- The 3rd generation Xiaomi TV box just landed quietly
- There are several upgrades under the hood for the Google TV rival streamer
- These include an increase in storage to 32 GB, but the RAM remains the same at 2 GB
Google has its own Google TV streamer to show Google TV capacities, but there are now several alternative boxes available using Google’s Grand Screen Software – and Xiaomi’s offer has just received some welcome upgrades.
The 3rd generation Xiaomi television box is now official (via flatpanelhd), and there are notable upgrades to say. First of all, there is a new chipset on board: Xiaomi did not say what it is, but it apparently offers an increase in CPU GPU / 130% of 25% compared to the previous generation (it is most likely the AMLOGIC S905X5M).
Although RAM remains the same at 2 GB, there is also a very welcome storage increase from 8 GB to 32 GB – with an increase in the triple time meaning more space for your applications and games (new Google TV devices must have at least 16 GB of storage, according to Google directives).
There is also Wi-Fi 6 for the first time, while the 3.5 mm audio port has been deleted. The box again supports Dolby Audio, Dolby Vision and HDR10 + as before, while video on HDMI can reach 4K at 60 frames per second. We are still awaiting details of Xiaomi availability and prices.
Can we have more, please?
Xiaomi’s streaming box is now more tied with the Google TV streamer, although the 4 GB of RAM of the latter rather than 2 GB probably mean a more fluid and more snapite experience – even with the strengthening of the processor in the Xiaomi.
And regardless of the relative specifications, it is good to see more Google TV devices on the market. Walmart has its own 4K streaming box running Google TV, and it is also standard on many televisions, including Sony flagship models.
More choices is always good, giving us a range of form factors to obtain our correction of Google TV – Unlike the offers of Amazon, Roku and Apple, where the hardware and software experience is very linked.
We can only hope that Nvidia takes a while by advancing AI and GPU technology to build a new Nvidia shield propelled by Google TV. We have not had a new NVIDIA Shield streamer since 2019, but there remains a brilliant device for streaming, game and general technological DIY.
