Chinese electronics giant Xiaomi has announced a new streaming dongle. It’s a long overdue update to the original Xiaomi TV Stick 4K device that launched in December 2021.
Although the underlying hardware in the updated device isn’t much different, except for a newer and more powerful central processing unit, it nevertheless offers some interesting audio and video enhancements.
As mentioned, the Xiaomi TV Stick 4K (2nd Gen) features a new chipset, made up of a quad-core Cortex-A55 CPU and Mali-G310 graphics processing unit. According to Xiaomi, the new chip provides a hefty performance boost of up to 80%, which should mean the device runs much faster than the older one. It also boosts graphics performance by an impressive 150%.
The new device does not, unfortunately, build on the 2GB of RAM and 8GB of storage space found on the original Xiaomi stick, which is strange seeing that Google has proscribed that all future Google TV devices should have at least 16GB of storage. But on the other hand, Xiaomi claims that the improved chip enables superior HDR and audio performance, as well as faster Wi-Fi.
In addition, the device, which was first spotted by TechRadar, actually supports more HDR and audio formats. Dolby Vision, which was available on the first generation stick, is joined by HDR10+, the other premium high dynamic range format. Meanwhile, DTS:X support is added, along with the Dolby Atmos surround sound format that existed on the first device.
Another visible change is that the 2nd generation device runs Google TV rather than Android TV, which means that you’ll get a more modern and streamlined user interface, with more personalised content recommendations.
Xiaomi said Wi-Fi is faster because the device now has Wi-Fi 6, rather than Wi-Fi 5 found on the older model. Bluetooth 5.2 connectivity is the same as before, but there is a slightly redesigned remote control that includes a shortcut button for connecting to Xiaomi’s very own free live TV services.
Xiaomi has not yet said when the device will go on sale, and nor has it said anything about the price, but we assume it should be available soon, and also be pretty affordable when it is. The existing Xiaomi TV Stick 4K can still be had on Amazon U.K. for £49.99.
UPDATE: Android Authority says the device is available in China through AliExpress, where it’s priced at $49 (around £36), discounted substantially from its recommended price of $135.
Given that Google’s Chromecast with Google TV device has now been discontinued in favor of the Google Streamer set-top box, the Xiaomi TV Stick 4K (2nd Gen) might be an appealing low-cost option for someone looking for some simple streaming smarts that they can take with them wherever they go.
For a more powerful alternative, Xiaomi also offers the slightly more expensive 3rd generation Xiaomi TV Box S, which has much more storage space at 32GB, albeit with the same 2GB of RAM. For more RAM, look no further than the Thomson Streaming Box Plus 270, which comes with 3GB, or Google’s aforementioned Google TV Streamer, which weighs in with a generous 4GB.
