Xiaomi is the leading smart TV brand in India. Apart from televisions, the company also sells a streaming stick and a streaming box. Now, ahead of Diwali festive season, the Chinese tech giant is offering discounts on subscriptions for 9 OTT services.

Xiaomi’s Mi TV range of smart televisions comes with PatchWall launcher on top of the Android TV Pie operating system. This launcher is a content aggregation service offering content from various partner OTT platforms.

Like the past two years, Xiaomi is once again offering discounts on subscriptions for select partner OTT services. This offer is not only applicable to the customers of Mi TVs but also those who own Mi TV Stick and Mi Box 4K.

For those unaware, the latter two devices don’t come with PatchWall and therefore, it is interesting to see Xiaomi extending the discounts to more customers. Having said that, let us take a look at all the offers.

EDITOR’S PICK: PatchWall 3.4 for Mi TVs brings Immersive Carousel, User Centre & new Live TV channels

Xiaomi Diwali Discounts on OTT Subscriptions for Mi TV, Mi TV Stick & Mi Box 4K Users

To avail any of the above-listed offers, interested users will have to fill this form. These discounts are valid from October 14 to November 20.

UP NEXT: Xiaomi Mi TV LUX Pro 82-inch 8K 5G & Mi TV LUX 82-inch 4K launched in China

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Update: We erroneously stated the Mi Box 4K is the more powerful device with respect to performance. The post has now been updated. Thanks, Greenwheel, for spotting the error.

Smart TVs have existed for a while now but there are still lots of non-smart TVs that are being produced annually. However, with TV boxes and TV sticks, non-smart TVs can become smart. It is important to mention that TV boxes and TV sticks are not only for non-smart TVs but many smart TV owners also use one, usually because the apps that come bundled with their TVs are limited.

If you are on the search for a TV box or TV stick, chances are the recently announced Mi Box 4K and Amazon’s Fire TV Stick 4K are on your radar. Today, we will compare both and try to help you to decide which to buy.

The table above helps highlight the differences between the two devices. As you can see, each device has its own strengths and weaknesses. Nevertheless, we will explain some of the differences below.

EDITOR’S PICK: Google is working on a new streaming device, May ditch Android TV branding

Mi Box 4K vs Amazon Fire TV 4K: Smart Assistant

Both devices come with a built-in smart assistant. You have Google Assistant on the Mi Box 4K and Alexa on the Fire TV Stick 4K. With the smart assistant, you can ask the device to launch apps, play a certain video, or ask questions.

If you also have compatible smart home devices on the same network, you can control them using these devices. For example, you can turn on/off lights, check camera feeds, or control smart door locks.

If you plan to pick one of these two products and use them for controlling your home, compatibility is key. So if your smart home devices work with Google Home, you are better off with the Mi Box 4K and vice versa.

Bluetooth Voice Remote and Controller Support

Both devices come with a Bluetooth voice remote in the box. The remotes use AAA batteries which should last a while before replacing. The advantage of a Bluetooth voice remote is that you don’t need to point it towards the device. As long as you are in Bluetooth range, you can control the device with the buttons on the remote or via voice.

The Mi Box 4K’s remote has fewer buttons including dedicated ones for Netflix and Amazon Prime Video. The Fire TV Stick 4K’s remote has more buttons including a dedicated mute key.

You can also pair Bluetooth controllers to the two devices to play downloaded games.

Mi Box 4K vs Amazon Fire TV 4K: Performance and Storage

The processors in the Mi Box 4K and the Fire TV Stick 4K both use Cortex-A53 cores but Amazon’s streaming device is the more powerful one. The table below shared by Xiaomi during the launch of the streaming box even proves that its device is less powerful.

Yes, the Mi Box 4K has more RAM but it is the slower DDR3 type whereas the Fire TV Stick 4K uses DDR4 RAM. The Fire TV Stick 4K also has higher Geekbench scores.

When it comes to storage, both devices have a measly 8GB which is even less as the OS and pre-installed apps already take some of the space. However, users will be able to add more storage easily to the Mi Box 4K compared to the Fire TV Stick 4K.

The Mi Box 4K has a full-sized USB port that allows you to plug in a thumb drive or a hard drive. Android TV also has a feature that lets you format a drive to serve as dedicated storage for the TV box. The feature is similar to the adaptive storage feature you have on Android phones. When completed, you will be able to download more apps and games and also save videos without worrying about space. Do note that the thumb drive will not work when plugged to another device.

