Streaming media devices are great for TV, but not decor. This explains some of the popularity of easily hidden dongles. The Xiaomi Mi Box, though, is pretty enough to keep in plain view, and backs up the good looks with impressive specs.

Even the best designers can't do much in the "rounded black square" genre, but the Mi Box makes the most of it. It's about the same length and width as the Apple TV, but half as thick, softly rounded, and smooth like a skipping stone.

The Mi Box joins a wave of Android TV set-top boxes that can stream 4K and come with Google Cast baked in.

The tech inside is equally slick. The Mi Box joins a wave of Android TV set-top boxes that can stream 4K and come with Google Cast baked in. It's also HDR capable, even if most TVs and content aren't. It has a voice remote, if you like shouting more than typing them. The optional gaming controller shakes and rumbles and vibrates, though you presumably can BYOBluetooth controller of choice.

Beyond that, the Mi Box does everything you’d expect of an Android TV, if you expect much at all. Although Chromecast has seized significant territory in the streaming market, its more ambitious cousin lacks the visibility of Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, or Roku. That's changing as devices proliferate and apps like ESPN, Disney, and Spotify join the ecosystem.

As pretty as the Mi Box is, the most notable thing about it may be the fact it's coming to the US at a time and price TBA. Xiaomi is hugely popular in China, known mostly for smartphones that offer Apple-like design and capability at a crazy low price. Xiaomi sells a handful of products here already, including a $15 (!) fitness tracker, but they've generally been low-profile. The Mi Box provides a more overt introduction to a company that does what so few can: Consistently offer well-designed, high-performing products that cost less than you'd expect.