By Md Waquar Haider
New Delhi, Dec 25 (IANS): After cementing its position in the smart TV market, Xiaomi has entered the premium segment in India with the launch of a fully 'make in India' Mi QLED TV 4K 55-inch TV.
Mi Smart TVs continue to be the best-selling devices for the nine consecutive quarters in India, with a 22 per cent market share (Q2, 2020).
We used the latest Mi QLED TV 4K 55-inch TV for nearly a week and here is what we think about the latest Xiaomi offering.
In terms of design, the TV scores decent marks, thanks to its aluminium frame, thin bezels with a 96 per cent screen-to-body ratio and a carbon fibre pattern at the back.
There are three HDMI ports (all HDMI 2.1), two USB ports, Ethernet, Optical and 3.5mm audio outputs, as well as eARC, Bluetooth 5 and there's also an in-built Chromecast functionality.
One would find two metal stands enclosed in the package. The stand itself looks good and is a different approach to a typical TV design.
The back panel of the new TV has been given a carbon finish for a fresh look and feel.
The TV supports a 4K resolution with support for HDR 10, HDR 10+ and Dolby Vision. It also supports eARC (Enhanced Audio Return Channel) and ALLM (Auto Low Latency Mode), both of which are features of HDMI 2.1.
The device supports e-ARC, a next-gen technology that acts as a great boost for bandwidth and audio speed, offering a true flagship experience.
Furthermore, the TV has been configured with the MTK's flagship 64bit quad-core A55 processor coupled with Mali G52 graphics, which means, users can effortlessly play videos on content and streaming platforms.
There's also 2GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage for apps and app data.
We tested the TV with a variety of content including streaming video across popular resolutions and HDR formats.
While watching video content on Amazon Prime, to check the picture quality, we started with ‘Unpaused' and the show was absolutely brilliant with natural colours, high peak brightness and good contrast thanks to the QLED panel.
Regular 4K content looked decent as well.
The Smart TV comes with a six speaker set-up, along with four full-range drivers and two tweeters, which offer an immersive acoustic multi-dimensional sound experience.
The device offers the best-in-class frequency range that can go as low as 60Hz and all the way upto 20KHz, and delivers a total power of 30Watts.
It supports all the popular audio codecs, allowing users to stream apps and DTH with Dolby Audio and DTS-HD support.
The Mi QLED TV comes with Android 10 out of the box. It includes all the streaming services that one would want — there's Netflix and Prime Video and Disney+ Hotstar is a new addition.
Like other televisions from Xiaomi, the Mi QLED TV 4K also runs the company's PatchWall launcher, with the latest version - PatchWall 3.5.
Some other useful features include Universal search, User Centre, Kids Mode, Smart Recommendations and Live TV.
To enhance the cinematic experience of the TV, Xiaomi has also added support for Dolby Audio and DTS-HD.
The remote is the same as on earlier Mi TV models, with few buttons, and hotkeys for Netflix and Amazon Prime Video as well as access to Google Assistant for voice commands.
The remote features limited and essential buttons, making it simple.
Conclusion: Xiaomi which has dominated the budget Smart TV segment in India now competes against premium players like Samsung, LG, Sony, OnePlus and others.
Priced at Rs 55,490, the Mi QLED TV 4K 55-inch TV with next-gen features is a strong contender for the existing players.