The Fire TV Stick doesn’t have a USB port nor does it have a MicroSD card slot. However, you can still add more storage using some additional peripherals. The main requirement is the OTG cable below.

Your thumb drive goes into the USB port end of the cable while the MicroUSB end of the power adapter goes into the MicroUSB input port of the OTG cable. The MicroUSB end of the OTG cable then plugs into your Fire TV stick. Using a file explorer, you will be able to access the storage. The is a YouTube video to guide you on the process.

HDR

Both devices support HDR but the Fire TV Stick 4K supports more HDR formats including Dolby Vision. So if you have a TV that supports HDR 10+ and Dolby Vision and you want the best video quality while watching content, you are better off with the Fire TV Stick 4K.

Mi Box 4K vs Amazon Fire TV 4K: Price

This is the deciding factor for a lot of people. The Mi Box 4K is priced at INR 3499 (~$46) while the Fire TV Stick 4K sells for INR 5999 (~$79). The lower price tag makes the Mi Box TV 4K easily recommendable especially for anyone on a budget. Even with its lower price tag, it offers more including better performance.

Conclusion

Both devices support 4K streaming and if that is the only requirement you want, you are fine with any one of the two. With respect to performance, the Fire TV Stick 4K is the better device. However, the lower price tag and easy support for storage expansion will sway buyers to the Mi Box 4K.

UP NEXT: Xiaomi India is offering Mi Box 4K at 30% off for Mi TV 4 users instead of Android TV update

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Last week, we reported Xiaomi could be finally releasing Android TV update for Mi TV 4, the first-ever premium smart TV from the brand to debut in India. Unfortunately, that does not seem to be happening. Instead, the company is offering a ₹1,000 discount to the users on the newly launched Mi Box 4K.

Exclusive Mi Box 4K Offer for Mi TV 4 Users

Xiaomi India has a page on its online store to let Mi TV 4 users register to avail discount on Mi Box 4K. Users will have to fill a form with the following details.

• Name
• E-mail
• Mobile Number
• Mi TV 4 Serial Number
• Mode of Purchase

Once their data is validated, they will be receiving a mail with coupon code. Then, the users will have to redeem it on Mi.com from the profile section. Once done, they will have to place an order for Mi Box 4K by applying the coupon to avail ₹1,000 discount.

Xiaomi launched the Mi Box 4K, a rebranded Mi Box S from 2018 alongside Mi 10 5G and Mi True Wireless Earphones 2 in India last week. It is priced at ₹3,499 but the Mi TV 4 users will be able to buy it at an effective price of ₹2,499 with a 30% discount coupon.

Register for Mi Box 4K Discount

Mi TV 4 is Still Running the Launch Software

For the unaware, the Mi TV 4 launched as the world’s thinnest LED TV in Inda in early 2018. It ran a forked AOSP software with PatchWall launcher for content aggregation. The TV debuted at ₹39,999 but the price was soon incremented to ₹44,999.

The Chinese tech company also released two budget TVs namely Mi TV 4A 32” and 43” along with it. Later that year, ahead of Diwali, the firm announced newer models, which ran Android TV with improved PatchWall and had access to Play Store, Google Assistant, and more.

At the launch event, Xiaomi promised to update all the existing TVs (the first three models). But the company was unclear from the very beginning in regards to Mi TV 4. The cheaper models received the Android TV update after over a year from the initial announcement.

In between this, users were constantly asking further information about the update for Mi TV 4 on social media and official forums. However, the company executives dodged all of them. This TV is still running PacthWall 1.0 with no access to popular streaming services.

On the other hand, the online customer service maintained the update is in works like we reported last week. But now the company has finally broken the ice with an exclusive discount offer on the Mi Box 4K for Mi TV 4 users.

In other words, users are getting the deserved Android TV update in the form of a new product but they have to shell out extra ₹2,499 for the same.

Xiaomi India’s Official Explanation Regarding Mi TV 4 Android TV Update

At Xiaomi, our endeavor is to provide the best Smart TV experience to all our Mi Fans and we are constantly working on improving it. While we have pushed the latest Android TV update to over 3 Million devices, we regret to inform that android updates cannot be made available to Mi TV 4 55″ because of the custom chip used in the device on account of its unique design which does not support the requirement for Android TV codecs.

In lieu of the same, we are offering a discount of Rs 1000 on our newly launched Mi Box 4K to all our existing Mi TV 4 55″ customers.

Mi Box 4K is a promising solution that offers exciting features such as Android TV experience, Google Assistant and Chromecast Built-in and much more.

