Smart televisions have become cheaper in India. Xiaomi showed everyone the way with the Mi TV series. But now, the tag of most-affordable smart TV goes to another brand. The biggest surprise, however, is that it’s made by an Indian company.
Yes, that’s right, there’s a company called Samy Informatics, which has launched its 32-inch smart television (TV) in the Indian market for Rs 4,999. You must be thinking this is some April fool’s joke or an alleged ponzi-scheme like the Freedom 251 phone, that too in February but no, the company showcased it and even its website shows the product listed with a host of features.
What does it offer for this price? Get all the details below, but there’s a catch too.
Smart TV For Rs 4,999?
Well, if you look at the fine print, the Rs 4,999 price tag comes exclusive of delivery charges and GST. Put that into the context, and you’re looking at a bill of Rs 8,000 which is still not bad for a smart TV. Catch one: It can only be ordered through the company’s mobile app.
This TV from Samy gets a 32-inch HD screen and the company on its website has mentioned it will support 1366x768 pixels resolution. The bezels on the side of the screen are slightly big, but who’re we kidding? Just to have a smart TV selling for under Rs 10,000 is a big feat in itself.
Moving on, to catch number two: Besides being able to order the TV at this price only through the app, the company also wants potential buyers to link their Aadhaar number to its app.
Considering Aadhaar is no longer allowed to be used by private entities (post the Supreme Court order), we are not sure why Samy wants it, that too while buying a TV.
It looks as if the catch behind selling the TV at this price, comes at the cost of acquiring user data.
Feature Loaded Nevertheless
Being a smart TV, this 32-inch model from Samy supports Android 4.4 Kitkat version out of the box, which means you can access apps via Google Play Store. It already comes preloaded with apps like Facebook and YouTube, the company claims.
Mirroring content from a mobile to the television is also possible with this product, and you can connect to the internet via Wi-Fi and you can even use an Amazon Fire Stick-like device with the available HDMI ports.
Samy says that you can play all popular video and audio formats on this smart TV.
In terms of hardware, the TV gets 512MB RAM and storage up to 4GB, basically helping the company to keep its costs low, really low. It also includes two 10 watts speakers, SRS Dolby Digital and a 5-band equalizer for better sound quality.
We’ve reached out to the company for a unit of this TV and we’re hopeful to get it soon, after which we’ll give you a more detailed review on the product.
If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Affordable products don’t usually work out as planned, like the controversial Freedom 251 phone, which was launched for Rs 251 a few years ago. Hopefully, Samy turns out to be a legit company, delivering on its promise of an affordable television.
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)