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A first time TV buyer on a tight budget might be understandably daunted by television sets with complicated user interfaces, too many peripherals, or fiddly plug points. In order to try out an easy plug-and-play experience that should provide quality entertainment at an entry level price, The Hindu reviewed the 43-inch Redmi Smart Fire TV which retails at ₹24,999.
Here’s what we discovered.
At a Glance
Specifications
- Size: 108cm/43 inches
- Processor: Quad core A55 processor
- Screen type: 4K ultra-high definition; support for HDR 10 and HLG
- Sound: 24-watt speaker system; support for Dolby Audio, DTS: Virtual X, and DTS-HD technology
- OS: FireOS
- Inputs: 3 HDMI ports, 2 USB ports, AV and earphone port
- Smart TV Features: Alexa Voice Command; switching between DTH TV channels and OTT apps possible through the Redmi Voice Remote with Alexa
Design
The Redmi Smart Fire TV is reasonably lightweight and easy to lift. While assistance is recommended to protect the screen and to twist on the base handles, most adults will be able to set up the TV on their own without too much trouble.
The TV screen’s bezels are minimal, though not as bezel-less as shown in the company’s product shots. The back of the device could have been less boxy and more sleek, while the power cord needed to be longer. The TV is sturdy and can stand well on its own. We wished the two provided plastic TV mounts were metallic, for a more durable feel.
The overall design is neutral and the Redmi Smart Fire TV will fit right into a variety of home and office aesthetics. The TV does not overheat even after hours of use, which is a definite plus for a budget device.
Rear view of the Redmi Smart Fire TV | Photo Credit: Sahana Venugopal
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Visuals
For watching the occasional movie or TV show episode, the Redmi Smart Fire TV is more than enough. High-definition YouTube videos are a delight to watch on the screen as every detail was faithfully captured, but OTT movies and shows had visuals which were nowhere near as sharp. Even the streaming app icons lacked crispness on the screen.
The TV’s colours were a mixed bag. Blacks were very muddied and closer to midnight blue in most instances. But while blues and greens were generally overdone, the saturation levels were strong and should please most viewers.
The TV’s bezels are more visible than shown in the company’s product shots | Photo Credit: Sahana Venugopal
The included visual modes are Standard, Movie, Dynamic, Sport, and Eco. While the default colour settings and skin complexions were naturally rendered, we felt the Movie mode offered the most realistic viewing experience. Users may also have to tweak the brightness and backlight levels, as contrasts are weak.
Motion smoothening - to give human figures on the screen a more game-like and fluid effect - is applied as part of some visual modes but this is well balanced and can again be adjusted.
The Redmi Smart Fire TV is extremely sensitive to light. Even when watching shows in a dark room with the shades drawn, minor cracks of sunlight were enough to completely distract the viewer. A much stronger anti-reflection coating is needed for the screen.
Xiaomi has said the new smart TV will come with a year of free extended warranty. Even so, first-time television buyers should remember that premium products are likely to last for many more years when compared to their budget counterparts.
Audio
The Redmi Smart Fire TV’s sound, while sufficient for solo or family viewing, is mostly unidirectional and lacks some brightness. Sound elements could have been mixed with more finesse. Listeners will get the best experience when seated close to the TV and raising the volume to high levels. However, there are several sound modes which offer diverse listening experiences: Standard, Music, Film, Clear Voice, and Enhanced Bass.
The Film mode is the best for movies and shows with powerful musical scores, as there is a slight surround sound effect. On the other hand, the Clear Voice mode makes it easier to understand dialogue-heavy content by reducing the volume of the background soundtrack.
In essence, the TV’s sound is satisfactory but will not attract those who have previously experienced mid-segment television audio.
OS and Smart Features
Redmi made a smart choice to go with Amazon’s FireOS, as it is familiar and intuitive to navigate.
Since Redmi’s offering is a smart TV, users can directly log in to the streaming apps of their choice, without having to purchase an Amazon Fire TV stick. The Redmi remote’s Alexa voice commands work well across a range of volumes. The voice command feature is accurate when dealing with English and Hindi movie/TV show names. We found it also did well with the Tamil language.
That being said, using Alexa sometimes caused the TV to hang. During this time, the device automatically cut all navigation sounds and we had to manually type out text on the screen until the Alexa functionality returned. This glitch took place more than two times within a few hours while trying out the TV. The Redmi remote is not as responsive as we would have liked, and it sometimes lagged when used rapidly.
Verdict
The Redmi Smart Fire TV is an unexceptional entry level smart television product that will work best for buyers who want an easy plug-and-play device and do not care much about visual or audio specifications when streaming content. The TV’s clean design, accessible OS, sturdy build, and easy setup work in its favour. However, movie and TV lovers who want a superior audio-visual treatment that will remain in vogue for years can give this model a miss and instead opt for budget offerings from Samsung, LG, and Sony instead.
As part of a launch offer, the Redmi Smart Fire TV retails at ₹24,999 on Mi.com and Amazon India.
