For years, the Xiaomi Mi Box (and its various iterations) has been the go-to option for a cheap Android TV device. Google is finally producing its own Android TV streaming stick, nicknamed 'Sabrina,' but that isn't stopping Xiaomi from working on a sequel to the Mi Box — the aptly-named Mi TV Stick.
The Mi TV Stick has already leaked a few times, and some retailers like Gearbest and AliExpress are already taking orders for the global version. It's not clear what the official US price will be (assuming it does arrive in America, like the Mi Box did), but AliExpress Russia is selling it for 5,031 Rubles (~$71), while Gearbest has it for $65.88.
Mi TV Stick in Google Play Console
More recently, the Mi TV Stick appeared on the Google Play Console's device catalog, giving us a better look at the hardware. Google says the Mi TV Stick is powered by an Amlogic AMLS805Y processor at 1.2GHz, with four ARM Cortex-A53 cores and 750MHz Mali 450 graphics. That appears to be a slower chipset than the 1.8GHz Amlogic S905X2 SoC that will reportedly be present in Google's Sabrina device, and the Mi TV Stick also has half the RAM of Sabrina (1GB vs. 2GB). Xiaomi's device will also ship with Android 9 Pie, not v10.
The Xiaomi Mi Box and its remote
Product listings and unboxing photos already showcased that the Mi TV Stick will be certified for Netflix and Amazon Prime Video, but in case you needed more evidence, the "system features" section of the Play Console page includes references to both services.
System features
It's not clear when exactly the Mi TV Stick will be released, but at least now there's not much left to the imagination besides official pricing. Google's Sabrina dongle appears to be a better package on paper, with a faster CPU and twice the RAM, but we don't know what that will cost either.
Source: @androidtv_rumor, XDA Developers, AliExpress, Gearbest