Xiaomi Mi TV Stick review: Lagging behind the competition

Smart TVs are all the hype, especially after the global pandemic added to everyone’s time at home. All smart TV manufacturers are fighting for a place in your living room entertainment system. Android TV is one of our favorite platforms and the Xiaomi Mi TV is an option if you want to get a dongle with Google’s TV operating system. Is it a good option? Find out in our Xiaomi Mi TV Stick test.

See also: The best media streaming devices you can buy

What you need to know about the Xiaomi Mi TV Stick

• Xiaomi Mi TV stick (MDZ-24-AA): $ 44.99 / € 39.99 / Rs. 2,799

The Xiaomi Mi TV Stick has an MSRP of $ 44.99 but is typically available for around $ 40. Unlike many other Xiaomi products, it is easily available in the US as well as many other markets including India and across Europe.

The Xiaomi Mi TV Stick runs on Android TV, has access to streaming apps in the Google Play Store and is operated by a quad-core processor, 1 GB of RAM and 8 GB of storage. This gives it enough power to handle Full HD 1080p content at 60 fps. 4K playback is not supported.

What is good?

The Xiaomi Mi TV Stick focuses on simplicity and restraint. The stick is small enough to hide behind any screen. The remote control is simple and leaves little room for confusion. You get the normal navigation, volume, power, Google Assistant, and direction buttons on the remote. In addition, there are some shortcuts to Netflix and Amazon Prime Video, which are some of the most popular video streaming services. After a quick look, you will learn how to use the Xiaomi remote control. It’s super easy to use.

Also read: The best Xiaomi phones you can buy

The Android TV experience seems to have left Xiaomi untouched. You can talk to or type with the Google Assistant in the upper left corner of the screen. There is an settings gear icon in the upper right, and a column aligns the left side. The rest of the screen is filled with content previews. This settings menu contains only five main options that are very easy to understand and navigate. The UI can’t get any cleaner, and a simple experience is always good – especially when you consider that many manufacturers have had a good experience with their modifications.

Another great feature is that the Xiaomi Mi TV Stick, like any good Android TV hardware, has Chromecast support. This means that you can stream content from any supported app on a smartphone, tablet, and other devices.

What’s not so good?

Xiaomi is known for offering the best your money can get. It prides itself on undercutting its competitors while offering similar (if not better) specifications and services. We expected this from the Chinese manufacturer and I am sad to say this is an exception. At around $ 45, it’s only $ 5 less than the Chromecast with Google TV, and you get a much smaller experience.

The processor seems to be struggling. I noticed some delays in opening apps and navigating. It takes longer for the Google Assistant to respond after you press the appropriate button, and it also takes a while for the Google Assistant to respond to your commands. The overall experience is slow in almost every way. Not to mention, only 1080p content can be played when almost every other media streamer has 4K compatibility at the price.

Xiaomi is known for offering the best your money can get. Unfortunately, the Mi TV Stick is an exception.

The build quality of the remote isn’t bad, but again there are better options. The Chromecast with Google TV remote control is smaller and slimmer, the controller of the Nvidia Shield TV is more ergonomic, and the larger remote control of the TiVo Stream 4K has more buttons for playing.

In addition, the box does not contain the two AAA batteries required to use the controller. I can’t remember ever getting a remote control without the first set of batteries in the box.

Xiaomi Mi TV Stick review: should I buy it?

The Xiaomi Mi TV Stick is not exactly a “valuable item” and costs only 5 US dollars less than the Chromecast with Google TV. Even if you’re sticking to Android TVs but don’t want the latest version from Google, the TiVo Stream 4K offers better performance for a very similar price. Outside of the Android TV ecosystem, there are also the Fire TV Stick 4K and the Roku Streaming Stick Plus – two very strong alternatives.

Whichever of the competitors you choose, they are all more powerful and offer 4K streaming as opposed to 1080p.

Next: The best Android TVs out there | The best Android TV boxes

The only perk we see in Xiaomi is the small profile with a solid connection to your TV, but most people won’t care considering no one can see the back of a TV. It also has a very clean user interface.

In regions where there are few options to choose from, the Xiaomi Mi TV Stick is still a sensible buy thanks to all of the great Android TV features like the Google Assistant (if it works), the Play Store, and Cast support. For everyone else, you should look elsewhere.