Many of the affordable smart TVs are actually quite dumb. Many often lack support for one or more of the popular OTT apps or don’t support 4K, or at times even HD, streaming across them. In fact, Xiaomi’s own TVs couldn’t run Netflix and Amazon prime for a very long time.
Xiaomi’s Mi Box will make regular TVs smart and smart TVs smarter, just as the Fire TV stick (review) does. So, which one of the two is better? Let’s compare the Fire TV stick and Mi Box in detail in order to help you decide.
Mi Box 4K vs Fire TV stick 4K: Specs comparison
| Product | Mi Box 4k | Fire TV Stick 4k |
| Streaming resolution | 4K, HDR 10 | 4K, Dolby Vision, HDR10+ |
| Audio | Dolby Audio, DTS 2.0 | Dolby Atmos |
| Ports and connectivity | HDMI out, USB, Digital audio outWi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.2 LE | HDMI out, power input, dual-band Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.0 LE |
| Smart Assistant | Google Assistant | Alexa |
| Processor | 2Ghz | 1.7GHz |
| Storage | 8GB | 8GB |
| Built-in Cast | Yes | Only for YouTube |
| Price | Rs 3,499 | Rs 5,999 |
Mi Box vs FireTV stick 4K: Design
The Mi Box is a box and would require additional space in front of your TV alongside your set-top box and an additional cable to manage. The Fire TV stick is something you connect directly behind your TV and then forget about completely.
If you have a wall-mounted TV and space constraints, this is something you’d want to ponder over. Both the Amazon Fire TV stick and Mi Box require a power input. The Fire TV stick can accept power from the TVs USB port, and the Mi Box 4K comes with a proprietary charger.
Both Xiaomi Mi Box 4K and Amazon Fire TV Stick 4k come with separate remote controls.
Also Check: Google Chromecast 3 Review
Mi Box vs Fire TV Stick 4K: Hardware and Software
The Mi Box 4K has a higher clocked processor, but by Xiaomi’s own admission the Fire TV Stick 4K manages better benchmark scores. Since both of these are capable of handling 4K HDR, the hardware differences shouldn’t matter much when it comes to deciding between the two.
The Fire TV stick 4K additionally has Dolby Vision support – which should make a difference if you have a high-end TV that supports Dolby Vision.
The smart home ecosystem that you are committed to or plan on committing to should also be a deciding factor. Mi Box 4K is affiliated to Google’s ecosystem and runs the Android TV interface, while the Fire TV stick has Alexa and seamlessly connects to Amazon’s Echo devices.
Mi Box has a few useful extras. It has Chromecast Ultra built-in and you will be able to cast from supported apps directly to your TV. Fire TV stick 4K supports casting videos from YouTube and also supports screen mirroring.
If your TV already has Chromecast built-in (if you bought one in the last year or so, chances are it does) you can enjoy casting from random apps seamlessly even when the selected input is Fire TV stick.
Also Check: Best Sound Theater Systems To Buy In India
Mi Box vs Fire TV stick 4K: Audio, Ports, and connectivity
Xiaomi Mi Box 4K supports Dolby Audio and DTS 2.0 audio and has digital audio out to directly connect with home theater systems. The Amazon Fire TV stick 4K supports Dolby atmos.
Mi Box also has an extra USB port that you can use to directly connect USB pen drives. This should prove quite useful because USB ports on TVs are often difficult to access, especially when TVs are wall-mounted.
Fire TV stick 4K has the latest Bluetooth 5.0 while the Mi Box has Bluetooth 4.2 LE.
Mi Box vs Fire TV stick 4K: App support
All popular apps in India – Disney+hotstar, Netflix, Prime Videos, YouTube – are supported on both Mi Box and Fire TV Stick 4K. While we are yet to test Mi Box, we are assuming that Fire TV has a few extra global apps since it’s available many more markets and has been around so much longer.
For instance, Apple TV is available only on Fire TV stick in India. We’d also like to check support for music streaming apps like Spotify, Ganna, etc on Mi Box 4.
Mi Box 4K vs Amazon Fire TV stick: verdict
What shall unequivocally work in Xiaomi’s favor is the aggressive price of Mi Box 4k. At Rs. 3,499, the Mi Box is even cheaper than Amazon’s regular Fire Stick (1080p) that costs 3,999.
There are some differences in features between the two streaming devices, but you should also factor in what you need, what your TV already has, and which assistant you prefer – Google Assistant or Alexa Alexa – before deciding between the two.
Points in favor of Xiaomi Mi Box 4K
- Significantly cheaper
- USB port to directly connect flash drives; Digital audio out
- Built-in Chromecast Ultra for directly casting from apps on your phone
Points in favor of Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K
- Compact design, simpler cable management
- More global apps supported (Apple TV, HBO, etc.)
- Supports Dolby Atmos audio
