'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,/9j/4AAQSkZJRgABAQAAAQABAAD/2wCEAAMDAwMDAwQEBAQFBQUFBQcHBgYHBwsICQgJCAsRCwwLCwwLEQ8SDw4PEg8bFRMTFRsfGhkaHyYiIiYwLTA+PlQBAwMDAwMDBAQEBAUFBQUFBwcGBgcHCwgJCAkICxELDAsLDAsRDxIPDg8SDxsVExMVGx8aGRofJiIiJjAtMD4+VP/AABEIAAUACgMBIgACEQEDEQH/xABdAAEBAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABQYQAAEDBQEBAAAAAAAAAAAAAAIBAwQABQYSIRExAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAFEQADAAMBAQAAAAAAAAAAAAABAgMABBESMf/aAAwDAQACEQMRAD8AzGN51Myy+22c5Chx3rjaC38ZbcBNXS+AYqlUjxq0xyJlIzRI2qgiqPV152lKPpCVdmjuvpuAdONI5npRVeAdb4Bn/9k='%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Upon the introduction of 4K Android TVs a few years ago, users were skeptical regarding the viability of the new technology. Many tech enthusiasts felt that the technology was released ahead of its time. They assumed thewouldn't public wouldn’t pick it up due to the lack of consistent 1080p content, let alone 4K. The community, however, was wrong.
The lack of 4K content did not deter the growth of 4K Android smart TV sales year on year. Though broadcasters still haven’t 4K as their main streaming resolution due to obvious cost-related issues, the rise of content streaming apps has led to significant growth in the medium.
Increased demand has also saturated the 4K TV market to such an extent that it has made 4K Android TV easily accessible to everyone in an affordable price range. 2022 has seen the release of several excellent 4K Android TVs from several manufacturers. The following dives into five of the best among them.
Note: The list is not ranked and reflects the writer’s opinion.
Best 4K Android Smart TVs of 2022
1) Sony BRAVIA XR A80K
The XR A80K from Sony offers an outstanding viewing experience. Sony is among the few manufacturers who have mastered the manufacturing of OLED panels to such an extent that people prefer large OLED displays paired with a good audio system for the theater experience.
At 77 inches, this 4K Android from Sony is monstrous, but in a good way. Since this is an OLED panel, it is impossible to attain black levels as deep as this on TV. The A80K is surprisingly thin as well. Again, this is down to the fact that OLED pixels are self-lit pixels without needing a backlight.
This 4K Android TV also comes with all the necessary bells and whistles in HDR10, Dolby Vision, and support for multiple voice assistants like Google Assistant and Alexa. Console players will also admire the presence of VRR for up to 120 fps on this 4K TV, making this a true all-rounder, but at a significantly higher price.
2) Hisense U8H
Hisense has recently taken the TV industry by storm, and rightfully so. At a cost, of less than the major players, Hisense 4K Android TVs provide consistently stellar build and picture quality. Even though the panel isn’t good, Hisense has opted for mini-LED technology for these models. It’s excit'sonally rare to complain, if at all. Hisense has deployed around 504 local dimming zones spread across the entire panel.
This achieves two purposes, broader and finer control over backlighting, thus resulting in a contrasting rich picture and incredible levels of detail across a wide content range. Only a few challenging pieces of content will make the TV stumble, but those are extremely rare and not the norm.
This 4K Android TV is also highly recommended for gaming, as it supports a 120 Hz refresh rate and an Auto Low Latency Mode, which is ideal for gaming. Apart from this, there is support for HDR 10 and 10+ content, with an impressive filmmaker mode and Dolby Vision.
3) Sony X90J
Another non-OLED panel 4K Android TV that is truly one of the best, while not being as bank-breaking as an OLED, is X90J from Sony. This TV is based on LED-backlit LCD technology and is ideal for users looking for a budget 4K TV from a well-established brand. Sony has only cut corners in the type of panel they have used, but the picture quality is still exceptional, thanks to Sony’s XR image processor.
Apart from this, the TV features 120 Hz refresh rate support, which is also ideal for gamers. Console gamers looking for a 4K Android TV with excellent image quality, variable refresh rate support, and ALLM (Auto Low Latency Mode) should try this brilliant and affordable 4K TV.
Google TV OS is also on board, enabling a wide range of applications to be installed. Coupled with HDR and Dolby Vision, this is easily one of the best 4K TVs.
4) Hisense U6H
The younger sibling of the premium U8H series is no slouch. Hisense uses a kind of quantum dot LED panel, which they call a ULED panel, to power this 4K Android set. Do not let the technical moniker confuse you, the technology is still a great LED panel with bright and vibrant colors at a highly affordable price.
Being a Google TV platform device, the U6H is an excellent choice for people in the market for low-budget 4K TVs without sacrificing the quality noticeably.
The U6H also supports eARC, which enables high-quality sound output through soundbars and audio systems. Apart from this, the TV features Dolby Vision and HDR 10 support for a detailed and rich viewing experience in movies and series alike. Gamers will be happy to know that the U6H supports VRR at a 120Hz refresh rate. However, it doesn’t have motion blur technology.
Despite this shortcoming and a bit narrower viewing angles, the U6H is still an excellent 4K Android TV for people on a budget.
5) TCL 5 Series S546 QLED 4K TV
When TCL announced that the 5 Series would adopt Google TV, an Android-based OS from Google, people around the tech world were genuinely excited. Not only was this due to TCL’s history of affordable yet great quality screens, but also because of the technology being QLED.
QLED as a display offers an excellent middle ground between traditional LED and OLED TVs by providing excellent contrast ratios, thanks to local dimming and wide viewing angles. Under $1000, this TV from TCL is not a compromise but a great value proposition for anyone looking for a reasonably priced 4K Android TV.
HDR's image quality is amazingly vivid, and the TV offers connectivity with Wi-Fi ac standards for fast streaming. Unfortunately, being a budget QLED TV, there is considerable compromise on sound quality after 50 percent volume is reached while offering only a 60 Hz refresh rate.
These are some of the budget and premium TVs that are a great buy in 2022 and possibly a few months beyond 2023 until newer models are released. Till then, these TVs should serve well for people looking to get an excellent 4K TV before annual upgrades arrive at higher prices on the models above.
