For years now, Xiaomi fans in India have been clamoring for the Mi TV to make its debut in the country. Xiaomi finally introduced its TV range back in February starting with the 55-inch Mi TV 4, rebranded as the Mi LED Smart TV for the Indian market. AC Score 4 It's easy to see why there's such a massive amount of interest in the Mi TV: there aren't many decent affordable TVs, and while the likes of Vu have rolled out 4K-enabled models that sell for under ₹50,000, there have been questions regarding long-term reliability. That's where Xiaomi comes into the picture. The Mi TV offers the same sturdy build quality as the manufacturer's phones, and it offers features that are limited to premium TVs from Sony, LG, and Samsung. With a 10-bit 4K panel and HDR10 compatibility for just ₹39,999, the Mi TV offers unmatched value for money. Here's what it's like to use the TV for two months. Verizon is offering the Pixel 4a for just $10/mo on new Unlimited lines

Xiaomi Mi TV What you'll love

The most striking aspect of the Mi TV is just how sleek it is. The TV tapers to a thickness of just 4.9mm, making it one of the thinnest TVs in the world. The TV does get noticeably thicker at the base — where the internals are housed — but overall it is one of the better designs in this category. It's the little things that make all the difference, and the Mi TV has a brushed metal back and a dark blue accent around the frame that makes it stand out. The Mi TV also has minimal bezels, and overall the design and build quality are top-notch: the TV conveys an upmarket feel without the exorbitant price tag.

Most TVs in this price point feature a lackluster panel to cut costs, but that's thankfully not the case with the Mi TV. The 55-inch TV offers a 10-bit 4K Samsung-made VA display that's calibrated by Xiaomi. What's of particular interest is that it also comes with HDR10 compatibility, as well as the ability to handle 4K at 60Hz. The 4K panel offers saturated colors, and the display is calibrated out of the box. But if you're using the TV in a well-lit room, you can boost the backlight levels from the settings. You'll also be able to tweak the colors to your liking. The panel covers 95% of the sRGB space, and when calibrated right, you can get close to the reference gamma level of 2.20 (the Mi TV hit 2.21). The overall contrast levels are quite good, but they're not quite the same as what you get on Sony's high-end TVs — but then again, Sony's offering costs six times as much as the Mi TV. 4K HDR truly shines through when playing games on latest-gen consoles, and when viewing UHD Blu-rays. The Mi TV offers saturated colors with excellent dynamic range, and it's safe to say that no other panel in this category comes close. The Mi TV lowers the barrier for 4K HDR in India. I'll talk more about the software side of things below, but for the most part, I used the Mi TV with a Chromecast Ultra, and it was an enjoyable experience. The Mi TV has three HDMI ports (including an ARC port), one USB 3.0 port, and a USB 2.0 port, along with Bluetooth 4.2, Wi-Fi ac, and an Ethernet port. The internal hardware is also impressive — the TV is powered by an Amlogic T968 chipset with four Cortex A53 cores at 1.8GHz, along with 2GB of RAM and 8GB of internal storage. The RAM may not seem like much, but it's more than enough to navigate the interface of the Mi TV. Talking about the interface, the PatchWall skin is customized for the Indian market, and I particularly like the content recommendation engine that's on offer. It'll tailor recommendations based on your viewing history, and it does a great job of suggesting similar TV shows and movies. The best feature though, has to be the universal search: the ability to search your DTH box's programming library is a game-changer. Xiaomi Mi TV What you won't