Xiaomi has made a name for itself with persistent delivery of budget smartphones. Lately, the same method has been adopted by the company for the production of TVs.
It has been over a year now that Xiaomi has prominently exhibited its capability to develop high-quality TVs. Xiaomi has regularly addressed the fact that pricing remains a concern for most of the consumers.
As a result, the focus has been on the manufacturing of affordable TVs in a hope to replicate the Smartphone success.
Until now, it seems that Xiaomi's TV range hasn't been able to stir the emotions and many consumers are still complacent and asking, "Is MI TV good?" in comparison to the Xiaomi's smartphone segment. However, the company is pushing hard to engrave its foot firmly in the TV market.
Recently, Xiaomi launched an entirely new segment of Ultra HD Smart TVs in the name of Mi TV 4X. Unlike any other articles about MI LED TV reviews, this Mi TV review article will focus specifically on 4X series and would highlight the peculiarities, performance and unique features of the same so that you are completely aware of the TV you are thinking of buying.
MI LED TV Review: series variants
Xiaomi launched the series in three size variants, which are:
All these models have a borderless 4K HDR panel and are supported by Android OS.
Affordable Mi Android TV
Let's not make an abrupt jump into the technicality because it is the price that makes the first impression. The price for all the three variants is as follows:
A 4K smart TV under 25,000 is something that readily catches the attention. The fact that it comes from a reputed brand further justifies its position in the market. While Xiaomi 4X Smart TV might not be the best smart TV out there, it surely is one of the most feasible options for a TV under Rs 25,000.
There are competitors in this range; however, none better than the likes of Xiaomi. Xiaomi has weighed heavily on MI 4k LED TV series, which is why they have manufactured it in accordance with the pricing concerns.
Design
Once the price has been agreed to, it is the design that follows. With regard to the fact that the base price of Mi LED TV 4x lies in the entry-level smart TV range, its design is particularly amusing. It is minimalistic with an insignificant bezel.
In other words, you'll feel good looking at it while it's mounted on your wall or resting on the stand in front of a contrasting background.
However, the design, when compared to the likes of other Smart TVs, might not be the one that can garner a huge audience. Xiaomi has kept it simple and hasn't really employed much innovation into designing a TV that can appeal to the eyes.
Also, this latest MI TV is not the slimmest, but then again it is a budget smart TV, and not much can be expected pertaining to stylish looks and killing built. All-in-all, the design is neither good nor bad when reviewed from a smart TV perspective.
With regard to the previously presented segments, including 4A Pro, the TV 4X has a lot better build quality. Xiaomi has opted for plastic, and this has made all the difference, for the TV now weighs just over 7 Kg without the stand.
Frankly speaking, this is quite an achievement for a TV of this size and possibly is a noteworthy aspect for the conspicuousness of this series.
The seemingly bulky design isn't actually bulky courtesy of the ergonomic back panel design and the aforementioned weight. The back panel, which is made of plastic, has HDMI ports and speakers. The ports are attached to the side while the speakers bulge out at the bottom.
Screen and Picture Quality
In the modern-day, everyone prefers a big TV.
This is precisely what you get in Mi 4X Android TV. The front panel houses a big screen (43, 50 and 65-inch) and is suitable for rendering a fine viewing experience.
With a resolution of 3840 × 2160 pixels, the LED TV screen seems to be quite impressive.
Besides, the screen exhibits vibrant colours and performs well, even during the switched off mode of DNR (Dynamic Noise Reduction).
Moreover, the display leaves behind the likes of 4A Pro, which suggests that Xiaomi has done its homework and reduced the shortcomings of the previous versions.
Most importantly, Xiaomi TV 4x is excellent in scaling the lower resolution media, which is something that most 4K smart TVs cannot achieve. Thus, even the 720p video looks great when expanded to fit the size of the screen.
However, the picture quality falls below expectations when it comes to contrast adjustment. The contrast pertaining to shadows and darker areas, in particular, seems to go off the place. The result is a black and flat picture, which is nowhere near to what should be expected from a 4K TV.
Things get worse when you don't get to fix the contrast with the help of picture adjustment options. Because we are talking about the screen and the associated picture quality, it is essential that features for picture adjustment are also taken into account.
Now, this is where Xiaomi needs to do some work. The picture adjustment features are so deep in the menu that you have to use your remote more than ten times to reach the options for the manual picture adjustment.
Not only this, the picture adjustment menu cannot be accessed while you are watching the video. Only when the video is switched off, and you traverse back to the Home screen, you can access the manual adjustment features.
Despite all the above shortcomings, one should not forget that this trending Xiaomi TV is a budget and fundamentally excellent when it comes to vibrant colours and overall picture quality.
Thus, watching 4K videos on this best budget friendly Smart TV is definitely a good idea for the screen facilitates a real-life experience. So, if you are hoping to commence a series on Netflix, Amazon Prime or YouTube, this TV will be excellent in its price range.
Features and Specifications
Xiaomi seems to be winning the race in the entry-level smart TV range as it embodies the Mi 4k TV 4X series with some cool features, including the entry-level preferred Amlogic engine. As mentioned above, the Xiaomi’s 4k Smart TV series features an Ultra HD LED screen with a resolution of 3840 × 2160 pixels.
Besides, the display has a fine refresh rate of 60 Hz and an excellent viewing angle of 178 degrees. The best thing about the display is that the colours don't get distorted or ill-contrasted when viewed from oblique angles.
