Entertainment
Xiaomi Mi TV P1: Home cinema for the budget-conscious
A 4K HDR Android TV you can definitely afford
I don’t want to sound like I’m an ultimate cheapskate, but I guess I kind of belong in that category as I always try and see things on-sale or those lower than their Suggested Retail Pricing.
Way back in May 2021, I was looking for an Android TV within my PhP 20,000 to 25,000 (US$ 400 – US$ 500) budget. Xiaomi’s Mi TV was one of them — the Mi LED TV 4S to be exact. But upon knowing that units bought from China with a global ROM still doesn’t support Netflix, I decided to find another (and might even be a better) alternative.
Several months later, Xiaomi announced the Mi TV P1 series — and finally a follow-up to the Mi TV 4A series almost three years ago.
Even though it’s been a while ever since I purchased that other Android TV with my hard-earned money, I still accepted this review unit to test and know the feats and defeats of the Mi TV P1 as a new Android TV in this vast TV market.
A design so tacky and lacks variety
Just a static long light indicator when it’s powered on
The problem with TV nowadays is that, most of them look similar with their plasticky build. If you’re looking for a premium-looking TV on a tight budget, sorry to break it to you, but the Mi TV P1 is entirely made out of plastic. From its side bezels, chin, and even the legs/stand, they’re all in the same material and a coating that’s oh-so-glossy.
It’s almost as glossy as the protective film it came with
The panel is glossy too. You shouldn’t place this directly parallel to your window or it might bother you when watching content that are less bright or dark.
Chaehyun is the definition of a human being with an angelic voice #김채현_데뷔하자
Even the large window covered with curtains at the left side of our living room wasn’t safe from such distraction.
Not the most unique stand design ever
Not gonna lie, it looked and felt cheap. There’s literally no excuse for it being a “budget” TV. Compared to the Android TV I own at the same price point, it’s still able to have a metallic bottom bezel and aluminum stands without reducing most of the features that the Mi TV P1 possesses.
Attaching these was truly a horrifying experience
Speaking of stand, it took me around ten minutes thinking how to attach both legs. The screw holes were kind of confusing and misleading as well as the form of each leg. Instructions in the user manual about attaching both TV leg stands was vague so I have to research further online. It’s honestly one of my worst experiences of attaching screws to a product.
Sufficient ports and connections
The Mi TV P1 has a Composite In (AV), two USB-A ports, and three HDMI ports — one with eARC support. The 32-inch version has lesser though. Other ports you might be curious to know are Ethernet Port, CI Slot, Optical Digital Audio Out, and a 3.5mm headphone jack.
For wireless connectivity, the Mi TV P1 has a reliable Wi-Fi connection as it not only supports the 2.4GHz band, but the faster 5GHz band as well. That’s something my other TV doesn’t have.
There’s even the faster and latency-less Bluetooth 5.0 support. And with the bundled 360 Bluetooth remote, I can still turn off the TV even when I’m sitting and eating from the kitchen area or when I need to go to the bathroom without ever pointing at the TV itself.
Not sure if it’s just my muscle memory but the remote of the Xiaomi Mi TV P1 confuses me — and might be the same to some future users.
If you’re a heavy Android user, the default back key of smartphones is placed at the left side rather than the middle. Xiaomi could’ve just switched the button placements. They could’ve even done the same to the “O” (home) button by placing it in the middle instead.
Some button controls would’ve made more sense too if “CC”, “EPG”, “INFO”, and that “dot” weren’t placed there. And if you’re right-handed like I am, pressing the power button requires some reach as it’s placed on the upper left part instead of right.
The power of Android TV
ICYMI, the Xiaomi Mi TV P1 runs Android TV. On paper, it runs a MediaTek 9611 chipset paired with 2GB of memory and 16GB of internal storage. Those are actually enough for running and storing TV-limited Android apps that can be downloaded through the Google Play Store.
While YouTube, Netflix, and Prime Video were already installed upon first use, there are also other streaming apps you can download such as iQiyi, WeTV, Viu, Crunchyroll, HBO Go, TED, and more.
As you were already spoiled in the earlier section, the Mi TV P1 supports Google Assistant. This reduces the hassle and sore of typing each letter through the remote’s D-pad when searching content across all apps.
Google Assistant indicator
On the bottom part of that odd bar below the Mi TV P1’s chin, there’s a switch to turn on (or off) the far-field microphones of the TV.
