Android Smart Boards Are Cheaper. But What's the Real Cost After Five Years?

Over five years an Android board usually stays cheaper, as long as it keeps getting updates and the room never needs Windows. In our illustrative example, a 65-inch Avocor S Series AVS-6510 Android board costs S$2,236.52 (listed 31 Oct 2026). The same board with an Avocor i5 Gen 11 OPS Windows module, five years of OPS electricity and an Intune licence comes to about S$4,075.60, roughly S$1,839 more. That gap can close or reverse. Android boards can need replacing early when patches stop. Windows modules add IT time, a separate warranty and annual feature updates. And a room that needed Windows from the start pays for a laptop workaround every day.

An illustrative five-year comparison

Illustrative only. Prices are SourceIT's, listed 31 Oct 2026. The assumptions are below; your own hours, tariff and licensing will differ.

What assumptions sit behind the numbers?

• Use: 9 hours a day, 250 working days a year. That is 2,250 hours a year.
• OPS power: an average of 60 W while on. Published OPS datasheets range from 54 W typical (LG OPSP-5LENA) to 69 W operating (Promethean OPS-M4) and about 81 W maximum. Avocor does not publish a wattage for this module. Standby draw is ignored.
• Energy: 60 W × 9 h × 250 days = 135 kWh a year, or 675 kWh over five years. At SP Group's Q4 2026 tariff of 31.16 cents per kWh including GST, that is S$42.07 a year and S$210.33 over five years. Many businesses buy power from a retailer at a different rate.
• Panel power is the same in both options, so it is left out.
• Compatibility: Avocor lists its OPS modules for its own display ranges. Confirm the exact module for your board with us before ordering.
• Management: Microsoft Intune Plan 1 at S$120 a year (SourceIT price) to manage the Windows module like any other company PC. The Android board's management tool is not priced, as Avocor lists its FUSE platform for the E50 range and costs vary by vendor.
• Teams Rooms Pro is excluded, because neither option here is a certified Teams Rooms system. In a certified room, Teams Rooms Pro adds S$610 a year, or S$3,050 over five years, on Android and Windows alike.

Where can the Android option become more expensive?

• Early replacement. The AVS-6510 runs Android 13, which is no longer listed in Google's monthly Android Security Bulletin (October 2026 covers Android 14 to 17). Patches now depend on Avocor. If a board must leave sensitive rooms in year 3 rather than year 7, its yearly cost rises sharply. Our post Your Android Smart Board Could Become Obsolete Before the Screen Dies explains the timelines.
• Adding Windows later. A room that turns out to need Windows pays for the module anyway, often after a year or two of workarounds. See The Android Smart Board Trap.
• Weak hardware. Some boards pair Android with modest chips and little memory, which shortens their useful life as apps grow. See Your Smart Board Has 8GB RAM. So Why Does It Still Lag?

Where can the Windows option cost more than the table shows?

• IT time. Windows 11 has monthly updates and an annual feature update. Pro versions are supported for 24 months, so a board that isn't updated falls out of support. Each hour of IT time per board per year adds five hours over the period.
• Warranty gap. SourceIT's Avocor i5 Gen 11 OPS listing gives a 2-year warranty, so years 3 to 5 are at your own risk unless you extend it.
• Hardware ageing. When Windows 10 support ended on 14 October 2025, modules too old for Windows 11 had to be replaced or covered by paid Extended Security Updates. Microsoft charged organisations US$61 per device for the first year, doubling each year.

The cheapest board is the one that does the room's job for the longest time with the least attention, not the one with the lowest price on the invoice.

How do you work out your own five-year cost?

1. Price the display and any compute module.
2. Add licences: Intune or another MDM, Teams Rooms Pro if the room is certified, and any vendor management subscription.
3. Add electricity for any module: watts × hours × days × years ÷ 1,000 × your tariff.
4. Add IT time per year for updates and support.
5. Check the warranty term of each part, and the Android version's patch status.
6. Divide by the years you expect the board to stay in service. That figure is the one to compare.

For the wider decision, see Windows Interactive Displays: Powerful Upgrade or Expensive Overkill? and How Much Power Does Your IT Equipment Consume?

Buying in Singapore

SourceIT supplies the Avocor S Series AVS-6510 (S$2,236.52), Avocor i5 Gen 11 OPS (S$1,028.75), Microsoft Intune Plan 1 (S$120 a year) and Teams Rooms Pro (S$610 a year). For Android 14 boards we supply the LG CreateBoard 65TR3DQ (S$2,587.50) and Samsung WA65F (S$3,212.50). All prices listed 31 Oct 2026. Browse Smart Interactive Displays. For a quotation, use Request for Quotation on the product page, call (65) 6978 3502, email Sales@sourceit.com.sg or use our contact page.

Frequently asked questions

Is an Android smart board cheaper than a Windows one over five years? Usually, if the room never needs Windows and the board keeps getting patches. In our example the Windows version costs about S$1,839 more over five years before IT time.

How much electricity does a Windows OPS module use? At an assumed 60 W for 9 hours a day, 250 days a year, about 135 kWh a year, or about S$42 at SP Group's Q4 2026 tariff of 31.16 cents per kWh including GST.

Do I need Teams Rooms Pro for an interactive display? Only for a certified Teams Rooms device that needs Pro features. Basic is free for up to 25 rooms. Pro is S$610 per room per year at SourceIT.

What makes an Android board expensive later? Replacing it early because patches stopped, or adding a Windows module after the room turns out to need one.

How long is the warranty on an OPS module? It depends on the module. SourceIT's Avocor i5 Gen 11 OPS listing states 2 years, separate from the display's warranty.