Chinese brand Xiaomi is offering an alternative to Chromecast with Google TV with its latest streaming stick, the Xiaomi TV Stick 4K. The new device is powered by Android TV 11 and provides support for 4K resolution, Dolby Vision, Dolby Atmos and AV1 video decoding.
The actual hardware is noticeable smaller than the supplied remote control, and yet it is still more than capable of streaming 4K resolution, Dolby Vision content from compatible service. While the Xiaomi TV Stick 4K might not quite match more powerful hardware such as the Apple TV 4K or Nvidia Shield in terms of its underlying CPU and general performance, it still looks to be a very promising device, with 2GB of RAM and 8GB of on-device storage.
Xiaomi’s promotional images show that the stick is powered by Android 11 and depict the older user interface, though it is likely it will be updated to the newer, slicker, Google TV-like UI very soon after it launches, or maybe even before that happens.
Android TV is in any case just as good as Google TV, with access to all the streaming services you’ll ever need, including Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV+, Disney+, HBO Max, YouTube and many others.
One advantage the Xiaomi TV Stick 4K has is its support for AV1 video decoding, which many rival devices such as Roku TV and Amazon Fire TV sticks currently do not support.
Xiaomi’s hardware also supports Dolby Atmos surround sound, DTS-HD, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 5.0 connectivity, and comes with standard HDMI and Micro USB ports.
As to when it launches or how much it will cost, Xiaomi hasn’t yet said. We’re expecting to see a very competitive price though, as is usually the case with Xiaomi.