A 55-inch Xiaomi Mi TV 4 today debuted in India alongside the Redmi Note 5 and Redmi Note 5 Pro at an event in New Delhi. As the company claims, the 55-inch Mi TV 4 is the world’s thinnest LED TV with its 4.9mm thickness. The display panel measures 55-inches and supports 4K resolution with HDR. Xiaomi also introduced the Android-based PatchWall UI layer with this smart TV, that has been designed specifically for India. It sources media content from all the local streaming services and DTH/cable TV to curate a catalogue on the home page that is based on user’s watch history. The UI supports infinite scrolling and universal search for making content discovery easier. The Mi TV 4 comes bundled with a Bluetooth-based 11-button remote controller that can control both the TV and set-top-box (STB).
This Mi TV 4 variant launched in India has a 55-inch display with a 4K resolution (3840 x 2160) and it supports HDR content as well. The display has of a 60Hz refresh rate, 8ms response time, and provides a 178-degree-wide viewing angle, while the TV features twin 8W speakers with Dolby Audio and DTS-HD. Xiaomi has used a Cortex A53-based quad-core Amlogic CPU, Mali-T830 MP2 GPU along with 2GB of RAM for ensuring a snappier interface. The TV has three HDMI ports, of which one supports ARC, a pair of USB ports, one ethernet port, WiFi (2.4GHz/5GHz), and Bluetooth 4.0 low energy for connecting wireless headphones and speakers. Xiaomi has priced the TV at Rs. 39,999 (~$624) and will be made available from February 22 via Mi.com, Mi Home stores, and Flipkart. As part of the launch offers, the Mi TV 4 buyers will get 3 months of free subscription to Sony LIV and Hungama Play, free standard installation, and a free Mi IR Cable for controlling the STBs; these offers are valid up to three months from launch.
Xiaomi first showcased the Mi TV 4 at CES 2017, but it wasn’t made available outside China until now, India will be the first market to get it. With the TV’s launch in the South Asian country, Xiaomi has created an ecosystem on its platform with the inclusion of locally sourced content. Xiaomi has partnered with domestic content providers like Hotstar, Voot, Sony LIV, Hungama Play, Zee 5. Alt Balaji, and others that collectively bring over 500,000 hours of content, claims the company. There is still no word on the globally available services like Netflix and Amazon Prime Video where brands like Samsung, Sony, and LG include them on their TVs sold in India. Xiaomi’s PatchWall UI supports 13 local languages, including English and Hindi, while the content is available in 15 languages. The company will also be introducing profiles in the coming months to provide personalized recommendations, similar to what Netflix does.
