Dolby’s soundbar alternative arrives this summer on select TCL TVs

By Simon Cohen Published May 27, 2025

It’s been almost two years since Dolby announced its Dolby Atmos FlexConnect technology — a system that lets you place a series of speakers anywhere in your room, all wirelessly connected to your TV, for a full Dolby Atmos experience, no soundbar or AV receiver required. At the time, Dolby said it would partner with TCL to bring Atmos FlexConnect to the market, but despite some demos at the Consumer Electronics Show, there’s been little movement toward that goal. Today, however, Dolby and TCL say they’re almost ready to deliver.

Dolby Atmos FlexConnect is coming to TCL’s 2025 QD-Mini LED TVs in its Precise Dimming Series this summer, including the QM8K, QM7K, and QM6K. The companies haven’t given exact timing for the update (which we assume will be enabled by an over-the-air firmware upgrade). TCL says that it will also launch the Z100 smart, panoramic sound speaker, which can be used with the FlexConnect system. Up to four Z100 speakers can be used (alongside the TV speakers) to create a Dolby Atmos experience.

We don’t know how much the Z100 will cost when it arrives, or whether it can be used as a standalone speaker for music or other functions. What we do know is that it connects to TCL’s 2025 QD-Mini LED TVs via Wi-Fi, and that the four-speaker limit is the result of the TV’s onboard processor’s limitations, not a limitation of Dolby Atmos FlexConnect as a technology.

To create a customized Atmos experience, FlexConnect relies on microphones for room calibration. These can be located on the speakers, however in TCL’s implementation, it uses the TV’s onboard mics. A subwoofer can also be added, but TCL notes it must be the dedicated subwoofer that TCL makes — we’re still waiting for details on that product.

Dolby describes FlexConnect as a solution that “is easily adaptable as more devices are added no matter where they are placed, intelligently optimizing the Dolby Atmos rendering of each speaker and the TV to create the best possible experience available that’s tailored to the room.”

“With Dolby Atmos FlexConnect, consumers can unlock even more flexibility and adaptability in how they design their home entertainment systems, while removing the stress of whether their speakers are in the right location to get an incredible Dolby Atmos experience,” said Dolby Laboratories’ senior vice president of entertainment, John Couling.

Since Dolby’s announcement of Atmos FlexConnect, Fraunhofer IIS — the entity that developed the MP3 file format — has announced its own multi-speaker immersive sound technology known as Fraunhofer UpHear Flexible Rendering. We expect to see the first TVs and soundbars with Fraunhofer’s system this year, though we may not see it marketed under Fraunhofer’s label. The company has very relaxed rules around marketing, letting its licensees call it whatever they like.