Xiaomi Mi TV 4S 55 ″ 4K | Android TV review at the right price.
We have been waiting to offer you the review of the Xiaomi Mi TV 4S 55 4K a little discouraged by some harsh reviews, convinced that like the vast majority of Xiaomi products it "gets better with age". And indeed it was.
Topics of this article:
Xiaomi Mi TV 4S 55 ″ | Design and construction
Frontally Xiaomi offers a not particularly innovative but still pleasant design, with 7mm frames (16mm at the bottom) in brushed aluminum. At the bottom, the classic MI logo of the house stands out, which I would have liked had been used as an ignition light but which instead is only a decorative element since the light is placed immediately below it.
Instead of a central base, we find side feet that give great stability, essential on TV of this size. Of course, the feet can be removed to fix the TV to the wall with special brackets.
The only button available is the power button, very small and placed under the TV just behind the status LED. (editor's note without the manual I would never have found it). For all other controls it is necessary to use the remote control.
La rear it is decidedly leaner and cheap. Made of polycarbonate, it has a thickness of about 8cm. The central body houses all the connections you would expect: on the right there are 3 USB 2.0 sockets, 3 HDMI inputs, one with ARC support, an analog audio output for headphones, a slot for the CAM. Centrally we find the entrance for digital terrestrial (already compatible with dvb-s2, dvb-c and dvb-t2), satellite input, RCA inputs, optical audio output, ethernet socket while obviously dual band WiFi is present.
Le dimensions including the base are 123.16 x 76.73 x 26.42 cm for a weight of only 12.45 kg.
Xiaomi Mi TV 4S 55 ″ | Audio and Video
The video sector is entrusted to a IPS panel with a brightness of 330 nits and a 4K UHD resolution (3.840 x 2.160 points) with a color depth of 10 bits produced by LG. Compared to Sony and Samsung that offer VA-type LCD panels, this IPS has a lower contrast but reproduces colors very well and has a very good viewing angle. The TV supports HDR10 content, but it can't interpret dynamic metadata, so no HDR10 + or Dolby Vision.
Although not having detected particular problems of banding and clouding, the typical problems of the Edge LED backlighting are noticeable in images with a lot of contrast in environments poco illuminated where you can see the light distributed in such a way poco uniform. In brighter environments, the yield is much more pleasant.
Audio is returned from two 10-watt speakers with bass reflex / DTS-HD processing and Dolby Audio. The sound is powerful and of good quality as long as you don't overdo the volume. Nothing prevents us from pairing it with a soundbar or multi-channel audio systems that are now affordable.
Overall, considering the price range, the technical solutions used are sufficient for a more than enjoyable view of the video content.
Xiaomi Mi TV 4S 55 ″ | Software
What distinguishes it from the products of other brands, as well as the strong point of this television, is the adoption of the Android TV operating system created by Google specifically for televisions.
For Android TV which has now reached version 9.0, there would be a dedicated article to be written. Over the years, the applications that have landed in Play store they have become many and almost none of them are missing most popular apps for audio and video entertainment. We also find tools for productivity, sports but also games that are processed discreetly.
Full support for Widevine L1 DRMs that allow us to access content in high definition on Netflix and Amazon PrimeVideo.
The SoC MediaTek MSD6886 Quad Core 1.5 GHz, thanks also to the 2GB of RAM, performs very well. It is always fluid and responsive in all situations and with all the apps available. Unlike the (few) other alternatives with this interface, theuser experience is really fantastic especially after the latest updates received via OTA that have improved it from all points of view.
The presence of bluetooth 4.2 then allows us to interface many peripherals that greatly expand their potential: keyboards, gamepads, headphones, sound bars, etc. Roughly everything we are used to connecting to our android smartphones.
Since this is Google Android TV, the Chromecast support which is perfectly integrated in the system and allows you to share the contents of our smartphones with disarming ease thanks to the great optimization that Xiaomi has achieved over time.
It's bluetooth also the supplied remote control. In addition to the classic functions, we find dedicated buttons for Netflix and Prime Video, one to access the Android TV Home and another for the Xiaomi “PatchWall” dashboard. The microphone is also integrated that allows you to give voice commands to the TV such as: "Open the Paper House on Netflix", "Search YouTube", etc. The mute button and the Channel + Channel- buttons are missing.
