For years, the television market has been dominated by brands like Samsung, LG and Sony, which built their reputation through years of advances in display technology and premium features. Buying a better TV often meant paying significantly more for small upgrades in picture quality, sound, or smart features.

Xiaomi entered the TV market focusing heavily on smart features, connected experiences and a software-first approach. The Chinese company has now launched its new Xiaomi TV S Mini LED series. After using the Xiaomi TV S Mini LED for everyday viewing, including sports, music and streaming, here is my take.

Design

The Xiaomi TV S Mini LED has a clean and simple design. It has thin bezels on all sides that make the screen feel big and immersive, especially during matches where the focus stays on the game. The TV uses a mix of metal and plastic, with a slightly premium-looking front but a mostly plastic back that reduces the overall premium feel. The ports are placed in a practical way, making it easy to connect gaming consoles or streaming devices.

During daily use, such as when playing YouTube music videos or streaming via Spotify, the TV fits well into a living room set-up. However, there is some lag when switching between apps like YouTube, Spotify, and live TV. It does not block usage, but the smoothness is not perfect.

Specifications

The Xiaomi TV S Mini LED comes with a 4K UHD (3,840×2,160) QD-Mini LED panel. It uses Quantum Dot and Mini LED technology, which helps improve brightness, contrast, and colours when compared to normal LED TVs.

It supports Dolby Vision, HDR10+, and HLG. There is also a Filmmaker Mode for more natural colour output. Xiaomi claims brightness of up to around 1,200 nits, which helps HDR content look better in bright rooms.

The Xiaomi TV S Mini LED also includes an Eye Care mode that is designed to reduce strain during long viewing sessions. It works by lowering blue light output and adjusting the overall colour temperature to a warmer tone. This makes the picture feel softer on the eyes, especially when watching content in low light or at night.

The TV supports DLG 120 Hz, which improves motion in supported content, but it is not fully native. It sits between normal TVs and high-end gaming displays. For audio purposes, it has a 34W quad-speaker system with Dolby Audio, DTS:X, and DTS Virtual:X support.

The TV runs Google TV with PatchWall and supports apps like Netflix, Prime Video, Disney+, YouTube, and Spotify. Connectivity includes three HDMI ports, two USB ports, dual-band Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and Chromecast built in.

Performance

One of the first things you notice about the TV is its bright and punchy display. The Mini LED panel helps improve contrast, making dark scenes look deeper while brighter areas stand out more clearly. Whether watching HDR movies or live sports, the overall picture looks more dynamic than what you usually get from standard LED TVs. After this, a few areas feel like they only reach a basic level on the Xiaomi TV S Mini LED. While the overall picture performance is strong, not everything stands out at the same level.

I also watched a few IPL matches on the TV, and the sports performance was fine. The screen gets bright enough for daytime viewing, and motion handling is decent while following the ball or fast player movements.

Alongside sports content, we also viewed some HDR content on Netflix and YouTube that looks vibrant, with richer colours and brighter highlights. In other picture presets like Standard and Vivid modes, the TV boosts colours quite a bit, which can make skin tones look a little unnatural at times. During night matches, these modes do make the picture look brighter and more eye-catching, but you lose some detail in darker areas. The Filmmaker Mode preset fixes this to a large extent, giving more natural colours, better skin tones, and clearer detail in dark scenes.

For YouTube music videos and Spotify, the visuals look bright and clear. The speakers are loud enough for normal use, and voices are easy to hear. However, the bass is weak, especially in music-heavy content. The sound feels thin compared to external speakers. During Spotify and YouTube sessions, we connected a Bluetooth speaker, which improved bass and overall sound quality a lot. It works well as a simple fix, but a soundbar or external speaker is still better for full sound.

There is also some system lag when switching between apps or when the TV wakes up after being idle. It is not very frequent, but it is noticeable during daily use.

Verdict

The Xiaomi TV S Mini LED is priced at ₹51,999 for the 55-inch model, while the 65-inch and 75-inch versions cost around ₹71,999 and ₹99,999. At this price, it competes with TVs from Samsung, LG, and Sony, which offer strong alternatives in the same range.

For practical use, including watching sports, streaming, and enjoying music, the TV performs well in terms of brightness and motion. But it is not perfect. There is some software lag, and the built-in audio is average.

Overall, the device is a good option if your main focus is picture quality rather than overall refinement. However, it does not match the smoothness and polish of higher-end models from Sony, Samsung or LG.

For users upgrading from a basic LED TV, the difference is clearly visible and worth it. But if you expect top-end flagship performance, it still feels like a mid-range TV with some premium features rather than a fully premium product.