Xiaomi MiBox Review: Android TV Box Done Right
We live in a day and age where the information that we consume is available in a wide variety of formats. There are a number of different ways in which you can consume media now, whereas just a couple of decades ago, this would only have been possible through the use of cable television.
Perhaps the biggest sign of the changing times has to do with the fact that even the way we use our televisions is starting to change in a gigantic way. While before, we were restricted in a lot of ways to the channels that were made available to us, nowadays, we have options that enable us to stream shows and content directly from the internet without having to use any additional cable subscriptions. Set-top boxes have been set up that connect you to online media portals such as Netflix, with such connectivity being their primary function.
The Xiaomi MiBox is one of the latest additions to this new wave of technology, which has made it so that you do not have to worry about how you are going to be able to catch up to all of your favorite shows. However, with the market so saturated with products like these and better-established brands such as Apple offering similar products with a long history of being top notch, does the Xiaomi MiBox measure up to its competitors?
In this review, you are going to find out about this, as all of the various aspects of this streaming device are going to be analyzed and shown to you so that you may understand them with ease. By the end of this review, you are going to have a clear idea of whether this product is objectively worth your money or not.
Pros
- Compact: A compact product is essential for today’s modern homes, which are mostly likely smaller than homes used to be a few decades ago. This product is quite small and is very unassuming. It can fit into a small space with ease and, thus, allow you to get the right amount of storage space for your other essentials. You are not going to need a special compartment for this box; just slide it wherever there is room and you will be good to go.
- Affordable: Perhaps the single most notable thing about this product is its price point. Most set top boxes with comparable specs are extremely expensive, so much so that normal people have a very tough time affording them. On the other hand, this product is half the price of the next most affordable product, and this is what makes it quite special. If you are looking for an entry-level product that would not be too tough on your wallet, this product is perfect for all of your content consumption needs.
- Stylish: If there is one thing about this product that will stand out, it is its stylish design. Minimalism reigns supreme in this modern day and age and with this product, minimalism is something that you are definitely going to get. With a sleek design that is very good at allowing you to fit it into the aesthetic you want to provide in your home, this product is going to make you look good in front of your guests. Hence, you will not have to worry about compromising on your style.
- Portable: If you move around a lot, you are going to love the fact that this product is so light. Though the lightness is not really going to matter to a lot of people. For some, however, this is going to be the very thing that makes them want to buy it. This is because of the fact that you would be able to take this product around with you while you travel. So if you have a job that would require you to move from one place to another frequently, this product would be ideal for you and allow you to easily take your TV box everywhere you go.
- Customer service: If there is one thing that can make a good product look bad, it is poor customer service. Thankfully, after you buy the Xiaomi MiBox, you are going to get some outstanding customer service that has been built to allow you to get the most out of your new gadget. With the helpful representatives on hand whenever you call the company directly, any problems that you might face while you are using this product are going to be resolved very efficiently and quickly, thereby allowing you to get back to your content consumption as soon as possible.
- Versatile: This product can get you pretty much all of the streaming services that are available. Netflix is obviously going to be included, as is Amazon Prime. However, this product also offers you Hulu Plus which is offering some great content these days and is really owning the television industry in spite of not being as well known. The inclusion of YouTube Red is perhaps the single best thing that this product has to offer, as this is a service that is not being taken seriously right now in spite of the fact that it has some incredible and unique content to offer. Of course, you can also throw Kodi onto the MiBox and use all your favorite streaming add-ons.
Cons
- Durability: When you buy a product, you are generally going to want something that would last as long as possible. This is why it is so important to go for durable products. Unfortunately, the Xiaomi MiBox is going to offer you no such thing. It is not that durable at all and can break very easily. This is because of the fact that it is so light and the designers have opted for portability rather than durability. This is an odd choice because durability matters more. Either way, the fact of the matter is that you are going to have to be very careful with this product or else you might end up breaking it without even realizing what you are doing. This is particularly true if you intend to carry the Android TV box around a lot on your travels.
- Connectivity: If there is one thing about this product that is truly going to be annoying, it is the absence of an Ethernet port. Again, portability and size reduction seem to have led to some rather surprising design decisions. Now, for those with a rather strong Wifi router and good reception, this shouldn’t present a problem. However, if you compete with many other wireless networks in your home, you might notice bandwidth drops.
