XIAOMI MI TV Q1: TO TEST THE NEW 75-INCH TV

Xiaomi is ready to bring a TV to Italy that does not go unnoticed. The new Mi TV Q1 , thanks to the 75-inch diagonal, promises a visual experience of sure impact, all at an affordable price. Sales in our country will start on March 10 at the promotional price of € 999 , valid only while stocks last, which will then become € 1299 once the first stock of products is finished.

A figure, especially the launch figure, very attractive for a TV with these characteristics. In addition to the considerable size, Xiaomi focuses on a Full LED backlight and Quantum Dotto achieve the best possible viewing quality in this price range. We spent an hour in the company of the new Mi TV, discovering its advantages but also some limitations.

A complete television

The first impact with the Mi TV Q1 immediately leaves its mark. Not only the dimensions, considerable given the diagonal, but also the build quality impresses positively. The support base and the frame surrounding the screen are in satin metal , Xiaomi has decided to focus on elements of the premium segment to give further value to the product. On the back, on the other hand, it is plastic that reigns supreme, as also happens in the more expensive models. We do not yet have specific data regarding the actual dimensions, the thickness on the back is more pronounced in the lower area, thus preventing a possible installation flush with the wall. The connections, on the other hand, are all positioned in such a way as to facilitate this type of setup, being facing downwards or towards the outside of the panel.On the design front, Xiaomi has done a great job , especially if you think about the low selling price.

The specifications describe a very attractive TV for this market segment. The 75-inch panel is VA type, a choice in line with the best LCDs on the market, and is characterized by 192 zones manageable by local dimming that can go, from specifications, up to 1000 nit peak.

The QLED technology allows a wider management of the color space while the refresh rate is 120 Hz. All the latest HDR standards are supported , from Dolby Vision to HDR10 +, passing through HLG, while in the audio field we find DTS- HD and the classic Dolby Digital. To manage everything is Mediatek's MTK 9611 processor, with four Cortex-A55 cores, 2 GB of RAM and 32 GB of internal memory.

Connections include 3 HDMIs that support some of the functions of HDMI 2.1, such as ALLM and 4K at 120Hz, however, the VRR is missing. On the back we find the slot for CAM, satellite tuner and for digital terrestrial, two USB 2.0 and the network port. Also complete wireless connections, with Wi-Fi ac and Bluetooth 5.0, useful for example for connecting headphones with reduced latency.

The operating system chosen is not proprietary but it is Android TV , a considerable advantage because in this way you can rest assured on the applications front, nothing is missing and even the new ones are inserted in a short time given the considerable diffusion of the Google OS. . Another positive note is the reactivity of the system, Android TV in the past has shown poor performance at times but this is not the case, the menus can be navigated quickly with only some small lag every now and then.

A good generalist TV

 

We spent some time in the company of the MI TV Q1, appreciating its many advantages but also finding a weakness that we hope will be resolved with future updates. Let's start with the positive notes, such as the color rendering. The model we tested was pre-calibrated prior to our arrival and indeed the color rendering was excellent. Obviously the models on sale do not enjoy the same treatment, however the TV allows the white balance at 2 a and 11 points , so fans can get the best out of the panel chosen by Xiaomi. One of the element that gave us the most concern was the backlight, 192 zones are not that many on such a wide diagonal but we had to think again.

Blooming is visible, as it happens with all LCD TVs, but it is reduced , to test it we used a video clip with a white element of variable size that moves along the entire screen, able to undermine even the systems. more advanced.

However, the Mi TV responded well, managing to contain the blooming despite the difficulty of the test . While watching a movies or a TV series the yield is very good, even in the darkest scenes the blooming never bothered. From The Umbrella Academy in Dolby Vision to Inception we got along well with this TV and the high diagonal increases the sense of immersion when watching. An element that Xiaomi could have managed better are the reflections, accentuated precisely by the high diagonal, in the next models a more incisive anti-reflection filter would be desirable.

But where Xiaomi really needs to improve is in the input lag: even with game mode active in Full HD, the input lag (measured by us) was around 92 ms, a very high value, not suitable for gaming.

This value according to Xiaomi, which we have consulted about it, should be around 40ms. Pending confirmations or denials from the parent company (which we will repeat here and in a special news) we can hypothesize a problem with the software version of the test unit we tested, if not a hardware problem.

If confirmed, this high value would be a real shame, because the Chinese manufacturer's offer is valid in other contexts of use, so we hope that future updates can improve performance in this specific area.