TCL has announced that it’s three-strong debut roster of home entertainment projectors, including the innovative and uniquely designed PlayCube, is now available to buy in the U.K.
The PlayCube’s unique approach to ‘project anywhere’ convenience caused quite a stir when TCL first unveiled it at CES 2025 in Las Vegas, and again during a ‘hands-on’ demonstration during TCL’s press event at the recent IFA technology show in Berlin. So it’s good to find that this model is now in the U.K. – where it’s selling, too, for a £799.99 price that’s for once actually a little less than I’d been anticipating.
The PlayCube’s main selling points are its exceptionally small and portable (sub-1.4kg) cubic design, which is actually based on the Rubik’s Cube; its ability to run for up to three hours completely wirelessly thanks to its built-in battery and streaming apps (courtesy of Google TV, and including optimized Netflix); and the way you can angle its pictures up or down simply by twisting a rotatable right hand section of the cube so that the lens can be tilted to the position you need.
Instant Auto Focus and Automatic Screen Alignment features are provided, too, to correct the image’s keystone so that you can get pictures appearing with perfect geometry on your wall, screen, tent or even ceiling with absolutely minimum effort.
A fast-charging feature lets you add an extra hour of wireless viewing on top of the basic three hours, too, via just 30 minutes of plug-in time – or you can, of course, plug the projector in and run it indefinitely if you don’t mind foregoing its cool wireless trick.
Despite its compact size, stylish design and decent battery life, the PlayCube is rated as capable of pumping out an impressive (for the ultra portable projector market) 750 ISO Lumens of light, which should be enough to look really quite intense in dark rooms and still perfectly watchable in a degree of ambient light – provided you’re not looking to push the image all the way up to its 150-inch claimed maximum, anyway. It’s also claimed to be capable of covering 124% of the Rec 709 SDR color spectrum, and can play 4K sources even though its native resolution is only full HD (1920×1080 pixels).
With a built-in Dolby Digital Plus audio system, too, TCL believes the PlayCube has everything you need to enjoy instant movie or gaming nights pretty much anywhere you like.
Moving on to the TCL Projector A1S, this step-down model also boasts an eye-catching design that’s actually even more portable than the PlayCube thanks to its tower shape and a ‘Versagrip’ built-in carry handle that doubles up as the projector’s desktop mount and image angling system. You just push the metal handle down so that its bottom edge sticks out further from the projector’s front underside until the projector is resting at the angle you need.
The natively full HD but 4K-capable A1Ses are rated as managing to output 600 ISO Lumens of light – a very respectable figure for such a portable projector with a U.K. price tag of just £369.99, and enough to potentially support TCL’s suggestion that the A1Ses can function as both outdoor and indoor projector options.
As with the PlayCube, the A1Ses are equipped with auto screen adjustment capabilities to go with their simple adjustable stand. They’re equipped again, too, with Google TV and optimized Netflix smart features, and finally their integrated 16W audio systems, complete with three passive radiators for extra bass and a claimed 82.5db of volume at 1m, enables them to double up as standalone Bluetooth speakers. There’s even a reactive lighting system built into the A1S’s sides to enhance the party mood when you’re using them in music mode.
The final model of TCL’s debut projector trilogy is the Projector C1. Despite costing just £249.99, the Projector C1 still features an eye-catching ultra-portable design, complete with built-in carry handle and compact tower shape. This entry-level model also still manages to support a full HD native resolution and 4K support, while a rotating gimbal allows the integrated handle to move right round and become the projector’s stand, where once more it can angle the picture to whatever height you want it to appear. TCL’s auto image adjustment system is still provided, too, to automatically take care of focus and image geometry.
Optimized Netflix and Google TV smarts are again present and correct, and even at this price TCL has managed to retain a built-in 8W speaker system so you don’t need to track down an external audio system. The C1s are only rated to deliver 230 ISO Lumens of brightness, but despite this being substantially down on the brightness ratings of its two more premium siblings, TCL still states that the C1s are capable of delivering images up to 120 inches across.
All three of the projectors referenced in this article are also available in the U.S, priced at $749.99 for the PlayCube, $330 for the Projector A1S, and $249 for the Projector C1.
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