In addition, Google has struck a partnership with RCA, which will produce its first Android TV, and Xiaomi, which will make its 4K set-top box. The innovative Mi Box design has received the internationally-renowned Red Dot andGood Design awards. He said that Google’s partnerships with telecom operators are actually a growing part of Android TV’s business, with Android TV now running on cable set-top boxes in France, Italy, and Korea, with more to come in North America sometime later this year.
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The 4K Mi operates through a Bluetooth remote control that comes with voice recognition and comes with Google Cast as a built-in feature, allowing for content downloads from both Android and even iOS devices. The company will also sell a console-style Mi Game Controller separately. The company has been pushing into the North American and European markets over the past year or so, though, and the arrival of the Mi Box for USA customers further underscores that expansion.
Under the hood is a quad-core ARM Cortex-A53 CPU and Mali 450 GPU, paired with 2GB RAM and 8GB of onboard storage. The Mi Box is powered by Android TV 6.0, is capable of beaming 4K video at 60 FPS and supports Dolby Digital Plus audio playback.
The 4K Mi Box joins a bevy of set-top box and TV manufacturers that have pledged to adopt Android TV in the coming months.
“The main strength of the Mi Box is still its support for Google’s operating system which may not be sustainable in the long run and its low-price strategy may not be as appealing to USA consumers”, Ng said.
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With personalized recommendations on Google Play, YouTube and other apps appearing automatically on the home screen, users can effortlessly discover new favorite content. And surprisingly, it’ll be coming to the US! The remote can double as a game controller, but Xiaomi will be selling a second game-centric controller, much like Amazon does with the Fire TV. Details about its availability and pricing will be announced soon.
