Unlike some of its competitors in the smart TV marketplace, Philips doesn’t plan to move from Android TV to Google TV until at least next year.
According to FlatpanelsHD, Philips is sticking with Android 10 for its 2021 models and Android 11 for its 2022 models. The company also builds smart TVs that run the Roku platform.
"Google TV and Android TV have many similarities and we see this as a gradual transition, to happen once we have thoroughly tested the new format. We will most probably move to Google TV for our 2023 models but in the meantime we will continue to upgrade our Android TV offering and have recently introduced an updated user interface using tab based navigation,” the company said in a statement obtained by the publication.
RELATED: TCL claims massive sales of TV sets running Google TV and Android TV
Philips’ decision to take it slow with Google TV comes after Best Buy in December halted sales of TCL Google TV smart TVs following complaints about user interface performance. However, the issues were resolved within weeks and sales started back up.
“Recent software updates have allowed us to make significant improvements on the stability and speed of the TCL televisions featuring Google TV,” the company said in a statement obtained by The Verge. “With these updates, this product now represents the powerful performance that TCL and Google believe is the future of TV.”
TCL in January claimed that it sells more than 10 million sets worldwide that run either Android TV or Google TV annually.
“TCL has also worked closely with Google to introduce the newest smart TV experience with Google TV. New features like hands-free voice control with Google Assistant, a content-first home screen and innovative ways to discover content has enriched TCL’s television lineup,” the company said in a statement.
Google expects that over time all retail Android TV devices will transition to Google TV but last year confirmed that until then it will continue bringing new features to current Android TV devices.