On the TV market there are brands we all know and trust. But there is a thing you don't know about them: trademark owners are now no longer engaged in the development, manufacture and maintenance of TVs, but provide licenses for the production to other companies. Most of them are in China, where the development departments and TV assembly lines are located. So let's start with the well-known brand Philips.

Top-tier brands:

Philips

Dutch brand Philips stopped making TVs at its own production sites back in 2010. The rights to the brand were taken over by the Chinese company TP Vision. The assembly of Philips TVs has been established at its factories.

The transition benefited Philips. The brand keeps up with the titans of the industry and produces high-quality TVs with screens based on both simple panels and flagship panels such as OLED and MiniLED. The highlight of Philips TVs is Ambilight, a proprietary backlight that visually expands the boundaries of the image by illuminating the wall behind the device in those tones of the color palette that prevail on the corresponding side of the screen while watching content.

Ambilight is the highlight of Philips TVs.

Philips flagships are powered by the Android TV operating system with a built-in Google Assistant, with SAPHI system shell, an easy-to-use interface that provides viewers with access to on-air, cable and satellite broadcasting, online cinemas, and their own application gallery . Finally, the simplest Philips TV sets with screen sizes of 32 and 43 inches are supplied without Smart TV at all.

Xiaomi

At the facilities of Xiaomi, a huge list of electronics and smart home appliances is assembled. Smart TVs of this brand are very popular due to the winning combination of price and features. All of them are based on the Android TV software platform, which provides access to online media libraries, streaming services and an extensive application gallery.

In terms of quality and features, Xiaomi TVs compete on equal terms with top-tier smart TVs.

In Xiaomis portfolio there is a suitable TV offer for any low-cost - from the low cost TV series 4A with a 32-inch HD screen to the Mi TV Q1 line with QLED panels that support HDR10+, HLG and Dolby Vision. The top Xiaomi acoustic subsystem works with Dolby Atmos and DTS-HD Master Audio surround sound formats.

Standing apart in the Xiaomi squad are the Redmi sub-brand TVs. The crown of their evolution is the 98-inch Redmi Smart TV Max, supposed to be used as a screen of home theater systems.

Xiaomi TVs

TCL

TCL, headquartered in Huangzhou, has full production cycles for their TVs. Its products are presented in the low cost, medium and pre-top segments of TV market. Screens for TVs of the brand are produced at China Star Optoelectronics Technology's own factory. From there they travel to the company's other production sites in Poland, Vietnam, India and other countries. TCL buys QLED panels for pre-top TVs from Samsung.

TCL is one of the largest manufacturers of TVs on the Android TV software platform on a global scale.

The operating system for TCL TVs is Android TV, which provides convenient access to streaming services, global and local network resources, and files on USB media. TCL also manages the popular Thomson TV brand, under which mainly low-end models are produced.

Hisense

At home, Hisense is a significant trademark in the field of consumer electronics and home appliances. The brand's TVs are on store shelves under their own brand and the Toshiba brand - the Chinese company has owned the corresponding license since 2017. Hisense's original TVs overwhelmingly rely on the homegrown VIDAA operating system, and there are also TVs based on the Android TV operating system. Toshiba TVs also work on Android TV.

Hisense owns the rights to use the Toshiba brand in TV production.

The main suppliers of screens for those TVs are InnoLux Corporation and AUO. These are mid-range panels, often with support of HDR10+ and Dolby Vision. There are also advanced QLED TVs in the Hisense product line, which are way cheaper than TVs from A-brands.

Interesting fact. From 2015 to 2019, Hisense produced Sharp TVs for the US market. However, due to the decline in the quality of end products and the discrediting of the name of a well-known brand in the past, an agreement was reached for the buyback of the TV business by Sharp.

Strong middle class TVs from China:

Realme

Realme is a relatively new name among global electronics manufacturers. In fact, the brand is owned by the parent company OPPO. The first pair of Realme TVs rolled out in 2020. They belong to the lower segment of the market, however, they are a solid "ten out of ten".

The first Realme TVs were released with screen sizes of 32 and 43 inches.

The TVs of the brand use the Android TV operating system with a pre-installed Google Play Market application store. Initially, Realme TVs lineup included one 32-inch HD TV and one 43-inch (Full HD) TV. The brand's TVs are equipped with a built-in Chromecast player and support the Google Assistant voice assistant.

Haier

At the dawn of its formation, the Chinese company Haier specialized in refrigeration equipment. With the expansion of the list of manufactured products, the brand started to produce relatively inexpensive TVs. Haier appliances do not make claims for leadership qualities and represent the low cost echelon of TVs with Smart TV, being a worthy competitor to other popular entry-level models.

Haier TVs run on a stock Android TV operating system.

The software of Haier TVs is a stock Android TV operating system. Out of the box, viewers have access to the main Google services, including YouTube, a built-in browser and Play Market app store. Regular software updates and Chromecast support are also guaranteed. The remote control for Haier TVs is often equipped with a built-in microphone for voice control and interaction with Google Assistant.

Haier TVs

Third tier:

Blaupunkt

The once popular German audio brand Blaupunkt was controlled by Bosch-Siemens until 2008. With the transition to the Aurelius AG investment group, Blaupunkt assembly lines were moved to factories in China, which affected the quality of products. Yes, so much so that in 2016 the brand faced a huge crisis - assembly lines stopped at the factories, and the staff was dismissed.

The German brand Blaupunkt originated almost 100 years ago, but modern TVs from it have nothing to do with Germany.

Modern Blaupunkt TVs are assembled from cheap Chinese components by various companies - the rights to use the brand are provided by GIP Development SARL. For example, TV sets from the low cost Blaupunkt segment come to local markets mainly from the Czech Republic. The undeniable positive quality of the brand's smart TVs is a full-fledged Android TV system with support of voice search and Chromecast broadcasting.

_____

Chinese TVs completely outperform competitors in matters of product cost. There is definitely no need to be afraid of the current "made in China" tag. The main thing is to approach the choice of a TV wisely and with the right prioritization. Need an ultra-cheap TV with Smart TV? Please, there are a lot of options. Need a flagship TV with a top-notch QLED panel as a screen? That model is available too.