XIAOMI A PRO 2025 vs Xiaomi S Mini 2025

In the HDR category, the television Xiaomi A Pro is, to put it plainly, lacking. Under ideal conditions, it offers brightness at around 250 nits. This is a poor result; however, in this price range, many competing models offer similar or lower values. Such brightness is too low to fully realise the potential of HDR content. In practice, this means that the image does not gain the appropriate depth and intensity expected from high-quality HDR. These values are more characteristic of standard dynamic range (SDR), which means that the true HDR effect remains beyond the reach of this model, and scenes that should stand out with spectacular brightness and contrast seem flat and lacklustre. However, for its price, the television offers good coverage of the DCI-P3 colour gamut at 92%, thanks to the use of quantum dot technology (specifically PFS LED). This results in vibrant and saturated colours, which will appeal particularly to gamers and film enthusiasts who appreciate richer shades and better colour reproduction compared to traditional televisions without this technology.

Since the Xiaomi S MiniLED boasts an impressive number of 308 dimming zones, it is time to test how it performs in HDR tests. Starting with luminance, or the ability to display bright scenes, the television achieved nearly 1000 nits of brightness – a result that can be considered outstanding in this class. Do these figures, however, translate to real experiences in film scenes? In the case of less demanding shots, such as those from the film The Meg, the television indeed showed excellent results, reaching up to 900 nits. Such values are impressive and can truly convey the power of HDR effects.

Unfortunately, much like with contrast, it wasn't without issues. When smaller, brighter elements appear on the screen – as in the challenging scenes from Sicario 2 – the aggressive operation of the dimming zones spoils the entire effect. Brightness in these moments drops to just 100 nits. This is definitely too little to capture the full magic of HDR. Instead of a dynamic and detailed image, the viewer receives a muted, almost flat impression, which takes away all the enjoyment from the viewing experience.

In summary, if we are looking for a television with high brightness for watching films during the day, the Xiaomi S MiniLED will easily fulfill that task. However, its inability to precisely manage the dimming zones means that watching films in the evening, especially in demanding HDR scenes, can be more frustrating than satisfying.

The Xiaomi A Pro 2025 television has been tested in movie mode, which offers the best colour reproduction straight out of the box. However, it is worth noting that it is not free from flaws. Analysing the white balance, it can be observed that the values for green are in the negative. This phenomenon leads to some distortions in the shades of white, and with pure white, the graph shows clear deviations. The over-contrasted image results in inappropriate tonal transitions in red, negatively affecting the quality of colour display. Generally, in the image below, it can be seen that the overall scenery before calibration acquires pink hues. Additionally, when analysing gamma contrast, the graph is significantly below the 2.4 value, suggesting that the television overly emphasises dark tones, and the brighter areas of the image may be less vivid. Furthermore, the EOTF curve shows a strong peak at the beginning, which can lead to a loss of detail in bright scenes and an unpleasant feeling of over-drawing. These aspects indicate a need for further calibration to achieve a more balanced colour reproduction and improve the overall image quality. Users who expect precise colour reproduction may be forced to take measures to adjust the television settings to achieve more realistic and natural visual results. In the xiaomi tv a pro 2025, the factory colour settings in Xiaomi are average and may require calibration. After proper colour adjustment, the image gains a natural and vibrant colour palette, much closer to cinematic standards. It is worth adding that the issue of inaccurate colour reproduction is typical for many televisions in this class, meaning it is not a flaw unique to the Xiaomi A Pro 2025 TV. For those who value perfect colour reproduction, professional calibration will prove to be a key element that enhances the overall image quality.

Xiaomi, like many manufacturers, offers a wide range of picture modes. On the S MiniLED, we can find both IMAX Enhanced and Filmmaker. Our tests were conducted in Filmmaker mode, which theoretically aims to reflect a reference image, but the reality turned out to be somewhat different.

