Gemini replaces Google Assistant: TCL’s new smart TV AI assistant era
TCL’s Gemini integration is the replacement of Google Assistant with Google’s generative AI, Gemini, across TCL’s Playcube projector and selected Google TV devices, adding conversational content discovery, new creative tools, and smart home control features that change how viewers interact with their screens.
This is not a subtle tune‑up; it is a clear statement that TCL believes the future smart TV AI assistant will be generative, conversational, and deeply tied to Google TV Gemini. TCL has announced that its Rubik’s Cube-like TCL Playcube projector is now integrating Google’s Gemini, replacing the Google Assistant that shipped at launch. At the same time, TCL has officially launched the Google TV platform featuring Gemini AI across its television portfolio in Europe, with rollout starting in the UK and expanding through 2026. In other words, TCL is betting that users will accept a new AI front end in exchange for richer features—and that Google’s evolving Gemini layer is the way to deliver it.
What Gemini changes on the TCL Playcube projector
On the TCL Playcube projector, Gemini is more than a voice swap—it rewires how you use a portable screen in the first place. TCL says the Playcube will integrate Gemini, Google’s generative AI technology, and that means four headline features: Ask, Learn, Brief, and Create. Practically, Ask turns the projector into a conversational companion. You can ask questions like “What happened in the last episode?” and get an instant recap on screen; that is far beyond the old Assistant-style command list.
Learn pushes the TCL Playcube projector toward education and explanation, generating diagrams and immersive images alongside a narrated overview when you want to unpack a complex topic. Brief curates content—from sports highlights to news summaries—so casual watching can turn into a personalized digest instead of endless scrolling. And Create leans into visual creativity, generating images or animating old photos directly from your ideas. TCL itself frames the experience bluntly: you are essentially getting the Gemini on Google TV experience on your Playcube. That means this cube is now a testbed for Google TV Gemini-style AI inside a niche but eye-catching device.
Google TV Gemini on TCL TVs: conversation instead of commands
On TCL’s televisions, Gemini redefines what Google TV feels like to use. TCL has launched Google TV featuring Gemini AI across its television portfolio in Europe, starting in the UK and expanding across other markets throughout 2026. The core change: the integration of Gemini replaces standard voice commands with a conversational interface, altering how viewers deal with the operating system. That shift matters because it takes smart TV AI assistant behavior from “button-triggered requests” to multi-step conversations.
The update centers on new SQD-Mini LED models like the X11L, C8L, and C7L, as well as RGB-Mini LED models RM9L and RM7L. Selected 2025 TVs will also gain Gemini, depending on hardware eligibility and update schedules. In daily use, this powers conversational search, so you can find content by describing themes, plots, or actors instead of typing exact titles. It also brings personalized recommendations, turns the TV into a hub to manage compatible smart home devices via voice, and allows easy access to information or music control through the interface.
What users gain—and what they risk losing—with TCL Gemini integration
For everyday viewers, the upside of TCL Gemini integration is clear: smarter content discovery, richer responses, and tighter smart home integration. Gemini’s Ask and conversational search tools mean you spend less time fighting on-screen keyboards and more time explaining what you want in plain language. Briefs that compile sports highlights and news summaries turn passive TVs into active curators. On the control side, making the TV a voice hub for compatible smart home devices pulls more of your connected life into one screen.
However, “Assistant is getting replaced with Gemini AI” is a bold move, not a gentle migration. Any time a core smart TV AI assistant is swapped out, some familiar behaviors disappear or move. The new conversational flow may feel slower to people who loved quick, deterministic commands. And availability of Gemini features will vary by country, specific hardware, and local update timelines, so not every household gets the same experience at the same time. If you value predictability over new tricks, this transition could be frustrating, at least in the short term.
A first step, not the finish line, for Google TV Gemini
This rollout is only the opening act. TCL says that the Gemini update for Playcube is starting now and that it is working with Google to bring more features in future. On the TV side, the rollout has begun in the UK and will expand throughout 2026, with features dependent on hardware and local system timelines. TCL also points out that it has been the highest-volume shipper of televisions running the Google TV OS between 2021 and 2025, according to industry shipment data it cites.
That context matters. When the leading Google TV shipper embraces Gemini at the operating-system level, it sets expectations for what “normal” smart TV AI assistant behavior will be. If Gemini’s conversational approach succeeds, browsing by typing titles may start to feel dated. But this is still experimental territory: generative AI on the big screen is new, and users will be the ones to judge whether Ask, Learn, Brief, and Create on devices like the TCL Playcube projector earn their place or end up as passing features. For now, TCL’s move makes one thing obvious: the age of static voice commands on your TV is being phased out in favor of Google TV Gemini.
