Xiaomi unveils a smart TV with a 47-inch screen for under $500

Xiaomi launched its set-top box last year, but then rumors swirled that the young Chinese phone-maker would create a smart TV of its own as well. That came true today at Xiaomi’s annual launch event in Beijing where CEO Lei Jun unveiled the Xiaomi TV.

Priced aggressively at just RMB 2,999, which is $486, it supports 3D and has a 47-inch screen. Yes, it looks a bit like an Apple iMac with its metallic lower edge (pictured below). Xiaomi’s own smart TV OS (which, like its phones, is Android-based) is packed inside, powered along by a quad-core Snapdragon processor running at 1.7GHz. Pre-orders start this month online, and it ships sometime in October.

Smart TVs are a major new battleground for Chinese tech and web firms right now. Baidu unveiled its smart TV OS yesterday, which is now up for sale on models made by TCL. But, at $740 for a similar size model, the prices are not so keen. Video site LeTV also makes smart TVs and set-top boxes. E-commerce titan Alibaba is developing a smart TV OS as well. And don’t forget major brands like Samsung and LG who have lots of smart TV models for Chinese consumers.

(Editing by Willis Wee)