Toshiba Bringing Newly Redesigned Smart TVs To Europe

- May 01, 2018

Toshiba appears ready to launch at least three new lines of television sets for consumers in Europe, bringing its ranges up to date with the latest features and design language. Those appear to include the U58, U68, U78, T68, and the X98 Series, with each set to launch this year. For clarity, the company hasn't provided pricing or availability information just yet. However, via its official European partner Vestel, it has given a few details about what buyers can expect when the TVs do launch. Each of the TVs which arrives with 4K support will, for example, also ship with Dolby Vision HD. The U68 Series will be extended to include up to 75-inch sets while the U78 will feature a much wider color gamut and the T68 Series is a value offering with forward-facing speakers.

Meanwhile, aside from overall design being updated, the sound quality is a big focus for Toshiba this year. All of the televisions will have improved sound quality thanks to the inclusion of DTS TruSurround HD as a standard feature. However, many will be shipping with forward-facing speakers and some of those will be designed by the audio experts at Onkyo. The X98 OLED Series, in particular, will arrive with what Toshiba calls XSound Pro. That will include upgraded speakers and new internal subwoofers. Breaking down the features of each further, nearly all of the UHD and Full HD Smart line-up the company has planned for 2018 are said to feature Amazon's Alexa. That means they'll be completely controllable via voice commands. At the same time, the company's tech-savvy smart TVs are getting a new portal design with a customizable menu that can be scrolled while continuing to watch whatever's on. A Netflix button will be available on the new remotes, as well, making it easier than voice controls to get to the app.

Toshiba's most affordable sets are getting an update as well. Although there haven't been many details provided just yet, the company has hinted that the experience with its budget-friendly LED and DVD TV series will be gaining improvements. Whether or not these changes or any that remain unannounced are enough to catch Toshiba up with the new standards set by LG and Samsung remains to be seen. With that said, the overall design of the sets shown in the images released is promising and it appears that there will be something there for everybody when more details emerge and the TVs begin showing up on store shelves.