TCL A1s Review: Compact Projector Shines with Google TV, Delivers Top Performance!

The TCL A1s marks the brand’s debut in the compact Full HD projector market, a category populated by models such as the Xgimi MoGo 4 Pro, LG CineBeam Q, Samsung Freestyle 2, and even the Dangbei Freedo, to name a few. Notably, it is a brighter, upgraded version of the A1 expected in 2024.

Priced under 400 euros, the A1s targets both novice enthusiasts and experienced users looking for a flexible, simple, and modern solution to enjoy their shows and movies. With a brightness of 600 lumens, it ranks among the projectors suitable for use in dark living rooms or for festive outdoor activities.

The TCL A1s offers a Full HD 1080p resolution, compatible with 4K input sources, allowing it to project an image up to 120 inches according to the manufacturer. It features TCL’s TrueHue technology, designed to ensure vibrant and natural colors. Its design is versatile: it includes Google TV and Netflix built-in, HDR compatibility, and the ability to use the projector as a Bluetooth speaker. In terms of connectivity, it features an HDMI interface, a USB port, and an auxiliary audio jack, offering true flexibility in use.

Among its direct competitors in the compact projector market, the Xgimi MoGo 4 Pro falls short in brightness, while the LG CineBeam Q offers a laser source with simulated Ultra HD resolution. TCL highlights its automatic image adjustment capabilities, including autofocus, keystone correction, and digital zoom, to simplify setup. The device is designed to be highly portable, evident in its size, the “VersaGrip” carry handle, and lightweight.

TCL relies on image quality, immersive sound, and the Google ecosystem to attract customers, boasting technical expertise gained from the television industry. It remains to be seen if the A1s can compete with the top models in the market or if its features make a difference in daily use.

Technical Specifications

Testing Conditions

The TCL A1s projector tested was loaned by the brand. It was tested in combination with a Lumene Movie Palace UHD Platinum 300C screen. Measurements were taken using professional equipment directly in front of the screen to minimize errors and offer values that reflect what the viewer can actually see. This protocol is identical for all compact projector tests to enable comparisons.

Design, Compact and Versatile

The TCL A1s sports a compact form factor and a decidedly modern aesthetic. It combines robustness and lightness. Its “VersaGrip” handle — cleverly integrated — enhances mobility, allowing the device to be transported effortlessly. The handle can be moved from top to bottom. In the latter position, the device is inclined to the desired height.

The dimensions are designed for discreet installation, with a chassis measuring just 13 cm wide, 20.7 cm high (less than 27 cm with the handle), and a depth of about 19 cm. The whole unit weighs approximately 2.5 kg, which aids in handling and quick setup in any space. While its design isn’t as refined as that of the LG CineBeam Q, it still makes a statement and can be placed on a shelf without causing a stir.

The top part has a paper-like effect and offers a quality appearance reminiscent of hi-fi standards.

Also on the top of the device, there are several control buttons which are backlit, a thoughtful touch.

This allows for navigation through the projector’s menus using just these touch-sensitive buttons, one of which is used for focusing. It’s a smart design.

There is no cover protecting the lens. The front is divided into two parts, with the upper part housing the lens and the lower part extensively perforated to allow the escape of warm air generated by the system.

The TCL A1s is supported by a large pad at the back and two more on the handle, contributing to stable placement. There is a separate power block; a simple electrical cable provides the connection. This should be considered when moving the unit.

Connectivity

The TCL A1s’s connectivity is based on a philosophy that combines simplicity and efficiency. At the rear of the device, there is an HDMI 2.1 input, ensuring compatibility with external sources such as gaming consoles or Blu-ray players. A USB-A 2.0 port, strategically placed on the left side, allows for the direct playback of multimedia files (videos, photos, music) from a flash drive or external disk.​

The TCL A1s also includes a 3.5 mm analog audio jack output for connecting headphones or a wired audio system.

Additionally, the projector supports Bluetooth connectivity, making it easy to use the projector as a standalone speaker. The device includes Wi-Fi for Internet access, with Chromecast functionality for streaming content from a smartphone or tablet. Lastly, for users with iOS devices, TCL has incorporated AirPlay 2 compatibility for direct content streaming. The connectivity options of the TCL A1s cover the most common uses.

The Remote Control

The remote control that comes with the TCL A1s is compactly designed, unlike some more generic models. Unfortunately, it lacks a backlight. Equipped with standard buttons, it provides direct access to major streaming platforms like Netflix, YouTube, and Prime Video. The device is easy and intuitive to use from the start.

A dedicated button instantly displays the projector-specific settings, allowing for quick image adjustments and setup. There is also a specific button for adjusting focus.

An integrated microphone allows for voice commands via Google Assistant. The power is supplied by standard AAA batteries.

The Screen

The TCL A1s projector is sold without a screen, falling into the category of compact projectors. This leaves the choice to the user, but if on a tight budget, one might be tempted to use it without a screen, using a wall as the projection surface and thereby losing the relatively significant benefit of having a surface optimized for projection. Expect to spend between 500 and 2700 euros for screens of various sizes with a specific surface treatment.

Installation

The setup of the TCL A1s is simple and quick. We’ve already mentioned its stability and the possibility of tilting it. If you place it 1.5 meters away, you get an image that is about 154 cm in diagonal (about 60 inches). For a 100-inch image, the projector needs to be placed about 2.70 meters back. Note the presence of a digital zoom to reduce the image size.

Keystone correction and sharpness are automatically and successfully adjusted. It is always possible to refine them manually.

The Image in Subjective Mode

The image quality offered by the TCL A1s relies on an LCD chip compatible with Full HD (1920 x 1080 pixels) and equipped with TrueHue technology with an LED light source.

