Xiaomi Mi Box not coming before the end of this year, says Manu Jain

Update: On reaching out to Manu Jain, he clarified saying, “We are exploring to bring products from new category, such as Mi Box to India. If we decide to bring it, it wont happen before end of this year.”

Amidst the buzz around Xiaomi’s upcoming July 16 event wherein the company is expected to launch the Mi 5, news about two new products coming to India by the end of this year have surfaced.

The Mi Box converts a TV into a smart device. Talking about how the company plans to go beyond smartphones, Manu Jain, Xiaomi’s India head told The Times of India that “Our focus is not just phones but also on introducing new categories in India…something around TV and the routers etc. For Mi TV to be launched in India, we have to finalize two things - content strategy and logistics & after sales services. We are talking to a few content providers and aggregator.”

Talking about the Mi TV experience, Jain further explained that  the Mi TV will a mobile-familiar user interface. It will allow users to watch movies, apps, games and so on. Users can access it all over Internet, but one can expect paid content as well. With delayed TV launch, the company is looking to launch the Mi Box that converts your TV into a smart TV, he reportedly said.

Meanwhile, Xiaomi is likely to launch its latest flagship, the Mi 5, this week. Along with the Mi 5, one can also expect a larger variant Mi 5 Plus.

A lot is already known about both devices in the form of leaks and rumours. Going by the most recent report , the Xiaomi Mi 5 is said to feature a 5.2-inch display, Gorilla Glass 4 protection and 2.5D edges. It will be powered by a Snapdragon 810 chipset, but there is no word on the RAM yet. A previous report had hinted the chipset will be coupled with 4GB of RAM and 16/64GB internal storage. A 3,030mAh battery is expected to power the device, slightly lower than lower than the 3,080mAh battery seen on its predecessor. On the camera front, one can expect a 16MP rear snapper and a 6MP front-facing camera for selfie lovers.

The larger variant, the Xiaomi Mi 5 Plus, is expected to sport a 6-inch 2K display and a nearly bezel-less display. There was no mention of the processor then, but 4GB of RAM, 32GB onboard storage and 16-megapixel rear camera were expected as some of the other specs.

The company is also known to be working on Lollipop-based MIUI 7 user interface along with Android Open Kang Project (popularly known as AOKP) for the upcoming Mi 5.