With thousands of different options available to the everyday consumer, it seems complicated to keep up with every new technology. The debate between techies whether to buy a new 4k Android TV or opt for a 4k Ultra HD smart TV is never-ending.
What is a Smart TV?
To clarify, a smart TV is any television set that can stream content from the internet. Irrespective of whether your TV runs on IOS or Android, it is a smart TV to show you content from the internet.
What is an Android TV?
An Android TV is a smart TV that operates on the Android operating system. Android was developed by Google but has been adopted by other TV manufacturers across the globe. Like LG, Samsung, etc., corporate giants have simultaneously manufactured their Operating systems for Smart TVs while parallelly manufacturing Android TVs. SONY, on the other hand, has focused on manufacturing just Android TVs. Redmi, MI, Toshiba, TCL, and many others have entered the Android smart TV market with their Android TV options.
Smart TV vs Android TV
- Android TV gives access to many apps from the Play Store. Hulu, MX Player and Side Launcher are just examples of apps that are only available on Android.
When this is compared to a smart TV not operating on Android, you lose access to many apps. Apart from the primary few like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video or Disney Hotstar, the options are much more limited.
- Android TVs have the option of Chromecast Integration, allowing the user to sync their phone with the TV. This allows you to play content on your TV using your smartphone. You can also cast the screen of your smartphone on the TV.
This process is of much hassle in a non-Android smart TV (unless you have an Apple system) and requires a bunch of separate hardware.
- Android TV comes with the option of the voice-activated Google Assistant, which can come in handy in many situations. Its effectiveness comes from the fact that it operates very and can even take instructions in regional languages.
This is not an option available with TVs operating on non-Android OS systems.
- Android TVs are less likely to become outdated given the constant updates they receive in their software.
The updates stop coming in after a few years of purchase for most smart TVs, making them more likely to become obsolete. But it is important to note that an Android dongle can be plugged in the smart TV to use the Android platform.
Amongst the chaos of all proprietors claiming to be the best 4k Ultra HD TV and salesmen trying to sell you a new Android TV, it is always good to look around and see what suits you best. An Android TV does have specific advantages over other non-Android counterparts. But ultimately, it boils down to the needs of the customer.