It was only three weeks ago that Xiaomi seemingly disrupted the Indian television scene by launching the Mi TV 4: a 55-inch smart LED TV that’s slimmer than an iPhone X and offers 4K HDR for just Rs 39,999. The Mi TV 4 was just a teaser trailer though. For things to come. Xiaomi had something even more disruptive up its sleeve, something that the company announced on Wednesday. Enter the Mi TV 4A.

It takes no genius to point out, the Mi TV 4 isn’t meant for everybody, something that even Xiaomi knew right from the get-go. Although dirt-cheap, its sheer size and scale can be a deal-breaker for many. That it won’t be available in multiple size variants at least to begin with can dampen its prospects further. There’s also the 4K content aspect there’s simply not enough 4K content to make all those extra pixels on-board do the talking but that’s purely subjective. Not to mention, its a flaw that plagues almost all the 4K TVs in India. But here’s the thing. The Mi TV 4, as ridiculously well though-out as it is, is still a niche product for a niche audience. Also, Xiaomi isn’t promising the moon with availability specifics, which means it would be ridiculously difficult to buy one.

The Mi TV 4A is different. The Mi TV 4A is more mainstream. The Mi TV 4A is meant for everybody. The Mi TV 4A is a lot more accessible. This is because Xiaomi has made it that way. It has gone on to ground zero, quite literally, asking people what they want in their TVs. Their next TV. Based on feedback, the company found a few common pointers. One, the TV has to have options. Second, the TV has to have many ports. Third, the TV has to be affordable, considering it’s coming from Xiaomi. Of course, parameters like display, audio and smarts (if possible), are important too.

The Mi TV 4A, it’s safe to say, is a culmination of all this feedback. It comes in two options, it comes with many ports, and it’s very affordable. It checks all the right boxes as far as display, audio and smarts are concerned as well.

Specs, features and everything to know

The Mi TV 4A isn’t as paper-thin as the flagship Mi 4, which I believe, is a blessing in disguise. Although, sleek and trendy, the Mi TV 4 will require owners to be extremely cautious while handling. Now you can say, TVs aren’t meant to be handled on a daily basis, but, the times when you will have to deal with it, it’s going to take some extra care. This is because, a large part of the Mi TV 4, is its USP display and that display is insanely slim. You can actually feel the thing slightly wobble every time you put some pressure on it while adding something to one of its many ports, or even while cleaning it, for that matter. The Mi TV 4A comes with more manageable dimensions. That’s not to say that the Mi TV 4A isn’t sleek and trendy. It is, but, in a different way. It may not be as slim as the Mi TV 4, but, Xiaomi claims you can actually lift (and carry) the thing around effortlessly. The Mi TV 4A, at max, weighs in at just under 8kg, while the smaller option, weighs in just under 4kg, which is ridiculous, so as as to speak, in TV standards.

Speaking of which, the Mi TV 4A, comes in two size options: 32-inch and 43-inch. Both the versions may not be as border-less as the Mi TV 4, but, Xiaomi has managed to shave off much of the bezels here as well.

The Mi TV 4A comes with a custom-built VA (Vertical Alignment) display panel. Xiaomi won’t tell the name of the manufacturer though. Having said that, unlike its phones, where it’s known to use multiple vendors for panels, the Mi TV 4A is using just the one vendor. This should technically entail in consistency, in all-round user experience, across the board. The Mi TV 4, to recall, comes with a custom-built Samsung 4K SVA (Superior Vertical Alignment) display panel. The Mi TV 4A, Xiaomi has confirmed, does not ship with a Samsung-sourced display panel.

Moving on, the 32-inch and the 43-inch Mi TV 4A’s, come with different set of resolutions. While the 32-inch of the Mi TV 4A is what you can call HD-ready (1366 x 768) the 43-inch version comes with a full-HD display (1920 x 1080). Both the versions boast of a latency of 6.5 ms and a refresh rate of 60Hz, and 178 degree viewing angles.

Both the versions come with the same hardware on the inside, but, there’s a difference in connectivity ports. The Mi TV 4A is powered by a 1.5GHz quad-core Amlogic T962 Cortex-A53 processor coupled with Mali-T450 GPU. It comes with 1GB of RAM and 8GB of storage. It come with Wi-Fi (802.11ac), along with two 10W dome stereo speakers with support for DTS audio. While the 32-inch Mi TV 4A has 3 HDMI ports (including 1 ARC port), and 2 USB ports, the 43-inch Mi TV 4A, comes with 3 HDMI ports (including 1 ARC port), and 3 USB ports along with an S/PDIF port. Both the versions come with Ethernet and a headphone jack.

