TVs
Xiaomi

Xiaomi OLED Vision TV review

Wise visions of OLED

₹ 89,999

OLED TVs have a reputation of being really high-end, carrying a premium price tag, and beyond most of our budgets. But Xiaomi, with its reputation for disrupting segments, is out to take on these posh OLED TVs. 

Launched at a relatively ‘low’ ₹89,999, the Xiaomi OLED Vision TV enters a segment where we have typically seen high-end LED TVs from the likes of Samsung and Sony. Does the new Xiaomi TV offer enough to stand out in the crowded television market? Read on.

Design

Calling the Xiaomi OLED Vision TV slim would be an understatement. With edges that measure just 4.6mm, it makes most modern smartphones feel thick. That said, there’s a fair bit of heft hidden behind the screen, with a portly centre section housing the ports and electrical components. These ports are conveniently placed on the left side, which makes them easily accessible even when the TV is wall mounted.  
From the front, the TV looks quite premium with ultra-thin bezels surrounding the screen. A thin module sits below the screen that has the Xiaomi logo, a power button, and an indicator light.

Xiaomi bundles a pair of metal stands that can be used to prop the TV on a table. They balance the TV well but don’t add a lot of height, which can be an issue if you have a soundbar or a gaming console placed in front of the TV. Alternatively, you can hang the TV on a wall by separately buying the wall-mount kit.

Display

The highlight of this TV is no doubt the 55in OLED display with support for 4K resolution, HDR10+, HLG, Dolby Vision, Dolby Vision IQ, and more. By definition, OLED panels come with individual pixels capable of self-illumination without the need for backlighting, which should theoretically result in better contrasts and deeper colours. And let’s just say, in reality too the panel does a fantastic job. 
For the purpose of testing, we watched a variety of content from high definition OTT shows, and live sporting events to even playing games on the PlayStation 5. You really appreciate the deep blacks when watching shows like Moon Knight, where the scenes jump from bright outdoor shots to fight scenes at night featuring the caped hero.  
Reality shows like Car Masters: Rust to Riches bring to fore the TV’s ability to show colours. The effect of Dolby Vision is visible here due to the bump in brightness and colours. The beautifully customised colours look vibrant on this TV. 
Full HD or lower resolution content too look good enough with the TV giving them a natural sense of softness. This is evident when the old folks at home consume content from the traditional cable box. 
For gaming, the TV comes with an Auto Low-Latency Mode (ALLM), which turns on when a gaming console is connected. As the name suggests, this mode is said to improve latency and performance while gaming. The OLED panel brought to life the various outworld planets when playing Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy on the PlayStation 5. The refresh rate is limited to 60Hz so temper your expectation according to the price. 
Complimenting the visual experience is the 30W speaker system with eight drivers and support for Dolby Atmos. For most intents and purposes, the system works well. It can get quite loud, and you do notice that the speakers are tuned to make the voices sound clear. Dolby Atmos adds a sense of depth and spaciousness to the overall sound. That said, to really enjoy the beautiful-looking content on the screen, we would still recommend investing in a soundbar or a home theatre system.

Remote

Xiaomi has continued with a minimalist approach to its remote control, which we have seen with its other TVs. While there is nothing wrong with the remote per se, the plastic body looks and feels a tad cheap in this price segment. Remotes bundled with TVs from Samsung, Sony and LG feel far more premium. Even the Apple TV 4K’s Siri Remote with its spartan design feels premium due to its metal body. 
While we would have preferred a dedicated mute button, Xiaomi has a workaround for that – quickly pressing the volume button twice. There are handy hotkeys to quickly access Netflix, Prime Video, Disney+ Hotstar, and the list of apps installed on the TV. 
A dedicated button below the power button can be pressed to invoke Google Assistant and give voice commands. It’s worth noting that the TV has far-field mics on board, which can be left in an always-listening mode for when you want to give voice commands by saying ‘Ok Google'.

Software

On the software front, the TV runs Android TV 11 with choices between Xiaomi’s own PatchWall 4 or stock Android TV UI. Xiaomi’s UI hasn’t changed much and continues with its focus on curating content and putting it right at the top. 
You can download apps from the Play Store, and they are all neatly lined up for use on PatchWall. These include media apps, games, and even the Mi Home app to control your home’s compatible IoT devices directly from the TV. 
Using PatchWall UI or Google’s stock Android TV UI totally depends on your viewing style. My folks at home find easy access to their favourite content much more useful, while I personally prefer quicker access to my daily apps. Either way, the experience is good, and during our time testing the TV, we didn’t encounter any major bugs or issues.

Verdict

It’s hard to find faults with an OLED TV that is priced below ₹90,000, and that itself is a huge win for Xiaomi. Despite the low price tag, there are no visible signs of cost-cutting or compromise on Xiaomi’s part (don’t look at the remote). 
The OLED Vision TV features a premium design and a gorgeous display that will have you drooling while watching ultra-high resolution content. Console gamers might rue the missing high refresh rate but Xiaomi’s TV has everything to cater to the mass majority.

Stuff Says

A great-looking OLED TV with fantastic performance and a relatively affordable price tag
Good stuff
Bad stuff
  1. Aggressively priced for an OLED TV

  1. Ultra-slim design

  1. Deep contrast, good colours and top-notch black levels

  1. Great for ultra-HD content and gaming

  1. PatchWall UI offers a consistent experience

  1. Plastic remote control feels cheap

  1. Lacks 120Hz support for next-gen gaming consoles

Specifications
Screen: 55in ??4K OLED (3840 x 2160 pixels)
Performance: Cortex A73 quad-core CPU, Mali G52 MC1 GPU
Memory: 3GB RAM / 32GB storage
Audio: 30W 8 speaker setup (4 Passive and 4 Active drivers)
Ports: 3 HDMI 2.1 / 2 USB / Ethernet / AV / Optical / 3.5mm
Software: PatchWall 4 (Android TV 11)
Dimensions: 1227.8 x 711.2 x 104.1 mm