Best Buy pulls TCL Google TVs amid complaints of slow, buggy software

Back in late summer, TCL announced an upgraded version of its high-end 6-Series TV. Aside from whatsoever technical improvements — the newer laid amply supports HDMI 2.1 and 4K gaming at 120Hz — the biggest change had to practise with software, with the latest 6-Series running Google TV instead of the Roku OS that has shipped connected umteen of TCL's most popular sets in the United States. The companionship has already released TVs powered aside Mechanical man Goggle bo internationally and on a few budget models in North America, but the 2021 6-Series was meant to be a combined showcase for TCL hardware and Google software.

So far, information technology's not working out that way, and things aren't going quite atomic number 3 well American Samoa TCL might've hoped. Best Buy up — the exclusive United States retailer of the TCL Google TVs — has short removed some models from its memory listings, and TCL confirms to The Verge that there are issues being ironed out.

Some early buyers of the 6-Series with Google TV (model R646) have complained about what they describe as a buggy, sluggish user interface. I myself have been reviewing a 65-inch model all over the past yoke weeks, and piece the Google Telly home projection screen seems to work comparatively well, it didn't claim long for me to notice approximately general slowness when pull up and going finished the settings menu. There can also be a put behind bars before the Idiot box reacts to remote commands. My roommates have observed crashing apps and a few instances where the TV itself froze and became unresponsive. Just about online reviews cite more annoying problems that necessitate unplugging the Television set completely.

Similar early criticisms have also been leveled at the 5-Series with Google TV; Caleb at Digital Trends found his review unit to be on the slow slope and ran into several bugs.

*This* *Reddit thread* *about the 5-Series with Google TV is equally applicable to the 6-Serial publication.*

TCL has already rolled out several software updates meant to meliorate performance and stability. "Our priority is to render an optimized user experience with Google Television receiver and have a cadence of planned software updates for TCL devices," TCL spokesperson Rachelle Parks told The Verge in late November. Some of those updates do seem to have made a confirming difference, and Parks told us in a statement on Thursday that "customers will see marked improvements in the weeks to come."

But as of this week, Best Buy removed some of those models from its store listings. TCL's own website has a link to Best Buy up that no longer works. Prior to the removal, the 65-inch 6-Series I'm examination had an average out review rating of 3.5 stars. Some reviews praise the panel and Mini LED picture prize simply go on to listing issues encountered with the software.

TCL confirmed to The Verge that it's aware "some are facing challenges with the stability of the interface" and yet, that the company expects these TVs to be "available again in the coming weeks."

Piece TCL is familiar with Android TV, the Google TV software experience is new territory for the company, and clearly, it's having a unsheared go at this early stage. I hope a mess of the performance issues potty be smoothened out with more updates; this really is a fantastic TV, with marvellous crest brightness and fantabulous contrast thanks to it Mini LED backlighting. But it's not where it needs to be right now.

In fact, I've already deceased in the lead and blocked an Apple TV 4K into one of the HDMI ports just to obviate the sluggishness and jank. Streaming devices are a great fashio to speed up budget TVs, but they shouldn't be a necessary bandaid for a TV with an MSRP of terminated $1,000.

The Verge has reached stunned to Best Buy for more details. This could be a supply shortage situation (though IT'd be odd for the pages to completely vanish therein case), surgery maybe TCL is fetching a beat to assess next steps for its new Google TVs to move around round their buggy early on report.

Update December 9th, 8:28PM ET: Added information from TCL about software updates and availability.