The Huawei Vision S is the Chinese tech giant's new smart TV.
HuaweiHuawei’s consumer electronics business has been working on building an entire ecosystem of products to complement its smartphones over the past few years (Huawei calls the initiative 1+8+N), but the Chinese tech giant has made a noticeably harder push at doing so in recent months, probably because its once thriving smartphone business has been decimated by U.S. sanctions.
In the last few months alone, Huawei has released audio sunglasses, luxury smartwatches, over-the-ear headphones, smart speakers, and now, a smart television named the Vision S.
Just looking at the Vision S, it looks like any other modern television: it’s thin, with minimum bezels, and the display produces very punchy colors. But the Vision S stands out from other TVs in three areas: it has a display that refreshes at 120Hz (also can be called 120 frames-per-second); it has a 1080p detachable webcam for video calls; and it connects with Huawei smartphones seamlessly.
I had the chance to check out the Vision S for a couple of hours in Hong Kong recently, and here are my impressions.
Huawei Vision S
Ben SinMore natural motion smoothing
Let’s go over these features one by one: the 120Hz refresh rate is important because it allows superior MEMC (Motion Estimation, Motion Compensation), or otherwise better known as “motion smoothing.”
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Most modern online videos we watch are shot in 30fps (frames-per-second), because that’s the default standard of digital cameras. Feature length movies that are shown in cinemas, however, are shot in 24fps because that’s an old standard set by Hollywood studios. Most modern TVs, however, have a screen that can refresh at 60Hz, and so they sometimes use motion smoothing to convert a video to play at 60fps. This is fine for 30fps videos because it’s easy enough to just double the frames. But movies can look really weird because 60 is not a multiple of 24.
Huawei Vision S
Ben SInThis is where 120Hz is advantageous, not only is it twice as smooth as 60Hz, but 120 is also a multiple of 24 and 30, meaning it can apply MEMC technology to both types of videos and not create an unnatural result.
Huawei’s Vivion S uses its own in-house algorithm to turn videos to a 120fps video. I only had brief time with a short movie clip, and it looked natural enough. It’s still not ideal in my opinion as a film buff (I believe if a filmmaker made a film at 24fps, then we should watch it in 24fps), but it’s nice to know the option is there for those who want 120Hz fluidity.
Hi-res video call
The Huawei Vision S can conduct hi-res video calls
HuaweiThe 1080p camera that comes included with the TV package attaches to the back of the TV via magnetic pogo pins (it can be removed easily). Considering most laptop webcams are of low quality (720p or lower resolution), that makes video shot with the 1080p camera noticeably smoother.
The 1080p camera
Ben SinA Huawei Vision S can video call another Vision S or a Huawei smartphone directly without the need for additional software. Inside China, the Huawei Vision S supports all the popular Chinese third-party video apps, but for those living in the west who may be used to Skype or other video services, there’s no guarantee their preferred platform will be supported.
Integration into Huawei’s eco-system
But if you and your family/friends use Huawei smartphones, the Vision S blends into the ecosystem seamlessly. For example. you can sync up a Huawei smartphone to the TV by just tapping the phone’s back on the NFC pad of the remote control. The two will connect in seconds, and once synced, you can either show your phone’s content on the large TV screen, or transfer files between the two, or use the phone as a game controller while you play game on the large TV screen. Video calls between the Vision S and Huawei smartphones are, as mentioned, just a couple of taps away.
Huawei Vision remote control
Ben SinUsers can even transfer a video call from phone to TV, or the other way around, mid-call without needing to restart the call. From my testing, all of these seamless connectivity worked quite well without hiccups.
Huawei Vision doing a video call with a Huawei phone.
Ben Sin
Using a Huawei phone as controller
HuaweiFor those who use Huawei smartphones
The Huawei Vision S is already on sale in China and Malaysia, in either 55-inch or 65-inch size screens, at prices to convert to around $740 (55 inch) or $950 (65 inch). These prices put the Huawei Vision S in the mid-tier range—more expensive than a TCL smart TV, but noticeably cheaper than a Samsung or LG smart TV.
The TV will likely see a release in Hong Kong and parts of Europe in the near future, and I think the Huawei Vision S is definitely worth considering for people who already own Huawei smartphones and plan on keep using Huawei smartphones.
For those who don’t use Huawei phones, they lose some of the features, but the Huawei Vision S is still a solid standalone television with a large, hi-res, smooth display. I do wish the display panel used OLED instead of LCD, but 4K OLED televisions are usually priced much higher anyway.
Whatever the case, Huawei is determined to keep diversifying its products to be less reliant on American technology, like most Android smartphones need to. We know the company will succeed in China; it’ll be interesting to see how it fares outside of it.
The Link LonkMay 10, 2021 at 10:30AM
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Huawei’s New Smart Television Has A 120Hz Screen And Seamless Connectivity With Its Phones - Forbes
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