CES 2018 Chinese vendor copies Samsung FRAME TV at tech fair
TCL’s FRAME TV set up in a booth of the Chinese electronics company at the CES. / Korea Times photo by Lee Min-hyung
By Lee Min-hyung
Samsung Electronics' The FRAME TV / Courtesy of Samsung Electronics
LAS VEGAS — China-based TV maker TCL has raised another copycat controversy at the world’s largest tech fair by displaying a lifestyle TV that looks almost identical to that of Samsung Electronics.
A group of Chinese tech companies have drawn unprecedented attention from media and visitors at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show (CES), with companies such as smart car manufacturer Byton and drone maker DJI displaying innovative new products.
But the Chinese TV vendor looks to have a long way to go in terms of developing an innovative spirit. The company displayed a series of 4K premium TVs during the trade show, but what was notable was its prototype product showcased under the name FRAME TV.
Samsung Electronics launched The FRAME lineup last year. The device comes with an art mode that can display more than 100 renowned artworks while users are not watching videos.
The Chinese company did not just copy the name of the TV, but the identity of the product at the CES.
“We are just showing what we can do, and the product is not on sale now,” a TCL booth official said, declining to comment further about how the product is different from the Samsung FRAME TV.
The copycat issue is nothing new, as Chinese TV and appliance makers have in recent years sought to draw attention by showcasing copied products from industry-leading companies such as Samsung and LG.
For this year’s CES, LG Electronics has gained the spotlight by setting up what it calls an organic light-emitting diode (OLED) canyon in front of the entrance to the Las Vegas Convention Center.
Boasting its status as the world’s largest OLED TV vendor, the company has connected more than 200 OLED panels to establish its booth.
LG Electronics Vice Chairman Jo Seong-jin said at a CES press conference that the company will put top priority on expanding sales of OLED TVs, calling them second to none in terms of outstanding picture quality.
Kwon Bong-suk, president of the company’s home entertainment unit, also expressed confidence in the quality of OLED TVs.
“More than 95 percent of our OLED TV sales came from 12 countries last year,” he said. “In all the markets, LG OLED TVs have topped the list of the best-quality TVs.”