TVs can be very expensive or very inexpensive, and if you’re shopping for a TV that falls into the second category, you’ll probably give Xiaomi some consideration. Everything is relative, and there is a significant market for big-screen televisions that are feature-rich but don’t cost too much money. Of course, it might sound a bit strange to label a television that costs more than Rs. 60,000 “affordable,” but this is because everything is relative. The Xiaomi X Series (2023) television range is the most recent addition to that list. It is currently available in a size option of 65 inches and can be purchased for a price of Rs. 61,999 in India.
This is a well-equipped big screen television that costs less than Rs. 1,000 per diagonal inch of screen size. It has a 65-inch Ultra-HD (3840×2160-pixel) screen, support for Dolby Vision HDR, 30W speakers, and the Google TV user interface alongside Xiaomi’s Patchwall on top of Android TV OS. In addition, the screen size is a diagonal inch, not a diagonal centimetre. Is this the greatest 65-inch television that you can get for a reasonable price right now? Learn the answer by reading this review.
The design and technical specs of the Xiaomi X Series (2023) 65-inch Ultra-HD Smart TV
The Ultra-High-Definition (3840 x 2160-Pixel) televisions that are part of Xiaomi’s earlier X series have been offered in screen sizes ranging from 43 inches to 55 inches, and all of them have been available to purchase. The 2023 series now offers a 65-inch television as an additional size choice. It is important to note, however, that this is not the first 65-inch television that the firm has produced; rather, it is new for this series. The 65-inch model is available in India at a price point of Rs. 61,999 per unit, which is the TV that I have been given to review.
As would have been anticipated, the design follows closely in the footsteps of preceding X series models and is only offered in a single colour option, which is black. When the TV is turned on, the thin borders that surround the screen are largely hidden from view for the majority of the time. On the other hand, the bottom of the screen has a border that is somewhat thicker and more noticeable. In the middle, just above the module that contains the indicator light and the power button, is where the Xiaomi logo can be found.
On the Xiaomi X Series (2023) TV, you will find three HDMI 2.1 connections (one of which supports eARC), two USB type-A ports, an Ethernet connector, an Optical audio port, as well as sockets for AV, 3.5mm audio, and an antenna. These features are all quite normal for a television in this price range. The fact that this is a large television and the ports are close to the centre at the back makes it somewhat difficult to access them when the TV is wall-mounted, so you will need to make sure that everything is set up before you put it on the wall.
It is not a very thin TV, but it isn’t too thick either, and it will look quite well when wall-mounted using a low-profile mounting kit because of its balance between thinness and thickness. There is no hands-free voice assistant capabilities, and as a result, there is no microphone embedded into the TV itself. This is in contrast to the X Pro series, which was introduced earlier in this year. It should come as no surprise that you can access Google Assistant through the remote, which includes a microphone and can take directions verbally.
The sales package comes with TV stands, however it does not include a kit to mount the television on the wall. Regardless of which form of installation you choose, the assembly and installation can be handled by Xiaomi’s installation team. However, you will need to confirm with the technician which wall-mount kit will be used and whether or not there will be an additional cost for it.
In addition, it has a standard refresh rate of 60 hertz, 2 gigabytes of random access memory (RAM), 8 gigabytes of internal storage for apps and the data associated with apps, a quad-core A55 CPU for running the smart functionality and the Android TV operating system, and a standard resolution of 1080p. In terms of wireless connectivity, the television is equipped with Bluetooth 5 and dual-band Wi-Fi in addition to supporting the Dolby Vision and HDR10 file formats. Dolby Atmos passthrough support is also included on the HDMI port of the Xiaomi X Series (2023) TV, in addition to support for Dolby Audio, DTS:X, and DTS: Virtual X. The speaker system on this TV has a power output of 30 watts and is compatible with Dolby Audio, DTS:X, and DTS: Virtual X.
Remote control and additional functions for the Xiaomi X Series (2023) 65-inch Ultra-HD Smart TV
The remote control and feature set of Xiaomi’s larger televisions doesn’t really vary much, and the 65-inch X Series (2023) television adheres to this tried-and-true pattern. The remote control is a lightweight device that is easily replaceable, is compatible with a variety of Xiaomi and Redmi TVs in the range, and is essentially uncomplicated. Since some time ago, software updates have been implemented to make up for the absence of buttons, and AAA batteries for the remote are included in the package that it comes in.
