Compare Xiaomi S Mini 2025 vs TCL A300W NXTVision

Xiaomi, well known as a giant in the smartphone market, has decided to compete for the attention of high-end technology enthusiasts by presenting a MiniLED backlit television. Model S MiniLED 2025 looks really impressive on paper. A huge number of dimming zones ensures excellent contrast, and the brightness, reaching impressive values, can impress in both high-quality HDR materials and older SDR. The TV performs excellently where motion smoothness is key. The 120 Hz panel and low input lag make it a good choice not only for sports fans but also for gamers. Support for features like ALLM or GameBar further enhances the gaming experience. Google TV on this television works as it should – fast, smoothly, without unnecessary stutters, which we couldn't say about the model A Pro 2025. Additionally, with such a vast application library, it will satisfy even the most demanding users. However, not everything looks as good in practice. Despite solid hardware specifications, the TV has its issues. The biggest problem lies in the algorithms managing the dimming zones, which can be quite annoying when watching movies in the evening. The operation of individual zones is too visible in dynamic scenes, which can effectively draw our attention away from the image. Problems also arise in more demanding HDR scenes. Small, bright elements often lose brightness, which spoils the effect that should be provided by the highest quality image. The system is also not free from shortcomings – image enhancement features in lower quality materials work unevenly, and some options in Google TV are poorly translated or even untranslated. Xiaomi S MiniLED 2025 has enormous potential, but in its current form, it seems underutilized. It is clear that Xiaomi wanted to create something really good, but several significant shortcomings make the final effect mixed. A device with high aspirations that needs better software to truly shine. It is an ideal television for brighter rooms, where high screen brightness plays a key role, and the issues with local dimming become less noticeable. It will also work perfectly as a screen for gamers and for those who value versatility and functionality in the Google TV system.

At first glance, it's clear that the TCL A300 NXTVision wants to be more than just an ordinary television. It offers an image display mode that – unlike its competitors from Korea, Samsung The Frame – is completely free of charge. Additionally, like its rivals, freebies are included. In the package, in addition to the television, we find extra frames imitating light wood as well as a flat wall mount, allowing the television to truly resemble a gallery piece. In terms of everyday use, the Google TV system makes the biggest impression – it's extensive, fast, and offers access to a vast number of applications. And if we feel like stepping out of the digital museum and jumping straight into the gaming world, the A300 can surprise us. Two HDMI 2.1 ports, 144 Hz, VRR, ALLM, and very low input lag mean that even demanding gamers can feel at home here. Well... maybe except for those who are sensitive to ghosting – because that's still one of the model's major issues. There are also downsides. Although the picture mode is free – and that's worth appreciating – the quality of the available graphics clearly falls short of what Samsung offers in its paid ART Store. The images displayed resemble photos rather than realistic reproductions of artworks. Unfortunately, the A300 – like the competing Hisense S7NQ – performs poorly in this regard and additionally has some software issues. The brightness of the television itself also leaves much to be desired – it is the darkest television of the entire “frame trio,” which translates to average experiences during the day and limited HDR effects. Nevertheless, the TCL A300 NXTVision is a quite reasonable alternative to Samsung The Frame or S7NQ – especially if we are looking for a more affordable solution without additional fees for access to the "gallery" mode and with an operating system that doesn't limit us in terms of the number of applications. However, it should be noted that this is a proposition with a lot of compromises. If we want to save a bit and aren’t expecting top-end picture quality, then the A300 could be a picture-perfect choice. Otherwise, it’s worth looking at its competition.

Xiaomi S MiniLED is one of the most affordably priced televisions featuring MiniLED technology available on the market. The model we tested in a 55-inch size is equipped with as many as 308 local dimming zones, which is impressive for such a price. Additionally, it uses a VA panel, which naturally offers significantly better contrast than IPS panels. On static test screens, the television performed excellently, achieving an impressive contrast ratio of 182,000:1 in the film Oblivion. The black levels were deep, and details in both bright and dark parts of the image were clearly separated. However, in more demanding scenes, where the image is dynamic, the situation begins to complicate.

Where lies the problem? The main cause is the local dimming algorithms. Although their effects are promising on static images, during film playback – that is, in the television's natural working conditions – they operate too aggressively. In dynamic scenes, such as those from the tested film, one can observe how individual dimming zones "work and flicker," which detracts from the viewer's sense of image coherence. This effect is particularly noticeable in motion, when bright objects move against a dark screen. As a result, although Xiaomi S MiniLED offers a remarkable contrast on paper, in practice the effect is less satisfying. The aggressive operation of the algorithms diminishes the reception of dynamic scenes, making the television average in this category. It is a good example of how MiniLED technology requires not only good specifications but also proper optimization.

