TCL: Difference between revisions - Consumer Rights Wiki

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==Consumer-impact summary==

*'''User freedom''': Many TCL [[List of phones that do not allow bootloader unlock|phones have perma-locked bootloaders]].<ref>https://github.com/zenfyrdev/bootloader-unlock-wall-of-shame/blob/aa5ba6136153440d6f45509dfa67d79682800b2c/brands/tcl/README.md</ref>

*'''User freedom''': Many TCL [[List of phones that do not allow bootloader unlock|phones have perma-locked bootloaders]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Lost-Entrepreneur439 |date=2024-11-18 |title=Bootloader Unlock Wall of Shame: TCL / BlackBerry |url=https://github.com/zenfyrdev/bootloader-unlock-wall-of-shame/blob/aa5ba6136153440d6f45509dfa67d79682800b2c/brands/tcl/README.md |url-status=live |website=[[GitHub]]}}</ref>

*'''User privacy''': According to their privacy policy, they will share some telemetry with 3rd-parties.<ref>https://www.tcl.com/global/en/commercial-display/privacy-notice#disclosure-of-your-information-to-third-parties</ref>

*'''User privacy''': According to their privacy policy, they will share some telemetry with 3rd-parties.<ref>{{Cite web |title=TCL Privacy Notice for Business Customers and Partners |url=https://www.tcl.com/global/en/commercial-display/privacy-notice#disclosure-of-your-information-to-third-parties |url-status=live}}</ref>

*'''User experience''': Some of their electronic products, especially [[Android]] phones, have many [[wikipedia:Software_bug|bugs]].<ref name=":0" /> Some bugs are very disruptive, such as screens "randomly" turning off when brightness is low.<ref>https://reddit.com/r/nxtpaper/comments/1nckzv5/comment/obv34b6</ref>

*'''User experience''': Some of their electronic products, especially [[Android]] phones, have many [[wikipedia:Software_bug|bugs]].<ref name=":0" /> Some bugs are very disruptive, such as screens "randomly" turning off when brightness is low.<ref>{{Cite web |last=u/Rudxain |date=2026-03-22 |title=TCL 505 here, still Android 14. You're right about bugs, the screen "randomly" turns off when the brightness is "low" (even 50% is considered low). It's coded to turn off the backlight when the hardware (not Android) brightness goes below 0, and it's also coded to decrease the brightness if the image is "dark". A black image with small white spots is considered "darker" than a pitch black image, so I can't watch some 3blue1brown videos in peace 🥲

TCL is a scam, worse than zamzung, I'd dare to say. I'm gonna boycott them till I die or they get sued |url=https://reddit.com/r/nxtpaper/comments/1nckzv5/comment/obv34b6}}</ref>

*'''Market control''': In 2010, it was the world's 25th-largest consumer electronics producer.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Richards |first=David |date=2019-11-24 |title=TCL Set To Be A Major Global CE & Smartphone Brand, Roadmap Revealed |url=https://www.channelnews.com.au/tcl-set-to-be-a-major-global-ce-smartphone-brand-roadmap-revealed/ |access-date=2024-08-11 |language=en-US}}</ref> It was the second-largest television manufacturer by market share in 2022 and 2023.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Pr |first=Ani |date=2024-03-13 |title=TCL Ranked as Global Top 2 TV Brand and No. 1 in 98 TV Category for Two Consecutive Years |url=https://theprint.in/ani-press-releases/tcl-ranked-as-global-top-2-tv-brand-and-no-1-in-98-tv-category-for-two-consecutive-years/1999228/ |access-date=2024-08-11 |website=ThePrint |language=en-US}}</ref>

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===Misleading marketing of QLED TVs (2026)===

<blockquote>The second-largest TV maker has to stop calling its QLED TV sets that, as [[Samsung]] cries foul. The misleading advertising claims that TCL TVs use quantum dot technology, but the courts disagree.<ref>https://www.notebookcheck.net/TCL-can-t-advertise-TVs-as-QLED-since-they-lack-in-quantum-dots-and-color-accuracy.1243552.0.html</ref></blockquote>

