1. 

   The Mi TV Stick is Xiaomi's second media streaming device in India after the Mi Box 4K. As the name suggests, the Mi TV Stick is a dongle that you can plug directly into your TV's HDMI port and start streaming from OTT platforms like Netflix and Amazon Prime Video, sort of like the Amazon Fire TV Stick. The Mi TV Stick costs Rs 2,799 in India. We will have more to say about the Mi TV Stick in our full review coming soon. For now, let us quickly unbox Xiaomi's new affordable Amazon Fire TV Stick rival and see what is new - and what is exciting. (Photo credit: Saurabh Singh/Financial Express)

2. 

   The Mi TV Stick is a slick-looking dongle, which has visibly more compact dimensions than the Amazon Fire TV Stick. The device has a dual tone finish and it comes in black. One half of it has a smooth matte finish while the other half is glossy. Unlike the Fire TV Stick's minimalist design, the Mi TV Stick is more attractive to look at and quite distinct too. (Photo credit: Saurabh Singh/Financial Express)

3. 

   The biggest difference however comes in the form of user experience. The Mi TV Stick runs Android TV (Android TV version 9.0) software which means that it also gets you access to 5,000+ apps and games from the Google Play Store. (Photo credit: Saurabh Singh/Financial Express)

4. 

   The other big highlight of the Mi TV Stick, apart from the fact that it can turn any TV into a smart TV that's capable of running latest OTT apps as well as some games from the Google Play Store, is its ease of use. Like the Mi Box 4K, the whole setup here is also a three-step process - attach the Mi TV Stick to your TV, connect the device to the Internet via Wi-Fi, and start streaming. (Photo credit: Saurabh Singh/Financial Express)

5. 

   Unlike the Mi Box 4K, the Mi TV Stick can only stream in full high definition. (Photo credit: Saurabh Singh/Financial Express)

6. 

   The Mi TV Stick comes with Chromecast built-in and you can also use voice commands, including firing up the Google Assistant, through the bundled remote. Much like its Mi TVs, the Mi TV Stick also supports Google's Data Saver functionality that's claimed to "allow up to three times more content streaming, along with data counter for individual apps, and the ability to cast locally and wirelessly to the TV without the need for an Internet connection." (Photo credit: Saurabh Singh/Financial Express)

7. 

   In terms of core hardware, the Mi TV Stick packs a 64-bit quad-core processor and a Mali-450 GPU which is paired with 1GB RAM and 8GB of flash storage. Connectivity options include 2.4GHz and 5GHz Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.2. The Mi TV Stick also supports Dolby Audio and DTS Digital. (Photo credit: Saurabh Singh/Financial Express)