Smart tv vs Android tv: What is the difference between Smart tv and Android tv.

difference between android tv and smart tv

For gadget lovers, especially when it comes to household gadgets like the TV; having to choose between smart tv and android tv may somehow be a tussle if you don’t know the difference.

The desire for the newest features of tv will inevitably lead to the age-old dispute of whether Android TV or a smart TV is superior.

Android TV and Smart TV have been at competition for some time. But that’s a guarantee given that top brands in each category come up with distinctive features.

With the advancement in technology, the television industry has continuously been on its toes with new features to make watching TV enjoyable for the average person due to the ever-increasing necessity for entertainment. However, selecting a TV might be difficult for those who are not tech savvy.

You could argue that an Android TV is essentially a smart TV given how similar the two devices are in terms of functionality. But not every smart TV is an Android TV. There are still some difference between a smart TV and Android TV, which may influence your decision.

So, in this post, we are going to look in-depth the differences between a smart tv and an Android tv. Let’s get started!

In this content...

What is an Android Tv?

Android TV is an operating system for smart TVs and set-top boxes. It is based on the Android mobile operating system. It was first announced on November 3, 2013, at Google I/O 2013 as an update to Google TV and was later released first in June 2014.

It was designed so that it is compatible with any hardware manufacturer who wishes to use it, including those who manufacture their own Android devices such as Motorola and Samsung.

Android TV operating system offers a lot of features that you can use to make your TV more interactive and fun to watch.

These features include voice search, voice commands, and live updating. Android TV is a type of smart tv which is also different from regular TVs because they also come with Google Assistant built in.

This means that you can use your voice to search for content, play music and control other devices in your home.

What is a Smart tv?

Smart TVs are sometimes referred to as “connected TVs” or “TVs with a computer inside”.

A smart TV is a TV that can connect to the internet and receive streaming content from services like Netflix, Hulu, YouTube and many more.

Read: How to Watch uzzu Tv on Roku

Smart TVs, better known as “Internet televisions “, are a type of television that can connect directly to the internet without the need for a video game console, DVD player or set-top box.

They are the latest in-home entertainment tv. They have internet connectivity and can run apps just like a smartphone.

Now that you have the technical knowledge of Android tv and smart tv, let’s take a look at the major differences between them.

Differences between smart tv and android tv

TVs are getting smarter by the day. This is because of the introduction of Android TVs and by extension smart tv. Both offers a wide range of features and functionalities which provides exceptional viewing experience.

Here, we will break down the differences between smart tv and android tv into 6 categories which will ultimately decide which is better between smart tv vs android tv.

These categories include:

Operating System
App support
Automatic App upgrade/Updates
Voice Assistant
Screen Casting
Navigation

OPERATING SYSTEM

Android TV and smart TV are mutually exclusive, with Android TV possessing almost all the features of a smart TV but still using the Android operating system developed by Google.

On the other hand, smart TV manufacturers have their own internal operating system. For example, Samsung comes with an operating system called Tizen, whereas LG has its own OS called WebOS.

APP SUPPORT

Since Android Tv is built on Android OS thanks to Google, it gives it an advantage to support Android Apps from Google playstore and you can control your Android Tv with your Android smartphone or smartwatch.

From Netflix and Amazon Prime Video to YouTube, Chrome, and Instagram – you can download apps easily just like on your Smartphone.

However, smart tv may be at disadvantage when it comes to app support. Support for Apps are restricted in smart tv compare for Android tv due to the fact that there are less popular built-in apps.

AUTOMATIC APP UPDATE/UPGRADE

Android TV is superior to a smart TV in terms of updating applications and streaming media resources since development of the platform is quite active and developers frequently work on new updates of various applications.

Additionally, while connected to WiFi, Android TV offers automatic application upgrades, whereas smart TVs find it challenging to receive new updates in this area since it runs on different OS makers.

Related read: DIfferences between update and upgrade

VOICE ASSISTANT

Another notable difference is that Android TVs come with Google Assistant built-in. This means that you can use your voice to search for content, play music and control other devices in your home.

However, smart tv also support voice assistant, but you will need to spend on some extra device like Alexa or Siri and pair it with your device before voice assistant can work.

SCREEN CASTING

Screen mirroring is another big difference between between these two tvs. Screen casting is very easy in android tv since it comes with Chromecast feature and Google assistant built-in feature.

Screen casting in android tv allows you to get crystal clear images and video streaming in high definition on another screen. Comparing screen casting on smart tv, pairing and connecting devices may be a headache as screen casting is not straightforward.

NAVIGATION

In terms of ease of use and user experience, smart tv takes the lead. Smart tv has more user-friendly interface and it is easy to navigate when compared with Android tv.

Switching between apps is easy since most of the apps appear on the homescreen, you don’t need to waste time setting it up.

Android tv on the other hand may be difficult to navigate due to the numerous apps. Especially when you are not so familiar with the Android ecosystem interface.

In this regard of navigation, you may want to choose smart tv over android tv.

TABULAR COMPARISON BETWEEN SMART TV VS ANDROID TV

SMART TV	ANDROID TV
Smart TV manufacturers have their own internal operating system. i.e Samsung comes with an operating system called Tizen, whereas LG has its own OS called WebOS.	Android TV is built on Android operating system developed by Google.
Support for Apps are restricted in smart tv compare for Android tv.	It has support for Android Apps from Google playstore
Smart TVs find it challenging to receive new updates in this area since it runs on different OS makers	Android TV offers automatic application upgrades.
Smart tv also support voice assistant, but you will need to spend on some extra device like Alexa or Siri and pair it with your device.	Comes with in-built Google voice assistant and you can use your voice to search for content, play music and control other devices in your home.
Pairing and connecting devices may be an headache as screen casting is not straightforward.	Screen casting is very easy in android tv since it comes with Chromecast feature and Google assistant built-in feature.
Smart tv has more user-friendly interface and it is easy to navigate	Android tv may be difficult to navigate due to its numerous apps.

WHICH ONE IS BETTER – ANDROID TV OR SMART TV

So, haven analysed the differences between smart tv and android tv, you may want to know which is better and which one to go for between them.

The question to you will be “What do you need your tv for”? If you value high performance and you don’t mind having limited apps, smart tv is the right choice for you.

Alternatively, if you want extra more features like access to huge apps library and downloads, quick updates and screen casting, Android tv may be your choice.

But you really need to be familiar with the Android interface if you did like to use it. So, the decision is yours to make based on these criteria. I hope this article is helpful for you.