Google Assistant prompt
This enables you to use Google Assistant even when you’re roaming another area in your house. So yeah, no to pointing your mouth to the remote. People with a loud speaking voice will benefit this feature the most.
More power with Chromecast
Too lazy to type? Or you just don’t want to bother your family members when you activate Google Assistant? Well, your other option is to share content from your phone to the TV — and that’s thanks to its built-in Chromecast feature.
Whether you’re using an iPhone or an Android, you shouldn’t worry at all as Chromecast supports both systems.
Other than sharing content from YouTube, you can also share and stream music on a bigger screen as long as Spotify is downloaded on both devices.
Spotify being sus by cutting both Heejin and Olivia Hye out of the screen 🙄
Purely immersive
Nowadays, most Netflix titles and YouTube content come with an ultra-wide 21:9 ratio (or even in a 2.39:1 anamorphic ratio). In layman’s term, those are simply the black bars you see when watching videos in your fullscreen smartphones or standard monitors. But thanks to its slim bezels, watching on the Xiaomi Mi TV P1 felt immersive — especially if you’re watching just several meters away from the TV.
Hong Banjang just being charismatic over Yoon Chigwa #HeadOverHeels
Watching series such as Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha honestly felt more immersive as if I’m sitting along with the characters.
Isa’s visuals pops even more with this vibrant TV
Even STAYC’s Stereotype music video, despite its black bars, still made me enjoy its stunning visuals and cinematography (as well as vocals, musical arrangement, and choreography).
Speaking of pure, the “Fate” performance from Girls Planet 999 made me cry with its pureness in beauty paired with superiority in choreography
What more if it’s a 16:9 content? Whether it’s in 4K UHD or just Full HD 1080p resolution, your eyes will still enjoy every frame of what you’re watching especially if its displayed in a large screen a la cinema.
My feels for Tzuyu are definitely not over when watching and listening to #TheFeels
A 4K 16:9 content is more pleasing to look at especially with its sharp and crisp details. TWICE’s The Feels is a testament to that.
If you’re curious about sound quality. It’s double 10W speakers are loud with enough bass and clarity. But don’t expect cinema-grade audio experience even with Dolby Audio and DTS-HD support. But if you’re really into that cinema-grade experience. you still need to get at least a soundbar or invest on a better surround sound system (in which I think budget-conscious users care less about).
Excellent display for a budget TV
aespa’s Karina is a living goddess. Periodt. Periodism.
Apart from having an almost edge-to-edge 4K display, the Mi TV P1 also boasts HDR10+ support for displaying picture-perfect content with an even wider range of colors in the spectrum.
This isn’t for everyone but just in case someone wants to know, you can choose between various Color Spaces ranging from Standard and Native, to Adobe RGB, DCI-P3, BenQ’s BT.2020, and ITU-R’s BT.709 color gamut.
If you go and specifically search for 4K HDR content on YouTube, the Xiaomi Mi TV P1 will be able to handle and display that content to you with no frills. That’s something other TVs, monitors, and even smartphones can’t display at all.
To make the display even better, it also has Dolby Vision apart from HDR10+. For this particular instance: Squid Game, which is Netflix’s hottest series right now, shows the Dolby Vision indicator right next to its parental rating info.
Not only does it show better color accuracy and output with HDR10+, this Dolby Vision feature is also able to display better dynamic range with the right amount of contrast, highlights, and shadows.
Loco might just be Yuna’s era
One noticeable aspect of this TV is the inclusion of Motion Smoothing feature out of the box that my other Android TV doesn’t have. It’s honestly a feast for the eyes but probably not everyone’s cup of tea. By default, it’s set to Standard but can be turned off.
Pretty decent for gaming, too
While the Mi TV P1 has only a 60Hz panel, playing on it still felt true-to-life. With the 55-incher that I have, details are still clear and sharp even if my PS4 Slim only supports a maximum display resolution of 1080p. With one port that supports HDMI 2.1 / eARC, people who spent their fortune on a PlayStation 5 (PS5) and are considering a less-expensive smart TV, I’m sure bumping it over 1080p will work.
One thing to keep in mind if you’re a sucker for ultra-smooth and seamless gameplay, the Mi TV P1 doesn’t do its Motion Smoothing magic — at least on the PS4 itself. It doesn’t even work on the console’s UI.
Not a biggie but some might consider that as a buying point. There are also two more limitations that I’ll talk more at the latter part of this review.
Overall, gaming on the Mi TV P1 is pretty decent for casual and gamers on a limited budget. You get to enjoy its big screen size — which still depends on the model you’ll buy and your distance from the TV.