Let's start with the test of SDR content. Here, the television had quite a few issues, especially with white balance. The clearly visible dominance of red made the image look too warm, with all colours taking on a reddish hue. This was particularly noticeable in a comparative scene from the film Star Wars. The brightness characteristics (gamma) also left much to be desired – instead of a smooth transition, we had a real "rollercoaster," with a visible excessive brightening of the screen.

In 4K content, the situation improved significantly. The white balance, although still not perfect, was much more balanced, with a slight dominance of red and blue, but without excessive impact on the overall perception. The EOTF curve (responsible for brightness in HDR) showed some brightening in the brightest parts of the image, which was noticeable, for example, in the test scene from the film Pan that we described earlier. These brightening effects may disturb the precision of the image, but in 4K, the overall effect was much more acceptable than in SDR.

Although Xiaomi S MiniLED can pleasantly surprise with 4K content, its factory settings in SDR require solid adjustments, especially regarding white balance and brightness. This is definitely a television that would benefit from calibration.

Now it's time to check how the Xiaomi A Pro 2025 television has performed after calibration. The biggest beneficiary of this process is the white balance. After the calibration was conducted, all previous errors were corrected in both HD and 4K content, and most errors no longer fall significantly outside the value of "2". This means a much more balanced and natural colour representation, which certainly affects the viewing comfort. In terms of gamma, the drop was significantly reduced, resulting in a more consistent tonal representation across various scenes. Nevertheless, the EOTF curve has not been significantly improved due to a lack of effective control over dynamic tone mapping. This limitation means that there are still some issues with detail reproduction in bright scenes, which may affect the perception of certain materials. However, despite these minor shortcomings, the overall shape of the image is definitely better after calibration. The television has gained in quality, and the improved white balance along with reduced gamma issues allows users to enjoy a more realistic and pleasant visual experience. Further adjustment of settings may enhance image quality even more, but even now the television demonstrates its capabilities, meeting the expectations of many users.

Xiaomi S MiniLED 2025 is a television that gains a completely new life after calibration. The results are truly outstanding and show how much potential is in this model.

In SDR mode, the white balance is nearly perfectly aligned. The errors are so minimal that in many cases they can be considered negligible. This is confirmed by the results of the Colour Checker palette, where the errors did not exceed a value of 2 ΔE – this is really a rare result. Gamma also performs very well, although at the beginning of the graph there are slight brightenings in the darkest elements. However, this is a minor exception that does not significantly affect the perception of the image.

In 4K HDR materials, the calibration also brought visible improvements, particularly in the white balance. The image looks natural and cohesive. However, the characteristic of brightness remains a problem. EOTF analysis in film materials shows that the television tends to over-brighten or under-darken the smallest elements on the screen. This is a result of limitations in the dimming algorithms we discussed earlier with HDR and contrast testing. Unfortunately, this is a technical characteristic of this model that cannot be completely eliminated.

Despite this minor flaw, the calibration allowed for maximising the capabilities of this television. The image now looks phenomenal, and its quality impresses in every type of material. Xiaomi S MiniLED 2025 shows that with the right settings, it can compete with more expensive models.

How does the Xiaomi A Pro 2025 television cope with tonal transitions, especially with lower-quality materials? Thanks to advanced digital processing, the colour contour removal function works surprisingly well. We recommend setting this option to "Medium" – the television significantly improves the fluidity of tonal transitions while avoiding excessive smoothing of other image elements, such as film grain.

In the case of the tested image featuring a model and numerous branches in the background, the Xiaomi A Pro 2025 showcased its capabilities in terms of digital processing. Adding artificial sharpness to this scene made the details of the model more pronounced, and her hair appeared more detailed. However, delicate contours appeared around the branches in the background, which were a result of digital interference. Although this enhances the overall impression of detail, excessive sharpness can make some elements of the image seem unnaturally emphasised.

