Xiaomi Mi TV 4: Does it live up to its immense potential?

Khalid Anzar lists the pros and cons.

The design of Xiaomi's 55-inch Mi TV 4 (₹44,999) is refreshing and plush, but marred by uneven distribution of weight that makes the upper part feather-light and slim and the lower part thick and heavy.

It comes with an array of connectivity options -- two USB ports, one AV port, one S/PDIF port, three HDMI ports, an Ethernet connection port, Bluetooth 4.0 and Wi-Fi.

More importantly, the television comes with three months' subscription of online digital content streaming services such as Sony, Voot and Hungama Play.

Looking for content is also simple because of PatchWall, a simple and easy user interface that shows everything upfront, including the content on offer by set-top box service providers.

However, the Mi TV 4 runs a heavily customised version of Google Android TV.

While the user experience is flawless and smooth, the lack of app support and a dedicated app store limits the experience.

Currently, the television comes pre-installed with only a Hotstar app and a browser version of YouTube.

Sideloading of apps is possible but the 11-key-based remote does not support in-app functionalities, thus rendering them useless.

Playing 4K content over YouTube is another weak area. Because there is no dedicated YouTube app and the television relies on a browser-based YouTube widget, video playback is capped at 1080p.

HDR content playback is also not supported using the native YouTube service.

The Xiaomi Mi TV 4 seems like a restricted smart LED television with immense potential.

The HDR-enabled 55-inch UHD screen, Dolby-tuned acoustics and thin stature give it a pedigree. But the lack of support for apps such as Amazon Prime Video and YouTube TV limits the overall potential of the otherwise capable television.