Mi TV 4A Rival by Vu Televisions to Launch in India Next Week

Vu Televisions is set to launch an Android TV-based television on March 13. The California and Mumbai-based company has sent invites for the launch event in Bengaluru on Tuesday, and the move appears to be aimed at taking on Xiaomi's recent foray into the Indian television market with cost-effective models. Xiaomi had launched a 55-inch 4K HDR Mi TV model, priced at Rs. 39,999, last month. The company made a bigger splash however when it introduced its cheaper, smaller Mi TV 4A range of televisions into the market this week, with a 32-inch offering that is priced at just Rs. 13,999 and a 43-inch offering priced at Rs. 22,999.

In its invite, Vu Televisions clearly points towards the introduction of Android TV models, using the tagline "Okay Google, Let's Vu." The brand has launched Android-based smart television models in the past as well, however, this is its first Android TV offering. We can expect Vu to launch models that are competitively priced compared to the new Xiaomi Mi TV 4A models.

As we mentioned, Xiaomi this week unveiled cheaper, smaller television models in India, under its Mi TV 4A range. It features the PatchWall AI-based UI, one that has been specifically optimised for India. The are a few significant differences between the Mi TV 4A models launched in China, and those brought to India, including the presence of two 10W speakers and more ports. The 43-inch model sports a full-HD (1920x1080 pixels) display while the 32-inch model has an HD (1366x768 pixels) display. Both display panels have a 178-degree viewing angle and 60Hz refresh rate. The Mi TV 4A models are powered by an Amlogic quad-core SoC that's coupled with 1GB of RAM. The TVs comes with 8GB of internal storage.

Connectivity options on the 43-inch Mi TV 4A include Wi-Fi, three HDMI (one ARC) ports, three USB 2.0 ports, one Ethernet port, one AV component port, one S/PDIF audio port, as well as a 3.5mm headphone jack port. The 32-inch model comes with two USB 2.0 ports and misses out on the S/PDIF port, with the rest of the connectivity options being the same. Xiaomi is also touting the presence of DTS-HD audio support. The Mi TV 4A models ship with the 11-button Mi Remote that can be used to control a set-top box apart from the television itself, using the Mi IR cable priced at Rs. 299.

Can Xiaomi shake up the TV market in India? We discussed that on Orbital, our weekly technology podcast, which you can subscribe to via Apple Podcasts or RSS, download the episode, or just hit the play button below.