Review: TCL NXTWEAR G Glasses

I had high hopes for the TCL NXTWEAR G glasses. So much so that when I saw they had been released, I even thought of buying a pair and went to the “official stockist”, my local Harvey Norman Superstore (yeah right!).

Luckily, the salesperson had never even heard of the product, let alone seen them, and no they were not in stock.

Escaped a bullet there then. Why so I hear you ask?

Assuming you don’t know what the TCL NXTWEAR G glasses are (or work for Harvey Norman) here’s a brief summation.

In short, the TCL NXTWEAR G are a pair of glasses – as against goggles – that connect to a smartphone, tablet or laptop via a built in USB-C cable letting you view, well, whatever is displayed on the phone. This could be material you have stored such as photos or videos, YouTube videos, NETFLIX – whatever your phone, tablet or laptop could normally display on-screen.

Sadly connecting to an HDMI source is a non-starter (at this point anyway).

The party trick is that the TCL NXTWEAR G glasses sport dual 1080op Micro-OLED screens that create the equivalent of a 140” display. And yes, it is very good and the audio emanating from speakers built into the glasses’ arms is also better than the average bear.

And no, they don’t entirely cover your face so you can still some parts of your surroundings.

They even come with different size nose pads and a prescription lens insert you can get your friendly locally optician to prescribe a set of your own lenses into if you are a glasses wearer like me.

So on the surface, all well and good. Yes?

Well, no.

Because at $850 or so, I expected a bit more. Well a lot more really.

As they are now, it’s a bit like buying a Lamborghini but finding it has a 2 stroke motor in it.

I wanted the option of 3D surround vision that made me fizz and feel like I was really there, but really, its just like watching a big 2D screen. Attached to your face.

I watched parts of the new release of Dune from YouTube (a promo), and whilst I sort of enjoyed it, not as much as watching it on my proper big telly and a decent set of 7.1 speakers banging out the audio.

I can see how they would be a thing on an aeroplane trip, or when a passenger on a long car journey.

But sadly, the TCL NXTWEAR G glasses are just not quite there.

There is promise. Lots of it. For example they do contain an accelerometer and gyro system to detect head movement, and the blurb does say they support 4K 3D video… if you can find any that is.

But I hope TCL can deliver on the promise that is evidently there, but as they are at the moment, save your money I am afraid.