The tested content, whether from streaming platforms or Blu-ray discs, shows slightly saturated but not overly excessive color reproduction.

The contrast, officially announced at 2000:1 (see our measurement further down), highlights dark scenes and bright parts of movies convincingly as long as the surroundings are darkened. The sharpness is generally uniform, even along the edges of the screen or during large projections. The sharpness observed is appreciable, especially in Cinema mode, as the others are difficult to appreciate as they are saturated.​

As for the dynamic range, the device manages HDR which is not entirely bad, but it does show its limits compared to higher-end models. Officially, the A1s claims a brightness of 600 lumens (compared to 360 lumens for the A1). The TrueHue optimization adjusts contrast and saturation in real time, avoiding the too cold or washed-out render seen in some competitors. Action sequences or panoramic scenes marked by vibrant colors benefit from this technology, for a flattering render without excess.

The cinema experience is enjoyable: HD streams, whether broadcast via Google TV or directly on Blu-ray, benefit from good image dynamics. Be sure to darken the room, as it can’t do much in full daylight.

The overall impressions are quite positive regarding the softness of the render, the control of contours, and the handling of details in complex scenes. At this price level, the TCL A1s offers a visual performance that can be described as interesting.

Motion Compensation

The TCL A1s provides fairly effective motion compensation, offering high-quality action scenes and fast sequences. The transitions are smooth, allowing enjoyment of movies, series, and sports scenes. It happens, however, that during challenging sequences where objects or characters move quickly across the field, the contours may lag slightly, but this remains quite acceptable given the A1s’s market positioning.

Rainbow Effect

With its LCD engine, the TCL A1s produces no rainbow effect observed with some color wheel technologies, like DLP. This is an excellent feature for those who are sensitive to it.

Our Measurements, Supported by Probes

Like all other TVs and projectors tested, we have measured several elements to compare devices and confirm our visual impressions. Regarding contrast, we recorded a ratio of 1357:1 with Cinema mode activated. This is decent. For color fidelity with SDR contents, the average Delta E measured is 6.79, which is significantly above the threshold of 3, below which the human eye can no longer differentiate between the displayed color and the requested color. This results in too saturated colors, but this is also the case with the competition. The average gamma is much too high compared to the expected value (2.4), while we recorded 2.7. Finally, the average color temperature is set at 8826 K, thus significantly cooler than it should be.

With HDR content, we measured a peak brightness of 83 cd/m² for an image that is 100 inches diagonally, which is higher than the LG CineBeam Q and the MoGo 4 Pro (LED) from Xgimi (48 cd/m² under the same conditions) while the color fidelity is relatively close to the threshold, having recorded it at 4.02.

The disappointing point is the low coverage of color spaces, as we measured only 34.09% for BT2020 and 46.9% for DCIP3, which is not good.

Gaming

Designed for versatile use, the TCL A1s is suitable for gaming with a decent performance. When connected to a console or PC via the HDMI input, it ensures satisfactory responsiveness, even though the input lag does not reach the record levels of high-end gaming models.

We measured a display delay time of 43.4 ms in Full HD at 60 Hz. This allows for playing most games without much scrutiny, with quite satisfactory playability.

The performance is respectable for this type of product. Overall, it can be said that its use for gaming nights with friends or occasional gaming sessions is perfectly feasible, without major compromises on the visual or audio experience.

Audio

The TCL A1s relies on a stereo audio solution, with two integrated 8 W speakers and Dolby Audio compatibility. The audio spectrum covered is wide, but lacks bass. The balance remains effective for most cinema, music, or gaming content.
Its power, on paper, is above average, and in practice, we were pleasantly surprised by its overall performance, particularly in terms of the breadth offered here (except for the bass).

The sound is precise yet not entirely immersive (the audio remains very localized), with a power level sufficient to fill a medium-sized room. Moreover, dialogues are intelligible and clear, without notable distortion, even at high volume. During action movie projections or live concerts, the home cinema effect is successful, although the warmth of the reproduction remains behind the best models equipped with Harman Kardon or Bowers & Wilkins solutions, which are more precise. The TCL A1s stands out for its versatility, ensuring a respectable audio performance even in portable use, which will satisfy the majority of users.

The device can be transformed on demand into an autonomous Bluetooth speaker, for playing playlists or animating an evening. In this case, a colorful animation is visible on its sides. It’s original.

The Interface

The interface on the TCL A1s is based on Google TV, offering a vast catalog of applications, from streaming to games. The home page is customizable, with a banner grouping all the main platforms: Netflix, Prime Video, Disney+, Canal+, France TV, TF1+, M6+, and many others. You can of course install additional applications through the dedicated store, which expands the possibilities according to your needs.

The configuration menu is always organized into clear categories: Image, Audio, Connection, System, and Assistance. Each category offers precise settings, including the selection of image or audio mode, activation of the mode, etc. User profiles allow for the creation of multiple accounts, each with personalized content suggestions and a separate history.

The voice search module by Google Assistant simplifies access to programs and applications. Also note the possibility of controlling connected home devices.

The system’s responsiveness is satisfactory.

Consumption and Noise Emission

In operation, the TCL A1s displays relatively high power consumption for a device of this size and brightness produced: around 103 watts with a white test pattern occupying 100% of the screen surface (always the same protocol in our consumption tests.
The noise generated by the fan, measured at 32 dB, remains discreet and not bothersome during the projection of a movie or series. In daily use, this acoustic discretion places the projector among those that can be used without fear of nuisance.​

Release Date and Price

The TCL A1s is available for a price ranging from 350 to 399 euros depending on offers and suppliers, making it one of the most affordable and complete compact projectors currently available.​