Xiaomi is making a lot of noise with its smartphones, but that's not the only market it has decided to explore. Routers, messaging services, wearables, and cloud storage are some examples, but now we have the Mi Box Mini, a direct competitor to the Google Chromecast that turns any TV "smart" for just thirty dollars.
Across the pond, most of the time when they talk about Xiaomi it's to highlight its similarities with Apple. The Cupertino giant may be tough when it comes to protecting its intellectual property, but if there's one thing it hasn't been able to patent, it's its way of presenting new products, which Xiaomi has fully adopted. From the format of its conferences to its CEO's attire, including the famous "One More Thing" at one of its events, Xiaomi has become the Asian clone of Apple, no matter how much Apple fans spew bile in anger. Xiaomi not only makes smartphones and tablets, but has also launched a few "boxes" with the goal of placing a layer of intelligence on top of televisions. Its first Mi Box never left China, but today we come across the Mi Box Mini.
In addition to reducing its size by 75 percent, the Mi Box Mini has fairly decent specifications. Inside, there's a quad-core MediaTek SoC at 1.3 GHz, 1 GB of RAM, 4 GB of storage, WiFi n and Bluetooth 4.0 connectivity, 1080p support, and Dolby DTS audio. Another very interesting aspect of its design is that it doesn't require a micro USB connection like other "dongles"; rather, it gets power from a wall outlet, giving it an appearance similar to a charger. The operating system is Android, though there are no details about the version, or about the type of content users will be able to watch on the Mi Box Mini. I assume Netflix must be among the compatible apps.
The price of the Mi Box Mini is just thirty dollars, and it includes a 1.5-meter HDMI cable, so it's ready to use out of the box. In theory, pre-orders will begin next Tuesday, and the first shipments will be made a week later. The Mi Box Mini's connector appears to be 110 volts, but I'd like to think this accessory can also work at 220V.
