- “Up to” 8 years of software updates for Hisense TVs
- Applies only to TVs running Vidaa Smart TV platform
- Most of Hisense’s TVs sold in the US use software such as Google TV or Four TV instead
When you spend big money on a new TV – or even small bucks – you will be sure your purchase will last: While we tend to change our phones every year or two, most people stay with the same TV for almost a decade. So it’s great to see Hisense promising to deliver eight years of software updates to its TVs.
Kinda.
There is a bit of ambiguity here, and the message is also specific to Hisense’s TVs running Hisense’s Vidaa operating system. In the United States, most Hisense -TVs run other software: where there are currently 11 Vidaa models listed on the Hisense USA -the site, there are 157 models running Android TV, four TV, Google TV or Roku TV.
So what is really promised here and how is it comparable?
What is Hisense “Up to”?
The news comes via Flatpanelshd, but Hisense actually made his promise at the beginning of this year in a press release. According to the company, it was “putting a new industry standard by offering up to eight years of updates to its smart TV viewing platform.”
It went on to explain that with eight years of updates meant:
- Improved security: Regular updates protect personal data and maintain platform integrity in a rapidly changing digital landscape.
- App Compatibility: You can hold streaming services and entertainment apps current with the latest features and functionality.
- Performance Boosts: You will be sure to take advantage of new features and improvements that improve your viewing experience over time.
- Lifetime & Value: The life of your TV will therefore be expanded without the need to undergo hardware upgrades.
And that’s all good, but of course the devil is in detail: The term “up-to-8-year-old update program” was used by Vidaa Product VP Tal Bone, and “up-to-8-Zear” is not the same as eight years for everyone.
Hisense is basically right when it says it sets a new industry standard because its eight years are longer than the seven years offered by Samsung on its Tizen TVs and the four WebOS upgrades promised by LG (which is basically equivalent to five years of upgrades if you buy a TV the same year as it launches).
But as I mentioned above, there are warnings here: It will apply much more broadly in Europe than in the US, we do not know which sets may get fewer than eight years of updates and it does not specify whether it only applies to new 2025 -TVs or to older models.
It is still something that we are happy to see the company commit to-all improvement in ensuring that the smart TV page of today’s models lasts, as well as image-creating page.
