Curved TVs, UHDs and phablets from Hisense at CES 2014
At CES, Hisense showed off a range of new Android-based televisions, tablets and smartphones to preview what consumers will see in 2014.
- Webby Award honoree, 2x Gold Telly Award winner
At CES, Hisense showed off a range of new Android-based televisions, tablets and smartphones to preview what consumers will see in 2014.
While there are some products that won't be making their way to Australia — for example the range of TVs with Roku streaming built-in — there are still plenty of models that will arrive on our shores later in the year.
"For us, it's about becoming more meaningful for the consumer," said Andre Iannuzzi, head of marketing at Hisense Australia. "Better features, better priced."
The company has overhauled its Smart TV platform, which is now based on Android and simply branded under the Vision name. The interface will be familiar to anyone who has used an Android device previously, with a range of apps including YouTube, Twitter and the Google Play Store available. In conjunction with the company's Air Mouse remote, users can wave the device at the TV to select options.
The remote also responds to voice searches for content or apps. You can even compose and send tweets using voice commands from the remote. Alongside a range of TV-optimised apps, Hisense will provide content from a yet-to-be-announced partner in Australia to deliver film and TV options. In the US, these partners include Netflix and Vudu.
Being one of the biggest trends at CES this year, it's no surprise that Hisense has a curved TV in the works. It is a 65-inch model, with one more that is still to be announced. The curved models will all be Smart TVs, with an emphasis on sound quality. While we weren't able to extract any more detail on the audio specs, the curved TVs all featured prominent side speakers.
Hisense also plans to release an update to its Sero 7 Pro tablet this year, as well as introduce a new 8-inch model as well.
On the 4K or Ultra HD front, Hisense will introduce a 75 and 85-inch model this year with built-in NFC and Wi-Fi running on the Vision Smart TV platform.
Also announced, but not currently slated for a release down under, is the 6.8-inch X1 smartphone running Android 4.3, Snapdragon 2.3GHz processor, 13-megapixel real camera and a 3900 mAh battery.
Exact availability for all models arriving in Australia is yet to be announced.