Xiaomi Launches 4K HDR Android TV Powered Mi Box for $69

Chinese tech giant, Xiaomi, is still one of the fastest growing companies today, especially in the electronics and appliances business. The company just stepped up their efforts in the smart TV field internationally with a new ultra-cheap set top box, dubbed the Xiaomi Mi Box.

Unveiled back in May at Google I/O, the Xiaomi Mi Box is an affordable Android-TV powered set top box. Xiaomi is known for their ability to cram expensive features in ultra-cheap packages and here too, they have done just that. However, unlike their previous products, this one was developed with Google and is Google Play certified.

The Mi Box is capable of 4K Ultra HD video playback at 60 frames per second and supports the latest HDR10 standard. It comes with an equally impressive set of audio features, with Dolby Digital Plus and DTS Surround Sound support.

The Mi Box will allow you to stream TV shows, movies, play games, etc. You can also download apps from the Play Store like YouTube, Netflix, etc. to stream videos as the this is a Google Play certified device. Alternatively, the device supports Google Cast, letting you stream things and mirror screens from your Android phone or tablet.

In terms of internals, it is powered by a quad-core ARM Cortex-A53 CPU and Mali 450 GPU and 2GB of RAM. Since it is powered by Android TV OS, you’ll be able to put that processing power to use via some light gaming. The included Bluetooth remote can also double up as a game controller. The only major drawback is the limited 8GB storage, but you’ll be able to upgrade that via a USB.

The company already has a Mi Box Mini in China which is is the size of a smartphone charger and packs almost the same amount of punch. We’ll have to wait and see if Xiaomi releases that one internationally as well.

The Xiaomi Mi Box is available for purchase for $69 (approximately 7200 Pakistani Rupees). To make the deal even sweeter, Xiaomi has bundled in a few extras as well; $50 credit towards a Sling TV subscription, a 3-month free trial of Pandora, as well as a $5 VUDU credit. With the price in mind, the Mi Box directly competes against all media players even the Nexus Player, but with a lower price tag. The small price difference and loads of features over the standard Google Cast 2 might also make the Mi Box a much better buy over it.

For the time being, it is only available in the US, but expect it to unofficially hit the Pakistani market soon (Hint: It doesn’t require PTA approval like Xiaomi smartphones).

Specifications

• Output Resolution : Up to 4K at 60 fps
• Processor : Quad-Core Cortex-A53 2.0 GHz
• GPU : Mali 450 750 MHz
• RAM : 2 GB DDR3
• Storage : 8 GB on-board storage expandable via USB Flash storage
• Connectivity : Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, Dual-band Wi-Fi 2.4GHz/5GHz, Bluetooth 4.0
• Video :
  • VP9 Profile-2 up to 4K x 2K @ 60fps
  • H.265 HEVC MP-10 at L5.1, up to 4K x 2K at 60fps
  • H.264 AVC HPat L5.1, up to 4K x 2K at 30fps
  • H.264 MVC, up to 1080P at 60fps
  • Supports HDR10/HLG HDR processing
• Sound : DTS 2.0+ Digital Out, Dolby Digital Plus, Up to 7.1 pass through
• Ports :
  • HDMI: HDMI 2.0a x 1 port (HDCP 2.2)
  • USB: USB 2.0 x 1 port
  • AV: SPDIF Out / 3.5mm audio output x 1 port
  • Power: 1 port
• Software : Android TV OS 6.0
• Dimensions : 101 x 101 x 19.5mm
• Weight : 176.5g
• Color : Black

Image Source: Digital Trends