Google's presence in the U.S. smart TV OS market just got a little bigger, with the introduction of Android TV-powered OLED sets from China's Skyworth into the domestic market.
Shenzhen-based Skyworth, a niche player in the U.S., has been a longtime smart TV OEM partner to Google internationally. And it has sold lower end sets in the U.S. on Amazon for some time, as well.
But the introduction of 55-inch and 65-inch XC9000 Series "organic light emitting diode" (OLED) TVs continues Google's emergence into the higher end of the U.S. smart TV market.
In August, for example, TCL introduced iterations of its 5-Series and 6-Series sets powered by the new Google TV overlay to Android TV. Notably, the 6-Series--previously only available in the U.S. in Roku flavor-- is based on QLED Mini LED display technology. Prices for both models significantly undercut the leaders in the premium smart TV market, Samsung, LG and Vizio.
Also read: TCL Debuts 5- and 6-Series Google TV-powered Smart TVs
As for the Skyworth XC9000-series models, both iterations include 60Hz refresh rates, peak brightness of 500 nits, support for HDR10, Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos, and three HDMI ports with support for HDMI 2.0.
Prices also undercut the Korea-based U.S. market leaders, with the 55-inch XC9000 model starting at $1,200.
