Last week at I/O 2016, Google announced new Android TV and Google Cast partners, and Polaroid was amongst them. The company has now announced a range of UHD TVs powered by Google Cast – no TV user interface or apps.

Polaroid’s Google Cast TVs
Following in the footsteps of Vizio, Polaroid (yes, the camera brand) wants to sell TVs with no user interface or apps. The way to get content onto the TV is via you smartphone or tablet and Google Cast. You just press the small cast logo.

With Google Cast you can push videos, TV series, TV channels, and music onto the big screen. Most major streaming networks already support Google Cast, including Netflix, Hulu, HBO, Google Play Movies, and YouTube. The glaring omission is Amazon Video.


- “We’re excited to announce we are working closely with Google to bring our first 4K UHD connected TV line to market later this summer,” said Scott W. Hardy, Polaroid President and CEO. “By teaming up with a company such as Google, we are able to offer consumers the latest in TV technology so they can easily share and enjoy their favorite content, and more importantly, deliver tremendous value to those looking to upgrade to a higher-resolution.”

The line of Polaroid TVs come with Ultra HD resolution, 120Hz refresh rate, HEVC decoding, and HDMI 2.0. It is not clear if the TVs support VP9 decoding required for streaming YouTube in 4K.

The Polaroid TVs will start shipping in the US this summer in 43, 40, 55, 65, and 75-inch sizes. The 43-65” models will cost $499-999 dollars, confirms Polaroid. The 75” model will be available in Q4 2016 for $1899. More information is available at polaroid.com.