Xiaomi's latest Android TV box debuts in the U.S., streams 4K HDR content for just $59

By Harish Jonnalagadda
last updated

Xiaomi's first effort at an Android TV box — the Mi Box — wasn't the company's finest effort, but the Chinese manufacturer is looking to change that with the Mi Box S (opens in new tab). The device made its debut earlier this year as the Mi Box 4, and will be sold as the Mi Box S in the U.S.

There are a few things that make the Mi Box S stand out: it has great hardware in the form of a quad-core Amlogic S905L processor, 2GB of RAM, and 8GB of storage. It also lets you play back 4K HDR content at up to 60fps, and it supports Dolby DTS.

There's Wi-Fi ac and Bluetooth 4.2 as well, and you get a remote with a dedicated button to invoke Google Assistant. The device comes with the latest version of the Android TV interface, which is based on Android 8.1 Oreo. As it is an Android TV box, it has Chromecast built-in, allowing it to act as a video target.

What's particularly attractive about the Mi Box S is the price. At $59, it's more affordable than its predecessor while offering better hardware. The Mi Box S will go up for sale from later this month at Walmart stores across the country.

Harish Jonnalagadda
Harish Jonnalagadda
Senior Editor - Asia

Harish Jonnalagadda is a Senior Editor overseeing Asia at Android Central. He leads the site's coverage of Chinese phone brands, contributing to reviews, features, and buying guides. He also writes about storage servers, audio products, and the semiconductor industry. Contact him on Twitter at @chunkynerd.

9 Comments
  • Interesting.
  • Bring this to the uk pls
  • So for the same price as the Chromecast Ultra, I can get a whole Android TV device that also does 4K HDR? SOLD!
  • The CCU can play YouTube and Google play Movies in HDR, but no ATV device can.
  • Umm, the Nvidia Shield TV can.
  • I've been looking for a small, inexpensive solution to play my Blu Ray backups. If this will allow full bitstreaming for Hi Def audio - Dolby TrueHD, DTS HD-MA, Dolby Atmos - then I will get one for Plex and Kodi usage.
  • You aren't alone. I guess this solves that problem or what do you think. I'm a kodi freak but I'm yet to check out plex. What am I missing?
  • I got the Mi Box 3 last year and it is being used for Netflix, YouTube and Plex almost 24/7 on my 1080p dumb TV from 2008. BUT I am truly wondering about who this Mi Box S is really for. Most 4K TVs, especially the ones with HDR, are almost guaranteed to have some smart features built in. YouTube, Netflix, Hulu, etc are available out of the box. Surely dumb TVs like mine are getting rarer by the day. Unless it's a matter of preferring Android TV over whatever smart OS the TVs came with (Tizen, WebOS, etc), why would anyone need a Mi Box in 2018?
  • That's true, I have ATV and Chromecast devices all over my house.