Xiaomi has finally launched its Mi TV in the Indian market with a price tag of Rs 39,999. This is pretty much what you would pay for their high-end yet affordable 4K LED televisions in China as well.
The company has repeatedly talked about its focus on India as a prime market, and with this product’s announcement, the brand has lived up to its word, especially with its price.
The challenging bit for the buyers though, is going to be a typical Xiaomi issue, which is getting their hands on the product, and going by their history with mobile phones in the Indian market, our concerns on this front are more than valid. The Mi TV 4 will go on flash sale on 22 February, and you’ve got to be damn lucky to get your hands on this product.
Design
The design of the Mi TV 4 is one aspect about the television that stands out. It’s got an aluminium alloy frame, bundled with stand and brushed metal finishing at the back.
They have used Samsung’s frameless panel with no bezels, which, according to Xiaomi, makes the Mi TV 4 38 percent slimmer than the Samsung Galaxy S8 smartphone.
With its 4.9-mm thinness, this is the world’s thinnest LED TV in the market, and the price tag makes the deal even sweeter. You get support for 4K HDR content play as well.
Mi TV 4 – Smart and Easy to Use
The Mi TV 4, priced for under 40K, you’re getting a 55-inch bezel-less screen with ultra-hd resolution in tow. It’s good to see that Xiaomi is offering two HDMI ports on the television, and for connectivity, you can choose from Ethernet, Wi-Fi and even Bluetooth to pair the TV’s remote and even external wireless speakers or headphones.
We’re still not sure if you can pair both the remote and speaker at the same time.
Unlike the Mi TV in China, Xiaomi is offering its product in the Indian market with a customised version of Android, which has been layered underneath its user interface called the PatchWall.
While this is running on Android, Xiaomi isn’t using any of the Google services and therefore, you won’t find Google Play Store on the Mi TV 4, and you’ll find a hard time sideloading any of the usual apps as well.
But having the PatchWall ensures that you can access all your cable channels (via Tata Sky/Airtel), as well as internet library on the same home screen. The remote bundled with the Mi TV 4 also acts as your sole point of connectivity to switch channels, or operate content on the television.
Xiaomi’s TV is Loaded with Content
Xiaomi claims to be offering content worth over over five lakh hours from the onset, and promises to keep on adding to its library in the coming months.
To start-off its TV journey in the country, Xiaomi has tied up with players like Hotstar, SonyLiv, Hooq, Alt Balaji and local content startup The Viral Fever among others. You can also play video formats like AVI, MKV and MP4 for music as well.
Without Google Play store support, Mi TV 4 won’t allow you to install Netflix or Amazon Prime Video, but that could change in the near future.
When you consider that, the Mi TV 4 seamlessly (via IR cable) connects your set-top box (STB), and also support internet-based content (being a smart TV), content availability has been more than covered for now.
Xiaomi has bided its time with the Mi TV because they wanted to enter the market with a ready-to-use bouquet of content.
Xiaomi has made the game-changing move with the launch of Mi TV 4 at this price, but unlike mobile, televisions operate at a different logistic and market level. To flourish in a market like India, they need to get their after-sales support in order, and try their best to meet the demand for the product, which by the looks of it, is going to be Xiaomi’s challenge yet again.
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)