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Xiaomi Mi TV Stick is the best budget Android TV streamer yet

Xiaomi Mi TV Stick review

Supply: Harish Jonnalagadda / Android Central

There are many nice Android TV packing containers available in the market proper now, and Xiaomi itself has an honest product on this class within the $60 Mi Box S. The 4K-enabled Mi Field S launched practically two years in the past, nevertheless it continues to be an honest various to the Chromecast Extremely and the Fire TV Stick 4K.

Xiaomi is now setting its sights on the common 1080p model of the Fire TV Stick. That exact mannequin is available for $40, which is what the Mi TV Stick will retail for as soon as it debuts within the U.S. The Mi TV Stick has the identical fundamentals; you get an incredible distant, entry to your favourite streaming providers, full-fledged Android TV interface, and dependable 1080p streaming efficiency.

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We do not have particulars on when the Mi TV Stick can be obtainable within the U.S., however with the Mi Field S formally obtainable within the nation, Xiaomi ought to launch the product within the coming weeks. The Mi TV Stick is slated to launch in Europe for €39.99 ($45) and is ready to be introduced in India on August 5, so this is what you’ll want to find out about Xiaomi’s newest Android TV streaming answer, and whether or not it is sensible to choose up the Mi TV Stick over Amazon’s Hearth TV Stick.

At a look



Xiaomi Mi TV Stick

Backside line: The Mi TV Stick lowers the barrier to entry for Android TV. It delivers dependable efficiency in day-to-day use and provides you entry to your whole favourite streaming providers. The distant permits you to simply invoke Google Assistant, and there is Chromecast built-in for casting content material out of your cellphone. Briefly, the Mi TV Stick is the most effective Android TV streaming dongle you will discover for underneath $50.

The Good

  • Full-fledged Android TV interface
  • Chromecast built-in
  • Dependable 1080p efficiency
  • Nice distant with Assistant and Netflix buttons
  • Glorious worth

Xiaomi Mi TV Stick What I like

Xiaomi Mi TV Stick review

Supply: Harish Jonnalagadda / Android Central

With dimensions of 92.four x 30.2 x 15.2mm, the Mi TV Stick is a extra compact model of the Hearth TV Stick. There is a massive Mi label on one aspect, and the decrease portion of the dongle has a shiny end. You get a HDMI connector on the entrance, Micro-USB port on the aspect, and there is a Micro-USB to USB-A cable within the field together with a wall plug. You’ll be able to energy the dongle through a USB port in your TV, and if you do not have one obtainable, you may plug it into the bundled energy adapter.

The Mi TV Stick prices the identical because the Hearth TV Stick, nevertheless it runs Android TV as an alternative.

The perfect half concerning the Mi TV Stick is that it affords a full-fledged Android TV expertise. That offers it a definite edge over the Chromecast, as you get a UI that permits you to stream content material instantly as an alternative of relying in your cellphone. Android TV additionally has an incredible choice of apps, and because it has Chromecast built-in, it really works the identical approach as a daily Chromecast if you happen to’re seeking to forged content material out of your cellphone.

The Mi TV Stick is Xiaomi’s tackle the Hearth TV Stick, and the truth that you get Android TV right here makes it an attractive product. There aren’t many price range Android TV streaming merchandise from main producers, and whereas the NVIDIA Shield TV dominates this section, at $150 it prices practically 4 occasions as a lot because the Mi TV Stick.

I like Android TV as a result of it’s cleaner than what Amazon affords on its streaming merchandise. Content material is prominently highlighted on Hearth TV OS, however over on Android TV, the main target is on apps. Play Retailer has all the main streaming providers and some video games, and also you get extra customizability on the subject of the house display. I usually choose a clear dwelling display, and with Android TV you get the choice to disable the “ribbons,” the horizontally-scrolling listing of content material strategies from providers you employ incessantly.

The Mi TV Stick provides you quick access to your whole favourite streaming providers. Netflix, Prime Video, and YouTube are put in out of the field, and you may set up Disney+, HBO Max, Spotify, Twitch, and dozens extra from the Play Retailer.

Xiaomi Mi TV Stick review

Supply: Harish Jonnalagadda / Android Central

Coming to the aspect of issues, the Mi TV Stick is powered by a chipset that has 4 Cortex A53 cores, and also you additionally get 1GB of RAM and 8GB of storage for putting in apps from the Play Retailer and storing native content material. The dongle has Wi-Fi ac and Bluetooth four.2 connectivity, and I did not face any points with Wi-Fi throughout my utilization.

There are zero points on the efficiency entrance, and also you get a improbable distant.

Xiaomi additionally bundles the identical distant because the 4K-enabled Mi Field S, and it is without doubt one of the greatest remotes you will discover on a streaming field that prices lower than $50. The distant has a button for invoking Google Assistant, a D-pad for navigation, again, dwelling, and menu buttons, quantity controls, and devoted buttons for Netflix and Prime Video.

I’ve used the first-gen Mi Field and the Mi Field S for a number of years, so I do know what Xiaomi has to supply on this class. In day-to-day use, the Mi TV Stick is simply as fluid because the Mi Field S, and that is as a result of the is sort of equivalent right here. The Mi Field S has 2GB of RAM, nevertheless it makes use of the identical chipset.

