Is it just like a regular TV at that point? Or is it trash at that point and you should get rid of it?
Should you not get a smart TV for this reason? And just add streaming devices like a Roku player or an Android device that connects to the HDMI port?
Or is it still okay to get a smart TV? I'm not sure but I feel like not smart TVs might actually be more expensive today.
If you're smart TV stops getting updates it's fine as long as it still works
If it starts getting slow because of updates that it can't handle (either OS or app updates) then just get a separate streaming box/dongle
Once they stop getting updates or otherwise become poor performers you just buy a streaming device. As long as the TV itself is still good keep using it.
my TCL P607 from 2017 is still getting Roku OS updates, including 'big' things like AirPlay, fwiw.
mind you, a few apps like Netflix are starting to feel a touch laggy as they get more bloated or complex compared to four years ago.
there really aren't any non-'smart' tvs worth buying these days. if you eventually want to buy a Roku Ultra or an Android TV box or whatever in the future because things are getting laggy or there aren't OS updates that include features important to you, that's an option instead of buying a whole new TV
As long as you give them your data.
Does your smartphone stop being a smartphone when it doesn't get updates anymore?
Of course it doesn't. Same with smart TVs