Xiaomi joins Hisense by crossing Google’s line with the release of its first Amazon Fire TV Smart TVs. The Xiaomi F2 Series Fire TVs are a set of 4K LED LCD TVs in 43-inch, 50-inch, and 55-inch sizes for the UK market. While these TVs have a few premium features, like support for High Dynamic Range (HDR), they are primarily going up against budget TVs and are a welcomed addition to the Fire TV lineup.
The Xiaomi F2 Fire TV Smart TVs have a 4K 60Hz LCD panel that Xiaomi says produces 90% of the P3 color spectrum with, what I assume is, a direct-lit LED backlight. These TVs do support HDR10 high dynamic range but not other formats like Dolby Vision or HDR10+. Up until now, Xiaomi primarily made TVs running Google’s Android TV operating system. These are the first Xiaomi TVs to run Amazon’s Fire OS, which is a big deal because Google has reportedly not allowed TV manufacturers to use Google services on Android TVs if they also made TVs running a forked version of Android, which is what Fire TV Smart TVs run. Hisense was the first Android TV manufacturer to cross Google’s line with the release of its first Fire TV Smart TVs earlier this month. Now that Xiaomi has done the same, it seems all but certain that either Google is no longer enforcing its threat or TV manufacturers simply don’t care anymore.
On the side of the Xiaomi F2 Series TVs are four HDMI 2.1 ports with support for auto low latency mode that can drop latency down to 6ms. Not much is known about the other ports, but there appears to be an antenna connection for the built-in tuner, a pair of USB ports, optical audio out, and what looks like two 3.5mm jacks which I assume are a headphone port and AV in. Connectivity comes in the form of an Ethernet port of unknown speed, Wifi of unknown spec, and Bluetooth 5.0. These TVs will also support Apple AirPlay for casting video from an iPhone, iPad, or Mac. Little is known about what’s under the hood of these TVs, but they do come with 2GB of RAM and 16GB of internal storage.
The included remote is Amazon’s standard long boy remote that all Fire TV Smart TVs in the UK have shipped with. Unlike the Fire TV Smart TV remotes in the US and other regions, the UK remotes include a full set of number buttons as well as four colored buttons along the bottom for TV interaction. Of course, this is an Alexa Voice Remote with all the usual voice features that that entails and the four app shortcut buttons are for Prime Video, Netflix, Disney+, and Freeview Play.
The Xiaomi F2 Series TVs are launching today, although they oddly appear to be listed as temporarily out of stock at the moment. As an introductory sale that will last until June 6, the 43-inch TV is £339, the 50-inch TV is £379, and the 55-inch TV is £429. Once the sale ends, those prices will increase to their regular prices of £399, £449, and £499, respectively.
Hisense is no the first OEM who made both Android TV and Fire TV devices. JVC launched Fire TV devices in UK in 2020, long before Hisense. Most of JVC line up are Google’s Android TV.