<blockquote>The second-largest TV maker has to stop calling its QLED TV sets that, as [[Samsung]] cries foul. The misleading advertising claims that TCL TVs use quantum dot technology, but the courts disagree.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Zlatev |first=Daniel |date=2026-03-05 |title=TCL can't advertise TVs as QLED since they lack in quantum dots and color accuracy |url=https://www.notebookcheck.net/TCL-can-t-advertise-TVs-as-QLED-since-they-lack-in-quantum-dots-and-color-accuracy.1243552.0.html |url-status=live |website=Notebookcheck}}</ref></blockquote>

===Broken promises of software updates===

For several years, TCL has failed to fulfill their promise of upgrading many Android phones. So much so that they're blatantly lying about the [[wikipedia:Estimated_time_of_arrival|ETA]].<ref name=":0">https://reddit.com/r/nxtpaper/comments/1nckzv5/tcl_update_policy</ref>

For several years, TCL has failed to fulfill their promise of upgrading many Android phones. So much so that they're blatantly lying about the [[wikipedia:Estimated_time_of_arrival|ETA]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=u/SoheilBalini |date=2025-09-09 |title=TCL update policy |url=https://www.reddit.com/r/nxtpaper/comments/1nckzv5/tcl_update_policy |url-status=live |website=[[Reddit]]}}</ref>

===Non-compliance with software licenses===

TCL refuses to make most of its firmware publicly available. This breaks a [[Google]] contract, and may violate [[wikipedia:GNU_General_Public_License|GPL]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-07-10 |title=TCL has been actively ignoring my firmware requests |url=https://reddit.com/r/Android/comments/vvnuq6/tcl_has_been_actively_ignoring_my_firmware |url-status=live |website=[[Reddit]]}}</ref>

== See also ==

[[LG Television sale of personal data]]

[[Samsung]]

[[Samsung TVs]]

~~=== Non-compliance with software licenses ===~~

[[Vizio]]

~~TCL refuses to make most of its firmware publicly available. This breaks a~~ [[~~Google~~]] ~~contract, and may violate [[wikipedia:GNU_General_Public_License|GPL]].<ref>https://reddit.com/r/Android/comments/vvnuq6/tcl_has_been_actively_ignoring_my_firmware</ref>~~

==References==

[[Category:Companies]]

