It’s a given that anyone buying a new TV is going for a smart TV now. Coming from 62 million smart TV users in the USA as of 2016, that number is estimated to nearly double to 119 million as of 2022. It’s no surprise then that with such wide adoption, the smart TV market is estimated to reach almost 1 trillion dollars by 2028. That’s crazy!
However, as our households adopt smart home products more and more (as of 2020, more than 70% of each age group has a smart TV device), the concerns regarding privacy will continue to increase. Apart from the microphones that might constantly be listening in, people are worried about the cameras that some of these devices have. Are we sure that there aren’t any hidden cameras spying on us, ready to steal our personal data?
So then, the question that many ask is simple. Do smart TVs have cameras? It’s a valid question to ask, I’ll say. I’ve done a lot of research to help you answer this question as best as possible, and I’ve put everything I learned into this post. So let’s jump into all the things that you need to know.
Do you have a particular question about finding cameras on smart TVs? Then use the table of contents below to jump to the most relevant section. And you can always go back by clicking on the black arrow in the right bottom corner of the page. Also, please note that some of the links in this article may be affiliate links. For more details, check the Disclosure section at the bottom of the page.
Here's what we'll cover:
First of all, let’s clarify something. A smart TV will never have a hidden camera. Having a hidden camera just makes it seem like the manufacturer is out to perform some kind of smart TV surveillance. As far as I know, this is never the case. Manufacturers will never hide the fact that there’s a camera on your device unless it is for aesthetic purposes.
That being said, you might have a smart TV with a camera, as many models on the market have these. Suppose you’re looking for where the camera on the TV is. In that case, it is typically located somewhere in the center of the upper bezel on the TV.
Do all smart TVs have cameras?
The simple answer to this is no. This is not a feature that you will find on every smart TV out there.
This means that there are still many models of smart TV that you can get without needing to opt for a smart TV built-in camera.
What TVs have cameras in them?
Suppose you want to know whether the smart TV you have at home has a camera, or you are specifically looking to purchase a smart TV with camera and mic. In that case, you are in the perfect place. I’ll talk to you about major brands of televisions and whether or not they have cameras. If they do, I’ll even point you to some of the exact models that do.
That being said, let’s get into it in the following sections.
Do Hisense TVs have cameras?
As far as I know, there is no Hisense smart TV with camera and microphone currently available on the market. They make amazing televisions, that’s for sure. Still, I could not see any models that you can buy today that have cameras built into them.
I find that particularly strange. Because after less than a minute of searching, there are articles about the Hisense L9F Laser TV (Laser TVs are very expensive, by the way) announced in 2020, which has an AI camera at the top. However, I can’t find this model on the official Hisense website, nor can I find any information on where to buy it. This kind of leads me to believe that it never launched fully. Who knows?
Which Samsung TVs have built-in cameras?
If you have a Samsung smart TV at home, you may have one of the models with a camera on it. Fortunately, they make it very easy to tell if you have a Samsung smart TV webcam on your television. Samsung has simply reserved this feature for their F Series smart TVs.
However, you will need to keep in mind that not every device in the F Series has a camera in it. This only applies to the higher models in the F Series, namely, the 7, 8, and 9 F Series models. They come with a pop-up camera that must be manually extended or retracted. However, some people might prefer the Samsung smart TV webcam working this way, as it guarantees privacy when not in use.
As long as you know that you have one of the higher models in the F Series of televisions, you have a TV with a camera and microphone. You can follow this guide to learn how to extend and retract the built-in camera on these models.
Which LG TVs have cameras?
There are a few LG televisions with a smart TV built-in camera. However, it’s a bit annoying that these manufacturers don’t make it easy to filter out which of their models have cameras in them and which don’t.
But hey, despite this, I did my best to help you figure out some of their TV models that have cameras in them. The following model names are LG TVs that have built-in cameras:
- 47LM8600
- 55LA8600
- 55LA9600
- 65LA9700
- 47LS5700
- 60LA8600
You can notice some similarities in the model names above. The first two numbers indicate the size of the device’s screen. We can then see that the first letter that comes after that is always an L. It might not mean anything in the grand scheme of things, but it seems to be that the TVs with cameras are likely those with the L in the model name. If your TV model has an L in it, you might want to check and see whether it has an LG TV camera near the top.
Do flat-screen TVs have cameras in them?
The definition of a flat-screen TV is pretty straightforward, but it is a term that is used less and less these days for obvious reasons. If you’re young, you are probably not too familiar with CRT TVs – big, bulky displays with convex glass at the front. When flat-screen TVs came out, they came with flat fronts instead of the curved kind, hence the name. Nowadays, pretty much all TVs are flat-screen TVs.
To answer the initial question, if your flat-screen TV is a smart TV, there is a chance that it is one of the few models of smart TV with camera and mic. However, keep in mind that this is the minority of products in this space. Maybe one day, smart TVs will adopt cameras after all.
How to tell if your TV has a camera?
I’d say that the most definitive way to figure out if your smart TV has a camera or not would be to Google the model name and see whether it has a camera among its technical specifications. Of course, if you don’t know the model and can’t get around to the back of the TV to check, you can simply check manually.
Most of the time, the camera of a smart TV is located near the center of the top bezel. However, in some instances, it might be at the bottom bezel. Also, some smart TVs will use a retractable camera, so if you notice what seems like a strange panel in any of the regions mentioned above of your TV, it just might be a pop-up camera!
Suppose the TV uses infrared illumination for the camera. In that case, you can detect it simply by looking through the camera viewfinder on your smartphone. You will be able to see a little red light that you can’t see with your actual eyes.
Unfortunately, suppose it is a pop-up camera. In that case, you will simply need to check physically or search online to determine whether or not you have a smart TV without camera or microphone.
Can a TV screen be used as a camera?
That’s a big no! The only way your TV screen could be used as a camera is if there’s an under-display camera. While that technology exists, I do not know a single TV model that has that feature. I know a handful of phones, but the tech is not yet perfect even then.
Don’t worry. There’s no way that the pixels on your screen can be used to spy on you. It’s impossible to do because they are not built to receive light information.
Can you be watched through your TV?
Technology and software are incredibly complex. Unfortunately, with this complexity comes many methods for hackers and other bad guys to exploit weaknesses. This means that there is a slight possibility that someone can use the camera on your smart TV to view you and the things you do.
However, this is not a likely occurrence unless you’re a celebrity or political office holder. Suppose the mere possibility of this happening scares you. In that case, you can either keep the camera on your TV continuously retracted or put a piece of black tape over it.
Credits: Thanks for the photo to Canva.
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