Xiaomi has finally launched its Android TV-powered Mi Box 4K streaming device in India. It is priced at Rs 3,499. During its online launch event, the company compared it with the Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K. It said that the Mi Box 4K is way ahead of the Fire TV Stick 4K and is much cheaper than it. Let's find out if Xiaomi is correctly saying so, or does the Amazon product pull ahead in a straight comparison.
Today we will be taking a look at how both the products compare.
Xiaomi Mi Box 4K vs Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K: Price
Xiaomi Mi Box 4K is priced at Rs 3,499 and will be made available starting May 10 at 12 PM via Flipkart, Mi.com, and the company's own offline stores. Whereas, the Fire TV Stick 4K is priced at Rs 5,999 and is readily available on Amazon and offline stores.
Price is a big factor that will sway consumers away from the Fire TV Stick 4K and towards the Mi Box 4K. Amazon will have to lower the price of its Fire TV Stick 4K if it wants to compete against the Mi Box 4K.
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As of now, the Mi Box 4K takes the win in price.
Xiaomi Mi Box 4K vs Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K: Specifications
Xiaomi Mi Box 4K is powered by a quad-core Amlogic processor. The device comes with 2GB of RAM and 8GB of internal storage. It runs Google's Android TV 9 Pie operating system. The company claims that the device supports over 5,000 apps and games.
It lets users stream videos in 4K resolution. It also sports a USB port and a 3.5mm headphone jack.
Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K is powered by a custom quad-core processor clocked at 1.7GHz. It also comes with 8GB of internal storage. The device runs, a forked version of Android, named Fire TV OS.
Not many apps are available on this platform. However, major streaming services like Apple TV are available on it.
Mi Box 4K is a box that is required to be placed on a tabletop. Whereas, the Fire TV Stick 4K is a dongle, which hangs behind the television. Just like the Mi Box, this can also stream videos in 4K resolution. Unlike the Mi Box, this does not come with a USB port or a headphone jack. This means that the device will not be able to act as a media player or connect to a pair of headphones.
Xiaomi Mi Box 4K vs Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K: Features
Mi Box 4K comes with an in-built Chromecast Ultra, which allows users to stream content directly to the TV from compatible devices. The Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K comes with a built-in Miracast for casting. However, the Mi Box is just more capable in terms of its casting capabilities, as with Miracast users can only mirror their screens and not directly cast something.
Where the Fire TV Stick 4K pulls ahead is in the display support technology. Mi Box 4K supports HDR content up to HDR10. However, the Fire Stick 4K comes with support for Dolby Vision and HDR10 content.
The Mi box comes with Google Assistant support, whereas, the Fire TV Stick supports Amazon's Alexa digital assistant. Both of these digital assistants have their own benefits and drawbacks. It just depends on your personal choice, which one do you like more. I personally feel that the Google Assistant is a better digital assistant overall.
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Audio is also where the Fire TV Stick takes a win. Mi Box 4K supports Dolby Audio and Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K supports Dolby Atmos.
Xiaomi Mi Box 4K vs Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K: Verdict
As of now, the Xiaomi Mi Box 4K seems like a better buy, considering that you will be saving a lot more money, which you can then spend on your Netflix, Disney+ Hotstar or any other OTT service.
However, features like Dolby Vision support is where the Fire TV Stick 4K provides users with a much more premium experience.
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We are yet to test out any of the streaming products, thus would reserve a verdict as of now.
