International Version Xiaomi Mi Box Review: Very friendly Android TV Box

Xiaomi Mi Box has been on the market for a long time. We recently received the International Version Xiaomi Mi Box for review, so today we want to introduce you to Xiaomi Mi Box review. One thing we can tell you right now is really friendly real Android TV Box, though we have become accustomed to Android TV Boxes with a clean Android OS. We invite you to read.

We want to say thanks to Banggood store for sending us a Xiaomi Mi Box to review. Now International Version Xiaomi Mi Box is available on Banggood for $66.99 + free shipping.

As mentioned earlier, Xiaomi Mi Box is a “friendly” TV Box. We have thought that since the launch of Mi Box, the user is guided by the hand as “baby”. Setup wizard takes fast. Xiaomi Mi Box is a real Android TV Box because it has Android TV OS (6.0) from Google and the screen visually differ from those we know from previous TV Boxes (based on pure Android with manufacturer overlay). Android TV launcher is based on recommendations from many external sources, Youtube, Google Movies, Google Play Games, Google Play Music etc. The recommended content is displayed in rows.

We can choose typical the resolution of FHD 1920×1080 (1080p 60Hz) but you can also adjust the preferred resolution ( also 4K ) or set the auto switch. Everything worked stable and very quickly without delays. Unfortunately, there is no possibility of connecting Mi Box via ethernet cable (missing RJ45 port). WiFi connection works fast and stable, but Wifi connection (802.11a/b/g/n/ac, Dual-band Wi-Fi 2.4GHz/5GHz) could be faster Download – 95.33Mbps Upload – 36.92Mbps). In addition to the bluetooth remote control with voice feature, we used a two gamepads from iPega: iPega PG-9069 and iPega PG-9076.  Although the device in its specification has 8GB eMMC, storage has 5.1GB of data.  Mi TV Box comes with built-in Chromecast support (you can stream your favorite entertainment and apps from your phone, tablet or laptop). As we mentioned at the beginning of the TV Box is equipped with Bluetooth remote control with voice search button, so by pressing the button you can output voice commands. The service works well and fast. Big plus! Another feature that confirms that it is a friendly TV Box. You do not have to navigate the remote control, just tell what you are looking for. TV Box support YouTube 4K and Netflix 4K, but our content on Netflix was played only in Full HD, probably automatic TV resolution detection (max 1080p @ 60Hz). We also installed the latest Kodi 17.6. The apps that we use for testing we’ve installed from an external source are missing from the Google Play store for Android TV. The number of applications for Android TV OS is limited. Below some screenshots.

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Of course, on the Xiaomi Mi Box you can play in games from the Google Play store, as on other Android TV Boxes. Games run smoothly with maximum settings.  Just connect gamepad. We used two gamepads (iPega PG-9069 and iPega PG-9076) and played Riptide GP2 and Beach Buggy Racing and Asphalt 8. Below the screenshots.

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Operating system and components

The Mi TV Box runs on the Android TV 6.0.1 and supports OTA updates. Just connect the TV Box to the internet and the TV Box gets the latest available firmware. TV Box is equipped with Amlogic S905X-H quad core ARM Cortex-A53 @ processor up to 2.0GHz and GPU Mali-450MP, CPU speed between 100MHz and 2.02GHz. On the following screens, you can see exactly the components used and their specification (Information taken from the CPU-Z app). Below screenshots.

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After using the DRM info (app) we know that Mi TV Box supports Google Widevine Moudlar DRM with HDCP-1.x and support Microsoft Playready DRM, does not support Marlin DRM and Verimatrix VCAS. The device also does not have root access.

Performance tests and benchmarks

For testing, we use the AnTuTu Video Tester 3.0 app and AnTuTu Benchmark.  The result 918. The test showed problems with 1 video samples.

Video playback by Kodi 17.6 runs smoothly and stable. The H6 PRO without problem plays movies with the resolution of 480p,720p and 1080p (24fps, 30fps, 60fps) and also 4K (60fps) with various codecs video such as H.264,H.265, MPEG2, MPEG4, RMVB and audio – DTS and AC3. Dolby Digital passthrough worked fine via HDMI. Also we tested several video formats – AVI, MKV, MP4 (typical formats in which it holds the majority of movies), ISO and also videos was played fine. The tested TV Box plays video files in 4K (also 60fps) without any major problems. The following table of video samples tested for Kodi 17.6. As we mentioned, TV Box supports Youtube 4K (2160p). Also, we tried to play VP9 4K video runs smoothly.

Typical 1080p	Kodi 17.4
MPEG2 / MP2 2.0 – 6.6Mbps	OK
MPEG4 / MP3 2.0 – 7.6Mbps	OK
H264 / AAC 2.0 – 7.2Mbps	OK
VC1 / WMA3 2.0 – 25Mbps	OK
VP8 / VORBIS 2.0 – 7.8Mbs	OK
–	–
4K Video
Sintel – H264 / AAC 2.0 – 24fps	OK
BBB Sunflower -H264 – 60fps	OK, sound delay
Honey Bees – 96fps	OK
Skyfall – H264 / AAC 2.0 – 10Mbps	OK
Puppies Bath – h264/AAC 2.0	OK
Cinemartin H265/HEVC	OK
Tears of steel – 60fps	OK
HD Club Chimei – H264 / AAC 2.0 – 60Mbps	OK
Jellyfish 4k uhd HEVC 10bit – 140Mbps	OK
Jellyfish 4k uhd HEVC 10bit – 200/250/300/400Mbps	Not smooth
LG Demo – Istanbul 3840×2160 MP4/H264 8bit – 116Mbps	OK
Sony 4K – Camp HDR MP4/HEVC 10bit – 75.8Mbps	OK
Demo Samsung 2014 – USA Road Trip TS/HEVC 10bit – 51.4Mbps	OK
Demo Samsung 2014 TS/HEVC 10bit – 51.4Mbps	OK
H.265/VP9 Video
Tears of steel – H265-HVEC / AAC 2.0 – 15Mbps	OK
Youtube – VP9 / 1080p	OK
VP9 / 4k – Eye of the Storm 4K Ultra HD.webmv	OK
VP9 / 4k – 10 Incredible 4K (Ultra HD) Videos.webmv	OK
VP9 / 4k – Australia – Land Down Under in 4K.webmv	OK

Xiaomi Mi TV Box Benchmarks

Below benchmarks screenshots we were able to do: AnTuTu Benchmark, GeekBench 4, 3D Mark: Ice Storm Extreme, Vellamo, GPUBench. Mi TV Box has the internal memory benchmarks: Read 87.43MB/s – Write 12.05MB/s. RAM copy speed was 3566.20MB/s.

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Conclusions

Xiaomi Mi Box is one of the best real Android TV Box on the market. We do not mean incredible performance, but easy and friendly service (via voice remote control) and access to Youtube 4K, Netfix 4K and other services. It lacks more USB ports, Ethernet connections, and more apps on the Google Play store. If you are looking for an inexpensive ($66.99), easy-to-use (voice control) TV Box with access to many services, with 4K support for Youtube, Netflix etc. and also OTA update you have to choose Xiaomi Mi Box (International Version). We recommend Xiaomi Mi Box.