UP NEXT: Redmi 8A Dual, Redmi 8, and Redmi Note 8 now cost way more than their launch price in India

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Xiaomi has just announced the Mi Box 4K for the Indian market. The streaming device was announced in the online launch event for the Mi 10 and is priced at 3,499 INR (roughly 46 US Dollars).

The Mi Box 4K runs the Android TV 9 Pie OS and plugs directly into televisions through the HDMI port. It supports Wi-Fi for connectivity, which grants users access to a large variety of apps and services online. This includes popular video streaming platforms like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Disney+ Hotstar, and more. Xiaomi has partnered with various brands like Docubay, Epic, HoiChoi, and Shemaroo to offer exciting deals to Mi Box 4K buyers.

Similar to set-top boxes, the Mi Box 4K is designed to placed on table-tops and connects to the TV via the HDMI cable. The device is powered by a quad core Amlogic processor and features 2GB of RAM and 8GB of internal storage. It even supports up to 4K resolution for various streaming services and also supports HDR enabled content from Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and others.

Editor’s Pick: Xiaomi Mi 10 for Rs. 49,999 (~$661) brings 108MP quad cameras, 90Hz display and Snapdragon 865

The Mi Box 4K runs the Android TV interface, unlike most of its smart TV offerings that run the PatchWall interface. In terms of additional connectivity, the device also supports USB port and 3.5mm audio jack. The former acts as a local media player allowing pen drives to play various audio and video formats. There is also a built in Chromecast Ultra that helps users to cast content in up to 4K resolution.

The Mi Box 4K will go on sale starting from 11th May 2020 at 12pm (noon IST) and will be available through popular e-retailers like Flipkart, and also the company’s official website, Mi Home stores, and Mi Studio stores as well. The streaming device is also expected to soon arrive in affiliated stores.

UP NEXT: Redmi Note 8 took second spot in the Global Top Smartphones list in Q1 2020, Apple iPhone 11 came first

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Xiaomi fans in the United States have been waiting for a while now to see the Chinese giant officially start selling their products in the North American country. In an interview with Bloomberg, the company’s vice president, Hugo Barra explains their plans.

Good News

There is a product launching in October. Some of you may already know the product marking the company’s debut in the US, but for those who don’t, I’ll bring you up to speed.

During Google’s I/O 2016 conference, the search giant mentioned that some new android TV and Google cast devices will be coming to the market soon. One of those devices is Xiaomi’s Mi Box which already exists in China but runs regular android. It will be launching with the more refined Android TV in the US. The Mi box supports 60 fps 4K video decoding, HDR10, Digital Dolby Plus + DTS surround sound, HDMI 2.0a, and has a bluetooth voice remote.

You can also purchase the optional Mi Game Controller for playing supported android games. I am excited about this launch, as I have put off buying the regular version because this version will be launched with Android TV based on Android Nougat which is way better than the regular type that comes with Lollipop.

Bad News

Smartphones will be coming later. Hugo Barra says even though the US market is very important, they are still a young company and have to be stay focused with their international expansion.  The technology standard in the US is very high and the market is complex, so they want to carefully plan their entry and make sure they get things right, most especially after-sales services.

RELATED: Xiaomi Inc Expected to Go Public in 2025

When asked about how the company aims to cover the financial aspect, Mr. Barra mentioned that they do not need to raise money as their financial power is fine such that they have also financially backed some companies in China.

Xiaomi’s launch sees them taking the fight to Apple’s own turf. Their biggest market at the moment is in India and they are reportedly doing well there, but back home in China, they have been overtaken by Huawei, OPPO, and Vivo.

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While Xiaomi is mainly known for its smartphones, the company has a wide variety of products under its belt, including Android boxes. Now, the company has just unveiled a brand new Android box called simply as the Mi Box at Google I/O. We had expected the new Android box launch at the event since the company’s global VP had already teased the coming of the product a couple of days back. Since the new Mi Box will be coming to US, it will be the first official product from the company in the region.

In case you are wondering, this isn’t the Mi Box 3 model that was announced last year. Instead, this is a new model and runs on Google’s Android TV platform. The Android box supports 4K UHD streaming and latest HDR standards. It comes with a bluetooth remote as well, which supports voice recognition. The box also gets support for Google cast which lets you mirror your Android or iOS device. Unfortunately, the company didn’t announce a release date or pricing for its new Mi Box. But the company did reveal that the new box will be available worldwide.

The specs of the new Mi Box 4K are as given below. 

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