In addition to the standard navigation pad and buttons for Android TV, the remote control includes dedicated buttons for Netflix, Prime Video, Disney+ Hotstar, and YouTube. Other buttons include a button for Google Assistant and a volume control. The sole method of connectivity available is Bluetooth, and in order for the TV and the remote to communicate with one another, the remote needs to be paired with the TV before turning it on for the first time.
Chromecast built-in and auto low-latency mode (ALLM) are a couple of the additional features that come standard on the Xiaomi X Series (2023) TV. The X Series (2023) is not nearly as well-equipped as the X Pro that was released earlier this year. On the other hand, it is quite a bit more affordable than the X Pro for models of the same size, and it mostly gets the fundamental experience right.
Software and user interface designed for the Xiaomi X Series (2023) 65-inch Ultra-HD Smart TV
It might be said that Xiaomi’s televisions follow a very consistent recipe, but if something isn’t broken, there’s no reason to try to fix it, and I think that this is one of the company’s greatest strengths when it comes to their televisions. The software experience is largely responsible for this, and the X Series (2023) television range comes with the familiar pairing of Android TV and the Google TV user interface, in addition to the option to convert to Xiaomi’s own PatchWall UI.
Under the hood, the television utilises Android TV 11, but it appears to have some performance issues, particularly when it comes to the user interfaces (UIs) and the smart TV functions. Even with just a handful of fundamental apps installed, I felt that the TV was extremely sluggish when I was going around the user interfaces of Google TV and PatchWall. Completely restarting the television would make things better for a few hours (or maybe even a day), but ultimately it would return to its previous state of being sluggish.
This appears to solely relate to the user interface itself; on services such as Netflix, Prime Video, and YouTube — all of which are well-known for the stability of their performance — there were no performance difficulties with anything playing. Once material began to really stream, certain applications, such as JioCinema, did have intermittent instances of lag and stuttering; nevertheless, the TV did not present any difficulties during this time.
The user interface for Google TV was initially made available on the Xiaomi X Pro series earlier in 2023, and it will eventually find its way to the X Series (2023) as well. It is a significant improvement over the older versions of the stock user interface for Android TV, as was stated in a number of evaluations that came before it. On the other hand, PatchWall maintains a significant amount of its familiarity, with many of its traditional features such as curated categories and recommendations also being available on the X Series (2023).
Performance of the 65-inch Ultra-HD Smart TV from the Xiaomi X Series (2023)
Buyers of TVs in this price range have shown a natural interest in Xiaomi as a result of its brand image and the fact that it is a well-established and leading player in the smartphone industry. When compared to the majority of the competition in the category, its pricing of Rs. 61,999 for the 65-inch model is quite competitive. This is especially true when taking into consideration the features and specs that are included, such as support for Dolby Vision, 30W of sound output, and the Google TV user interface.
When compared to the X Pro, the X Series (2023) has a few insignificant performance-related variations, although it is quite unlikely that you will actually notice these differences in day-to-day use. The essential features and technical specs are all present, and the performance is on par with the vast majority of televisions in this price range that I’ve had the opportunity to test out. For this price range, I’ve often tested televisions measuring 55 inches, so the availability of a 65-inch model for less than 65,000 rupees is something of an anomaly for me.
If you buy a television with one of the larger screen sizes from Xiaomi’s X Series (2023), you will have a lot of options to work with because there is a lot of content that is accessible to stream in ultra-high definition and high dynamic range from a variety of different platforms. I used a variety of streaming services to watch a variety of content, such as episodes of Star Wars Visions and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 on Disney+ Hotstar, Strange Planet (Review) on Apple TV+, episodes of Barry on JioCinema, and various sports and YouTube videos.
The 65-inch screen size comes with its own set of implications, but it also has the potential to bring about difficulties in terms of the picture quality for content with a lesser resolution. The actual limitations are addressed to a good level by the Xiaomi X Series (2023) TV thanks to acceptable upscaling, even though the differences between Ultra-HD and even full-HD video are a bit more evident on larger screens. However, the advantages of Ultra-HD and full-HD content are still present. Naturally, you’ll want to limit yourself to Ultra-HD material as much as you can for the best degree of performance possible, and the Xiaomi X Series (2023) does a respectable job considering the price point when it comes to rendering that type of content.
