yep.
Just research what you're buying. Some off brand tvs have a problem with the hdcp handshake so Netflix won't and a few other apps won't work at all.
That's what I did. You have to understand TV producers are responsible for the software on smart tvs. Unfortunately they don't have much experience with software since they only made hardware for the longest time. Also the post release updates are usually very few. Plus, if you have good TV that can last 10+ years, you only have to pay fraction of the cost to periodically update external box.
History has shown that integrated Smart TV features will quickly go out of date and not receive the updates/support that they need to stay effective. It's fine to use them if you buy the TV and find that they fit your needs, just be aware that maybe in a year or few years you will find yourself wanting a streaming device that performs better. So, while it can be a convenient side benefit, I wouldn't recommend using it as a reason to buy one TV over another. Focus on picture quality, other features (4K/HDR/etc), and price.
At least for now it seems like better option to just look for a TV with best picture quality/price balance, and just forget about what os is in the tv. At least on my Philips 55PUS7272 (2017) philips mid range Android tv, that android tv is nothing more than a checkbox for the fact that it is there.
At least when I went ahead and tried 4k hdr demo on YouTube, the whole TV started to lag, until I stopped the video playback.
However I was kind of expecting it and it doesn't really matter (for me) because I can just plug in my nvidia shield tv and enjoy all the 4k HDR content that I want.
However when I tested the stranger things season 2 (4k HDR) on the Philips tv's Netflix app, it played that video just fine.
Get the best looking picture in your budget regardless of the smarts or os you can/will add a streaming device when the tv is no longer supported eventually