Redmi Smart TV 43 review: are good picture and sound quality enough?

Xiaomi has drawn a clear distinction between its Redmi products and Mi / Xiaomi-branded devices. The former is aimed at value-oriented consumers and includes products with affordable specs. The latter includes a bit more premium devices that offer higher-end specs. This distinction began with smartphones and can now be seen in smart TVs, though the line isn’t as clear here. Xiaomi offers both Mi TVs and Redmi TVs in India that range between Rs 15,000 to Rs 1,30,000. The brand has managed to offer competitive Smart TV models across each and every price segment. Today, we’re looking at the Redmi Smart TV 43, which is an affordable 43-inch TV priced under Rs 25,000.

The Redmi Smart TV 43-inch was launched recently and it comes with an interesting price tag of Rs 24,999. Interesting because this segment sees a bunch of 43-inch TVs, including some from Xiaomi itself. So, does the Redmi Smart TV 43 offer what other 43-inch TVs can’t? Read on to find out.

The lowdown

Starting with the design, the Redmi Smart TV 43 will not wow you with its looks. The television looks pretty average from the front. Xiaomi has made generous use of plastic, reminding you that this is a budget TV. The frame, the stands, and the back panel are all made of plastic. Nothing wrong with the use of plastic, but the frame does look a tad flimsy. In fact, our review unit’s frame felt loose and ready to come off from the top while unboxing. The build quality could have been better, especially when you know a better-designed Mi TV 4X is available at around Rs 29,999.

The visual appeal of the Redmi Smart TV 43 is actually on the back, with a large Redmi branding that can be seen on the mound. However, the appeal ends there. The TV is pretty thick, but the plastic makes it easy to carry out of the box and place it wherever you need to in your house without help. Again, the Mi TV 4X gets an edge as it offers a slimmer design.

All the ports a neatly arranged on the left side of the mound. You get two USB 2.0 ports, an Ethernet port, an AV port, two HDMI ports, a headphone jack, and an antenna. These ports should be enough for any external device that you want to connect to it – maybe a PlayStation/Xbox and a streaming dongle. I’ll tell you why you might want a streaming dongle for this smart TV in just a bit.

Perhaps the best feature about the Redmi Smart TV 43 is its sound output. The TV comes equipped with two bottom-firing speakers with combined 20W output, supporting Dolby Audio and DTS-HD. On paper, the audio specs are similar to what you find on the Mi TV 4X 43, but the speakers on the Redmi TV are much louder in comparison. A volume level of only around 10 was enough for a bedroom space with a fan or AC turned on. The speakers are not just loud but they are clear as well. You get a good bass response when watching action sequences and there’s decent clarity when listening to dialogues. Suffice it to say that you won’t be needing a soundbar for this smart TV.

Coming to the picture quality, I had very little to complain about. The Redmi Smart TV 43-inch offers crisp 1080p picture quality with excellent colour reproduction. You can tweak the picture settings to Vivid if you want punchier colours. This is not a 4K TV so you won’t be able to watch 4K content on Netflix, Prime Video, and Hotstar. I did find a little more graininess than I would have liked when watching HD-quality sitcoms and shows from 10 or 20 years ago. The Mi TV 4X 43-inch does a better job at upscaling HD content.

While there is a lot to appreciate about the Redmi Smart TV 43 such as the picture and sound quality, there is one thing that could be a potential deal-breaker for buyers – performance. The Redmi TV comes equipped with a quad-core A35 CPU paired with 1GB RAM and Mali G32 MP2 GPU. The entry-level chipset and 1GB RAM make the TV sluggish. From the moment you switch on the TV, you will find it difficult to smoothly browse through the UI. 

You will need a whole lot of patience with the Redmi Smart TV 43, and that might just not be worth the effort.

I tried watching House MD on Prime Video and the experience was quite disappointing. The video kept stuttering and the app crashed a few times as well. This was the case while watching content on Netflix as well, and it seems you will need a whole lot of patience with the Redmi Smart TV 43. The biggest takeaway from the Redmi TV is that 2GB RAM should be the minimum requirement for smart TVs going forward.

The Redmi Smart TV 43 runs on PatchWall 4 on top of Android TV 11. Patchwall is typically a smooth user interface and easy to get used to, but the laggy performance of the Redmi TV ruins the software experience as well. That aside, Patchwall comes with a bunch of neat features such as Universal Search, Smart Recommendations, and more. There is also a new IMDb integration, which shows the IMDb ratings for movies and TV shows.

Lastly, we come to the remote. The Redmi Smart TV remote is identical to the one you get with the Mi TV 4X, only with the difference in branding on the bottom. It’s a light and handy remote with just a few physical buttons. There’s the power button of course, Google Assistant key, a circular directional pad, and volume controls, among others. You also get dedicated buttons for Netflix and Amazon Prime Video.

Final verdict

Xiaomi’s distinction between Mi and Redmi TVs isn’t always clear but I could see the line very clearly when reviewing the Redmi Smart TV 43. This is a Redmi TV from its design and build quality. The plastic look make the TV look low-end, which it kind of is, given its pricing. Xiaomi has also made compromises to the performance by providing only 1GB of RAM. This TV clearly needed more RAM and a better chipset to offer a smooth, lag-free experience. This is probably the biggest downside of the Redmi Smart TV 43.

Speaking about the positives though, the Redmi Smart TV 43 does have quite a few. You get a pretty good picture quality that offers excellent colours and decent FHD resolution. Again, if you’re not looking for a 4K TV in this price segment, then the Redmi TV is a good option. Second, the sound system compliments the display and offers a pretty immersive experience without having to spend extra on an external soundbar. For these two reasons alone, the Redmi Smart TV 43 is worth considering. But for a more well-rounded TV, you can spend a few extra thousand rupees and get the Mi TV 4X at Rs 29,999. If you’re looking for something in between, then the Vu Premium 43-inch 4K TV is available at Rs 26,999.

Editor’s rating: 3.5 / 5

Pros:

• Good picture quality
• Loud and clear speakers
• Clean and easy-to-use PatchWall 4

Cons:

• Laggy performance
• Poor build quality

The post Redmi Smart TV 43 review: are good picture and sound quality enough? first appeared on 91mobiles.com.

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