TCL's Nxtwear S Smart Glasses Land On Kickstarter

TCL, the company perhaps best known for its inexpensive smart TVs, has launched a new wearable on the crowdfunding website Kickstarter (via PRNewswire). The TCL Nxtwear S is a pair of smart glasses that, according to the company, offer a viewing experience akin to what you'd get from watching a 140-inch TV from a distance of about 13 feet. The new model builds upon the Nxtwear Air, a product that was introduced during CES 2022 as a way for tech users to free themselves from ordinary displays.

This time around, the company's latest-generation smart glasses pack micro OLED displays that provide a 1080p Full HD viewing experience with 2D content, according to the company, as well as a number of other notable features, not the least of which is compatibility with both Windows and Android. The best part? TCL says it designed the Nxtwear S to be an affordable option, though it is only offering them on Kickstarter.

TCL refers to the Nxtwear S as a pair of smart glasses, which means you may immediately think of something like Google Glass. This product is quite different, however, in that it isn't so much a smart device as it is a pair of highly portable screens packed into a relatively small and light pair of frames. The company describes the Nxtwear S as offering users a private viewing experience, which includes what TCL claims is "cinema-level" audio clarity.

The smart glasses pack some physical controls, including a volume adjuster and a dial that can be used to toggle between 2D and 3D viewing modes. The display sounds decent with 90%+ DCI-P3 coverage and an overall 47 pixels-per-degree rating. The glasses — which can be used with iOS, too, if you have an adapter — pairs with devices using a magnetic pogo-pin connector, so don't expect a wireless experience.

Other features include near-sighted vision support, 3D movie playback at 3840 x 1080 resolution, a 47-degree field of view, support for using your earbuds, low blue light levels to hopefully help protect the user's eyesight, adjustable nose pads, three different front lens options, and a 60Hz refresh rate. As mentioned, the product is offered through Kickstarter, with the early bird pricing at around $330 USD — that's a fairly hefty discount over the anticipated $449 MSRP. Early bird deliveries are expected to happen in December 2022.