Buying a more affordable smart TV alternative this Black Friday

While smart TVs offer users an all-inclusive package to access the Internet and on-demand streaming, the budget ranges tend to come equipped with the barebones hardware needed for built-in Internet connectivity and app support.

However, media boxes offer an affordable solution that can also lower the overall cost of buying a TV with smart capabilities this Black Friday.

For instance, looking at sub-R5,000 smart TVs, the Skyworth 43-inch E5500G Google smart TV has 1.5 gigabytes of RAM, whereas the brand’s TVs costing above R10,000 come with 2 gigabytes of RAM.

As smart TV apps become more demanding over time, this hardware may be unable to keep up.

Given the demands of the software, the longevity of the TV’s use can be affected if the built-in smart system becomes slow and effectively useless.

To solve this issue, users can opt for a smart TV box that can be used with any TV.

These come equipped with suitable hardware and can be purchased for just over R1,000.

However, buying the cheapest smart TV box can sometimes do more damage than good.

Many prominent tech researchers found that these boxes can contain security vulnerabilities and even deliberately installed backdoors that could deploy malware or steal personal data.

Therefore, when buying an Android TV box, it is important to check Google’s spreadsheet of certified Android TV boxes on its website.

These boxes offer guaranteed support for all official apps and official Android TV operating system versions, giving some performance assurances.

By buying one of these streaming devices, customers also have the option of purchasing a regular non-smart TV.

They essentially allow you to add a smart TV-like experience to any screen.

For instance, the Xiaomi TV stick 4K media player is currently being sold for R1,099 on Takealot and offers 2GB RAM, Android TV 11, and 4K support.

The device, similar in size to a memory stick, plugs into the HDMI port of a TV and can then be controlled by the remote. It provides access to Netflix, Prime Video, and a host of other apps on the Google Play Store.

Amazon has a similar device called the Amazon Fire TV Stick, equipped with 2GB RAM, a quad-core processor, and 4K streaming capabilities.

For those who use Amazon smart devices, it can also be integrated into its ecosystem.

This includes using the Alexa Voice Remote to control the Fire Stick and other smart devices. It is currently being sold on Takealot for R992.

Xiaomi also has a smart TV box version of the abovementioned stick for the same price and similar hardware specifications, including 2GB RAM and 4K streaming.

The Xiaomi 4K TV Box S is equipped with Google TV, which provides access to a host of apps on the Play Store as well as the popular streaming platforms. It also includes a voice control feature using the built-in Google Assistant.

Unlike the stick, the device is a standalone box that connects to the TV via an HDMI port.

Netogy’s Nova 4K Android TV box, currently listed on Takealot for R1,149, offers very similar specs to other devices in the same price range, also coming equipped with 2GB RAM and a Google Voice remote.