When it comes to tonal transitions in lower quality materials, such as YouTube or television, the Xiaomi S MiniLED is equipped with a feature called "Colour Contour Removal." At the "low" setting, it performs quite well, although its effectiveness can be inconsistent. Sometimes it seems as though the television is struggling to smoothen, which creates a certain dissonance. On the positive side, we did not notice any visible side effects, although due to the instability of this feature, one could suspect that unexpected issues may arise in certain situations.

Image scaling also performs moderately. There is some slight jaggedness, particularly on thin elements like branches, and subtitles can appear slightly jagged. While this may not be very bothersome, a more discerning eye will certainly pick up on these shortcomings. Overall, most users should be satisfied with the quality of scaling and smoothing, but the television will not satisfy those who expect perfection in every frame of the image.

Xiaomi A Pro 2025 offers a motion smoothing feature called "Motion Smoothing," which primarily works in films. It can be adjusted to prefer either a more cinematic, film-like effect with visible frames, or a smoother, theatre-like image. This function should satisfy those who intend to watch mainly films on it. However, gamers and sports fans may feel disappointed. The 60 Hz refresh rate panel, typical in this price range, does not impress. Our "Ufo" test revealed some motion blur. Those expecting better sharpness of moving objects may be slightly let down.

Xiaomi S MiniLED 2025 is equipped with a panel featuring a refresh rate of 4K@120Hz (1080p@240Hz), which provides sufficient smoothness for both watching dynamic sports broadcasts and playing the latest games. This level of refresh rate makes the image appear fluid, even in the most intense scenes. Additionally, the television offers a “Motion Smoothing” feature that allows you to adjust the way the image is displayed in films. You can choose a more frame-like effect, typical of the cinematic experience, or a smoother one, reminiscent of the so-called “theatrical effect.” This way, every user can tailor the settings to their preferences and enjoy smooth images in their favourite content.

Xiaomi A Pro 2025 offers several features useful for gamers, including Game Bar, which is different from the typical "dashboards" with interfaces found in other manufacturers' products. Thanks to this, users can quickly access game-related settings, which is convenient during intense sessions. The TV also supports Automatic Low Latency Mode (ALLM), meaning it automatically switches to a mode optimised for gaming, reducing signal latency. Unfortunately, it lacks support for HDMI 2.1, limiting its capabilities for connecting the latest gaming consoles that may require higher bandwidth. Additionally, the TV does not support features such as VRR (Variable Refresh Rate) or G-Sync, which are increasingly desired by gamers, as they allow for smoother visuals and eliminate tearing. For these reasons, although Xiaomi A Pro 2025 has some features for gamers, in this price range, better options can be found that offer more advanced solutions dedicated to gamers.

Xiaomi S MiniLED 2025 is a television that has a lot to offer gamers. With two HDMI ports boasting 48 Gbps bandwidth, we can easily connect modern consoles or PCs, utilising their full potential. Additionally, the ALLM feature automatically switches the TV to low-latency mode – something we will appreciate during dynamic games without annoying lags. Regardless of what we connect, it functions smoothly, and the television handles various resolutions exceptionally well. There is also the GameBar, which may not look as impressive as the "bars" from the competition, but makes up for it with practicality. It is a simple settings panel that allows us to quickly change the most important options or check statistics – an ideal solution when time is of the essence.

However, we must admit that operating the television itself – or rather finding the gaming features within it – posed a significant challenge for us. We approached the testing of the Xiaomi S MiniLED 2025 several times to locate all the necessary options. The hidden menu allowed us to discover the "GameBoost" feature, which enables switching the television to 240 Hz mode, activating VRR, and allows for enabling picture in HGIG mode.

In summary, the Xiaomi S MiniLED 2025 is a television that definitely deserves praise in the gaming hardware category. Its rich set of features – 240 Hz mode, VRR, HGIG, and "GameBoost" – provides an exceptional gaming experience. Unfortunately, the intuitiveness of the menu itself leaves much to be desired and may pose a challenge for the average user.