Big, bright and beautiful: Philips’ new Android-powered 4K TV looks like a winner

Another 4K TV? There’s not even any 4K stuff to watch
Don’t be so negative. For starters, that’s not even true, and anyway, just look at this thing. It’s Philips’ new flagship TV, a 65in beast packed to the gills with the company’s image-enhancing technology, a four-sided Ambilight and a smart TV platform powered by Android. And yes, it’s 4K too, thanks to its 3840 x 2160 resolution.

Android, you say?
Yep, Google’s mobile operating system (version 4.2.2 Jelly Bean, to be precise) has been squeezed into this telly’s cold robot brain. Officially certified by Google (which means it works properly), it gives the user access to apps, games, TV shows and movies from the Play Store, and sits alongside Philips’ own smart TV platform. This set-up has already been used on another Philips 4K TV, the 55in 8800 series model.

And what was that about four-way Ambilight?
Philips has been fitting these LED lights on its higher-end TVs for years. Usually shining from the back of the set against the wall, they replicate the dominant on-screen colours which (a) helps boost perceived picture quality and (b) looks really awesome. This model has four Ambilights, one on each edge of the screen.

READ MORE: The 20 hottest gadgets of June 2014

What about picture quality?
We haven’t tested it yet, so we can’t say how well all this stuff works, but Philips claims the tech stuffed inside here offers “the deepest blacks and brightest whites”. Micro dimming is able to darken small parts of the screen while leaving the rest of the picture bright, and this being a 4K screen there’s also technology able to upscale any non-4K source into that resolution.

OK, you’ve sold me. When can I get one?
The Philips 9800 series (or 65PUS9809 to give it its full name) will be available in the third quarter of 2014. The price is yet to be confirmed – but somehow we don’t reckon it’ll be pocket change.

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