Xiaomi’s Redmi division has become almost synonymous with ridiculously affordable smartphones and other assorted electronic accessories. And just a couple of days ago, the company launched the world’s cheapest 86” TV. Beyond being budget-friendly, it also packs a lot of premium features you’d expect from a high-end TV. Let’s learn more about the Redmi MAX 86” TV including its specs, features, expected price, and availability in Nepal.

Redmi MAX 86" 4K TV Overview:

Design & Build

Starting with the design, Xiaomi has opted for a full-metal build here. From the TV’s base to the frame, it offers a premium look-and-feel. Well, if you’d want to install it table-top style, the two leg stands on the side might irradiate opposing aesthetics. And personally, I would’ve preferred a centered stand instead, just like on the Mi TV Q1. Anyway, for an even cleaner installation, one can choose to wall-mount the Redmi MAX 86” too.

Moving on, this TV brings a healthy selection of I/O ports as well. From the latest HDMI 2.1 standard to eARC, it’s all here. HDMI 2.1, if you didn’t already know, is a relatively new HDMI standard that brings a much larger bandwidth carrying capacity compared to HDMI 2.0. Technically, it was announced all the way back in 2017 but the consumer-grade hardware capable of making its use is only recently going mainstream. For instance, HDMI 2.1 can hit up to 10K videos at 120Hz. Insane!

Yet, its full potential remains unutilized here since the Redmi MAX 86" maxes out at 4K/120fps. This particularly matters the most for those with the new consoles or the latest graphics cards. Both Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5 can reach 4K/120fps, while NVIDIA’s top-of-the-line RTX 3090 is capable of the monstrous 8K gaming! Besides this, Redmi MAX 86” has 2x USB Type-A, 1x Antenna (in), 1x LAN (RJ45), and 1x S/PDIF optical audio (out) port.

Display

Let’s now talk about the display. This is an 86” 4K LED-backlit LCD TV. In terms of HDR content, it features the premium Dolby Vision standard, on top of HDR10 and HDR10+. As a result, Redmi is promising clear images with excellent colors, contrast, and saturation. Likewise, this panel covers 92% of the DCI-P3 Wide color gamut and boasts an impressive ∆E~2. This combined with Dolby Vision HDR that works with dynamic metadata, the Redmi MAX 86” adjusts pictures on a scene-by-scene basis.

Moreover, there’s also the 120Hz refresh rate to appeal to the gaming community. To make sure traditional videos shot under 24/30 fps don’t look choppy, Xiaomi has included a MEMC chip that adds frames throughout the content using an interpolation algorithm for smoother playback. But just adding frames isn’t optimal for high-end gaming. If the game fails to render at the same FPS as the TV’s refresh rate, one might notice screen-tearing. To prevent this, this TV incorporates VRR (Variable Refresh Rate) technology that dynamically syncs the refresh between the game and the TV.

• Also Read:
  • Redmi K40 launched: SD 870, 120Hz AMOLED, and a $310 price-tag
  • Redmi K40 Pro, Pro+ with Snapdragon 888, 120Hz AMOLED launched

But a TV should serve a purpose beyond gaming, right? While Xiaomi hasn’t explicitly mentioned if there’s a way to disable this, I seriously hope there is. Because watching regular shows, movies at an unnaturally high refresh rate will result in the infamous “soap opera effect”.

Performance, Audio

Powering the TV is a quad-core Cortex-A73 processor. This is complemented by 2GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage. On the software side of things, Redmi MAX 86” runs on Xiaomi’s own MIUI for TV 3.0 and has presets like office mode. Similarly, the company’s own AI assistant—Xiao AI also makes its presence here using which you can control the TV settings using your voice.

On the audio front, Xiaomi has included a dual bottom-firing stereo speaker setup. Each rated at 12.5W of power, this audio system is also fortified with Dolby Atmos and DTS-HD processing.

Redmi MAX 86" 4K TV Specifications:

• Display: 86-inches LED-backlit LCD panel, 92% DCI-P3
• HDR: Yes, Dolby Vision, HDR10, HDR10+
• Refresh Rate: 120Hz with MEMC
• Viewing Angle: 178-degree
• Resolution: 4K Ultra-HD (3840 x 2160 pixels)
• Sound: 2x 12.5W Speakers
• Audio Decoder: Dolby Atmos, DTS-HD
• OS: MIUI for TV 3.0
• Processor: Quad-core Cortex-A73 CPU, Mali-G52 MC1 GPU
• Memory: 2GB RAM, 32GB storage
• Power: 220V ~ 50/60Hz (450W)
• Wireless Connectivity: Wi-Fi (dual-band), Bluetooth 5.0
• I/O Ports: 3x HDMI (1x 4K/120Hz, 1x eARC), 2x USB 2.0 Type-A, 1x AV (in), 1x LAN (RJ45), 1x ATV/DTMB, 1x S/PDIF optical audio (out)

Redmi MAX 86" 4K TV Price in Nepal & Availability

Redmi MAX 86" 4K TV is now available for pre-order in China where its price is just CNY 7,999 (~ USD 1,235). This TV is exclusive to China for now but if Xiaomi were to launch it here in Nepal, we expect the price of the Redmi MAX 86" 4K TV to be around NPR 200,000.

• In the meanwhile, check out our review of the Realme X7 Pro.