Most weeks see very little news on newer ways to get hold of Android’s latest platform, Android TV. Generally speaking, the biggest Android TV news each week, has typically been the release of a new app or game which early adopters might be interested in. However, this week there has been a significant shift in the number of announcements coming through on the next generation of Android TV devices. If you had been wondering when the Android TV news would really begin, then rest assured, it has now.
Built-In Android TV
In terms of an actual TV format (i.e. Android TV, built-in), the first of this week’s news came from Sony who finally provided a greater insight into their pricing structure. In terms of specifics, Sony effectively announced a low budget range of Android TV powered TVs along with a more premium X range of devices. For the more budget minded, Sony announced the W800C and W850C devices. The W800C will be offered in a 50-inch and 55-inch version and these will be priced at $999.99 and $1,299.99 respectively. For the W850C model, this will be priced at $1,899.99 for a 65-inch version while a larger 75-inch model will cost $2,999.99. For the more premium X range (4K display offerings), Sony announced models X830C, X850C, X900C, X910C, X930C and X940C. The X850C model will come as a 42.5-inch priced at $1,299.99 and a 48.5-inch variant priced at $1,599.99. The X850C model will come in a 55-inch model (priced at $2,199.99), a 65-inch model ($3,499.99) and a 75-inch model (priced at $4,999.99). The X930C comes in a 65-inch model and priced at $4,499.99. Lastly, the X940C is a 75-inch model and priced at $7,999.99. Sony did also announced the X900C and X910C models although no pricing details were provided on these ones yet. The units are due to begin going on sale starting from next month and periodically released over the summer.
Sticking with the baked in options, TP Vision (Philips to most people) were also reported this week confirming their pledge to be highly invested in Android TV. Although, firm details on pricing and availability were not offered. TP Vision did confirm that 80% of their TV units in 2015, will be powered by Android TV. Not to mention, this was confirmed as at least 38 models in the first half of 2015 alone. As it is currently April, expect a big launch of TP Vision Android TVs happening in the next few weeks.
Standalone Android TV
The Android TV news this week was not all baked-in news. There has been plenty of news coming from the standalone market too. For instance, it was very recently reported that Razer’s gaming option, the Forge TV unit is now available for pre-order directly from Razer’s website. This means you can now pick up the Razer Forge TV in standalone form for $99.99. If you are looking for the unit and controller option, then this is available for $149.99. The standalone unit is expected to begin shipping next week (April 29th), while the bundled option ships the week after (May 5th). Of course, you can always pre-order from Amazon too.
There was also news on the Nvidia Shield option this week. Although, this news is a little more complicated. The Nvidia Shield is the other main gaming option which is due to hit the Android TV market in the near future. At present, the device is available in a 16GB internal storage model. However, on Thursday came the news that Nvidia has started showing a 500GB model on their website. This news sent the Android TV world into a bit of a frenzy. This was largely because this would offer a great option for those who want to store large amounts of games and content, locally. However, it seems all the reports were a little premature as it now seems that this 500GB model is a ‘developers edition’ model and will not be available to the general public. As such, your option currently only remains with the 16GB version which is priced at $199.99.
Of course, it should always be pointed out that you can always pick up the original Android TV device, the Nexus Player. The Nexus Player was also reported this week as the device seems to be currently on sale for as little as $78.74. Not to mention, with that price you also get $20 in Google Play Credit as an extra bonus. Which has got to be the deal of the week.
Nexus Player $80 with Google Play Credit
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