Mi Box 4K vs Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K: Which One Should You Buy?
Xiaomi recently launched its own entertainment set-top-box – the Mi Box 4K.
advertisement
It would surprise you if I told you that more than 34 million people are still using non-smart TVs in India and with most of the entertainment moving to OTT platforms, these 34 million are looking for options to upgrade their ‘dumb’ TVs to ‘smart’ TVs.
Amazon being the early bird in this segment was highly successful with its smart TV dongle, the Amazon Fire TV stick. It even launched a 4K version of the Fire TV stick for people who wanted high-quality entertainment at home.
Now, Xiaomi has jumped into the entertainment set-top-box segment with its latest offering, the Mi Box 4K.
So what do both companies offer to their customers and which one should you buy? The new Mi Box 4K or the Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K? Let’s find out.
Design & Ergonomics
Both are distinct in terms of looks. Where the Mi Box 4K sports a square, boxy design, the Fire TV Stick looks like a USB dongle.
The Mi Box is a 4x4-inch device that houses an HDMI port, a USB port, a 3.5mm audio input, and a power input. There is a small white-coloured LED in the front which is basically to indicate that the device is responding to the remote signal.
Since the Mi Box is bigger than the Fire TV, it will be tough to keep it behind the television and would mostly have to be placed on a surface near the TV.
The Fire TV 4K is more compact and can be easily concealed behind the TV and there is less hassle due to lesser wire management.
Yes, the Fire TV is more compact but only because it houses lesser ports compared to the Mi Box.
Performance
Where the Mi Box 4K comes with a 2.0 GHz quad-core processor inside, the Fire TV 4K houses a 1.7 GHz quad-core chipset.
Both come with 8GB on-board storage space for apps.
Since Mi Box 4K is running on Google’s Android TV OS, you can expect a lot more apps and games on offer compared to Fire TV than runs its own skin on top of Android TV.
The Mi Box comes with a built-in Chromecast which allows you to stream content directly from a phone. The feature works on an iPhone as well.
The Fire TV 4K on the other hand comes with screen-mirroring as an option. However, the feature is not available for iOS devices.
The Fire TV 4K does offer support for Dolby Vision, HDR and HDR+ bundled with Dolby Atmos audio which makes it ideal for people looking for a great visual and audio experience.
The USB option on the Mi Box 4K can be used to connect a pen drive and watch content directly. Basically, it is for TVs that don’t have a USB port. It supports most formats like Mp4, Mkv, AVI and VOB.
You can sideload apps on the Mi Box using the USB port.
Hardware
In terms of the user interface, the Android TV OS on the Mi Box is similar to any other Android television. The title arrangement is clean and the transition between multiple options is smooth.
The Fire TV 4K also offers an intuitive user experience so we can’t really separate the two.
Both come with standard remote controls with dedicated voice assistant buttons. But you’ll rarely use that option.
The advantage that the Mi remote offers is that it comes with dedicated Netflix and Prime Video buttons on the remote for quick access.
Both devices offer Bluetooth connectivity so you can connect your Bluetooth audio equipment as well.
Which One to Buy?
It’s really not that tough to pick. The Mi Box at Rs 3,499 adds a lot more value to the package with the addition of the USB port and the 3.5mm audio input.
The only advantage I see with the Fire TV 4K TV is the addition of Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos but for that, you have to pay a premium. At Rs 5,999, it is Rs 2,500 more than the Mi Box.
Choose the Fire TV 4K if you want a no-compromise TV experience. Else, the Mi Box 4K should be your ideal choice.
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)