A few months ago we informed you that Xiaomi had just launched its new 55-inch transparent Smart TV in China. A concept that, although it was not innovative on its part, did come with a big surprise: a more "economic" price than its competition. Well, the Chinese manufacturer has invited us to its offices in Madrid so that we can try it out. I tell you my first impressions with the Mi TV Lux Transparent Edition from Xiaomi.
First impressions on video:
If you want to know my first impressions and everything that this curious smart television from the Chinese manufacturer offers, you can continue reading, or take a look at the video that we publish on our YouTube channel.
Cinema hardware on Xiaomi's transparent TV
Although we already told you the main technical aspects in the news of its launch, we wanted to review the specifications of this new Smart TV so that you are more in context.
The Mi TV Lux is a smart television of 55 inches with resolution FullHD. A panel OLED quite peculiar, since it presents a degree of transparency quite high. Therefore, we will be able to see through it and the images that are displayed on this screen. This panel also has a refresh rate of 120 Hz, something that gives an important extra realism to the images displayed on this screen. And best of all, it only has 5,7 millimeters thick. As an added bonus, this panel is built with a more durable and resistant tempered glass than what we usually find in "normal" models on the television market.
As you can imagine, as it is a transparent television, the components cannot be housed on the back of the panel. Therefore, all the technology that makes it work is housed in a lower base that will also allow you to hold the screen. And this is where the brain of the Xiaomi Smart TV is hidden: the processor MediaTek 9650, alongside the Mali G52 MC1 GPU. All this supported by 3GB of RAM y 32GB of storage internal. As for connectivity, we will have dual 2.4GHz/5GHz WiFi and Bluetooth 5.0. Regarding the ports that we will find in the base are: 3x HDMI, AV, 2x USB and an Ethernet port. Regarding audio, in this base we will find two 8W speakers. In addition, the Mi TV Lux incorporates support Dolby Atmos.
As for the operating system, this new Xiaomi smart TV incorporates its version of MIUI for TV, so everything will be in chinese or english. If we want a friendlier interface like any television with Android TV, we will have to connect a device based on that system via HDMI. For example, I have been able to test it with a Xiaomi TV Box and the experience improves a lot.
This peculiar Xiaomi Smart TV will be priced at 49.999 yuan which, in exchange, will be about 6.000 – 6.500 euros. But of course, being a model that will not reach Europe As confirmed by the manufacturer himself, if we want to import it into our country, taxes will have to be added. Therefore, having a Mi TV Lux in your living room could be equivalent to approximately 7.000 - 8.000 euros. Xiaomi is not the first manufacturer that has created or put up for sale a device like this, but it could be said that it is the first model at an "economic" price, since other options reach prices above 20.000 euros.
What is a transparent television for?
This was the main question that was going through my mind as soon as they confirmed that I was going to try Xiaomi's transparent television. In addition to whether that transparency would make the image look worse than on a "normal" TV.
The truth is that I was surprised that after trying it, and despite that transparency, the image with the maximum brightness of the panel activated looks pretty good. Of course, with the lights in the room completely off.
However, if the light in the room where this television is located is on, the degree of vision of the image is greatly reduced. So much so that any sample that has a black and very dark color becomes transparent, allowing everything that is behind the panel to be seen quite clearly. Something that has pleasantly surprised me is the use of the front, which has some small frames that serve as support and protection but nothing more.
After testing this screen for a while and chatting with the members of the Xiaomi team in Spain, I came to the conclusion that this It is not a television that anyone can or wants to have in their living room. No matter how carefully designed and spectacular it is, and despite the fact that the image is reproduced correctly whenever the light is low, a normal television for that price will be infinitely better for consumption.
What I have no doubt is that it is a technology that will be incredibly useful, when its manufacture is much cheaper, yes, for shops or advertising spaces. For example, in clothing stores, presentations could be prepared so that, from their windows, the news they have, offers or make presentations that attract the attention of the public are shown practically at the moment. Or, of course, if we take it to a much larger scale, this technology could be implemented in large buildings that could use them to display advertising space or whatever they need.
So, I think that it is a very interesting technology and, to my surprise, the quality that can be achieved with it when playing content is more than correct. Would I put a TV like this in my living room? Well, the truth is that no. I can think of better options, with higher quality and, most importantly, at a lower price. But it is still something very curious and that shows us a hint of the possibilities that we will have in the future. What do you think of this Xiaomi Mi TV Lux, would you buy one for your home?