TCL is a bigger deal than you think. The Chinese company makes phones, tablets and TVs, but they’re also taken over two major smartphone brands, Alcatel and BlackBerry. Under the Alcatel brand they also launched a few tablets and now they’re pushing into the multimedia slate segment via a deal with an Israeli firm.
TCL Corporation, a leader in the area of high tech electronics and home appliances has inked a deal to integrate Israeli DSP Group audio technology into Alcatel tablets. They’re trying to make them solid rivals for the likes of Lenovo and Huawei slates, also Amazon ones, which have been selling like hot cakes. While TCL didn’t disclose the value of the deal, the amount going around is $20 million.
The two are already working together, as the chips of the Israeli company’s smart voice tech, SmartVoice are expected to be included in the Alcatel 3T 10 tablet. The Israeli company will enhance the audio experience on voice activated devices, like tablets, smartphones, smart speakers and wearable accessories. DSP Group was founded in 1987 and it’s headquartered in the coastal city of Herzliya. TCL was founded in 1981 and its HQ is placed in Huizhou.
It has a presence in over 160 countries, employs 75.000 people and has 28 laboratories and R&D centers all over the world. As far as this deal goes, expect to hear more high end acoustics on devices from TCL, like quad speakers and HiFi audio chips.
