For Xiaomi, television could well have been just another segment. Instead, it pushed the envelope and has in a few years changed the game considerably for traditional television manufacturers. The company has played its cards right with the OLED Vision TV 55, which clearly redefines the OLED TV segment, dominated by LG. In case you are in the market for a TV, willing to switch between brands, this is a reasonably-priced OLED offering. It’s a premium set with a premium feel.
Since ours was a review unit, I decided to get the set up done all by myself with a little help from a 71-year-old tech enthusiast. In the box there are very few things to look for — metallic stands and screws, TV remote, and some reading material. Setting the television up took the two of us around 25 minutes, which included screwing on the stands as well as setting up the software.
Once on the table, there was zero wobble and at no point I thought the TV was going to cave in. Plus, there are two fixtures on the back of the television which ensure enough distance from the wall. Slimmer than Xiaomi 12 Pro smartphone, be careful while carrying the TV around, and while peeling off the screen protector, take your time.
To get the most out of the television we suggest you have a good Wi-Fi connection. Powered by Android TV 11, one of the high points is PatchWall, which we will get to in a bit. It’s all about the display here. You have to remember this is an OLED TV, which means there are self-illuminating pixels and not backlit technology used in LED and QLED TVs. Since each pixel brightens/dims individually, contrast levels are stunning. Some of you may have read about screen burning on OLED panels. It’s something companies have worked on for years and these days such occurrences are rare. For example, pixel shift technology is employed to tackle the problem.
What you get here is 4K (3,840 x 2,160 pixels) resolution while the panel supports Dolby Vision IQ, meaning screen brightness is adjusted depending on the surrounding. The 10-bit panel also supports HDR 10+ as well as HLG. Having 98.5 per cent coverage of the DCI-P3 colour space, expect colour accuracy. Further, being an OLED panel, viewing angles are superb. One thing to bear in mind — it’s a 60Hz panel; there’s no variable refresh rate. This is something gamers need to know while it makes very little difference to most customers.
To take advantage of the premium display, there are lots of settings. I didn’t mind leaving picture mode to standard but you can move it to vivid, sport and movie, each one offering a different feel. Overall, there is a good deal of crispness in the picture and though we didn’t have data on peak brightness, keeping all the lights in the room didn’t hamper the viewing experience.
As important as the display is the sound output. It’s one of those few television sets that you can enjoy without a soundbar. There are eight speakers — four active and four passive — with support for Dolby Atmos and DTS: X. If you want theatre-like sound, go for a soundbar. Another bright spot — excellent microphone quality when you use Google Assistant.
The remote control once again misses out on an exclusive mute button
PatchWall and more
All this brings us to PatchWall, the software that makes a big difference to TV viewing. If not for anything, get this TV for PatchWall which has a good degree of features. The suggested content on the screen is flawless and you can even search by IMDB rating, HDR10+, 4K, top rentals and so on. You also get a kids category.
Other features include Miracast support that lets you mirror your Android phone. I also like Mi Home integration, using which you can control Mi devices around the house. In fact, that’s the biggest win for Xiaomi. When a smartphone company starts offering quality television sets that can be at the centre of your house, the brand name takes on a different meaning among family members. With OLED Vision TV 55, Xiaomi has done just that — become the meeting hub for family members.
At a glance
There are enough ports on the TV — three HDMI 2.1, two USB, Ethernet, AV, optical and 3.5mm
Device: Xiaomi OLED Vision TV 55
Price: Rs 89,999
High notes
• Top-notch picture quality
• PatchWall makes a difference
• Good build
Muffled notes
• Stand-alone mute button missing on the remote control
• 60Hz refresh rate