Another thing, I tested playing games for hours starting with Watch Dogs: Legion, then Gran Turismo, Crash Team Racing, and even several Tekken 7 but my eyes haven’t strained at all.
The best part is that, I’ve successfully finished all those games thanks to the Mi TV P1’s display superiority.
Some good things have bad sides, too
Aside from rants about its design and remote control, there are other things I’ve encountered during my time with this smart Android TV.
1st: PatchWall isn’t ready for the country yet
While PatchWall was already introduced to Mi TV users in India, Indonesia, and other parts of the globe, it’s unfortunately not ready in the Philippines just yet.
For those who aren’t familiar, PatchWall is Xiaomi’s special launcher that has a better UI over the stock Android TV experience. But it not being ready for the Philippine market further proves my point that the “Mi” button on the remote control is pretty useless as that one opens up PatchWall.
2nd: HDR isn’t supported for all devices
As ironic as it gets, this 4K HDR TV has some HDR limitations.
It may not be a huge deal to most but for myself who got accustomed with my own Android TV being able to display HDR even when a PlayStation 4 is hooked up, it’s such a disappointment that the Mi TV P1 doesn’t offer that HDR compatibility to my gaming console. I even tried hooking up the HDMI cable to each HDMI port but to no avail.
3rd: Display settings cannot be accessed on other HDMI devices as well
As I was trying to shoot more photos of the TV while using the PS4, I was surprised that pressing the “Settings” button doesn’t reveal the Device Preferences sidebar. Not only can I not adjust the brightness and backlight level, I also can’t pick a certain picture mode that might suit the game better. What a total waste.
Is the Xiaomi Mi TV P1 your GadgetMatch?
If you’re all in for the Mi TV P1’s excellence in image quality and immersiveness without ever minding its lackluster aesthetic and limitations in HDR support and PatchWall, the Mi TV P1 is a TV I can recommend. This product goes well for those who just recently moved to a new home and wants a TV that’s just right for their budget.
The good stuff of this Android TV still weigh more than the compromises mentioned. If you can’t wait to have your new TV in this upcoming holiday season, the Xiaomi Mi TV P1 is still a wise buy. Other than this 55-inch model which is priced at PhP 24,990, there are also 32, 43, and 50-inch variants available that retail for PhP 10,990 / PhP 18,990 / PhP 22,990 respectively.
I didn’t watch The Devil Wears Prada when it first came out in 2006.
I came to it a few years later, at a time when I was still figuring things out—career, identity, even the kind of movies I allowed myself to enjoy. It wasn’t something I would’ve picked on my own back then.
At the time, it felt like a story about love versus career. I was about to graduate with a Mass Communication degree, unsure of where I was headed, trying to make sense of both ambition and connection.
Watching it again recently, it lands differently.
It’s less about choosing between two things—and more about understanding who you are, and having the courage to follow that honestly.
That’s what makes The Devil Wears Prada 2 feel so deliberate. It doesn’t just revisit the past. It builds on it.
Growth over spectacle
There’s a version of this sequel that could’ve leaned entirely on nostalgia. Bigger moments. Sharper outfits. A louder version of what already worked.
This isn’t that.
The film is grander, but in ways that feel earned. It embraces the 20-year gap instead of ignoring it, placing its characters exactly where you’d expect them to be—not in status, but in spirit.
Miranda Priestly still commands every room, but no longer feels as unassailable as she once did.
Andy Sachs carries experience. She’s no longer the green assistant, but an accomplished journalist whose relationship with Miranda still shapes her decisions.
Emily Charlton feels fully realized—no longer orbiting power, but owning her place within it.
And Nigel remains a pillar. Dependable to both Miranda and Andy, an almost invisible hand that guides more than it claims.
None of them feel stuck in who they were. That’s the point.
What it says about the work
This is where the film hit me the hardest.
Working in tech media, I constantly see the push toward generative AI—toward making everything faster, more efficient, more scalable. A lot of it is impressive. Some of it is genuinely useful.
But some of it is also unsettling.
We’re at a point where generative visuals can fool people. Where audio—music even—can sound convincing enough that you stop questioning where it came from. That’s the part that lingers.
Because music, for me, is personal. It’s how I process things. And realizing that something artificial can mimic that emotional weight—even if imperfectly—feels dangerous in a quieter, harder-to-define way.
This film doesn’t shout about AI. It doesn’t need to. Instead, it argues for something more fundamental.
That the human touch still matters.
