Xiaomi TV Stick HD 2nd gen with faster chipset and HDR10+ is here
Last year, Xiaomi launched the 4K TV Stick 2nd gen with a more powerful chipset and HDR10+ support. Now, the company is updating its Xiaomi TV Stick HD 2nd gen with similar features.
The exterior adopts the rounded design of the second-generation 4K model. Unfortunately, the power connector is still Micro-USB. Furthermore, there’s only one USB port and no microSD card slot. So, if you want to connect additional storage, you’ll have to take a look at Xiaomis TV boxes. The original stick did not support USB OTG; there is no information yet on the new one.
The Xiaomi TV Stick HD 2nd gen is designed for older televisions, as it outputs a maximum resolution of 1080p at 60 frames per second – 4K is not supported. It is suitable for subscribers of budget streaming services, since 4K content costs extra with most providers.
The Xiaomi TV Stick HD 2nd gen runs on Google TV and comes with pre-installed Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and YouTube. These services have their own dedicated buttons on the remote control. In addition to streaming, you can also transfer photos and videos from your smartphone.
Xiaomi TV Stick HD 2nd gen with 38% more power
The stick is powered by a new chipset with a quad-core Cortex-A55 and a Mali-G31 MP2 GPU. Xiaomi promises a 38% performance increase compared to the first-generation HD Stick (with four A53 cores and a Mali-450 GPU). However, the RAM and storage capacity are identical at 1 GB and 8 GB respectively, which is quite limited. The second-generation TV Stick 4K offers slightly better performance with 2 GB of RAM and a Mali-G310 V2 GPU.
The stick supports HDR10+ content, but your TV must also support this standard to use it. Furthermore, the new chipset features hardware AV1 decoding, which is essential for an optimal YouTube and Netflix experience.
The Xiaomi TV Stick HD 2nd gen supports DTS:X and Dolby Audio, but again, your other devices, either the television or your sound system, must also support these formats.
The dongle connects to your home network via dual-band 802.11ac (Wi-Fi 5). The remote control uses Bluetooth 5.0 and also has an infrared transmitter – allowing you to turn on your TV.
The Xiaomi TV Stick HD 2nd gen should be available worldwide soon. Pricing is not yet known, but the 2nd gen 4K version is already available starting at €50.