Design
All in all, the design of this product has been built to conform to the modern mindset in which sleekness is the only thing that really matters. While using this product, you are going to get a lot of advantages as far as conforming to the visual aesthetic of your home goes since the company has put quite a bit of effort into making it as stylish as possible.
Hardware
The product measures a little over a hundred millimeters in both length and width. It is a little under 20-millimeter thick, which should tell you just how thin it truly is. This thin design is going to make it a lot easier for you to slide this product into tight spaces to store it. It weighs about 176 grams, so it is very light, allowing you to carry it around with you if you are going somewhere such as a gaming party with your friends where they would want to play the games that you have in your Xiaomi MiBox. Check out these game controllers game controllers to get the most fun out of your Android games.
It comes with a quad-core processor, a Cortex-A53 to be exact, which can provide up to 2 GHz of processing speed which is very impressive indeed. You also get 2 gigabytes of RAM and 8 gigabytes of flash storage space for all of your needs. The ports include an HDMI, a USB, and a power port.
The remote is one of the best things about this product. It is voice activated allowing you to issue commands without using any buttons or menus. It is also very sleek without an excess of buttons, which is in line with the modernity that this product is trying to exemplify with everything it does. The remote runs on AAA batteries.
The combination of this solid hardware means that this product really is quite excellent. The only problem with the hardware that I was able to find was the fact that the outer casing was made of plastic. Since this product is so affordable, I was honestly not that surprised, but at the same time, one would want something a little sleeker. The look of the product is harmed a little bit by it being made of plastic, but since the plastic is matte, it is not all that noticeable. Plus, you are saving a lot of money which makes it a good option for you to enjoy.
Of course, the aesthetics aside the plastic casing does make this product very fragile. The company has not used a very thick plastic casing, which means that you might break it easily, but this is only a problem if you drop it from great height or if something very heavy falls on it. As far as general drops are concerned, this product will not get damaged all that much.
All in all, the hardware of the Xiaomi MiBox is pretty solid and provides you with an excellent design that is sleek in spite of being made of plastic. Furthermore, since its plastic manufacturing drives the price of this product down so much, I doubt that you are going to take issue with it, especially when you consider how brilliant every other aspect of this product is!
Software
This is an Android product, so it obviously runs on Google’s operating system. It runs the version of Android that has been specifically created for use with smart TVs, which is why it runs so smoothly. The latest version of this software has been added to it, which ensures a wider range of versatility and compatibility. In fact, the software being upgraded to the latest version is one of the biggest reasons why this product manages to be so versatile in every way.
With Android TV, you get access to countless apps for streaming. And, because this version of Android OS was designed for TVs, navigation is a breeze.
Performance
This product provides an excellent video output that can go up to 4K resolution. This is actually pretty surprising when you consider the price point at which this product is offered. 4K compatibility is the sort of thing that is meant for the most luxurious of items, but this product provides a pretty solid 4K result. To top it off, it can show videos up to 60fps, thereby allowing you to watch in extreme slow motion, frame by frame, which a lot of products don’t provide.
This means that this product is great for gaming as it can show you the maximum graphics that these games would be able to offer. The processor is also powerful enough to handle some heavy-duty gaming, which is why this product has become so widely renowned in the market.
What Others Say
Possibly the biggest complaint that can be heard about this product is the fact that it breaks easily, as is evident from the facts mentioned above about its dimensions and weight. People who generally are clumsy and unable to handle products that need a little bit of care will face some issues here.
However, this is really the only complaint that people tend to have about this product. Overall, it is very good at providing a solid video result, and this video result is complimented time and time again, so it is definitely something that makes this product worth buying.
The overall impression that one gets about this product after seeing the reviews that people have been posting about it online is that it is great at allowing you to experience the very best media experience on your TV.
Verdict
All in all, this is a great product if you want something affordable with a solid range of versatility and usability. The Xiaomi MiBox is all about making your life easier as far as your content consumption needs are concerned. You will, of course, have to keep in mind the fact that this product is prone to breaking if you are not careful with it. If you have kids, it might be a better idea just to avoid getting it or at least put some effort into keeping it safe. That being said, this is a solid product that you should definitely consider.
Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
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