driven by the people, the planet and the future

In 1865 English economist William Stanley Jevons observed a paradoxical trend in natural
resource consumption: the increased use due to lowered costs counteracted the gains in
efficiency. In modern day, the use of technology follows a similar trajectory. Technological
advancements and rising efficiency lead to lower prices and a smaller environmental
impact—but the greater usage as a result could drive consumption to unsustainable levels.

The Jevons Paradox is especially relevant as we look ahead to upcoming global events that
will bring together the masses, particularly through technology and its devices. Come 2026,
people all over the world will tune into their tablets, computers, televisions and phones to
watch the FIFA World Cup held in North America and the Winter Olympics hosted by Italy.

Rethinking R&D

With this in mind, the mission of tech research and development (R&D) is evolving. Apart
from just creating cutting-edge products that amplify consumer value, manufacturers must
also aid humans in living more healthily with their devices, while utilising fewer resources as
more parts of the world gain access to technology.

TCL CSOT, a subsidiary of official Worldwide Olympic Partner TCL Technology Group,
offers a clear example of this evolution, consistently investing 6.5% of its revenue into the
R&D process, more than twice the industry average. At the same time, the Chinese
manufacturer is pushing the boundaries of screen size and performance, while developing
screen displays to be more efficient and human-centric than ever before.

With more than 65,000 patent applications, 11 panel production lines, and partnerships with
more than 100 global manufacturers, TCL CSOT strives to be a powerhouse of
development and manufacturing, with the aim of making a positive impact through
technology, in products from cars to consumer electronics.

Designing for the people

Last November, TCL CSOT launched an advanced brand based on its four core values:
Amazing – Pleasant Display Experience; Protective – Reliable Vision Health; Eco-friendly –
Sustainable Green and Low-carbon; and X – Unlimited Future Imagination. Named APEX,
the brand embodies the company’s foundational philosophy that marries technical
excellence with human-centric design.

“Through APEX, TCL CSOT brings a higher-quality display experience to consumers
around the world, and at the same time helps the industry return to the essence of people-oriented consumption and deeper technological innovation,” says CEO Jun Zhao, speaking
at Display Week 2025 held in San Jose, California. At the event, the company also debuted
new products, from the world’s first Inkjet Printing OLED (IJP OLED) smartphone display
(6.5-inch) to the largest IJP OLED display in the world (65 inches) with 33 million pixels.

Under the APEX brand, TCL CSOT is creating more such cutting-edge displays, such as
the world’s thinnest and lightest LCD tablet display. The 12.1-inch Natural-Spectrum Slim
Pad eases eye strain by reducing blue light and reflection, and creates a natural-feeling
light that overlaps with the sunlight spectrum by 50%—higher than the industry standard of
20%.

“APEX’s core values echo the ambition in our long-term Olympics partnership, announced
earlier this year,” Mr Zhao says. “TCL CSOT seeks to inspire greatness in all aspects of life,
unifying the world around athletic and technological achievement in our people-first
approach.”

To be human-centric in design also means that sustainability efforts must also be extended to both the products and manufacturing processes. 

IJP OLED is central to the sustainability efforts of TCL CSOT. As the technology uses inkjet printing to create the layers of an OLED display much like printing a newspaper, it enables some of the thinnest products ever, improving efficiency as they draw less power, require fewer materials and have a longer shelf life. 

Some of these sustainable products also debuted at Display Week 2025, including the world’s first Oxide IJP OLED NB display, a 14-inch notebook screen that combines oxide and inkjet printing technologies to enable lower power consumption, higher resolution (2.8k) and more eco-friendly usage of materials.

APEX also launched an OLED display, created with polarizer-less (Pol-less) technology, that boasts the world’s lowest power consumption for a screen of this kind—a 45% reduction with no compromise visually compared to higher-consumption models.

When it comes to production, TCL CSOT manufacturing facilities are powered in part by rooftop solar panels and prize low-carbon process standards. The company is further introducing other green-energy sources and have plans to build a zero-carbon intelligent factory.

A key part of the APEX ethos is the “X” core value: an unlimited imagination that pushes the boundaries of innovation. This spirit drives TCL CSOT’s advancements in IJP OLED technology to continue to create products of the future, like the host of world-firsts launched at Display Week 2025.

These new products showcase TCL CSOT’s innovative range, but also point to an instrumental theme in its R&D philosophy: with enough imagination and care, technology can bring people together while also preserving their health and the planet—a roadmap to outpace the Jevons Paradox.