Buy if...
Mi Box
- You live in a country where only the Mi Box is available
- You see it on sale for cheaper than the Mi Box S
Mi Box S
- You want a device that still receives software updates
- No issues using USB drives
- Better bang for your buck
Mi Box
Outdated, Lower quality
Deal Score+20
VS
Mi Box S
Better Quality, More Available
Deal Score+20
Xiaomi are one of the most prolific brands in tech in the current day. They produce phones, monitors, smartwatches, robot vacuums, and more. They even make Android TV boxes, which are the subject of this comparison!
Today we will be pitting Xiaomi’s Mi Box against its younger sibling, the Mi Box S. Will the older device still hold up when compared to the newer one?
Interestingly, the Mi Box S is actually a full-on replacement of the Mi Box in most countries, as production on the Mi Box seemed to cease in favor of the first generation of Mi Box S devices. And yes, we said the first generation!
Though, of course, we will try to be fair here and compare the Mi Box to only the first generation of Mi Box S devices, not the later generations.
We will be looking at the specs of each device in hopes of figuring out whether or not the Mi Box S is a worthy successor and worthwhile upgrade, or if it’s actually a downgrade.
Compare Mi Box
vs Mi Box S
Mi Box vs Mi Box S
VS
Dimensions (mm)
101 x 101 x 19.5
VS
95.25 x 95.25 x 16.7
Highest Supported OS
Android TV 9.0
VS
Android TV 9.0 (More Support)
Remote Control
Basic
VS
More Buttons Like Netflix
Max Supported Video Quality
4K @ 60 Frames Per Second
VS
4K @ 60 Frames Per Second
Dolby Digital / DTS Audio
Yes, up to 7.1
VS
Yes, up to 7.1
CPU
Quad-core Cortex-A53 2.0GHz
VS
Quad-core Cortex-A53 2.0GHz
Graphics Processor (GPU)
Mali 450 750MHz
VS
Mali 450 750MHz
RAM
2GB DDR3
VS
2GB DDR3
Wi-Fi Connectivity
802.11a/b/g/n/ac, 2.4GHz/5GHz
VS
802.11a/b/g/n/ac, 2.4GHz/5GHz
Bluetooth Connectivity
4.0
VS
4.2
Internal Storage
8GB
VS
8GB
USB Drive Support
VS
Compare Mi Box and Mi Box S
Specification Comparison and Reviews
Highest Supported OS
Starting off the comparisons, let’s go over the very core of every modern digital device: the Operating System!
Out of the box, the old Mi Box came with Android TV 6.0. However, it could be updated up until 8.1, but support was quickly dropped after the update to 8.1 was released. The reason? Well, the Mi Box S was launched!
As such, the Mi Box S comes with Android TV 8.1 right out of the box, and can then be updated to 9.0. Sadly, though, the first generation of Mi Box S devices stopped receiving firmware updates to newer Android TV OSes after the 9.0 release.
However, the Mi Box S has received smaller software updates even in 2023, so the little box keeps on trucking along! Just don’t expect big firmware updates anymore for the first-generation models.
Xiaomi Mi Box
Placeholder Spec
75%
Xiaomi Mi Box S
Placeholder Spec
95%
Winner: Xiaomi Mi Box S
Bluetooth Connectivity
Another one of the incremental updates made to the Mi Box S over its predecessor is Bluetooth Connectivity.
The older Mi Box supports Bluetooth generations up to 4.0, while the newer Mi Box S supports up to 4.2. It’s a seemingly minor upgrade if we’re just looking at the version numbers, but it’s a pretty nice upgrade in functionality!
Bluetooth 4.2 boasts much faster transfer rates than 4.0 and has better security to boot. This is especially helpful if you’re using Bluetooth to stream audio and video to your Mi Box S, so the winner is clear in this category!
