The Mi Box S by Xiaomi is one of the most popular Android streaming boxes today. The Mi Box S 4K has been on the market for over 5 years until very recently when Xiaomi upgraded this streaming player with the Mi Box S 4K 2nd Gen. So what’s new and how do these two compare with each other?
Well, Both of these streaming devices come with a similar design and have similar features, but they have some differences in specs that users should be aware of before making a purchase.
Design and Dimensions
Now right out of the box, the two devices look exactly the same. The Mi Box S 4K and Mi Box S 4K 2nd Gen features the same sleek black compact design with the same dimensions. They both have a length and width of 95.25mm and a thickness of 16.7mm. The Mi Box S 4K 2nd Gen is slightly lighter, weighing 142g compared to the 147g of the original Mi Box S 4K.
Operating system and software
One of the most notable differences between the two devices is the operating system. While the Mi Box S 4K runs on Android 8.1, the Mi Box S 4K 2nd Gen operates on Google TV. Google TV has a more modern interface and improved navigation that makes it easier to find content. Google TV is of course built on top of Android TV, it just has a much fancier user interface and new features such as Live TV, Watch List, better recommendation, and personalization features compared to the traditional Android TV interface.
Processor, memory, and storage
The Mi Box S 4K 2nd Gen features a more advanced processor with a Quad-Core Cortex-A55 CPU and an ARM Mali G31 MP2 GPU. On the other hand, the original Mi Box S 4K is equipped with a Cortex-A53 Quad-Core 64-Bit CPU and a Mali-450 GPU. This means that the Mi Box S 4K 2nd Gen is slightly faster and more powerful although. I, however, don’t think this slight improvement in CPU for the 2nd generation device has noticeable performance advantages, but we shall confirm that in the reviews.
When it comes to memory and storage, Xiaomi didn’t make any changes. Fans have been anticipating either a memory or storage upgrade, but this hasn’t happened. Both devices have 2GB of RAM and 8GB of eMMC storage.
Video and Audio support
The Mi Box S 4K 2nd Gen is more advanced in terms of video decoder support, as it can support up to 4K at 60FPS, Dolby Audio, DTS-HD, Dolby Vision, and HDR10+. Meanwhile, the original Mi Box S 4K supports 4K at 60fps, VP9, H.264, MPEG1/2/4, VC-1. The original Mi Box lacks support for Dolby Vision and HDR10+. In terms of audio decoder support, both devices support Dolby Audio and DTS.
Read more: Xiaomi TV Box S (2nd Gen) Setup
Wireless connectivity and Ports
Both devices support Wi-Fi connectivity, with both the Mi Box S 4K 2nd Gen and the original Mi Box supporting WiFi 802.11a/b/g/n/ac, 2.4GHz and 5GHz Wi-Fi bands. However, the difference comes in Bluetooth support. The Mi Box S 4K 2nd Gen also comes with Bluetooth 5.2, while the original Mi Box S 4K only has Bluetooth 4.0. This means that users can connect more devices to the Mi Box S 4K 2nd Gen and experience faster transfer speeds.
Another significant difference between the two devices is that the Mi Box S 4K 2nd Gen now supports HDMI 2.1 compared. This is a significant upgrade from HDMI 2.0 of the previous model. HDMI 2.1 supports 8K resolution at 60pfs and 4K at 120fps while HDMI 2.0 offered 4K at 60fps. Additional HDMI 2.1 brings Dynamic HDR support, which allows for the dynamic adjustment of HDR settings on a scene-by-scene or even frame-by-frame basis, and eARC (Enhanced Audio Return Channel), which enables uncompressed and object-based audio formats like Dolby Atmos and DTS:X to be transferred from the TV to an external audio system. Now Xiaomi hasn’t specified exactly which HDMI 2.1 features its 2nd Gen streaming player supported, so fingers crossed on that.
Otherwise, you get the same USB 2.0 port and Audio out port on both devices.
Remotes
When it comes to remotes. Nothing much has changed between the two models except you have a dedicated Xioami TV+ channel button on the 2nd generation model remote. Xiaomi TV+ is a new free Ad-sponsored streaming service by Xiaomi. Like other TV brands such as Samsung or LG, Xiaomi is offering more value to its ecosystem by launching a video streaming service.
When it comes to pricing, the original Mi Box S is priced between $50-70 depending on where you bought it from. Pricing of the Mi Box S 2nd isn’t out yet, but according to some listings on Aliexpress, it goes for about $65 which is in the same range as the previous model. You can get the Xiaomi TV Box 2nd Gen for about $62 on Amazon.
| Xiaomi Mi Box S (2nd Gen) vs Mi Box S comparison table | ||
| Mi Box S | Mi Box S(2nd Gen) | |
| Dimensions | 95.25 x 95.25 x 16.7mm | 95.25 x 95.25 x 16.7mm |
| Weight | 142g | 147g |
| Operating system | Android TV 8.1 | Google TV |
| RAM | 2GB | 2GB |
| Storage | 8 GB | 8 GB |
| CPU | Cortex-A53 Quad-Core 64 Bit | Quad-Core Cortex-A55 |
| WiFi | 802.11a/b/g/n/ac 2,4 GHz/5 GHz | 802.11a/b/g/n/ac 2,4 GHz/5 GHz |
| Bluetooth | 4.0 | 5.2 |
| Video | 4k@60fps, VP9, H.264, MPEG1/2/4, VC-1 | 4k@60fps, Dolby Vision, HDR10+ |
| Audio | DOLBY, DTS | Dolby Audio® and DTS-HD |
| HDMI | 2.0 | 2.1 |