TCL A300, also known as NXTVision, uses a VA panel, so right from the start, decent contrast could be expected. In our test patterns, the television did indeed show typical results for this type of panel – in the best case, the contrast reached about 5000:1, which is not a bad result for this segment.

However, it should be noted that the model is not equipped with any local dimming technology, which unfortunately shows in practice. Black, although at times quite deep, often shifts to blue or gray – especially in darker scenes. In short: for a television without local dimming, it's not bad, but there’s no point in comparing it to models that already have that feature on board.

Since the Xiaomi S MiniLED boasts an impressive number of 308 dimming zones, it was time to see 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. However, do these numbers translate into real experiences in movie scenes? In the case of less demanding shots, like 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 strength of HDR effects.

Unfortunately, similar to the contrast situation, there were issues. When smaller, brighter elements appear on the screen – as in challenging scenes from Sicario 2 – the aggressive operation of the dimming zones spoils the whole effect. Brightness during 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 gets a muted, almost flat impression, which diminishes the enjoyment of the viewing experience.

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

When it comes to brightness, the TCL A300W is definitely the darkest TV among all frame-style models, such as Samsung The Frame or Hisense CanvasTV – and unfortunately, this is immediately noticeable. In our measurements, the peak luminance reached only about 400 nits, and on test film screens, this value dropped to 350 nits. This is definitely too little to feel the true "magic" of bright HDR effects. As a consolation – the TV is equipped with a PFS LED coating (which is something like QLED), which provides very good coverage of a wide color palette, both DCI-P3 and BT.2020. Additionally, there is full support for all popular HDR formats – HDR10, HDR10+, HLG, and Dolby Vision – which somewhat compensates for the shortcomings in brightness and helps improve the overall perception of materials in this quality.

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

Let's start with the test of SDR materials. Here, the television had quite a few problems, especially with white balance. The clearly visible dominance of red made the image appear too warm, and all colors gained a reddish tint. This was particularly noticeable in a comparative scene from the Star Wars movie. 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 materials, the situation looked much better. The white balance, while still not perfect, was much more balanced, with a slight dominance of red and blue, but without excessive influence 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 Pan movie that we described above. These brightening effects can disrupt image precision, but in 4K, the overall effect was much more acceptable than in SDR.

Although the Xiaomi S MiniLED can positively surprise in 4K materials, its factory settings in SDR require significant adjustments, especially in terms of white balance and brightness. It is definitely a television that would benefit from calibration.

TCL A300 offers several picture modes, but without a doubt, the movie mode performs the best. Unfortunately, although it is the best choice among the available options, it is not free from errors. Both in HD and HDR content, the image has a noticeably too warm tint – leaning slightly towards pink, which is particularly noticeable in snowy scenes. Instead of pure white, we get a pinkish hue that spoils the natural perception of colors.

The brightness management doesn't perform well either. For older HD materials, the image often seems too dark – as confirmed by the inflated gamma value. Conversely, with HDR content, the effect is reversed – the image is overly brightened, which we observed in scenes from the movie Pan. This lack of consistency also affects color reproduction accuracy – a test with the ColorChecker showed that many samples deviate significantly from the reference values.

Fortunately, TCL allows manual adjustment of the settings, so we decided to check how the television would perform after our professional calibration. The effects of this correction are described below.

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

In SDR mode, the white balance is nearly perfectly aligned. The errors are minimal enough that in many cases they can be considered negligible. This is confirmed by the Colour Checker palette results, where the errors did not exceed 2 ΔE – a result that is indeed quite rare. Gamma also looks very good, 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 image perception.

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

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

After our professional calibration, the TCL A300 literally got a new lease on life. The image is no longer too warm, and the colors finally look the way they should – which was confirmed by the ColorChecker test, where the color samples finally started hitting their marks, at least to some reasonable degree. It was also possible to partially correct the brightness management – the image is now more balanced and less "wobbly" between different types of content. Of course, certain limitations cannot be overcome – a slightly noticeable blooming effect still occurs, but that's a characteristic of the technology, not something that can be eliminated even after professional settings.

Generally: after calibration, the A300 looks significantly better and gains a completely new quality.

