Not one to let a lack of content get in the way of a movement, Kogan is currently showing off the first sub-$1000 4K TV available to Australian consumers at CES.
With an 55″ LED display, 3840×2160 resolution, 4 HDMI ports, micro-SD card slot, Wi-Fi, and Ethernet, it sounds great on paper. And not one to miss a trend, the TV also is technically a “Smart TV”, running Android 4.2, with Google Play access. We assume this means you can also access Google Play movies in up to 1080p, which, along with other content and inputs, will be upscaled to 4K. The TV also has a silver bezel and stand, while the back of the TV is a white colour, with no plans for other colours at this stage.
Speaking about the TV, Kogan CEO and founder, Ruslan Kogan, said that “CES shouldn’t be just about technology that the average person will never see or could never afford. For once, it’s now the rest of the world looking to Australia [with envy].”
Luke Hopewell of Gizmodo Australia got an eyes-on of the TV in Las Vegas, describing it as “shockingly thin” with a tiny bezel. However the screen quality was likely hard to judge in this environment.
The TV is expected to ship to Australia from late-January at the friendly price of $999. Although you might want to wait for reviews simply because it’s still so early for the 4K TV. And also keep in mind that 4K content is still on the horizon, especially in Australia, and may be missing for some time. Upscaling is a great stop-gap, but if there are compromises to hit this price point, it might be worth it to get a 1080p TV from Kogan or other manufacturers for the moment.
It’s still so awesome to see Kogan creating an incentive for competition, especially in a country which is regularly ignored by innovation.