OnePlus is eager to get into the TV game. Now details regarding a OnePlus TV solution have emerged on the Bluetooth SIG website.
The documentation also provides additional information that was previously unknown. For example, the documentation refers to these TV sets as “unique android TV” devices. This has led to the suggestion OnePlus TV sets will come running on the Android TV platform.
Even if correct, Android TV enthusiasts shouldn’t get too excited just yet. In spite of the description referencing “android TV,” it could just as easily be referring to Android in general. Not the TV-optimized version.
There’s very little that’s unique about the official Android TV platform and therefore the “unique” reference is just as relevant as “android TV.”
This likely means one of two things. Either this is not an official Android TV product, or it is a highly-customized version of the operating system. The latter is commonly employed by operators and results in a more closed-off version of Android TV – designed to push users towards operator services. In contrast, this is not usually the approach taken by most TV makers when releasing new Android TV devices.
This means the use of “unique android TV” is unlikely to be referring to the version of Android TV that most consumers will be familiar with.
The documentation does also reference a number of different models and these references appear to point to different size options. In addition to what appears to be confirmation of some of the countries where the TV sets will be sold.
For example, the model numbers indicate a OnePlus TV product will be available in 43, 55, 65 and 75-inch versions. While the TV sets will be available to buy in the U.S., China and India. These countries are only the ones listed in the documentation and not necessarily a complete list of countries where the TVs will be sold. Equally, the listings do not suggest all sizes will be available in all the countries listed.
Other reveals from the documentation point to these being LED TVs equipped with Bluetooth 5 support.
It still remains unclear when OnePlus plans to launch these TV products. The company had initially pointed to a 2019 product launch. However, that time-frame was changed to 2020 late last year.
More recent company comments have led to the suggestion a 2019 launch might be back on again.
Along with those launch-related comments, OnePlus executives did also state the company doesn’t “want to release something that’s more or less already out there in the market.” A sentient that further suggests this is unlikely to be an official Android TV product line as Google’s requirements for Android TV certification are fairly strict. This is designed to ensure new products do arrive as “something that’s more or less already out there in the market.”
The takeaway – although these TVs run on Android, it is likely to be a version of Android (for a TV) that many often find problematic. At least when compared to the fully TV-optimized version on offer with Android TV.