The fluidity of tonal transitions in Xiaomi S MiniLED 2025 is very good. Even in the theoretically most challenging scene with red water, the television performs excellently – we did not notice any significant issues. Minor imperfections appear in scenes such as Kingsman or The Martian, where subtle color transitions can be seen. Nevertheless, Xiaomi stands out in this category, offering one of the best qualities of tonal transitions in its price range. This is definitely a strong point of this television.

TCL A300 NXTVision is another frame-style television that really handles the smoothness of color transitions well. It's hard to find clear bands or sharp transitions between shades of the same color here – the overall look is natural and smooth.

However, it must be honestly admitted that among the three tested models (The Frame and S7NQ), TCL performs the weakest in this category. In darker and lighter scenes, delicate imperfections can be noticed. Nevertheless, looking at it as a whole, for a TV in this price range – it really presents itself solidly. It may not be the best among all, but it maintains a very good level.

When it comes to color transitions in lower quality materials like YouTube or television, the Xiaomi S MiniLED is equipped with the "Color Contour Removal" feature. In the "low" setting, it works quite well, but its effectiveness can be uneven. Sometimes it seems like the TV struggles with smoothing, which creates a certain dissonance. On the plus side, we did not notice any visible side effects, although given the instability of this feature, one might suspect that unexpected issues could arise in some situations.

Image scaling also performs average. There is slight aliasing, especially on thin elements like branches, and subtitles can appear a bit jagged. While it may not be very bothersome, a more discerning eye will certainly catch these shortcomings. Overall, most users should be satisfied with the scaling and smoothing quality, but the TV may not satisfy those who expect perfection in every frame.

TCL A300 handles tonal transitions in high-quality films very well, but the question arises – how does it perform with weaker materials? The television is equipped with a tonal transition smoothing feature, but its effectiveness can be described in one word: "random." In one scene it may work and improve the gradation, and when turned off… the effect remains the same. There is a lack of consistency and predictability.

Image scaling is also not one of the A300's strong suits. In the test pattern, the main character actually looked better than on the raw signal, but with thin lines – like fonts or background details – there was noticeable jaggedness and aliasing. On the plus side, the television does not cut off the image and has no issues with overscan, but the overall quality of scaling is rather average.

Xiaomi S MiniLED 2025 is equipped with a display that refreshes at 4K@120Hz (1080p@240Hz), providing sufficient smoothness for both watching dynamic sports broadcasts and playing the latest games. This level of refresh rate makes the image look smooth, even in the most intense scenes. Additionally, the TV offers a "Motion Smoothing" feature that allows users to adjust the way images are displayed in movies. We can choose a more frame-like effect, typical of cinematic experiences, 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 favorite content.

The TCL A300 is equipped with a 144 Hz panel, which should immediately satisfy practically everyone – both gamers and sports fans. The motion is smooth, and the picture is clear even in fast scenes. Additionally, the television offers a motion enhancement feature called "Motion," where we can find two sliders on a 10-point scale. These allow for adjusting the effect to personal preferences – from a classic, cinematic look with visible frames to a very smooth (though already unnatural) image reminiscent of a soap opera effect. Thanks to this, everyone can find a setting that suits them.

Xiaomi S MiniLED 2025 is a television that has a lot to offer gamers. With two HDMI ports with 48 Gbps bandwidth, we can easily connect modern consoles or PCs, utilizing their full potential. Additionally, the ALLM feature automatically switches the television to low latency mode – something we will appreciate during dynamic games without annoying lags. No matter what we connect, it works smoothly, and the television handles various resolutions well. There is also GameBar, which may not look as impressive as the "bars" from the competition, but makes up for it with practicality. It's 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 have to admit that operating the television itself – or rather finding the gaming features – was quite a challenge for us. We approached the Xiaomi S MiniLED 2025 test several times to find 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 at 120Hz, and turning on the image 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 exceptional gaming experiences. Unfortunately, the intuitiveness of the menu itself leaves much to be desired and may pose a certain challenge for the average user.

TCL A300 is a television designed not only to transport us to a digital art museum but also to a full-fledged gaming world. It offers practically everything you would expect from gear for gamers: two HDMI 2.1 ports with full bandwidth, 144 Hz refresh rate, VRR support, and ALLM.

The correct implementation of the HGIG mode is also a plus – something that competing Hisense sometimes struggles with. The television easily handles lower resolutions (e.g., Full HD) while maintaining high refresh rates, which will be appreciated by owners of older consoles or PCs.

In addition, there’s an attractive and clear GameBar that facilitates quick access to settings for gamers. The A300 is truly well-prepared for gaming at the highest level – it's just a shame that issues with motion blur slightly tarnish its overall image as a gaming device.

