First TCL-branded smartphone to make its debuts at IFA 2019

Over the years, TCL has grown its smartphone business by acquiring brands like BlackBerry and Palm, but most unit sales have always fallen under its Alcatel brand. At IFA 2019, TCL is planning to change things up, launching a new smartphone under the TCL brand, most likely the TCL T1 which leaked a few weeks back. The official announcement will be made on September 5th in Berlin at 2:30 PM CET.

Based on the leak, the TCL T1 is expected to be an impressive mid-range device featuring a Qualcomm Snapdragon 675 SoC with 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. Its main camera is said to include a 48MP, 16MP and 2MP triple camera system, a 24MP front-facing camera for selfies and a 3820mAh battery with 18W quick charging. The highlight of the device will be TCL’s own 6.53-inch FHD+ Dotch display (TCL’s brand for its hole-punch displays). The exact price of the phone is still up in the air, but the leak showed it would sell between €299 and €399 in Europe.

“What we have planned for IFA 2019 is an exciting glimpse into the future of TCL Communication – it comprises smartphones, 5G devices and entire new categories including the debut of our Project Archery wearable display,” said Stefan Streit, General Manager, Global Marketing at TCL Communication. “As one of the leading display manufacturers in the world, TCL will focus on bringing our multimedia expertise to our mobile products. More importantly, together with our TCL sister companies, we’re going beyond just mobility and looking ahead with a complete end-to-end consumer electronics brand supported by an entire ecosystem of TCL devices.”

The official TCL press release also mentions the company’s Project Archery wearable display which is said to offer a “100-inch cinematic viewing experience to a device about the size of most sunglasses.” It’s not clear if Project Archery is a standalone product of an accessory which will connect to TCL’s new smartphone. The company also reiterated its plans to launch its first foldable-display smartphone sometime in 2020. 

The leaked roadmap for TCL-banded smartphones shows that the company plans to launch a “Pro” variant of the T1 in the first quarter of 2020 with 5G-enabled variants of both coming later in Q2 of 2020. TCL has not revealed which markets they’ll be focusing on, but we’ll definitely find out on September 5th in Berlin.