@@ Line 11: / Line 11: @@
 ==Consumer-impact summary==
-*'''User freedom''': Many TCL [[List of phones that do not allow bootloader unlock|phones have perma-locked bootloaders]].<ref>https://github.com/zenfyrdev/bootloader-unlock-wall-of-shame/blob/aa5ba6136153440d6f45509dfa67d79682800b2c/brands/tcl/README.md</ref>
+*'''User freedom''': Many TCL [[List of phones that do not allow bootloader unlock|phones have perma-locked bootloaders]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Lost-Entrepreneur439 |date=2024-11-18 |title=Bootloader Unlock Wall of Shame: TCL / BlackBerry |url=https://github.com/zenfyrdev/bootloader-unlock-wall-of-shame/blob/aa5ba6136153440d6f45509dfa67d79682800b2c/brands/tcl/README.md |url-status=live |website=[[GitHub]]}}</ref>
-*'''User privacy''': According to their privacy policy, they will share some telemetry with 3rd-parties.<ref>https://www.tcl.com/global/en/commercial-display/privacy-notice#disclosure-of-your-information-to-third-parties</ref>
+*'''User privacy''': According to their privacy policy, they will share some telemetry with 3rd-parties.<ref>{{Cite web |title=TCL Privacy Notice for Business Customers and Partners |url=https://www.tcl.com/global/en/commercial-display/privacy-notice#disclosure-of-your-information-to-third-parties |url-status=live}}</ref>
-*'''User experience''': Some of their electronic products, especially [[Android]] phones, have many [[wikipedia:Software_bug|bugs]].<ref name=":0" /> Some bugs are very disruptive, such as screens "randomly" turning off when brightness is low.<ref>https://reddit.com/r/nxtpaper/comments/1nckzv5/comment/obv34b6</ref>
+*'''User experience''': Some of their electronic products, especially [[Android]] phones, have many [[wikipedia:Software_bug|bugs]].<ref name=":0" /> Some bugs are very disruptive, such as screens "randomly" turning off when brightness is low.<ref>{{Cite web |last=u/Rudxain |date=2026-03-22 |title=TCL 505 here, still Android 14. You're right about bugs, the screen "randomly" turns off when the brightness is "low" (even 50% is considered low). It's coded to turn off the backlight when the hardware (not Android) brightness goes below 0, and it's also coded to decrease the brightness if the image is "dark". A black image with small white spots is considered "darker" than a pitch black image, so I can't watch some 3blue1brown videos in peace 🥲
+TCL is a scam, worse than zamzung, I'd dare to say. I'm gonna boycott them till I die or they get sued |url=https://reddit.com/r/nxtpaper/comments/1nckzv5/comment/obv34b6}}</ref>
 *'''Market control''': In 2010, it was the world's 25th-largest consumer electronics producer.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Richards |first=David |date=2019-11-24 |title=TCL Set To Be A Major Global CE & Smartphone Brand, Roadmap Revealed |url=https://www.channelnews.com.au/tcl-set-to-be-a-major-global-ce-smartphone-brand-roadmap-revealed/ |access-date=2024-08-11 |language=en-US}}</ref> It was the second-largest television manufacturer by market share in 2022 and 2023.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Pr |first=Ani |date=2024-03-13 |title=TCL Ranked as Global Top 2 TV Brand and No. 1 in 98 TV Category for Two Consecutive Years |url=https://theprint.in/ani-press-releases/tcl-ranked-as-global-top-2-tv-brand-and-no-1-in-98-tv-category-for-two-consecutive-years/1999228/ |access-date=2024-08-11 |website=ThePrint |language=en-US}}</ref>
@@ Line 20: / Line 22: @@
 ===Misleading marketing of QLED TVs (2026)===
-<blockquote>The second-largest TV maker has to stop calling its QLED TV sets that, as [[Samsung]] cries foul. The misleading advertising claims that TCL TVs use quantum dot technology, but the courts disagree.<ref>https://www.notebookcheck.net/TCL-can-t-advertise-TVs-as-QLED-since-they-lack-in-quantum-dots-and-color-accuracy.1243552.0.html</ref></blockquote>
+<blockquote>The second-largest TV maker has to stop calling its QLED TV sets that, as [[Samsung]] cries foul. The misleading advertising claims that TCL TVs use quantum dot technology, but the courts disagree.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Zlatev |first=Daniel |date=2026-03-05 |title=TCL can't advertise TVs as QLED since they lack in quantum dots and color accuracy |url=https://www.notebookcheck.net/TCL-can-t-advertise-TVs-as-QLED-since-they-lack-in-quantum-dots-and-color-accuracy.1243552.0.html |url-status=live |website=Notebookcheck}}</ref></blockquote>
 ===Broken promises of software updates===
-For several years, TCL has failed to fulfill their promise of upgrading many Android phones. So much so that they're blatantly lying about the [[wikipedia:Estimated_time_of_arrival|ETA]].<ref name=":0">https://reddit.com/r/nxtpaper/comments/1nckzv5/tcl_update_policy</ref>
+For several years, TCL has failed to fulfill their promise of upgrading many Android phones. So much so that they're blatantly lying about the [[wikipedia:Estimated_time_of_arrival|ETA]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=u/SoheilBalini |date=2025-09-09 |title=TCL update policy |url=https://www.reddit.com/r/nxtpaper/comments/1nckzv5/tcl_update_policy |url-status=live |website=[[Reddit]]}}</ref>
+===Non-compliance with software licenses===
+TCL refuses to make most of its firmware publicly available. This breaks a [[Google]] contract, and may violate [[wikipedia:GNU_General_Public_License|GPL]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-07-10 |title=TCL has been actively ignoring my firmware requests |url=https://reddit.com/r/Android/comments/vvnuq6/tcl_has_been_actively_ignoring_my_firmware |url-status=live |website=[[Reddit]]}}</ref>
+== See also ==
+[[LG Television sale of personal data]]
+[[Samsung]]
+[[Samsung TVs]]
-=== Non-compliance with software licenses ===
+[[Vizio]]
-TCL refuses to make most of its firmware publicly available. This breaks a [[Google]] contract, and may violate [[wikipedia:GNU_General_Public_License|GPL]].<ref>https://reddit.com/r/Android/comments/vvnuq6/tcl_has_been_actively_ignoring_my_firmware</ref>
 ==References==
 {{reflist}}
 [[Category:Companies]]