TCL’s Google TVs are back on sale — here’s why
Best Buy resumes sale of popular TCL sets after a brief setback
After halting sales earlier this month, TCL has announced that it has resumed selling its new 6-Series and 5-Series Google TVs.
The company was originally dealt a blow in early December when Best Buy — the exclusive U.S. retailer of TCL Google TVs — opted to remove the 6-Series and 5-Series models from all store listings after a myriad of complaints flooded in regarding slow performance and a buggy interface.
In a statement issued today by a spokesperson to The Verge, TCL made it clear that "significant improvements on the stability and speed of the TCL televisions featuring Google TV" will ensure that it “represents the powerful performance that TCL and Google believe is the future of TV.”
TCL TVs have spent many years being synonymous with Roku software, but the 6-Series and 5-Series models have ditched Roku in favor of Google TV. Of course, it isn’t TCL’s first collaboration with Google, as it has released sets featuring Android TV in the past. However, the company had certainly hoped its 2021 sets would be a powerful showcase for the much newer Google TV interface, so hopefully these fresh updates will help that dream along.
TCL has long been known for providing affordable options for enthusiasts, and this year’s displays are continuing to aim for that goal. The 6-Series boasts a stunning mini-LED display and HDMI 2.1 support for 4K resolution at 120hz, making it an excellent choice for PS5 and Xbox Series X gamers wanting an ultra-smooth experience. As a matter of fact, multiple TCL TVs landed on our list of the best 4K TVs of 2021.
If you already have a TCL Google TV, you should be prompted to update to the newest firmware automatically, but in the event that you’re not, you can always head to the TCL website and learn how to install it manually.
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Billy Givens is a journalist with nearly two decades of experience in editing and writing across a wide variety of topics. He focuses particularly on games coverage for Tom's Guide and other sites including From Gamers Magazine, Retroware, Game Rant and TechRaptor. He's also written for self-improvement sites such as Lifehack and produced in-depth analyses on subjects such as health, psychology and entertainment.