India’s television market is in overdrive this festive season, with every major brand rushing to put larger screens within reach of mainstream buyers. Following Thomson’s new JioTele OS models, Kodak has now expanded its Matrix QLED Google TV range with fresh 43-inch, 50-inch, 55-inch and 65-inch options starting at ₹16,999.
The backdrop to this rush is the government’s decision to reduce GST on televisions above 32 inches from 28 percent to 18 percent. Kodak like many other companies has reworked its portfolio around this tax cut, positioning the 55-inch model at ₹23,999 and the 65-inch at ₹32,999. These prices would have been unthinkable in the premium QLED segment just a year ago, and they mark a clear attempt to pull large-screen buyers away from higher-priced rivals.
Kodak TV features
On the feature side, the new models focus on delivering the basics of a premium viewing experience. Kodak’s 4K QLED displays come with HDR10 Plus support and wide colour gamut reproduction. The televisions are powered by Dolby Atmos, Dolby Digital Plus and DTS TruSurround audio, with 50W output on the smaller sizes and 60W on the larger screens. The design follows the industry’s bezel-less aesthetic with a metallic frame, while Google TV brings access to a wide app library, Chromecast and AirPlay support, voice assistant integration, and personalised recommendations. Performance is handled by a quad-core chipset paired with 2GB of RAM and 16GB of storage, which is standard for this bracket.
While the JioTele OS is novel, there is a lot of familiarity that comes with the Google TV. I would prefer Google TV over the new OS any day.
Changing landscape
For the market, the larger story lies in how quickly the pricing ladder is collapsing. Brands are no longer saving their most aggressive pricing for incremental festive offers but are instead using the GST cut to reset price points entirely. The 55 to 65 inch category is now inching closer to the budgets that consumers previously associated with smaller full HD smart TVs. For Kodak, this is both a chance to expand its footprint and a challenge to convince buyers that affordable QLEDs can hold their own against long-established premium rivals.
For consumers, the buying decision comes down to what matters most in the living room. The 43-inch variant is designed to tempt households still using older HD screens, while the 55-inch option represents a sweet spot in size and features at a price that feels aligned with mainstream adoption. The 65-inch model brings cinema-scale viewing into the price band of mid-range devices, but shoppers who want higher brightness and advanced backlighting technology will still need to look at more expensive alternatives from global majors.
In terms of budget, Kodak’s latest TV sets have a similar specs sheet to the existing models, and it is more about the brand preference in this price segment. Kodak is banking on the familiarity of Google TV, a larger app ecosystem and stronger audio credentials. Both approaches underline the same shift: larger screens are now being sold at prices that once belonged to the mid-tier, and the real competition will be decided by ecosystem, content partnerships and after-sales reliability. Thomson, on the other hand, is betting on localised software, regional-language voice features and Jio’s content tie-ins.
For buyers, this is an opportune moment to consider an upgrade, but it is also a reminder to look beyond discounts and examine whether the panel quality, brightness levels and software support match long-term expectations.
