Barcelona | A visit to ISE typically starts in Hall 3, where the industry’s traditional powerhouses - Samsung, LG, Sharp, Sony, and Philips - showcase the latest advances in professional displays. They are the perennial must‑see exhibits at the world’s leading trade fair for digital signage and visual communication. But at ISE 2026, the gravitational center of innovation shifted.
ISE 2026: Hall 1 Stole the Screen Show
The most exciting impulse at ISE 2026 came not from the established giants, but from the next generation of visual solution providers. A tour through Hall 1 – Hisense, and especially TCL – proved impossible to ignore.
Visitors who made Hall 3 their first stop may have left with mixed feelings. There were new products: more ePaper, more LED options, and some incremental LCD improvements. The biggest attention‑grabbers were the new 3D displays – Samsung with its Spatial Displays and Sony bundling 3D capabilities with America Touchless Control.
But for those seeking the next wave of innovation, Hall 3 delivered refinement rather than reinvention.
Hall 1: Where the Action Really Was
In Hall 1, things felt different. TCL CSOT unveiled a sweeping product range that few manufacturers could match in breadth or ambition. TCL/Moka – its sister company – occupied a second booth in Hall 2, but the spotlight clearly belonged to CSOT.
The timing could not have been better. Only days before ISE, TCL stunned the market by announcing a joint venture with Sony, launching in April 2027. Sony will contribute its entire ProAV and consumer TV business, while TCL will hold the majority stake – a strategic realignment with long-term implications for the industry.
The TCL Showcase: A Display Enthusiast’s Playground
TCL presented what was arguably the most comprehensive display portfolio at ISE 2026, spanning from classic digital signage screens via exotic large-format art displays and high-efficiency high-brightness LCD to MicroLED innovations with world‑leading contrast performance.
For anyone obsessed with display technology, Hall 1 was this year’s place to visit.
Our TCL Highlights
- 85″ Art Screen in 8:9 Format – An odd-sized digital canvas ideal for digital art
- 86″ Natural Light Whiteboard – Utilizes a transflective design that converts ambient light into additional illumination – an elegant energy saver for collaboration spaces.
- Crystal Light Emitting Backlight Technology – a new backlight technology providing +33% brightness with 40% improved energy efficiency. Hopefully an important step toward more sustainable high-brightness LCD.
- 85″ Ultra‑Efficient 4,000‑nit Window Display – with only 395W average power consumption, this is according to TCL currently the world’s most energy‑efficient high-brightness signage display in its class.
- 163″ MicroLED with World‑Record 37,500:1 Contrast Ratio – achieved through TCL’s proprietary ultra‑low‑reflection encapsulation material.
TCL also introduced its own CMS, TCL EShow. While capable of supporting standard signage use cases, its China-based software stack makes it less suitable for enterprise and corporate deployments under the current geopolitical climate.
Hisense: Europe’s Most Established “Newcomer”
Right next door, Hisense showed why it has become a serious contender in Europe. Unlike TCL, Hisense has had a substantial European footprint for years – reinforced by the acquisition of Gorenje in 2018. This was reflected in one of the show’s most visually appealing booths: a complete stadium environment celebrating the brand’s FIFA sponsorship.
The product portfolio was equally broad, extending from ePaper to high-end MicroLED. Hisense has spent the past years expanding its partnerships with major CMS platforms, building trust with integrators across the region.
Perhaps the most striking example of Hisense’s momentum: Hisense has overtaken Samsung in Europe’s high-brightness window display market. The ongoing Ströer rollout is entirely based on Hisense window displays—a milestone few would have predicted a decade ago.
Conclusion: No Paradigm Shift Yet, but a Changing Landscape
ISE 2026 did not mark a radical transformation of the professional display market. The foundations remain stable; the major incumbents are still here. But the breadth, ambition, and technical maturity of emerging providers – especially TCL, Hisense and BoE (Hall 3) – signal a landscape that is becoming more diverse, more competitive, and ultimately more innovative.
