United puts 4K screens and Bluetooth on its planes – Planet

No, it won’t magically make the seats wider or legroom, but it will distract you with a larger, clearer in-flight entertainment screen and — some might find even more exciting — Bluetooth support. The airline announced that it is in the process of installing approximately 300,000 Astrova Inflight Entertainment (IFE) units from Panasonic Avionics on select new Boeing 787 and Airbus A321XLR aircraft.

These seatback monitors use 4K OLED technology, which promises sharper picture quality and better contrast ratio than many other IFE systems. The company says the Astrova can also provide high-fidelity 3D spatial audio via the latest Bluetooth technology. So you don’t need to use wired headphones or carry around one of those Bluetooth dongles just to be able to use wireless headphones. The Astrova also features two USB-C ports, capable of charging your smartphone and tablet at 100W speeds.

As Aviation Week notes, Boeing 787s and Airbus A321XLRs are part of United’s international fleet, but the airline is also said to supply the systems to its domestic aircraft. The screens will be installed as part of the United Next program which aims to place an in-flight screen at every seat. United plans to provide First Class passengers with access to 13-inch screens and Economy Class passengers with 10-inch IFE screens.

In their announcement, the companies said their agreement would allow United to upgrade Astrova displays in the coming years. The IFE system uses a modular structure with a detachable terminal strip that makes it easy to add new technologies and update Bluetooth or charging stations. However, no upgrades will happen anytime soon as the airline plans to start installing entertainment systems by 2025.