Since Xiaomi came to India, what peaked everyone's interest in the technology community in India was the Mi TV. But Xioami was waiting to become probably No. 1 to dip a toe in those waters. This week they finally obliged the Indian consumer with the Mi LED Smart TV 4 in India and they have competitively priced it at Rs 39,999. This promises to be a disrupter in the TV space in India or is it just like another TV offering from Xiaomi to test this market and move beyond smartphones in India? Now let's be honest here, a TV screen is not like a smartphone that one changes in 3-6 months. A television purchase is more of a family decision than an individual one. Also, people who buy TVs in India expect them to last at least 3 years before they plan to buy their next one. Consumers for whom money is not everything would probably not invest in a Mi TV simply because they can afford bigger and better television from Samsung and LG, so this smart TV caters to consumers that are looking to buy a smart TV in a budget. As we wrote earlier that we wanted them to launch the Mi TV back in 2013 when they entered the Indian market because at that time they could have the early mover advantage in this market for a smart TV. In 2018 you do even have players like Kodak offering you a smart TV with loads of functionalities at a similar or lesser price point. Also, if you are willing enough to spend Rs 39,999 for a Xiaomi Mi TV, you can also consider spending Rs 5,000 more on an LG TV that has a smart WebOS interface. Now, it won't be a 4K TV and even be of a smaller size (43-inch) but will definitely give you reliability. So, here's a list of things that you should know before you invest Rs 39,999 on the latest Xiaomi Mi TV.
The Remote
Unlike the conventional remotes that one has on TV's these days, the Xiaomi Mi TV 4 remote is something that's very different. Xiaomi was also once known as the Apple of China and the Mi TV remote has a lot of resemblance to the Apple TV remote. It's not a bad thing because though the remote on the Xiaomi Mi TV is a plastic one unlike a metal one that you get on an Apple TV, it does do the job really well. In fact, this is a remote that's just too easy to use once you get the hang of it. Also, Xiaomi says that you can use this remote for your DTH boxes like a TataSky one or a DishTV one, but for that, you'll have to separately buy an IR blaster cable adapter if you are not buying it first, to make it work. So that is an over and above spend with the Xiaomi Mi TV 4.
Is It Smart?
So the main thing that one needs to know about the Xiaomi Mi TV 4 is that it is not an Android-based TV at all. It comes with a PatchWall designed user interface and comes integrated with over 500,000 hours of content from video-on-demand providers. All owners are entitled to get a 3-month subscription to SonyLIV and Hungama Play, the Mi IR cable, and on-site installation for free as part of the launch offers. The Mi LED TV 4 has a 2USB Ports (1 USB 3.0 and 1 USB 2.0) and three HDMI ports. The boot time for the TV to start is also quite substantial, more than even the Kotak TV that I was using earlier which was an Android-based TV. The Mi TV 4 does connect with wi-fi seamlessly and connectivity is one of the best in a budget TV so far that I have seen.
Watch: Xiaomi Note 5 Pro Review
Netflix and Amazon Prime Video?
No, the Mi TV 4 does not come with Netflix or Amazon Prime Video. So what do you have to do if you don't want the only 3-month free subscription to SonyLIV and Hungama Play? Well, the one USB 3.0 port on the TV will come in handy. You will have to download an APK of Netflix and Amazon Prime Video App and install it on the MI TV via a USB drive. Now that is a tedious task for a person who's buying a smart TV for Rs 39,999 and will have to let go of the Netflix and Amazon Prime Video subscription. SonyLIV and Hungama Play are not bad for streaming content, but as we said they are not bad, but they are not Netflix or Amazon Prime Video. The only thing you can watch right off the user interface without being interrupted is just YouTube on the Xiaomi Mi Tv 4. You can play titles from Hungama and SonyLIV on the Xiaomi Mi TV 4, but all it offers you is a free 10-minute preview and then most of the titles you'll have to buy for three days at Rs 120. Now, the funny thing here is that we tried even buying them from Hungama, but the TV was just non-responsive and did not even take us to a sign-up or a payment gateway page for us to view.
Design and Sound Quality
Now there is no doubt in our mind that the Mi TV 4 is one of the best looking TVs for a price point of Rs 39,999. The 4.9 mm ultra thin frame is just beautiful and space saving but one just does not buy a TV for its looks. The sound on offer on the Mi TV 4 is quite ample and crisp despite being a thin designed TV. The TV does provide 4K HDR cinematic experience and a massive size of 55-inches but we would have loved to see some Netflix HDR content on it and not just Dunkirk on Hungama for 10 minutes.
Overall, Xiaomi has finally obliged to bring in the Xiaomi Mi Tv 4 to India. The TV is available starting February 22, 2018, on their online partners as well as Mi.com. Watch this space for the full review of the Xiaomi Mi TV 4.
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