to buy an 80+ inch TV. They even listed a $1599 100” TV in the article. That's not wealth, Alfonso, that’s average money.

You have to factor in that affordability is not just about how much something costs but also what it is that you're buying.

I agree that you don't have to be wealthy to afford an 80+" TV. And $1600 may be average money (although many will disagree), but $1600 spent on a TV is definitely not average money. For instance, I can easily afford a top-of-the-line OLED TV, but I could never justify spending that much money on a TV.

 

[dmatheson]

Does this include sets sold in China? Because if so, that's not really telling if the product is better because China sets up so many barriers to foreign products. If any one product becomes too successful in China, they steal the IP, make their own, and then create barriers to sales of non-domestic competitors. I don't know why anyone even bothers to try and create products for them. If they succeed, they lose, and if they lose, they lose, and yet companies still continue to bend over. I just don't get it. And now the U.S. is going to follow this model with Trump which just means the consumers are the overall losers. I'm for better customer information, like, "this is a great set, the only problem is it was made in a factory by North Korean slave labor for .50/hr and the C.E.O. cleared 20 million." Make the companies pay for their own surprise inspections by consumer advocates. That's the kind of trade barrier I want to see.

 

[veLa]

They’re great TVs for the price, but I’m spending the extra to get a Samsung.

 

[chrisdel8383]

The saving grace for Samsung or LG is that these units will die within a year or two and those that got burned by them will never buy another TCL product. I tried one after having had bad luck with Samsung (died after 8 years old) and LG (died after 3 years old). The TCL died at only 1.5 years old. The panel went bad and had a large blue line running across it horizontally. Luckily I bought the extended warranty so my purchase price was refunded.Never again. I tried a Sony this time and we shall see how well it lasts.

I have 3 TCL's in my home and bought then when we first moved in based on my budget and research. Since I bought these TV's almost 3.5 years ago, I have replaced 0 and have had exactly 0 issues with any of them. I am planning to upgrade to the TCL QM7 or QM8 in the near future based on my experience with TCL.

Sorry for your bad luck

 

[Win7user]

I certainly hope TLC, doesn't make them like they did, my flip phone.

 

[Endymio]

Imagine they are pretty much same for returns, Samsung also gets hate for QC

On consumer surveys of television reliability by both Consumer Reports and Lifestory Research, Samsung, Sony, and LG are the Top 3, whereas Chinese brands TCL and Hisense score lower.

 

[kiwigraeme]

On consumer surveys of television reliability by both Consumer Reports and Lifestory Research, Samsung, Sony, and LG are the Top 3, whereas Chinese brands TCL and Hisense score lower.

On American Customer Satisfaction index 2024 they were all pretty close 2024, Sony was equal with Hisense ? TCl dropped but was number 2 in 2023.

But like your reply to welfare about parks and roads you were off topic, but I just humoured you.
Same here, you never address the point I put forward , just creating your own argument
My point with welfare - poster said welfare never works, but such a silly comment as we receive welfare every day of our lives , just what he meant is welfare for people they don't like is bad , welfare they get is not welfare and is perfectly fine . or only very specific types of welfare eg to help solo parents to feed and home their kids , when they could resort to usual providing services for those with money - like happens now, and in Victorian England.
Ie futhers their selfish desire to exploit .
And need to feel superior than people they determine are "deadweights" - he's kind , helps out neighbours, but on benefit as suffers anxiety - a deadweight

Btw never read anymore on the thread as you and nothing informative to say but dogma to support your unspoken world view. Ie boring AF

Did you stop even see my point. You NEVER seem ever to address any of posts main point Just some twisting

My point is these surveys are just broad brush strokes, and not very granular
I read TV forums and see a lot of hate for Samsung, Post by TV repair people how Samsungs get lots of repairs .

But I know that isn't full truth. Samsung is the biggest seller, though will be overtaken

Samsungs Flagships and midtier are getting more support.
It has stepped up this year with it's flagship QD-OLED with more diligence

Most of the returns for TVs are in the lower tiers, where the bean counters take over . Give the X std for the cheapest cost

Ie the surveys you quoted and the one I quoted are just starting tools.
I tend to buy Toyota, doesn't mean every Toyota is good

Some brands go through bad years , bad batches - ie see hard drives
Some like Samsung have many excellent products , and others like whiteware tread with caution

So many on here disappointingly have dogma - this brand is all bad , AI is crap. Welfare is either all good or all bad.

