Haier will launch Android TV products later this year according to a recent announcement from the company during CES 2018 this week. While already offering a range of different products that are integrated Google’s popular Chromecast technology so users can stream content from their Chromecast-enabled smartphones and tablets, Haier says it wants to expand on its partnership with Google and offer new and improved products that will not only include Chromecast, but Android TV as the base computing platform for the smarts inside its new TVs. This means not only will consumers have the option to stream their favorite content like before from their mobile devices, but straight from the TV thanks to a multitude of applications that can be downloaded to the TV itself from the Play Store.
Haier says this new partnership with Google is global which means its products with Android TV built-in should reach most regions around the world where it’s already established its brand, though Haier doesn’t actually give any specifics here beyond the fact that it will be launching its new lineup of TVs in North America first.
There will be multiple TVs in its new lineup for the year, and will include TVs with displays that carry resolutions of both Full HD and 4K UHD, though it doesn’t state how many TVs there will be total, nor what sizes of displays will be on offer, or what the starting costs will be for any of the upcoming sets. In addition to FHD and UHD resolution displays all of the new TVs with Android TV built-in will be based on Android Oreo software, and it will come with Google Assistant so users can search for and access music, movies, and TV shows to play right through the TV and corresponding apps, as well as control a number of different smart home devices should the user already have some in the home, from smart light bulbs to smart thermostats to smart security cameras and more. Haier was quiet on an exact time frame for launch, but consumers in North American can expect the TVs to hit shelves and online retailers in mid-2018, which likely means more towards the Summer.