After years of releasing smart TVs powered by Google's Android TV, Xiaomi has abandoned the operating system in favor of Amazon's Fire TV.

Xiaomi has announced a new TV series for the international market, but unlike previous models that ran Android TV out of the box, albeit with a bit of customization, the new TVs run Amazon's Fire TV OS. Xiaomi sells smart TVs under both its own Mi brand as well as the Redmi brand. Xiaomi TV availability is mainly limited to China and India, so this will be great news for customers in other regions.

In its home country of China, its smart TVs run a customized version of Android designed for TVs called MIUI for TV. On the other hand, its TVs sold in other markets ship with Android TV, the same operating system that powers its streaming TV sticks and boxes. Although some countries get a clean version of Android TV with little or no customizations, those sold in markets such as India are tailored to fit the market.

RELATED: Using YouTube On Your Smart TV? Here's How To Sign In To Your Account

The new smart TV series is dubbed the Xiaomi TV F2, and it comes in 43'', 50'', and 55'' sizes. Unlike previous Xiaomi TVs, the new TVs don't run Android TV but Fire OS 7. The popular streaming apps come preinstalled, and users will also be able to install more apps from the Amazon AppStore. In terms of specs and features, all three models have a 4K resolution with 60Hz MEMC (Motion Estimation, Motion Compensation) and support for HDR10 and HLG. They also pack two 12W speakers, and the press release says they support Dolby Audio, DTS-Virtual:X, and DTS-HD for an immersive audio experience.

Xiaomi ships the F2 series with a MediaTek MT9020 quad-core chipset clocked at 1.5GHz, and it is paired with 2GB of RAM. There are also 16GB of onboard storage, although the available space out of the box will be smaller. The bundled voice remote supports Bluetooth and 360-degree infrared. In addition to having a button to call up Alexa, there are dedicated buttons for Prime Video, Netflix, and Disney+. Xiaomi has been generous with the ports as the TVs pack multiple HDMI ports with support for HDMI 2.1 and HDMI 2.1 (eARC), an AV port, an IC slot, an ethernet port, an optical audio port, an audio jack, and tunes for DVB-T2 and DVB-S2. There is also Bluetooth 5.0, dual-band Wi-Fi, and support for Apple AirPlay.

It is not clear why Xiaomi has gone with Amazon's Fire OS instead of Android TV, considering it has been a Google partner for years. Is it trying to reduce its reliance on Google or is its aim to cater to an underserved segment? Nevertheless, Fire OS brings some benefits, such as support for multiple user profiles (up to six). Google just began rolling out personalized profiles to Google TV, and it is unknown if and when it will be available for Android TV.

The Xiaomi TV F2 series is already available for purchase in Europe. The 43-inch model is priced at €399, the 50-inch model is priced at €449, and the 55-inch model retails for €499. Xiaomi is offering discounts of between €60 - €80 until June 6, depending on the size. So those considering picking up a new TV better hurry. Unfortunately, Xiaomi hasn't revealed details about U.S. availability. Notwithstanding, Amazon's smart TVs, the Fire TV 4 and Fire TV Omni series, are sold here.

NEXT: How To Use Your Phone As A Virtual Remote on Android TV/Google TV

Habeeb enjoys writing about the consumer technology space and has a keen interest in wearables, Android smartphones and tablets, and Chromebooks. When he's not writing, he's catching up on the latest TV shows and movies.