Input lag in Xiaomi S MiniLED 2025 is one of its biggest advantages. 8 ms for 120 Hz content and 17 ms for 60 Hz is an outstanding result that will satisfy even the most demanding gamers. Moreover, the Dolby Vision mode in games deserves praise. Unlike many competing models, Xiaomi maintains low input lag even in this mode, making it an excellent choice for fans of high-quality HDR gaming experiences.

In terms of input lag, the TCL A300 performs really well. Values below 10 ms at a 120 Hz refresh rate are something many gamers dream of – such low lag is practically imperceptible, both during everyday gaming and in more demanding esports titles. One could indeed point out the result of 23 ms in Dolby Vision mode at 60 frames, but it is still a low enough value that it's hard to have serious objections. In this category, the A300 truly excels.

Xiaomi S MiniLED 2025 is a good choice if we need a television for working with a computer. Fonts are very clear thanks to 4:4:4 chroma support, making it perfect for office work or browsing documents. It also performs excellently in gaming – high refresh rate, G-SYNC, and low input lag ensure smooth gameplay, which will satisfy most gamers.

If we plan to use the TCL A300 as a monitor for a computer, we may be pleasantly surprised. The television performs really well in this role. It is equipped with a 144 Hz panel, supports G-Sync, and, as we mentioned, offers very low input lag, so gaming on it with a connected PC is pure pleasure.

Working with text is also possible, although with some limitations. The TCL A300 has slight issues displaying dark fonts and thin lines – this stems from the structure of the subpixels, which can be somewhat bothersome in everyday use, even though it looks better in pictures than in reality.

The television supports chroma 4:4:4, but only up to 120 Hz. That's why we noted that this feature is available, but with a limitation – if we care about perfectly legible fonts, it's worth sticking to a refresh rate of 120 Hz. At 144 Hz, the sharpness of the text may suffer slightly.

In terms of viewing angles, Xiaomi S MiniLED 2025 does not impress. This is a typical problem for VA panels, which, without additional coatings to widen viewing angles, do not perform well. The image begins to lose quality when watching the TV from the side – colors fade, and contrast clearly decreases. However, the advantage of VA panels is significantly better contrast compared to IPS panels, which, on the other hand, win in terms of wider viewing angles. This is a classic compromise where one has to choose between deeper blacks and a more versatile image seen from different places in the room.

The viewing angles on the TCL A300 NXTVision are – let's be honest – average. The television is equipped with a VA panel, which inherently has quite limited angles, and unfortunately, you can clearly see that here. The film below speaks for itself – even a slight deviation from the axis results in a noticeable drop in contrast and color saturation. It’s a pity that this is another frame-style television that hasn’t done anything about it. After all, we don’t always have the option to sit perfectly straight in front – especially if the device is also meant to serve a decorative function in the living room.

Xiaomi S MiniLED 2025 is equipped with a satin coating on the panel, which averages out well in reducing reflections. On the screen surface, one can notice light reflections, which can be somewhat distracting in brightly lit rooms. However, the key element that saves this television in daytime use is its brightness. With a value of 841 cd/m², the screen performs well even in very sunlit interiors. This is more than sufficient for comfortably watching television, movies, or sports events. Importantly, the television also handles more demanding materials, such as winter sports, where the dominating white can pose quite a challenge for other televisions. Here, Xiaomi definitely delivers.

The TCL A300 NXTVision is equipped with a matte panel very similar to the one found in one of its Chinese competitors – the Hisense S7NQ model. Such a surface does quite well in suppressing reflections, although it must be admitted that it performs worse than Samsung's The Frame, which offers a definitely higher level in this respect. As is often the case with matte displays, blacks during the day lose depth and appear more gray than black – and this is no different here. Unfortunately, the fact that the A300 is the darkest television among the tested trio does not help either. As a result, it has a real problem standing out in heavily sunlit rooms.

Xiaomi S MiniLED 2025 is a television that stands out thanks to the Google TV system. It offers access to the most popular streaming services, music applications, and various useful features that significantly enhance everyday use of the TV. For those who like personalization, the system also provides plenty of configuration options.

The built-in voice assistant works smoothly – we can not only control the TV with it but also ask about the weather forecast or set a reminder for the next day. Unfortunately, we noticed during testing that some functions have trouble translating into Polish, which can be frustrating, especially for those less proficient in navigating the settings. Despite this, the overall impression is very good, and minor shortcomings can be addressed in updates.

