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.

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The post Xiaomi India is offering Mi Box 4K at 30% off for Mi TV 4 users instead of Android TV update appeared first on Gizmochina.

The Xiaomi Mi TV 4 55″ launched in India in early 2018 as the world’s thinnest TV at 4.9mm thickness. The company even advertised it to be thinner than a coin. Priced at ₹39,999 (increased to ₹44,999), it was the most expensive product from the brand for the Indian market at that time. But the TV was left out for Android TV update, which is even available for cheaper models launched alongside it. But now, it seems like the update is indeed coming for this model after over 2 years from its release.

Customer service reveals Android TV update for Mi TV 4 55″

A user shared the screenshot of his chat with Xiaomi India Customer Service. He asked if the Mi TV 4 55″ would receive Android TV update. To his surprise, the executive replied the developers on working on it and will be rolling out in phases after testing.

Hearing this, the user was puzzled and asked if the executive is really talking about Mi TV 4 55″ since most of the users have lost hope. To this, the executive simply replied ‘Yes’ confirming the fact from his side.

Anyway, we would like you to take this information with a pinch of salt. Because information from customer service executives is always not accurate.

Sub-standard software support for Mi TVs in India

Xiaomi entered the smart TV market of India with the launch of Mi TV 4 55″ and Mi TV 4A 43″ / 32″ in early 2018. These TVs ran AOSP Android with PatchWall interface on top of it for content aggregation.

Later, in the same year, the company launched new TV models powered by Android TV platform with support for Google services like Play Store, Chromecast, YouTube, and Google Assistant. During the launch, Xiaomi promised to update Mi TV 4A 43″ and 32″ to this new platform but did not even mention the premium Mi TV 4 55″.

Users have been requesting for updates for over two years on Twitter and Mi Community. But the company’s executives don’t pay heed to their tweets or community threads.

On the other hand, the update for Mi TV 4A 43″ / 32″ was delayed for over a year and was only rolled out in late 2019. That too, with a lot of bugs like the buzzing of speakers in lower volume levels. Above all, these TVs still don’t support Netflix.

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