These 4X series further comes packed with a PatchWall 2.0 custom UI and an Android OS. The combination of both of these contributes to the exceptional viewing experience that this series facilitates.
The PatchWall 2.0 is one of the successful AI-enabled systems for a personalized experience that has been used by Xiaomi in the previous TV versions.
Review of the MI 4X TV
Apart from this, it runs on the Amlogic Cortex A53 Quad-core GPU, which is one of the best processors running in the entry-level segment of the smart TVs. For storage, the TV is provided with a 2 GB RAM and 8 GB eMMC inbuilt memory.
While this hardware segment is relatively better than what most of the smart TVs in this range possess, it might not be enough for the consistent high-performance. That said, the TV has been subjected to delays in shutdown and takes more than 20 seconds to boot.
Nevertheless, the TV is suitable for running pre-loaded heavy applications like Netflix, Voot, Sony Liv, Amazon Prime Video, Hungama Play, TVFPlay, etc.
Because of its large variant, this 4X Smart TV does intrigue with its physical features out of which the lightweight plastic body stands out. Without the stand, the TV weighs 7.07 kg whereas, with the stand, the weight accounts for 7.13 kg. Also, the TV can be wall-mounted.
Xiaomi has gone with the Dolby Audio and DTS technology, which is a right choice considering the fact that Dolby Audio is currently operating in a diverse range of products and therefore, could provide a real-life experience concerning every type of content.
Remote Control
Don't be surprised by a specific section devoted to the remote because it has considerably improved. Xiaomi has maintained its position on the minimalistic design for the remote; however, they have added some extra buttons within the space.
These extra buttons are for directly visiting Netflix and Amazon Prime Video. It seems like Xiaomi has been operating entirely on the consumer's likings.
But, there is a loophole in the seemingly fairy-story of the remote as Xiaomi still hasn't reserved any button for the Mute in the Settings option. That's right; you will need to lower the volume of the TV or either stop what you are watching.
This goes against all the good that Xiaomi has embodied in this otherwise exceptional product.
Similarly, you won't be able to manually change the settings while watching a video simply because no setting button is available in the remote. You will have to stop the film and scroll through the options in the UI. The Settings button is located at the top left side of the Home screen.
Other than this, the remote has been provided with power, Mi, volume and Google Assistant buttons, which have become usual for the brand. Also, there is a navigation button right between the power and Mi button, which allows consumers to navigate from one video to another.
One of the better things about this Bluetooth remote is the voice-enabled feature that enables users to access the Voice Search features on Google. Last but not least, the remote runs on AAA batteries which are not provided within the package. Instead, they have to be bought separately from the market.
Connectivity
This 4X provides diverse connectivity with two USB 2.0 ports, three HDMI ports, RJ45 LAN port, an S/PDIF port and Wi-Fi connectivity pertaining to 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz channels. One of the HDMI ports is provided with an Audio Return Channel (ARC), thus eliminating the need for extra cables.
Furthermore, this MI LED 4K TV supports the use of Bluetooth speakers and headphones. However, the absence of optical audio prevents external speakers from being attached to the TV. Therefore, if you want to connect additional speakers, you will have to find the same with an HDMI ARC input.
User Interface
We mentioned the combination of Android and PatchWall OS; however, this is not a mandatory alliance. In other words, Xiaomi gives the users a choice to select between their preferred operating system.
Besides, this LED TV runs on Android Pie 9.0 and has Google Play Store pre-installed for access to applications.
That said, this Xiaomi LED TV as opposed to its price, is a typical Android TV. It has a visually appealing user interface with a classic design. However, the same cannot be said about the interaction between the user and the TV through this interface.
Simply put, the interface of this recently launched series is not something that can intrigue the audience over a longer period. This is principally due to the slow boot time and absence of a Quick Wake option.
If you are someone who can wait a few seconds for the screen to pop up in its entirety, then this interface won't pose a problem for you. However, if you are someone looking for a seamless and smooth experience, MI 4K Smart TV might not enthral you. The same goes for the remote of the TV.
As discussed above, the remote doesn't have settings or mute option, which adds to the problems regarding effective interaction.
Except for the remote, everything concerning the inefficiencies of the interaction between the consumer and the TV can be looked over primarily due to the budget range.
In addition to the Android OS, the PatchWall 2.0 can come in handy for the users are typically aligned towards watching streaming content.
This is because Xiaomi particularly embeds the PatchWall UI with movies and TV shows that might be suitable for the consumer.
All-in-all, this latest 4k television offered by Xiaomi is potentially ideal for providing entertainment to users from different backgrounds. In other words, it has something for everyone.
Performance
This TV series by Xiaomi suffers when the background details are dull. The display is not able to differentiate between the grey and black and most of the time; both look intermixed. However, the same is not true for vibrant scenes because the TV does well in bright backlighting.
Apart from this, the TV lacks appropriate motion interpolation across different resolutions. This, however, can be corrected using the settings. The sound quality, which includes Dolby Audio at the helm of it, does justice to the price.
Should you buy this MI TV 4X?
The goal of this article is to walk you along the path of MI TV reviews and considering the fact that this Xiaomi Smart TV comes packed with all the necessary resources of a regular smart TV, it is worth the value. But it is the relatively low price of this series that stands out. You cannot expect more from a smart TV under Rs 25,000. In concrete terms, this TV is worth every penny.
