So with that said, there are a number of streaming devices to choose from; from Google’s Chromecast, Fire Stick, Apple TV to affordable but high performance Android TV-powered streaming devices from Xiaomi. Now Xiaomi has had the Mi Box S 4K for a while and infact we did a review of it, but this month, the company released a smaller but equally powerful little brother, the Mi TV Stick. Related post: Roku Express vs Fire TV vs Chromecast vs Apple TV vs Mi Box S: What Streaming Device Is Right for You?
Mi TV Stick Specs and features
The Mi TV Stick is pocket-sized 1080p streaming device running on Android TV version 9. It has Google Assistant and Chromecast built-in just like the Mi Box S. This means you can simply talk to your TV via voice commands in addition to using the remote the usual way. Voice is powered by Google’s AI and it can do things like pause/play media, search for movies on Netflix, Videos and playlists on Youtube and even power off your TV. Related post: Xiaomi Mi Box S Review: Android TV on any TV for a decent price The Chromecast lets you watch videos and music content from online streaming services from your smartphone/tablet to your TV. The Mi TV Stick comes with a Bluetooth remote with dedicated Netflix and Prime video buttons, Google Assistant voice button again like the Mi Box S. It supports Dolby and DTS surround sound and is powered by Quad-core CPU plus 1GB of RAM compared to 2GB of RAM of the Mi Box S and 8GB storage. Related post: Streaming Stick vs Streaming Box: Which Is Better for Watching Online Content I think I would recommend the Mi TV Stick if you have a wall-mounted TV. It’s much easier to stick to the back of your TV and it can be powered by the TV’s USB port compared to the Mi Box S which needs a dedicated power source from your wall socket.
Mi TV Stick vs Mi Box S 4K
The Mi Box S on the other hand is a regular square-shaped device that needs a dedicated HDMI cable to connect to your TV. It’s powered by a dedicated AC power adapter. Related post: Xiaomi Mi TV Stick Review: A pocket-friendly Android TV Box Another striking difference between the two devices is the RAM. The Mi TV Stick is powered by 1GB of RAM while the Mi Box S is powered by 2GB of DDR3 RAM. So that’s better performance to the Mi Box S. Another obvious and probably major one is the new Mi TV Stick supports 1080p Full HD videos while the older Mi Box S supports 4K at 60fps videos. This could be a deciding factor for some people who are looking to streaming more crisp 4K quality videos from the likes of Youtube, Netflix, Prime video etc. For those that wish to side-load apps or connect external hard drive to the TV, then the Mi Box S with an extra USB port gets an upper hand over the newer Mi TV stick. You could still side-load Apps with the Mi TV Stick wirelessly over WiFi.
Final word
