Mi TV 4X 43” Review: Is A Revisit Worthwhile?

Roughly about a year ago, we came up with the review of Mi TV 4X 55-inch. And despite a few of its flaws, our conclusion remained that it outperformed most of the competition at the time—considering its price. So today, we're revisiting the Mi TV 4X and have the 43-inch model in for review to see how it stacks up against the competition—after nearly one year of its launch. Before kicking things off, let me inform you guys that the dynamics in the TV industry have undergone a drastic transformation since last year, which led to a dramatic price hike. As a result, the 43-inch variant of the Mi TV 4X now costs nearly as much as what the 55-inch model originally went for.

Mi TV 4X 43” Specifications:

• Display: 43-inches LED-backlit LCD display
• Resolution: 4K Ultra-HD (3840 x 2160 pixels)
• Dimensions (W x H):
  • With stand: 970 x 613 mm
  • Without stand: 970 x 569 mm
• Weight: 12.70 kg (without stand), 13 kg (with stand)
• Sound: 2x 10W speakers with 20W total output (6 ohm)
• Audio Decoder: Dolby Audio, DTS-HD
• OS: Android TV 9.0 (Pie), PatchWall
• Processor: Amlogic quad-core CPU (Cortex-A53), Mali-450 MP3 GPU
• Memory: 2GB DDR RAM, 8GB eMMC storage
• HDR: Yes (HDR10)
• Refresh Rate: 60Hz
• Viewing Angle: 178-degree
• Response Time: 6.5ms (typ)
• Power: AC 100-240V 50/60Hz (140W)
• Wireless Connectivity: WiFi (dual-band), Bluetooth 4.2, Chromecast built-in
• I/O Ports: 3x HDMI (including one HDMI ARC), 2x USB 2.0, 1x Ethernet (LAN), 1x Antenna, 1x S/PDIF, 1x AV input
• Remote: Mi Remote (battery not included inside the box)
• Warranty: 1 year brand + 1 year on panel
• Price in Nepal: NPR 53,899

Mi TV 4X 43” Review:

Design

• A plastic back panel, minimal bezels upfront
• Can be wall-mounted or installed using a stand

Starting with the design, like the 55-inch, the Mi TV 4X 43-inch has an all-plastic build and features a black finish. On the front, its top and side bezels are modest, but the bottom bezel is somewhat broader and holds a "Mi" logo, as well as a distinguishing silver line that runs edge-to-edge.

Just below the chin, it has a small module protruding out that contains the IR receiver, a power indicator light, and a physical power button. Similarly, there is a bulge at the back that holds all of the I/O ports.

Display

• 43″ 4K UHD LED-backlit LCD display
• HDR content compatible
• 60Hz refresh rate, 178º viewing angle

Now, moving our attention to the display, it has a LED-backlit LCD panel with 4K resolution and HDR compatibility. That means you can stream HDR content on OTT platforms like Netflix or Amazon Prime. Moreover, as we said in our review of the 55-inch variant, Xiaomi hasn’t specified what panel is used here. But the company has mentioned this panel has a 178º viewing angle.

However, its viewing angle isn’t that good—making us believe it’s a VA panel. I was expecting the same with this 43-inch model, although I was surprised to see its viewing angle to be relatively better. Still, you can notice a slight drop in saturation levels when looking at the TV from the sides. Furthermore, it’s a 10-bit color panel with Xiaomi's Vivid Picture Engine for enhanced color reproduction and boosted brightness level. While the higher bit rate support isn't significant given the sparsity of compatible content, the Picture Engine does enhance the colors, albeit to an overly harsh degree. As a result, the shadows are exaggerated and videos look unnaturally black here. This is most noticeable when watching underlit content or even when watching bright anime. While you can experiment with color temperature, lighting, and noise level settings, this won’t fix the overdone black levels. It also allows you to choose from different visual presets, though the default option is adequate for most purposes, while Movie mode is ideal for watching TV shows or films.

Software

• Android TV 9.0 with PatchWall
• Google Assistant-enabled
• Chromecast built-in

Let us now talk about its software. It's an Android 9-powered TV with 2GB of RAM and 8GB of internal storage. And, if you're familiar with Google's TV service, you'll feel right at home here. On top of that, it comes with PatchWall—the company's content recommendation system—but it isn't particularly exciting. First and foremost, PatchWall is only available in a few countries (Nepal isn't one of them), and it formally demonstrates its full potential when you switch the TV's region to India.

Still and all, PatchWall is mostly populated with material from Xiaomi's content partners. As a result, I would advise staying on the Android environment, as this would appeal to the majority of users. Now, when it comes to general UI performance, it's merely OK. While I can complete most of the tasks, I don't find it to be that responsive. Even Google Assistant takes a second or two to launch, while it still couldn't effectively recognize my spoken phrases. This could easily be solved with a reliable software push, but the Mi TV 4X is still on the April 2021 security patch release—and I highly doubt it will receive any additional substantial upgrades, given that its successor is already out on the market. Besides, it also supports other Android perks like Chromecast and Voice Assistant.

Audio

• 2x 10W speakers (bottom-firing)
• Dolby Audio, DTS-HD compatible

Getting to the audio, the Mi TV 4X boasts two 10W speakers with Dolby Audio and DTS-HD support. It can rock a medium-sized room rather loudly, but it isn’t perfect in every audio domain. The vocals sound crisper and have a decent depth, while it lacks that punch required for bass-heavy music.

Furthermore, its sound stage is not that wide either. But given the price, I can't really complain much about the sound quality. Nonetheless, I would recommend going with a decent soundbar if you desire a strong audio output.

Remote

• Sleek Mi Remote

The remote, on the other hand, is actually quite simple. It has a sleek design and connects to your TV via Bluetooth 4.2. It boasts a subtle matte finish that keeps it looking fresh, no matter how long you use it. However, its functionalities are rather limited. It lacks a dedicated Settings and YouTube app button, and there's a lot of vacant areas where Xiaomi could've included some handy shortcuts.

Xiaomi Mi TV 4X 43" Review: Conclusion

Wrapping up this review, the Mi TV 4X 43” is a decent 4K TV under NPR 60,000 in Nepal. Sure, it's not perfect, but given the limited number of 4K TVs available in this price range, the Mi TV is an indisputable winner. It has a decent viewing angle, sharp resolution, decent colors with a 10-bit display, and a loud audio setup for a room of ordinary size. It would have been a no-brainer if Xiaomi would release an update to make the OS more reliable.

Xiaomi Mi TV 4X 43" Review: Pros & Cons

Pros:

• Decent value for money
• Nice design, build quality
• Sharp 4K resolution
• Decent viewing angles
• Dolby Audio, DTS-HD audio
• Excellent port selection
• Intuitive Android TV interface

Cons:

• Colors look excessively boosted at times
• PatchWall is of no use in Nepal
• UI isn't seamless
• Mi Remote lacks some basic buttons