Xiaomi Mi Box
Bluetooth 4.0
85%
Xiaomi Mi Box S
Bluetooth 4.2
95%
Winner: Xiaomi Mi Box S
Our Pick
DJI Osmo
The easy winner of this comparison is the newer Xiaomi Mi Box S. There isn’t much difference between Mi Box and Mi Box S in terms of specs. However, the Mi Box S is a newer version that will probably get the best support. What’s more, the older Mi Box is not available anymore in most countries, making the Mi Box S a full replacement in most places.
- More readily available
- Less expensive
- Better Bluetooth connectivity
- Newer software
Latest User Reviews
Check what other users on Amazon think about the products
Mi Box Reviews
Mi Box S 4K Reviews
I've really been enjoying this box so far. The firey alternative was beginning to get much to slow for me and it was driving us NUTS. We wanted something with Android TV instead of a generic tv-box that has heavily modified, basic android versions on it. We have Xiaomi phones and have been extremely happy with them so decided to take the leap on this. We're happy we did! It's fast and really easy to use.
The only gripe we have with it is that it's missing Hulu and Prime Video apps. We couldn't believe it when we saw; I assumed it would have the full Play-Store and we would just download all of the apps we want like normal. This wasn't the case, apparently Hulu has had performance issues on the platform in the past and they decided to pull it off of the market until it's fixed. It's been off the market for months now from what I've read, and I don't expect Hulu to jump on it anytime soon. Amazon and Google of course have a strenuous relationship and as such Android TV's don't have Prime Video available on it, and least not currently.
For Hulu, I was able to download a legacy .apk of the app, and install it manually. It worked! I tried the same method for Prime Video, but it wouldn't let me log-in properly. I can personally live without Prime Video and Hulu, but my fiance would become monstrous if she didn't have access to Hulu. These are the biggest complaints I have with this box, and it really isn't the boxes fault so I place blame on Google, Amazon, and Disney (Disney owns Hulu). It's funny because although Hulu isn't available and arguably neglected by Disney on Android OS, Disney+ works perfectly fine.
Regardless, the box performs like a beast and I have been loving it for Netflix, Hulu, Plex, Kodi, Sling TV, Pluto TV, etc, etc, etc and haven't had issues. Overall it's a great bang for your buck, but if you can't live without Prime Video or don't have the know-how to manually install Hulu, then you may want to look elsewhere for now.
Rick
5/5
I've been using this for a few year now and I'm surprised at some of the reviews. BLUF: I love the little device and wouldn't hesitate to buy one again.
The good:
1) Good picture quality.
2) Vanilla, junk-free software/interface.
3) Ongoing updates (not troublingly frequent, but clearly not abandoned).
4) Support for Prime Video (not all devices have this).
5) Support for side-loading via USB.
6) Support for Google App Store.
7) Smooth, responsive UI.
8) Attractive looking and feeling puck.
The bad:
1) The build quality on the remote could be better (buttons are a bit clicky, battery compartment door feels a bit...delicate).
2) WiFI only, no wired LAN.
To be fair, my "bad" list is really just a few niggles. I'd say it's a top 5 device along with Apple TV, Fire Sticks, Nvidia Shield, and Roku and I've used most of those devices (except the Nvidia Shield) and they've all ended up in a drawer except for the Mi S. If I was going to replace it it would be between the Nvidia Shield and another Mi S. I really like the pure, bloat-ware-free experience and the continued support. And at 1/3 or so the cost of a Shield I doubt I'd talk myself into one of those.
As a pure streaming device, this thing nails it.
Zach
5/5
It's the Best of the Best boxes, I've been using it since 2021 and I even bought a second box. I have Google Chromecast and Fire Stick but the quality of Mi Box S 4K is the best.
Bechir
5/5
One day there was no sound coming from my TV. I tried everything, but could not figure out.
After some search on the web, and randomly pressing the buttons on the remote, I discovered that there are 2 volume controls. First to control the volume of the TV, second to control the volume of the device. If there is little or no sound coming from the TV, and it is all the way up, chances are the device volume may have been turned by mistake. Volume + and - controls the TV sound; + and - and back button controls the volume of the device.
Yusuf
4/5