That taste, judgment, and intention aren’t things you can replicate at scale.
That the pain of heartbreak, the joy of victory, and the complicated weight of living—these are things that come from experience. And experience leaves a mark. We leave a part of ourselves in everything we create, whether we mean to or not.
That’s something I don’t think can ever be fully replicated.
AI is a helpful tool. But it should not be relied upon for things that require a piece of our soul.
Direction that understands power
A lot of that message lands because of how The Devil Wears Prada 2 is directed.
Blocking and staging do most of the talking. Who stands where, who moves first, who stays still—these choices define power before any dialogue kicks in.
The camera follows emotion closely. Moments of uncertainty feel slightly unsteady. Scenes of control are composed and precise.
It’s not trying to impress you. It knows exactly what it’s doing.
Sound that knows its place
The sound design follows that same discipline.
Nothing competes. Nothing distracts.
Every element feels intentional–supporting the scene instead of demanding attention. It’s cohesive in a way that’s easy to overlook, but once you notice it, you realize how much it’s doing.
Dialogue that winks, but doesn’t linger
There are a few “wink” moments–lines that echo the original, callbacks that longtime fans will catch instantly.
But the film shows restraint.
It never lets those moments take over. They’re accents, not the foundation.
Nostalgia used with purpose
That restraint carries through how the film handles nostalgia as a whole.
It doesn’t rely on it. It uses it.
Parallels to the original are there, but they exist to highlight change—not to recreate what once worked.
It’s less about remembering.More about understanding what time has done.
Why it works now
What makes The Devil Wears Prada 2 land isn’t just that it’s well-made.
It’s that it feels necessary.
In a world that keeps pushing toward speed, output, and efficiency, this film slows things down just enough to remind you what actually matters.
The intention behind every line, every scene feels sharp—like it could only come from people who care. Who care about the craft. Who care about making something that connects.
It might sound like a tired argument. But it’s still true.
The breadth and depth of humans who care is irreplaceable.
The teaser trailer for DC Studio’s horror thriller, Clayface, has just been released. It is the studio’s first-ever foray into the genre, with the film co-written by Mike Flanagan and directed by James Watkins.
The R-rated standalone film is still part of the new James Gunn DC Universe, taking place within the main DCU timeline before the events of the 2025 Superman.
It stars Tom Rhys Harries as the titular Gotham City villain. He is joined by Naomi Ackie, David Dencik, Max Minghella, Eddie Marsan, Nancy Carroll, and Joshua James.
The film opens internationally on October 21 and in North America on October 23.
Here’s a quick look at the film’s teaser trailer:
Clayface explores one man’s horrifying descent from rising Hollywood star to revenge-filled monster.
The story revolves around the loss of one’s identity and humanity, corrosive love, and dark underbelly of scientific ambition.
Joining Watkins in his creative team are director of photography Rob Hardy, production designer James Price, editor Jon Harris, visual effects supervisor Angus Bickerton, costume designer Keith Madden, and casting director Lucy Bevan.
In addition, here’s a quick look at the movie’s teaser poster:
Entertainment
DC’s Clayface teaser shows off a horror-filled superhero movie
Our first taste of James Gunn’s Gotham City will be frightening.
Last year, James Gunn’s Superman sparked an impressive wave of excitement for the new DC Universe. Though this year’s spotlight is on Supergirl, Clayface is also getting an eponymous film, giving us our first taste of Gotham City in this bustling universe.
There’s been a lot of mystery surrounding this film. For one, Gotham City’s DCU debut is based on, arguably, a secondary villain, rather than any member of the Bat-Family. Secondly, Gunn has confirmed that the movie will heavily lean towards the horror genre, a feat others have tried but often failed.
Today, DC Studios has released the first teaser trailer for Clayface. And no, Gunn wasn’t kidding when he said this is going to be a horror film.
Tom Rhys Harries plays Matt Hagen, a rising movie star suddenly scarred by a violent attack. Desperate to resurrect his career, he resorts to a scientific experiment that turns his skin into moldable clay.
As the teaser hints, the film will not shy away from body horror, including shots of Hagen’s disfigured face either from the attack or from the clay. It’s a big departure from the more traditional style of Superman or Supergirl. But it’s a gamble that might pay off for a universe as young as the DCU.
It’s also apropos that the DCU’s first horror film is getting a horror-themed premiere. Clayface will premiere in cinemas on October 23, 2026.
SEE ALSO: Superman sequel, titled Man of Tomorrow, comes out in 2027
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