The device handles connectivity well. Wireless connections with Windows computers or Apple devices are smooth, and thanks to Bluetooth, we can easily connect headphones, keyboards, or other accessories. The remote is simple and comfortable – it works from any position, so aiming at the screen is not necessary. However, there are certain shortcomings. If someone often uses traditional television, they may miss the recording feature from tuners or the PiP (picture-in-picture) option. This slightly limits capabilities, but for those focused on streaming and modern features, it shouldn't be a significant problem.

Xiaomi compensates for these shortcomings with an excellent operating system. Google TV is one of the most advanced and intuitive systems available on the market, which makes the TV really perform well in everyday use.

TCL A300 is a television styled like a painting, which in everyday use can successfully imitate a work of art hanging on the wall. It is equipped with a special image display mode, additional frames in a light wood tone, and a flat wall mount that allows the TV to be hung like a real painting – flush against the wall.

A significant advantage of the picture mode is that it is completely free. We have access to dozens of artworks from which we can choose what should be displayed in standby mode – instead of a black screen, the image selected by us stays on the wall. The quality of the graphic reproduction is decent, but it must be admitted that it clearly falls short compared to that of Samsung's ART Store. Although access to the images there is paid, the quality of the scans is significantly better – you can see the texture of the paint, canvas, and details. In the TCL A300, it resembles high-quality photos more than realistic reproductions of artworks. Additionally, the implementation of the picture mode in the system leaves much to be desired. For example – if we set the brightness in picture mode to 10%, this same value automatically transfers to the regular viewing mode, where we could easily set the brightness to 50% or even 100%. It also works the other way around – when we set the brightness to 100% in regular mode, after switching to gallery mode, the images are displayed with that same maximum brightness, shining too intensely and losing the entire effect of "a picture on the wall." These are minor but annoying errors that can ruin the impression of what was supposed to be visually subtle and elegant.

Moving on to more classic features – the A300 runs on the Google TV system, which currently offers by far the largest selection of applications (full list available below). The well-functioning voice assistant with support for the Polish language is also a significant plus. As is standard – as in most TCL televisions – there is a lack of USB recording functionality or picture-in-picture (PiP) mode.

The basic file player in Xiaomi S MiniLED 2025 fulfills its task for simple video materials. However, a noticeable drawback is the lack of support for Polish diacritics, which can be problematic for people using subtitles.

Fortunately, the presence of the Google TV system provides an easy way around this limitation. It allows you to install alternative file playback applications that handle Polish characters and offer much more advanced options. As a result, the limitations of the built-in player are not as burdensome as one might think.

The built-in player in the TCL A300 works as it should – most popular video and photo files play without any issues. Although it lacks support for the HEIC format from Apple (which is quite common in many TVs), most users still rely on the AirPlay feature, so it shouldn't pose a major problem. If someone is not satisfied with the default player, the Google TV system offers considerable options – it's easy to install an alternative app that better matches our preferences. Nonetheless, it must be admitted that the factory solution is completely sufficient for everyday use.

Xiaomi S MiniLED 2025 sounds really pleasant and even offers a slight bass, reminiscent of the audio known from the lower model, the A Pro 2025. The sound is well balanced, making movie watching or music listening comfortable, even without additional audio equipment. Interestingly, the TV seamlessly supports audio formats such as Dolby Atmos and the less common DTS:X. This allows you to connect a home theater system or soundbar and enjoy spatial sound without any difficulties. A nice addition is also the presence of a standard speaker jack.

When it comes to sound, the TCL A300W – like its competitors – sounds quite... flat, after all, we are talking about a super slim TV. For everyday watching of news or series, this level is completely sufficient, but during movie screenings, it may clearly lack depth and space. On the plus side, it’s worth noting that the TV supports both Dolby Atmos and the increasingly rare DTS:X – which provides more options when connecting an external audio system. It’s also worth mentioning that the A300 PRO model is equipped with a dedicated, flat soundbar. And it's no ordinary one – it sounds better than most of the TVs we tested.

Xiaomi S Mini 2025 vs TCL A300W NXTVision

Advantages

Disadvantages

Our verdict

TV appearance

Where to buy

Contrast and black detail

HDR effect quality

Factory color reproduction

Color reproduction after calibration

Smoothness of tonal transitions

Image scaling and smoothness of tonal transitions

Blur and motion smoothness

Console compatibility and gaming features

Input lag

Compatibility with PC

Viewing angles

TV efficiency during daytime

Details about the matrix

TV features

Playing files from USB

Apps

Sound