Whereas there was some lag initially on the Mi TV Stick, there was an out-of-the-box replace that mounted the difficulty. I watched a number of movies on YouTube and streamed the second season of The Umbrella Academy on Netflix, and I didn’t face any points with content material playback. I constantly obtained 1080p video and didn’t see any lag inside Netflix’s interface in any respect.

Utilizing the Mi TV Stick jogged my memory of Xiaomi’s price range Mi TVs. Xiaomi makes use of the same chipset and 1GB of reminiscence there as effectively, so the model clearly is aware of find out how to optimize the to ship a lag-free utilization expertise.

Xiaomi Mi TV Stick What wants work

Xiaomi Mi TV Stick review

Supply: Harish Jonnalagadda / Android Central

The Mi TV Stick would not have any drawbacks. By limiting the Mi TV Follow 1080p, Xiaomi eradicated the one problem that plagued the Mi Field S. The on supply would not actually deal with 4K, so it was a wise transfer by Xiaomi to give attention to 1080p streaming right here.

You could want to make use of an HDMI extension cable to plug the Mi TV Stick into your TV.

Due to the design of the dongle itself, it’s possible you’ll run into points plugging the Mi TV Stick instantly into the HDMI port in your TV — significantly if you happen to’re utilizing the HDMI ports subsequent to it. That was the case for me, so I had to make use of an HDMI extension cable. Amazon gives one out of the field with Hearth TV Stick, however Xiaomi would not accomplish that right here, so you’ll have to buy an extension cable if you happen to run into this problem.

I might have preferred to see an HDMI extension cable within the field, however aside from that, there actually is not something lacking with the Mi TV Stick. I have been utilizing the dongle for simply over 5 days now, and I will replace this publish after a number of weeks as soon as I get some extra utilization underneath my belt.

Xiaomi Mi TV Stick Competitors

Xiaomi Mi TV Stick review

Supply: Harish Jonnalagadda / Android Central

The plain challenger to the Mi TV Stick is Amazon’s $40 Fire TV Stick. It delivers the identical worth and comparable efficiency in day-to-day use, however you get Hearth TV OS as an alternative of Android TV and Alexa in lieu of Google Assistant. For those who’ve already invested in Amazon’s ecosystem, the Hearth TV Stick may be the higher choice.

Then there’s the Google Chromecast. The third-gen variant is now obtainable for $30, however you miss out on a distant, and there isn’t any UI right here — you’ll have to use your cellphone to forged content material to the Chromecast.

There’s additionally the $30 Roku Express, which helps you to stream 1080p content material and gives entry to your favourite streaming providers. The draw back right here is that there isn’t any Wi-Fi ac connectivity, and the Roku interface might not be to everybody’s tastes.

In fact, if you happen to’re in search of a streaming field that may deal with 4K playback, there’s at all times the $50 Fire TV Stick 4K or the $60 Mi Box S.

Xiaomi Mi TV Stick Do you have to purchase it?

Xiaomi Mi TV Stick review

Supply: Harish Jonnalagadda / Android Central

Who it is for

  • For those who’re in search of an Android TV streaming dongle
  • For those who’re available in the market for worth
  • For those who’re in search of Chromecast built-in and Google Assistant integration
  • For those who want a streaming dongle that delivers dependable efficiency

Who it is not for

  • If you need a 4K streaming field

The Mi TV Stick is basically a Hearth TV Stick that runs Android TV. Every thing from the branding to the orange packaging is clearly derived from Amazon, however the truth that you get Android TV right here makes the Mi TV Stick a fairly nice choice for underneath $50. There aren’t many Android TV merchandise on this class from main producers, and Xiaomi is clearly making the most of that.

The Mi TV Stick is without doubt one of the greatest price range streaming dongles round.

When you have an older TV and wish so as to add some smarts, the Mi TV Stick is the best product in your use case. You are getting way more worth in your cash than with a daily Chromecast, and the distant is similar one which’s bundled with Xiaomi’s Mi TVs and the Mi Field S. The Mi TV Stick delivers lag-free efficiency in day-to-day use, there’s Chromecast built-in and Google Assistant integration, and total you are simply getting nice worth.

So long as you are okay with being restricted to 1080p content material, the Mi TV Stick is without doubt one of the greatest price range streaming packing containers you should buy at present.

four.5
out of 5






The Mi TV Stick is happening sale in India shortly, and with the 4K-enabled Mi Box retailing for ₹3,499 $46) within the nation, Xiaomi can be seeking to worth the Mi TV Stick that rather more aggressively. If I needed to guess, I see the Mi TV Stick priced at ₹2,499 ($33) in India, however we should always know extra on this entrance on August 5.

The Mi TV Stick can be debuting in Europe within the coming weeks for €39.99 ($45), and the dongle ought to make its approach to the U.S. as effectively someday this yr.

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Xiaomi Mi TV Stick

The perfect price range Android TV streaming dongle

The Mi TV Stick lowers the barrier to entry for Android TV. It delivers dependable efficiency in day-to-day use and provides you entry to your whole favourite streaming providers. The distant permits you to simply invoke Google Assistant, and there is Chromecast built-in for casting content material out of your cellphone. Briefly, the Mi TV Stick is the most effective Android TV streaming dongle you will discover for underneath $50.

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