Smart Android TVs (Philips, Sony, TCL, etc.) are regularly updated for several years, when each major new iteration of Android appears. LG announced the WebOS Re:New feature last January at the CES 2024 show in Las Vegas (see our CES 24 news > LG WebOS Re:New feature, 4 years of guaranteed updates). Panasonic has been including the Fire TV operating system on its televisions since this year, replacing the MyHomeScreen interface, a guarantee of regular monitoring by the brand and Amazon. In short, of the biggest TV brands, Samsung was therefore the last not to ensure the evolution of the operating system of its televisions, except for the resolution of major bugs and security flaws (Hisense is still in this case with its Vidaa models in Europe).
Samsung Smart TV: 7 years of guaranteed Tizen updates, thanks to interoperability££££
This is excellent news that will allow owners of a Samsung Smart TV to enjoy the latest version of the Samsung operating system for the seven years following their purchase, and all the associated new features. To be honest, with the Smart Home capabilities of televisions becoming more and more powerful, manufacturers are now obliged to offer such support. It is unimaginable for brands to manage the countless complaints from consumers who have recently purchased a Smart TV, who would see the interoperability of their (ever more) numerous connected devices with the television deficient overnight.
The floor is given to Yoon Seok-Woo, President of Samsung Electronics££££
It is therefore almost imperative for TV brands to ensure the compatibility of their screens with the main connected devices on the market and their numerous updates for a given period, set at eight years at Samsung (year of TV vintage + seven years of updates). "With the free upgrade of Tizen for seven years applied to AI TVs, we will widen the market share gap with Chinese companies," said Yong Seok-woo, President and Director of Samsung's Visual Display Business Division, during a business briefing last Thursday and reported in the columns of our Korean colleague The Korea Economic Daily. As a reminder, the Korean company's internally developed Tizen operating system is available, by the end of 2023, in more than 270 million Samsung Smart TVs (see illustration above), making it the largest smart TV platform in the world and a key player in the era of the Internet of Things (IoT).
This Tizen update feature will be available from Samsung's 2024 vintage Samrt TVs (marketed from last March). Some 2023 vintage references should also benefit from it, without further details at the time of writing.