Xiaomi has been in the television game in India for almost three years now and it’s been quite the journey. The company’s focus on affordability, with a range of competitively priced entry-level smart LED TVs, has led to rapid growth and, according to Xiaomi itself, it has become the number one smart TV brand in the country in no time. Now, Xiaomi’s latest release gives the premium TV segment a first shot.
Priced at Rs. 54,999 for the single 55-inch model, the Mi QLED TV 4K is Xiaomi’s most expensive TV in India. As the name suggests, this is a quantum dot LED TV and a number of other features like Dolby Vision, Android TV 10 and PatchWall 3.5 make this an impressive offering on paper. I had the opportunity to use the TV for a few days at home, and here are my first impressions.
Mi QLED TV 4K is India’s first smart TV (that we know of) to run Android TV 10
Mi QLED TV 4K looks and feels great
Xiaomi’s first step into the premium segment is expected to come with some radical design and build quality improvements, and the Mi QLED TV 4K looks and feels good. The TV has an impressive 96% screen-to-body ratio, with thin bezels on the sides and top. Even the bottom panel isn’t too thick and everything is held together by a metal frame. Carbon fiber-like textures on the back add to this TV’s premium look.
The connectivity options are impressive, with three HDMI ports (all HDMI 2.1), two USB ports, 3.5mm audio, optical and Ethernet outputs, plus eARC and Bluetooth 5. There’s also built-in Chromecast functionality. Although the peak refresh rate is 60Hz, it is supported at up to 4K resolution and there is also an automatic low latency mode with 5ms input delay, which helps if you intend to use the Mi QLED TV 4K for current and next generation console games. There’s also 2GB of RAM and an impressive 32GB of internal storage for apps and app data. The TV is powered by a MediaTek MTK9611 quad-core processor.
Long-pressing the Mi button now triggers quick settings, which work on any content or source
Software improvements to Android TV and PatchWall
Although I was never a big fan of PatchWall and always preferred Android TV for its less cluttered interface, it received some significant improvements with version 3.5, which is what comes with the Mi QLED TV 4K. I found the interface a little less confusing than before. There’s easier access to apps and hardware sources, somewhat improved content curation and recommendations, and better content ratings. In fact, PatchWall now looks a lot like Amazon’s Fire OS for the Fire TV series.
Android TV also has some improvements, most notably the use of Android TV 10, making Mi QLED TV 4K the first major launch in India with this new version. It’s worth noting here that this doesn’t include the Google TV interface, which recently launched with the new Chromecast With Google TV. The default Android 10 TV launcher doesn’t feel any different than the Android TV 9 Pie experience we’re used to; the improvements are entirely under the hood here.
Some very useful additions to the Mi QLED TV 4K come as a result of Xiaomi’s feedback, both from the community and reviews. One of these is the Quick Wake feature, which was first seen on the Mi TV 4A Horizon Edition and allows the TV to wake up from standby in less than 5 seconds. There’s also the ability to quickly mute the TV with a double press of the volume down button, and now you can quickly access multiple settings for any content or source with a long press of the Mi button on the remote. All of this is very useful and ultimately makes up for the shortcomings of the rather minimalist remote.
Vibrant colors and Dolby Vision
The use of a layer of quantum dots on the panel promises better and more vibrant colors, and that really seems to be the case with the Mi QLED TV 4K. This is the first Xiaomi television in India to support Dolby Vision, and other HDR formats including HDR10+, HDR10 and HLG are also supported.
With 30W of sound output through a six-speaker system with a larger case size than most competing TVs, the Mi QLED TV 4K promises better sound. While I haven’t tested it enough, the sound seemed well-tuned, but not quite as loud and even in volume levels as I’d like.
final thoughts
Xiaomi’s first QLED TV is a step in the right direction and reasonably priced. Although I would have expected a more competitive price under Rs. 50,000 even at Rs. At 54,999, the Mi QLED TV 4K is a worthwhile choice if you’re looking for a premium 55-inch TV without breaking the bank. The software and user interface experience is among the best you can find on a television today, and the picture quality should be reasonably good too.
With a lot of attention paid to specs, and particularly those aimed at benefiting high-end game consoles, the Mi QLED TV 4K is well worth a look if you’re planning on getting a PS5 or Xbox Series X. Even if you intend to stick to streaming movies, TV shows and videos from major platforms, the Mi QLED TV 4K should be adequately equipped to handle all types of content across sources and resolutions.
Why do Indians love Xiaomi TVs so much? We discuss this on Orbital, our weekly technology podcast, which you can subscribe to via Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts or RSS, download the episode or simply hit the play button below.