A small note at the end of this section: the above patch Wall it is not compatible with Italian TV channels. In Spain some networks are agreeing and organizing, so there is the possibility of seeing him soon also with us.
Conclusions
Taking up the quotation proposed at the beginning of the article, the Xiaomi Mi TV has improved with the recent updates, but above all it has seen settling the price is even 400 €. in light of this "maturation", the Mi TV 4S 55 ″ becomes a mid-range product but with a competitive price.
It is a product that does not excel in video quality but defends itself well and overall offers a fantastic quality / price ratio typical of the brand. The adoption of Android TV that works spectacularly in this model makes it a suitable choice for "advanced" users who want to have fun with the great potential available.
Xiaomi Mi TV comparison
Xiaomi's TV it is available in various sizes and with different characteristics.
| XIAOMI MI TV 4A 32 " | XIAOMI MI TV 4S 43 " | XIAOMI MI TV 4S 55 " | |
|---|---|---|---|
| PANEL | HD IPS LCD with LED backlight and 16: 9 aspect ratio | 4K UHD IPS LCD with LED backlight and 16: 9 aspect ratio | 4K UHD IPS LCD with LED backlight and 16: 9 aspect ratio |
| SIZE | 32 inches | 43 inches | 55 inches |
| RESOLUTION | 1.366 x 768 stitches | 3.840 x 2.160 stitches | 3.840 x 2.160 stitches |
| REFRESH | 60 Hz | 60 Hz | 60 Hz |
| BRIGHTNESS | 220 thread | 250 thread | 330 thread |
| ANGLE OF VIEW | 178º / 178º | 178º / 178º | 178º / 178º |
| PROCESSOR | MediaTek MSD6683 Quad Core 1.2GHz | MediaTek MSD6886 Quad Core 1.5GHz | MediaTek MSD6886 Quad Core 1.5GHz |
| GPU | M | Mali 470 MP3 at 650 MHz | Mali 470 MP3 at 650 MHz |
| RAM | 1,5 GB | 2 GB | 2 GB |
| ANNUAL REPORT | 8GB EMMC | 8GB EMMC | 8GB EMMC |
| OS | Android TV 9.0 (with integrated Chromecast) / PatchWall OS | Android TV 9.0 (with integrated Chromecast) / PatchWall OS | Android TV 9.0 (with integrated Chromecast) / PatchWall OS |
| SOUND | 2 x 5 watts / DTS-HD and Dolby Audio processing | 2 x 8 watts / DTS-HD and Dolby Audio processing | 2 x 10 watts with bass reflex / DTS-HD processing and Dolby Audio |
| WIRELESS CONNECTIVITY | 802.11ac WiFi and Bluetooth 4.2 BLE | 802.11ac WiFi and Bluetooth 4.2 BLE | 802.11ac WiFi and Bluetooth 4.2 BLE |
| CONNECTIVITY | 3 x HDMI 2.0 (1 x ARC), 2 x USB 2.0, 1 x Ethernet, 1 x 3,5mm jack, 1 x AV and 1 x CI + | 3 x HDMI 2.0 (1 x ARC), 3 x USB 2.0, 1 x Ethernet, 1 x 3,5mm jack, 1 x AV, 1 x CI + and 1 x optical out | 3 x HDMI 2.0 (1 x ARC), 3 x USB 2.0, 1 x Ethernet, 1 x 3,5mm jack, 1 x AV, 1 x CI + and 1 x optical out |
| CONSUMPTION | 45 watts | 85 watts | 150 watts |
| DIMENSIONS | 733 x 180 x 479 mm (with stand included) | 959,55 x 208,33 x 608,144 mm (with stand included) | 1.231,6 x 83,4 x 767,3 mm (with stand included) |
| WEIGHT | 3,96 kg (without stand) | 7,2 kg (without stand) | 12,45 kg (without stand) |
| PRICE | (I.e. See offers | (I.e. See offers | (I.e. See offers |
