Google Play Store is Missing From The Xiaomi Mi TV 4 in India | Here is Why

Xiaomi's smart TV in India competes with the likes of Kodak and VU smart TVs

Mi TV 4 has finally been launched in India by Xiaomi at an event along with the Redmi Note 5 and the Redmi Note 5 Pro. Although the Redmi Note series of phones is very important for Xiaomi in India, the fans of the brand were excited to see the Xiaomi Mi TV line up finally making a debut in our country. Xiaomi makes a bunch of really cool smart TVs in China but introduced it in India for the first time with the Mi TV 4. Although the TV comes at a very attractive price tag of just 39,999 Rupees, it misses out on some very crucial features like Google Play Store which is quite a bummer.

What does the Xiaomi Mi TV 4 have to differentiate itself from other products?

Xiaomi has launched the 55-inch variant of its Mi TV 4 in India but sells the 65-inch version in China. The smart TV get a 4K 55-inch display which has really nice viewing angles and produces crisp images. It gets 2GB of RAM and 8GB of onboard storage which make the performance blazing fast. Connectivity options include 3 HDMI ports, 1 USB 3.0 and 1 USB 2.0 port. There is also a port to connect your Ethernet cable directly to the TV to access the internet which you can alternatively do with built in Wi-Fi in Xiaomi’s Mi TV 4 India.

Unlike many other smart TVs, Xiaomi has applied a different approach for the UI of its Mi TV 4 in India. Instead of loading different apps first to choose what content you want to see, the content is made available to you on the home page directly and is compiled on basis of type of genre. This is an amazing implementation as different movies or TV shows available at different streaming services are shown together in the Mi TV 4 thus saving the viewer from inconvenience.

The best thing about the Xiaomi Smart TV in India is that it can interact with your setup box directly and display the TV programmes or movies which are playing on any channel on the home page directly with content from other inputs. This will eliminate the need to switch to the setup box input channel and then choosing the show. Also Xiaomi’s Mi TV 4 in India comes with a cable that can be connected to your setup box and switch channels from your Mi Smart TV Remote directly.

However the catch is that the content you can see is only from Xiaomi’s media partners in India like Hotstar, SunNxt, Voot, Sony LIV, Hungama and more. Amazon Prime Video, Netflix and even something as basic as YouTube are not on the list and there is no word on their availability either. However, YouTube can be accessed through the web client but its content will not be displayed on the home feed of the Mi TV 4 in India.

Why is Google Play Store Not available on Xiaomi’s Mi TV 4 in India?

The new Mi Smart TV in India is running a UI called Patch Wall on top of Android. However Xiaomi is not using any of Google’s services here and you will have to make do with the preinstalled services on the Mi TV 4. However, you can always sideload apps by carrying an APK file of the app onto the TV with a USB drive.

Another thing we heartedly miss is the transparent stand that Xiaomi offers in China. The design of the stand is same as the metal one offered in India but the one offered in China gives the Mi TV 4 a floating feel which enhances the user experience. However, at 39,999 Rupees it still remains one of the smartest TVs in India and competes with budget offerings from the likes of Kodak and VU.

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Ishpreet Singh

A sound engineer, blogger, tech geek and a critic are the few words that describe Ishpreet Singh. He is an avid reader, an audiophile, and a huge David Fincher fan - basically all things art. He believes that the true strength of the written word lies not in the one who writes but in the one who reads and is able to comprehend. You can reach Ishpreet at hello@chandigarhmetro.com
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