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To be considered among the best TVs on the market, TVs with internet connections, app libraries, and proprietary UI are all necessary features. But there are so many variations that it can often be hard to choose which is best for you.
KEY TAKEAWAYS:
Not to worry, though! We’ll help sift through the many options as we compare a smart TV and Android TV. If you’re looking for displays to use in an office setting, check out our article that covers conference room TVs vs projectors.
To be clear, an Android smart TV is a smart TV. If you’re puzzled over what does “smart TV” mean, be sure to familiarize yourself with its general specs. However, certain features, benefits, and pitfalls come with explicitly owning an Android TV vs Smart TV. Android TVs come with an operating system and app library made by Google, which gives it a unique spate of content and streaming apps. If this sounds like the perfect smart TV for you, check out the top-rated android TVs.
Insider Tip
If you aren’t familiar with Android products, keep your user manual. Their UI is known to be more complicated and harder to navigate.
Below, we’ll dive deeper into what this Google-powered television means for you. Also, for further reading on smart devices, check out our resource that outlines Blu-ray players vs smart TVs. Additionally, you can compare the Fire Stick vs smart TV or Roku TV vs smart TV to see if one of these is better suited for your needs.
Sometimes, the Android TV user interface can be harder to navigate and slower because of its more extensive app libraries. In contrast, some of the other Smart TV offerings — like Roku or Apple TV — have very accessible and easy-to-use interfaces. If you want to learn more about the differences operating systems can have, check out our comparison of Android TV vs Samsung TV. Additionally, there may be slight differences in how to find the MAC address on a TV depending on the OS of that TV.
All forms of smart TVs come with the ability to connect to the internet, download apps, and access various smart features that allow users to stream their favorite content with greater ease. Android TVs, in particular, have a wide variety of apps available. This app library is more extensive than what’s found on the average smart platform.
In addition, Android TVs offer frequent firmware updates to keep their vast app library running smoothly. Also, because the Android TV is a Google product, it connects to all of Google’s features, such as Google Play Music, Google Play Store, and Google Assistant’s voice command.
Because of its unique set of Google-powered features, an Android TV will be more expensive than other more affordable smart TV options. However, it isn’t the priciest on the market, and many people find the cost reasonable for the features it offers. You can read our Hisense 75H8G review for a large-screen TV that uses the Android TV operating system. Additionally, if you are already used to an ecosystem of apps, whether that be the Android ecosystem or not, you will want to get a compatible streaming device for familiarity and trust.
Warning
Many Smart TVs — like LG, Samsung, and Sony — outsource their operating systems. Because of outsourcing, many of these systems take a long time to update.
F.A.Q.S
Do smart TVs update regularly?
Updates depend primarily on individual smart TV operating systems. Android, for example, updates more than most other options.
Do Android TVs require any subscription fees for all apps?
Android TV is better than most for offering apps and streaming services that don’t cost anything. Among these are apps like Pluto TV, which provides some free live television.
Can smart TVs operate without an internet connection?
Most of the apps you can download on smart TVs — like Netflix, HBO Max, Prime Video, and others — can’t run without an internet connection.
STAT: The percentage of households with 4k TVs increased from 31 percent in 2019 to 44 percent in 2021. (source)
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