Why Yandex TV Station Pro with Alice became my best gadget of March

From now on, every month we will choose one gadget that we love. Let’s start with what I gave myself the other day at home this weekend – and was pleased.

My TV recently turned 16 years old. An old 32-inch Philips from 2008 with the breakthrough development of Full HD at that time and the “rudiments” of Ambilight backlighting faithfully and truly went through thick and thin with me for as many as 8 moves. But he felt with horror that such a change was no longer satisfactory. Even though I rarely used it, the upgrade was long overdue.

My choice and at the same time 👑 Editor’s Choice this month – Yandex Stan TVcia Pro, the new and flagship generation of smart TVs from Yandex. It is very difficult to find something better for 65 thousand rubles, which is what they are asking for this device on the Market now.

Why❓

▪ Two devices in one: TV and smart speaker. 99% of the capabilities that a regular Yandex smart speaker has are retained. While watching, you can go to Alice, and she appears in a soft office with an answer and a graph depending on the context. The content will not stop playing.

By the way, the microphone here is physically turned off by a switch, breaking the contact of the cable with the TV board. When you don’t want it, Alice simply won’t hear you.

▪ Always active Alice, no remote needed. Although it is available, the call can be controlled entirely using your voice. From toggling switches to enabling certain functions, everything is accessible through a command. Moreover, Alice works “separately” from the TV. That is, if the TV itself is turned off, Alice will still answer you and execute the command or answer the question. How she does it in a smart speaker.

I just turned it on, but I already like the way it looks.

▪ Bright QLED display with anti-glare coating. I took Yandex TV Station About Everything because of the screen. I have a 55″ model. Here is a QLED panel with 4K development, 550 nits brightness and HDR support. This is quite a number of parameters for a TV in this price category. But anti-reflective coating is already a rarity. And it’s here lethal. The light from the window, the reflection of ceiling and wall lamps simply dissolves in the TV Station Pro panel, even if they are not there. Now I can’t imagine how to use a TV without such coverage.

▪ Can control a smart home (and be controlled). The TV station in this video can replace a regular Yandex station – not only after executing commands, machines and automation, but also being part of a smart home itself. Do you want in the morning along with the TV motion sensor device on a specific channel or HDMI port? Now it’s possible.

▪ Internet applications and services are available. The TV runs on YaOS X (based on Android 11), which means support for additional software is provided outside of its own store. And it’s great that Yandex media services are already built into it, including Kinopoisk and Music. I use both, and have only benefited from the manager of this TV.

▪ Brackets included. There is both a wall-mounted and a floor-mounted one – each has its own set and tools. Moreover, the wall mount included in the kit is designed for hidden installation. There are also purchases for VESA. This TV is moving into the bedroom, so this was a separate positive issue for me. In the meantime, I put ordinary knives on the table in the hall.

This is what Yandex Station TV Pro looks like in the interior when attached to the wall.

All this and many other advantages available from 65 thousand rubles on Yandex Market.

Before making a decision, I compared models from other manufacturers in an acceptable price range. Indeed, there are quite a few alternatives – in some places, for example, the lens is objectively better in terms of color rendition, while some I liked more visually.

By all parameters simultaneouslyfrom speakers and “anti-glare” to real normal guarantees, all that remains is to resolve the issues directly with the seller, Yandex Station Pro exit victorious.

Unboxing, installation and setup took less than an hour. Excellent equipment, easy installation, quick connection to the Yandex smart home ecosystem – that’s all. Now I use it in the evenings and watch movies with the same one. I almost never reached the remote control; I solve all problems with my voice.