Dolby Atmos FlexConnect is now available on select TCL TVs and speakers, revolutionizing the home audio experience. If you’ve ever found traditional surround-sound systems to be a hassle—fussing over speaker placement, managing cables, or dealing with awkward room layouts—this is the kind of upgrade that might make your day.
So, what is Dolby Atmos FlexConnect exactly? Plain and simple, it enables your TV to connect wirelessly with external speakers anywhere in your room. No need for a soundbar, an AV receiver, or some compulsive regimentation of the setup. Dolby describes FlexConnect as being able to “easily adapt as more devices are added, no matter where they’re placed” and automatically adapting the Dolby Atmos experience to the room and speaker setup. In short, you have a must-have immersive, spatial audio without the typical setup hassles.
TCL is the first in the U.S. to introduce FlexConnect on its 2025 QD-Mini LED TVs, as part of the Precise Dimming Series. That means the QM8K, QM7K, and QM6K models. To complement these TVs, TCL is also introducing the Z100 smart speaker, designed to play well with FlexConnect. You can pair a maximum of four Z100 speakers with a compatible TV, and co-opt the TV’s speakers for a complete Dolby Atmos system. The Z100 is already out in China, but U.S. pricing remains unknown.
What sets FlexConnect apart is simply how flexible it actually is. You can position the speakers wherever they suit you—no more fussing with getting them lined up or running wires across the floor. The system adjusts for itself with microphones to scan your room’s dimensions and tone the sound for you. TCL employs the TV’s microphones for this process, so the entire thing remains easy and seamless.
There are a couple of technical things to keep in mind. The four-speaker limit isn’t something built into Dolby’s tech—it’s more about the processing power available in TCL’s current TV lineup. And if you’re looking to add a subwoofer, TCL says you’ll need to use their specific model. More details on that are still to come.
John Couling, Dolby’s senior vice president of entertainment, put it nicely: “With Dolby Atmos FlexConnect, consumers can unlock even more flexibility and adaptability in the way they plan their home entertainment systems, without the hassle of wondering if their speakers are in the right spot to receive an amazing Dolby Atmos experience.”
And there’s also industry buzz building in this space. Since Dolby’s FlexConnect announcement, Fraunhofer IIS—the same group responsible for the MP3—has come out with its immersive sound solution, called Fraunhofer UpHear Flexible Rendering. The competition is heating up, and that means more innovation and more options for those who want to level up their home entertainment systems.
Currently, TCL’s FlexConnect-compatible TVs and Z100 speakers lead the charge in this transition, offering more easy access than ever before to cinema-quality sound, without making your living room look like a puzzle of wires.