Mi TV Stick Review: Prefect TV Streaming Solution At An Affordable Price

In this Mi TV Stick review, we will take a look at Xiaomi’s take on the 1080p version of the popular Fire TV Stick.

The device offers 1080p performance, access to all of the most common streaming services on the market, and the interface of Android TV.

Mi TV Stick price in India is ₹2,799 but don’t make a decision just yet, let’s see what you’re going to get:

Mi TV Stick Review: What It’s Done Right

Xiaomi’s product looks more like Fire TV Stick’s smaller version with a length of 93.4mm, a width of 30.2mm, and a thickness of 15.2mm.

At the front, there is an HDMI connector and on the side, there is a Micro-USB port. The stick comes with a Micro-USB to USB-A cable and a wall plug out of the box.

Users get two choices regarding powering the dongle, one is via your TV’s USB port, the other is via the bundled power adapter.

If we had to pick only one feature of the device that makes it more desirable than other options on the market for this Mi TV Stick review, it would be the full-fledged Android TV interface. Unlike Chromecast, users get to control everything without going through their phone first.

Since Android offers a wide range of apps and onboard Chromecast, you can also cast content from your phone to the wider screen of your TV.

You will be hard-pressed to find more than a handful of affordable products for Android TV streaming on the market from well-known brands. What is dominating the segment now is NVIDIA Shield TV but it’s four-time more expensive than a Mi TV Stick.

Xiaomi’s TV Stick offers access to all major streaming services including Prime Video, Netflix, and in-built YouTube out of the box. Go on the Play Store and you have the option to get HBO Max, Twitch, Disney+, and Spotify.

Under the hood, Mi TV Stick specs include onboard storage of 8GB, RAM of 1GB, and a processor with four Cortex A53 cores. Connectivity-wise, users get Bluetooth 4.2 and Wi-Fi ac.

The stick comes with the same excellent remote as the Mi Box S. It features a D-pad for volume, menu, home, back, navigation, and separate buttons for Prime Video and Netflix.

If you have used the Mi Box S and have the first-hand experience of how fluid the experience is, you can expect similar performance with the Mi TV Stick the the two share the same chipset, the most significant difference is RAM of 2GB.

Mi TV Stick Review: The Disadvantages

While the device has so many desirable features, it isn’t without any drawback. So let’s move on to the next part of our Mi TV Stick review - things that need improving.

The design of the Mi TV Stick makes it hard for users to plug it into the HDMI port on the TV. A solution here is to use an HDMI extension cable. While Amazon adds one in the box with its Fire TV Stick, Xiaomi has omitted it, so if you face this problem, you will have to buy an extension cable.

Many users would love to have such a cable in the box. Other than that minor shortcoming, there isn’t anything wrong with Mi TV Stick features and performance.

Mi TV Stick Review: Competition

The most obvious competitor of Mi TV Stick is Fire TV Stick from Amazon. While the latter comes with similar features and benefits, it runs on Fire TV OS, not Android TV, and has Alexa in the place of Google Assistant. Those who have had an extensive range of Amazon merchandise will be better off with it than the Xiaomi’s TV stick.

Google Chromecast is another fierce competitor but it has no UI so you will have to rely on your phone for content. Plus, there is no remote coming with the Chromecast.

The Roku Express also offers 1080p streaming and access to all popular streaming services but there isn't Wi-Fi connectivity and Roku’s own UI isn’t the favorite of many users.

Those who are looking for 4K resolution can take a look at Xiaomi’s Mi Box S or the Fire TV Stick 4K.

Overall, if you are perfectly happy with Android TV and 1080p resolution, Xiaomi’s affordable option is an ideal choice. Plus, if you can land a Mi TV Stick deal, you are looking at the best value for money.

>>> Mi TV Installation: How To Book An Appointment And How Much You Have To Pay