A headphone jack is lacking on the Mi TV 4, but, it comes with HDMI ARC as well as Bluetooth. While ARC can help you connect to a fancy sound bar, Bluetooth can help you connect it to a headphone: the options on offer clearly re-instate that you’re dealing with a flagship product. The Mi TV 4A, which is a more mainstream offering, gives you HDMI ARC and a headphone jack, but no Bluetooth. The reason behind, not including Bluetooth as per Xiaomi, is cutting cost. Also, the company believes, feedback suggests that potential buyers looking to buy a TV in the Mi TV 4A’s category would rather have a headphone jack, than have Bluetooth. The Mi remote, that Xiaomi will be bundling along will also be one that’s IR-based, as a result.

Software and content

The biggest highlight of the Mi TV 4A, according to Xiaomi, is that just because it’s a more affordable series doesn’t mean that the company has compromised on the inherent software. The inherent software inside both the 32-inch as well as the 43-inch Mi TV 4A is same as the software that’s driving the Mi TV 4. Which means, it’s also based on Android, but it’s not technically an Android TV. Xiaomi is calling the software inside it as PatchWall, and the company has apparently made India-specific changes to the platform although the inherent philosophy still remains largely unchanged.

PatchWall is based on “deep learning AI that references metadata to make intelligent content recommendations tailored to you,” according to Xiaomi which means it’s always learning and evolving. PatchWall, because it is AI-driven, comes with the ability to learn a user’s viewing habits and then accordingly it suggests content based on their preferences. The emphasis lies on showing more content on one screen as quickly as possible, or through the shortest possible path.

Users can be both ridiculously random and ridiculously specific while browsing content, and PatchWall will be able to find them pretty much anything and everything if it fits the bill of its capabilities. Also, it will be possible to control the Mi TV 4A, through the Mi remote app for smartphones.

Moving on, a smart TV is just an idiot box without content, and it’s nice to see Xiaomi partnering with as many as 12 content partners to boot in India and the list includes popular streaming services like Hotstar and Voot. Netflix and Amazon Prime are not on-board, but Xiaomi is open to working with them in the days to come.

What sets the Mi TV 4A apart from counterparts though is the fact that it is content being an idiot box as well but at the same time it has the capability to make your existing set-top box look smart. You can choose to connect the Mi TV 4A to the internet via Ethernet or Wi-Fi and stream content on it, but, you can also not connect it to the internet and watch your regular TV shows on it through a regular set-top box. Every Mi TV 4A will ship with a ‘made in India’ IR cable in the box, that will allow the Mi TV 4A to speak to your set-top box: so, it can essentially tell your set-top box to switch between channels. One of the added benefits of PatchWall, according to Xiaomi, is that the user interface will allow the Mi TV 4 remote to control your set-top box, turning it into a universal remote of sorts.

The Mi TV 4A supports almost every prominent set-top box that’s available in India like Tata Sky and Dish TV, down to even those that are offered by local players like Hathway and Siti cable. What really makes the Mi TV 4 stand out is how cleverly it integrates your set-top box channels into its user interface based on your viewing as well as trending patterns making them part of your live stream, and when connected to the internet even briefly the interface allows you to get quick information about programs both live and upcoming as also subtle details like how far off you will be in a program/movie should you decide to start watching at any given point of time. And you can do all of this without needing your set-top box remote.

The Mi TV 4A may be smart, but it’s also fairly basic in terms of usage which means it’s easy to set-up and easy to operate unlike most smart TVs that often tend to bombard users with unnecessary complications. The same reason why the Mi TV remote comes with just 11 buttons as against others including a regular set-top box remote that come with far too many.

There will be a few caveats though. Although the Mi TV 4A is based on Android, there’s no Google Play store on it, which means you can’t readily download and install apps on it like Netflix and Amazon Prime unless you side-load them. This can be too technical for many. This is something that even Xiaomi is aware of, and the company is already at work on a work around. But unless Xiaomi comes out with a solution, you can only side load apps on the Mi TV 4A which means installing APKs of files via its USB ports. Be warned that, even though you maybe able to side-load apps on the Mi TV 4A, there’s no guarantee the app will actually work on it.

Price and availability

But here’s the thing. The Mi TV 4A is so accessible, you’re bound to overlook such shortcomings. It doesn’t compromise on hardware and software, much like any other Xiaomi product, and it does all of this at nearly half the price of a premium flagship. While the 32-inch Mi TV 4A has been launched at a price of Rs 13,999 the bigger 43-inch version of the Mi TV 4A will cost buyers in India Rs 22,999. Both the 32-inch and the 43-inch Mi TV 4A versions will be up for grabs from Mi.com/in, Mi Home Stores and Flipkart. Unlike the Mi TV 4, Xiaomi is promising ‘adequate number’ of units in the case of the Mi TV 4A which is also why the company will be holding two sales in one week, one on Tuesday and another on Friday, to sell the Mi TV 4A. Both the TVs will go on sale for the first time on March 13. And rivals, must be, really nervous. They’ve got a lot of thinking to do.