Xiaomi's Mi TV 4 Is The Only 4K TV You'll Want In 2018 And Here's Why It's Worth It

Ever since Xiaomi launched the Mi TV 4 in India, it has taken over the television segment with staggering interest and sales. We've been using the TV for almost three weeks now and we have some thoughts about the device. There are some features that work great for the TV whereas there are some features that are sorely lacking. For all intents and purposes, the Mi TV 4 is sort of a Smart TV that is priced for INR 40,000. It has 4k resolution and is the world's thinnest TV, according to Xiaomi. Here's what we think about Xiaomi's latest offering: Look and Feel The television itself is extremely sleek and is only 4.9mm thick, which in our opinion makes it stand out from the crowd. It has a thick panel in the bottom which houses all the ports and components that are essential to the TV. © Xiaomi The television itself is meant to be mounted on a wall; however, you do get a stand with the television as well. Xiaomi has taken a cue from the Mi Mix smartphone and has built a bezel-less screen that is perfect for viewing content. The TV has a premium feel to it that would give companies like Samsung and LG a run for their money. Rest assured, this TV is going to look sexy in any room you install it in. &coopy; Xiaomi At the back of the television, there are three HDMI and USB ports that can be used to connect your various devices and hard drives. There's also an ethernet port in case you want to connect your router directly to the TV for streaming content without any interruptions. You can also connect your TV over Wi-Fi and it supports both 2.4GHz and 5Ghz bands. Content Viewing © Xiaomi The TV runs Xiaomi's proprietary PatchWall user interface that is based on Android. There is content available to stream from providers such as Voot, Sony Liv, Hungama, amongst others. However, if you are a fan of watching content on Netflix or Amazon Prime, the TV does not have support for the two popular streaming platforms at launch. We have been told that both Amazon Prime and Netflix will get support for the TV in the coming months. In order to watch content from Netflix or Amazon Prime, you will need an external device such as a Chromecast or Amazon's Fire Stick TV to watch content. If you want to watch content in 4K/HDR, make sure your device such as an Xbox One X or PS4 Pro supports it. © Xiaomi TV manufacturers are always experimenting with their remotes to make it a seamless experience for the user, however, that is not the case with Xiaomi's offering. The remote supplied with the TV is simple with only 11 buttons. It has a ring in the center that can be used for navigating channels and content and is Bluetooth enabled. This means you don't need to point the remote at the TV to change channels. Where the remote may seem like a simple and easy accessory, it is also a bit of a problem. My main issue with the television remote is that it lacks a mute button. It is one of the most important features in a television and it's missing from the product. Since live television cannot be paused, one cannot mute the TV if you receive a phone call. There is no way to mute the TV via the UI either and it becomes one of the most frustrating things to do. I often found myself dropping the volume of the TV (a painfully slow process) before I could even start my conversation. Picture Quality While testing the TV, I watched all my TV shows and Movies in 4K/HDR quality while using the Chromecast Ultra and I must say, the quality is top notch. Of course, it won't be as good as a Samsung or LG TV, but it does cost considerably less. Watching cable TV is also a surreal experience even though the picture quality is 1080i and not 1080p Full HD. I personally own a 7 series Samsung Smart TV and to be honest, the Mi TV 4 held its own in terms of picture quality. © Xiaomi The TV can emit bright and vivid colours and the black levels are also on point to deliver a surreal experience. I also plugged in my PS4 Pro to see how games looked on the TV and in my opinion, it does the job it is intended to do. The display itself has a refresh rate of 60Hz which is more than enough for console gaming in 4K. The Final Say If you look at the larger picture, Xiaomi's Mi 4 TV is a definite head turner. It's a no-brainer if you are planning to buy a TV that is capable of delivering 4K video and doesn't cost a lot. There are few features that need improvement and can easily be fixed with a small update. It is priced unbelievably at Rs 39,999 and you should definitely buy it without thinking twice.