Plus do not address reality we at least need something going forward.
Eg one of the huge criticisms of Greenpeace in the 1990s
Burning waste to generate power bad.
Burial bad etc etc . Ie all methods of disposal of waste were bad , as a perfect chain should produce no waste.
Really naive and simplistic thinking

Same with the world get warmer, No matter what you think the cause , most need we need some pragmatic and most likely far from perfect solutions .
Unless your underlying belief is none of it matters , or humans reign supreme to use and abuse due to some mystical belief system that has even less basis of fact

 

[scavengerspc]

On consumer surveys of television reliability by both Consumer Reports and Lifestory Research, Samsung, Sony, and LG are the Top 3, whereas Chinese brands TCL and Hisense score lower.

Slashgear did a good article on this, and their source is Consumer Reports.
Surprisingly though, TCL ranked fairly well and Vizio a bit above average.

16 Major TV Brands Ranked Worst To Best By Customer Satisfaction - SlashGear

Televisions are an important part of daily life in households across the world. These brands have pushed the industry forward for decades.

www.slashgear.com

 

[kiwigraeme]

Slashgear did a good article on this, and their source is Consumer Reports.
Surprisingly though, TCL ranked fairly well and Vizio a bit above average.

16 Major TV Brands Ranked Worst To Best By Customer Satisfaction - SlashGear

Televisions are an important part of daily life in households across the world. These brands have pushed the industry forward for decades.

www.slashgear.com

I'm still in the market for a TV, so that's why I read TV forums and the tech.
So tend to look at specific models. AV forums reasonably balanced. Reddit 4KTVs I think its called are really Sony fanbois and hate on Samsung.

What is surprising is how close a lot of the players are. In the report I mentioned Vizio did well

I tend to look at owners forums. Samsung owners of S95D are really happy, none of the issues from previous years really showing when gaming

At CES Samsung is likely to release a 83" QD-OLED probably 20% brighter ( may not come to NZ ) , average brightness levels is already easily enough for movie purists in a darken room from 3 studies I have seem mentioned ( way most movies are mastered most content 98% under current APL and eye comfort for more than a certain amount of screen get suddenly brighter . So mainly useful for specular highlights in HDR or daytime TV, sports, gaming
Both LG and Samsung have upped their processing and warranties. Kind of irrelevant if live in NZ/Australia/EU with consumer protections. Plus ongoing support

LG most likely to release a 4 stack panel , also about 20% brighter

The supposed QD-OLED advantage is mainly misunderstood . No human sees pure colour, if in Film maker mode in a dark room most movies will look real similar on any 2024/25 OLED

So a BT2020 movie on an LG will appear just as colourful as on a QD-OLED.
yet put the TVs side by side then in certain HDR scenes the bright reds will be "more" colourful on the QD-OLED

What a higher BT2020 range gives you is a wider range to tone map the colour , so a bright red apple with studio lights on it will appear more 3D. LG counter this with some subtle 3D enhancement. Panasonic with WOLED counters this by decreasing HDR brightness to better colour map the HDR in still a respectable HDR range ( most movies are 600 or 1000 NITS mastered anyway for HDR )

ie BT2020 means more hues ie able to show a red say brighter at full purity ( no white boost )

Anyway will consider Samsung now, never had a problem with Samsung monitors or LG or Asus

TVs now are very good, people want more of this or that - but is it really needed.
Chrominance overshoot in colour in dark scenes, really who can see that 12' away
So main problems is general OS/processing glitches , screen uniformity ( again slight imperfections nearly impossible to see in normal content unless go looking )
And motion handling. This one is very real for some people - my still going Plasma doe it just fine

 

[Endymio]

At CES Samsung is likely to release a 83" QD-OLED probably 20% brighter ( may not come to NZ ) ...
LG most likely to release a 4 stack panel , also about 20% brighter

I've seen the new LG OLED panel with MLA (microlens array) and it's truly a leap forward in image quality. Panasonic also has an MLA panel out now. I would strongly recommend anyone considering a purchase to view one of these models before making a final decision.