Xiaomi Mi TV 5X 55” First Impressions: The Good, The Bad & The X-Factor

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Xiaomi's 2021 Mi TV line-up brings three different screen sizes- 43-inches (Rs. 31,999), 50-inches (Rs. 41,999), and the flagship 55-inch variant costing Rs. 47,999. All three smart TVs flaunt 10-bit 4K panels with a resolution of 3840×2160 pixels and come with support for modern TV-viewing formats including Dolby Vision, HDR 10+, HDR 10, and HLG. The new Mi TV range runs on the PatchWall 4 UI that features a native IMDb rating system for movie buffs.

 
Xiaomi Mi TV 5X 55” First Impressions

Xiaomi sent the 55-inch Mi TV 5X for review. The 55-inch variant has a 40W stereo speaker setup and boasts a premium-looking metallic design. We set it up to test out the performance.

The Good

The Good

Premium Metal Design

The new Mi TV range has a sturdy build and flaunts a minimal look and feel. The big 4K panel goes edge-to-edge offering a 96.6% screen-to-body ratio to offer an immersive bezel-less viewing experience. The screen is surrounded by an aluminum alloy frame from all four sides that has been given a brushed metallic finish. It adds a premium touch to the front fascia and will enhance your room's décor no matter how you place the TV in the room.

You can wall-mount or place the TV on a table/TV cabinet with the help of tabletop stands that are offered in the box. Sadly, the wall-mount is not bundled in the package and needs to be purchased separately. The rear side of the TV is made out of plastic but has been given a premium carbon fiber finish. Overall, the Mi TV 5X is one of the best-looking 55-inch smart TV you can buy today in the Indian market.

Vibrant 4K Panel With HDR10+, HLG & Dolby Vision Support
 

Vibrant 4K Panel With HDR10+, HLG & Dolby Vision Support

The 55-inch panel with a 4K resolution (3840×2160 pixels) is impressive. I streamed some latest episodes of Marvel's 'What If' series and they looked brilliant. The colors look punchy and the panel offers excellent contrast and good viewing angles.

As per Xiaomi, the Mi TV 5X covers 94% of the DCI-P3 standard. The 4K screen supports most trending viewing formats including the HDR10+, HLG, and Dolby Vision. The TV's software even offers respective categories to help you find the content in these high-end formats.

The TV can stream HDR10+ videos in Amazon Prime and Dolby Vision content on Netflix. Moving on, the new TV range comes integrated with Xiaomi's proprietary display technology - Vivid Picture Engine 2 with Adaptive Brightness. The new TVs have a built-in photoelectric sensor that adjusts the panel's backlight adapting to the room lighting conditions. We are still testing the sensor's response in different ambient light conditions and will put out a detailed report in our comprehensive review.

Good On Connectivity & Latest Software

Good On Connectivity & Latest Software

Like most Xiaomi smart TVs, the Mi TV 5x also brings the most required connectivity ports. The 55-inch variant has 3x HDMI 2.1 ports, 2x USB ports, 1x Ethernet port, 1x optical port, 1x 3.5mm port, and an AV input port. For wireless connectivity, the MI TV 5x gets HDMI 2.1, eARC & ALLM, Bluetooth 5.0 dual-band Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac. The smart TV also comes integrated with Google Assistant and Chromecast.

As far as the software is concerned, the Mi TV 5x comes running on the latest PatchWall UI based on Android 10. The feature-rich PatchWall UI has content recommendations in over 15 languages to choose from across 30+ partners. Xiaomi has also partnered with Chaupal (which debuts with PatchWall in India) and Lionsgate Play. Besides, the new PatchWall update also brings in 75+ free live channels that can be accessed from PatchWall UI.

The Bad

The Bad

We experienced some lags and UI felt sluggish at times on the new 55-inch MI TV 5x. Apps take time to load and there's a definite lag even when you shift from one app to another or navigate the UI. It seems like the 2GB RAM is to be blamed for the sluggish user response since the CPU running the show is pretty capable.

The new Mi TVs are powered by a 64-bit quad-core A55 CPU paired with a Mali G52 MP2 GPU. Storage won't be an issue on the new Mi TV 5X-series has 16GB of internal storage. Xiaomi has promised a new OTA update that might resolve these UI performance issues. The TV comes with built-in far-field mics that are quite responsive but only when the TV is not blasting audio at loud volumes. You have to reduce the volume levels to let the TV register your voice commands.

The X-Factor

The X-Factor

There are a couple of features that make the new Mi TV 5x worth considering. The sound quality seems better than most 55-inch smart TVs in its price category, thanks to the powerful 40W speaker system that creates loud and immersive audio. Enable the 'Sound Virtualizer' toggle in 'Dolby Sounds' settings and you can experience a fulfilling theatre-like experience at home. Some other useful audio settings include- Dialogue enhancer, Dolby Audio Processing, and different audio profiles.

Moving on, I liked how this TV can play titles on Netflix and music videos on YouTube with just simple voice commands. The hands-free Google Assistant support is very useful.

Lastly, the Mi TV 5x is the first smart TV range to come integrated with a native IMDb database. The native availability of IMDb can save viewers from the endless browsing loop of finding good quality content. If you rely upon IMDb's rating algorithm, the new feature will come in handy. The MI TV 5x offers IMDb's database information on the PatchWall home screen.

Should You Consider Buying The MI TV 5X?

Should You Consider Buying The MI TV 5X?

The new Mi TV 5x range has vibrant 4K panels, powerful speakers, and some pretty good features on offer. The 55-inch variant we are testing seems to be appropriately priced for its picture/audio quality. We will spend some more time evaluating its performance. The Mi TV 5X Series will be available across Mi.com, Flipkart.com, Mi Home, Mi Studio, and Croma, starting tomorrow, i.e. 7th September 2021 12 PM at Rs. 31,999 for 43", Rs. 41,999 for 50" and Rs. 47,999 for 55" variant.

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