Dolby Vision high dynamic range support, but not HDR10+ format means you’ll get somewhat improved performance with compatible content from services like Netflix and Apple TV+. Dolby Vision high dynamic range support is required for 4K video playback. Having said that, the actual Dolby Vision effect isn’t quite as obvious on the Xiaomi X Series (2023) as it is on high-end quantum-dot and OLED televisions; nonetheless, you will still notice a substantial increase in the brightness and colour vibrancy of the picture.
Because the Dolby Vision file format was supported for the game, the visuals of “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3” looked great on the television. The bright and garish set pieces of Knowhere, the city-spaceship headquarters of the Guardians, looked punchy and sharp the majority of the time. Having said that, highly vivid colours and particular skin tones appeared to have an excessive amount of saturation.
Because HDR material does not really give much of an improvement over conventional dynamic range content, peak brightness was also a bit of a worry on the Xiaomi X Series (2023) television. You won’t have any trouble watching even if there is broad sunshine in the room as long as you position yourself directly in front of the television or just off to the side by a little angle. Fortunately, I didn’t have to do too much to darken the room in order for the picture to be viewable.
However, in order to get the most out of your viewing experience, you should position yourself directly in front of the television. The Xiaomi X Series (2023) television screen becomes increasingly reflective the further you move away from the centre of the screen. In addition to this, keeping the area as dark as possible will certainly be of assistance in making the picture, as well as the colours in it, appear as excellent as they possibly can.
Content that was presented in Ultra-HD looked definitely the sharpest and was the most enjoyable to watch. This was true even for the purposefully misty They Cloned Tyrone, which nonetheless appeared sharp despite the mood of the film itself. However, due to the pretty ordinary black levels and evident grey tinge of the TV, it was occasionally difficult to see what was happening in scenes with low levels of light. stuff at a lower resolution, such episodes of Barry, appeared to be fine, and I had no problems watching this stuff at all.
However, you shouldn’t expect it to look amazing; there were some instances were the details seemed washed out, and the show appeared to be a little bit older than it actually is. You probably won’t mind this happening once in a while, but if the majority of the content you watch is in full HD or a lower resolution, you shouldn’t even be thinking about purchasing a 65-inch Ultra-HD TV in the first place if the majority of what you watch is in full HD or lower quality.
The sound quality of Xiaomi’s televisions is often very high, and the X Series (2023) is no exception to this trend. The X Series comes with a box speaker system that has a sound output of 30W, however it is not quite as powerful as the X Pro TV series. The speaker system does not offer compatibility for Dolby Atmos; nonetheless, this is not something that you will miss in the vast majority of situations.
Even at modest volumes, the television is loud, clear, and audible, and there is plenty of room to turn the volume up even higher if you so desire. I didn’t encounter an excessive number of annoying volume spikes, which is probably due to the superb consistency of the volume increments. Dolby Atmos passthrough is supported, which means that if you want to, you may connect this component to a soundbar or speaker system that is compatible with Atmos and enjoy the benefits of that format.
Conclusion and ruling
Despite the fact that Xiaomi’s regular product releases and slightly overlapping product range may leave some customers feeling confused, the company’s versatility in the market for reasonably priced big screens is likely its greatest strength. The Xiaomi X Series (2023) is a new addition to the capable lineup of products offered by the company. This time around, the display size has been increased to 65 inches, but the X series has maintained its current generation and minimalist design philosophy.
The problems with this TV are not major, but the user interface can be a little slow at times, and there are some issues with the black levels, which can make it difficult to watch content that is predominantly dark. You receive a TV that more than lives up to its price, giving a value-for-money experience that enables you to enjoy the benefits of a huge TV without breaking the bank. In all other respects, the TV more than matches up to its price. If you want a few extra features and HDR10+ support, the X Pro TV series is a good option to look at; otherwise, the X Series (2023) is a good choice, especially if you want the 65-inch screen size.
