Other Products
It was hard to categorize all the other products produced by Xiaomi, due to the sheer number of them. I’m going to skip over the accessories which you can get for each product (smartphone back covers and cases, camera accessories, etc) and concentrate on the Xiaomi’s main line.
Mi Air Purifier
The Mi Air Purifier was at the end of 2014, but it went slightly under the radar as it is sold only in China. Xiaomi has a trend of selling its larger products (like the Mi TV mentioned later) outside of its Chinese borders. I only came across this on an expat forum when others were discussing ways of overcoming Hong Kong’s pollution problems.
When you consider that other branded air purifers will cost in the HK$1000s, the Mi Air Purifer being at RMB899 is a bargain. There was one on display at the Mi Store I visited, and on the outside seems well built, but the fan inside was no 100% silent. Again, online reviews are mixed on this as some report that the sensor readings on the Mi Air Purifer can be misleading, with some saying that the readings are just false.
With a smartphone app to tell you how well the purifer is working, it uses a H11-grade high density HEPA filter made by Japanese manufacturer Toray.
Mi Band
A simple fitness tracker, the Mi band just works. I’ve had the likes of a Fitbit, but the Mi Band being only at HK$99 for the standard version, and HK$129 for the newer one with a heartbeat sensor on the underside. Comes with bands of various colours, the Mi Band once charged lasts a whole month!
Paired with your smartphone, the tracker app can measure your daily steps and sleep movements, with a vibrating function for incoming calls. Being rated as IP67, the Mi Band is certified as water resistant, so you don’t have to worry taking a shower with it…..which I’ve done on many occasions.
The Mi Band also has a nifty locate function, in case you cannot remember where you placed it, as long it is within bluetooth range of your smartphone. With the app you can also add friends, so you can compare your number so steps per day with each other. I consider this as a motivational tool.
Mi Smart Scale
Another Xiaomi product that is harder to find outside of China is the Mi Smart Scale. I got mine about half a year ago from a reseller charging around HK$220, but actually costs just RMB99. Again, if you look at branded competitors you’ll find their similar products to be 8x to 10x of how much this is.
After the insertion of 2xAA batteries, the Mi Scale can set up different user profiles. Again, online reviews do question the accuracies of the weight readings. Readings can be sent to the same smartphone app as the Mi Band, and recorded within it so you can track the progress if say you are on a diet.
The Mi Smart Scale is robustly built, as being quite heavy I’ve dropped it a few times when tidying around the house. And it wouldn’t look out of place in any modernly furnished bathroom with its white enclosure, glass top and white illuminated LED display.
Mi Box 3 & Mi Box Mini
In my previous article about IPTV boxes I mentioned the Android based Mi Box, specifically the Mi Box 3, so I won’t go into too much detail this thime around, apart to to highlight it supports full 1080p.
In early 2015, Xiaomi also released the Mi Box Mini. This tiny little box which plugs in directly to your mains socket, has all the capabilities of its bigger brother.
The Mi Box 3 is priced around HK$399, whilst the tiny Mi Box Mini comes in at around HK$320. I say around, as again the Mi Box Mini only available in Hong Kong via resellers, as there it was officially launched anywhere but China.
Mi TV
Wow, just wow. I’ve had an up close and personal look at a Mi TV, starting at RMB1799 for the 40″ verions going all the way up to RMB9999 for a 70″ version, its truly amazing. Other sizes are 48″, 55: and 60″, all priced conservatively. Being a flat panel TV with a very thin bezel (8.4mm) and minimalist look, the Mi TV is something I would love to get…….if they would only sell it outside of China.
The Mi TV has 3D capabilities with a built-in Mi Box inside it. You might expect the picture quality to be inferior, but the LCD panels are produced by Samsung and LG so you will not be disappointed.
When I spoke to a Mi salesperson and griped why we cannot get Mi TVs outside of China, she spoke of due to the Mi Box inside getting free Chinese channels, hence why the Mi Box 3 and Mi Box Mini are both ‘grey imports’ in Hong Kong, and not available through official channels.
If you ever get the chance to view a Mi TV personally, I really recommend it. Its a real bargain at RMB1799.
Mi Power Banks
Xiaomi produces 3 Mi Power Banks; 5000mAh, 10400mAh and the 16000mAh as reviewed previously by Winston. Retailing at HK$69, HK$89 and HK$169 respectively, so these power banks are seriously cheap when compared with competitors.
I personally own the 10400mAh, and it has been every present whenever I go out, sitting snuggly at the bottom of my rucksack. With it I can charge my smartphone, GoPro camera, and even my DSLR camera. The Mi Power Banks come in a matte aluminium finish, and you can buy rubber sleeves for them to fit perfectly to avoid scratches.
Beware, even being so cheap, there are couterfeit ones out on the market, and there are websites highlighting slight differences between an original one and a fake one.
Mi Wi-Fi
Where to start? Even as I write this, Xiaomi will be releasing a new model for the Mi Wi-Fi. The Mi Wi-Fi is a wifi home router that comes with either 1Tb (RMB699) or 6Tb (!) (RMB2999) internal storage. I’m not going to go into detail or all the wifi protocols and speeds it can do, but they cope with most consumer home network usage.
The Mi Wi-Fi mini, the one that resembles an Apple Magic Trackpad, had no internal storage retails for RMB129, and had sold over 2 million units. The Mi Wi-Fi magnifier, resembling a white candy bar that plugs directly into a USB port offering plug and play capabilities of extending your network for only RMB39.
Mi Yeelight
Announced in July 1015, the Xiaomi Yeelight is a home desktop lamp that you can change colour with a palette of 1600 million colours, and can be controlled via your smartphone. The tech itself resides not in the lamp but in the lightbulb itself, and the Yeelight retails for just RMB129!
Mi Scooter
Not content with just home products, Xiaomi, in partnership with Ninebot, released the Mi Scooter in October 2015. The Mi Scooter is a self-balancing scooter that can reach speeds of 16km/h with a maximum range of 22km with a single charge.
Weighing in at 12.8kg, the Mi Scooter can support a weight of up to 85kg. It does strangely come with a smartphone app which allows you control the Mi Scooter remotely (only when there’s no one on it).
Price? A cool RMB1999.
To go with the Mi Scooter, Ninebot and Segway was released a set of protective gear; kneepads, elbow pads, helmut and gloves for just RMB169.
Mi Xiaoyi Cam
Back to home use products. The Xiaomi Xiaoyi camera is an IP camera that you position at home. Via a smartphone app, you can view what the camera is recording anywhere with an internet connection.
The Xiaoyi comes in 2 models, the standard (RMB129) and the one with night-vision (RMB149).
With an internal storage of 8Gb and able expand storage with micro SD card of up to 32Gb, the Xiaoyi records video at a resolution of 1280×720 with an aperture of f/2.0 and a viewing angle of 111 degrees.
Mi Yicam
With the popular trend of action cams, it was only inevitable that Xiaomi released its own version, namely the Mi Yicam, retailing for just RMB399.
With the same form factor as a GoPro Hero3/4, the Yicam comes as standard without any accessories. As pictured, Xiaomi has released its own line of accessories to go with the Yicam, in line with other action cameras, such as; waterproof casing, selfie stick, bouy, pet harness, etc.
The Yicam shoots at 1080p with a wide angle of 155 degrees in 1600 million colours. With the waterproof case, the Yicam is waterproof up to 40m deep.
You would think for such a low price, support would be minimal. Nay, with a dedictated smartphone app, you can remote control the Yicam, view your recordings and upload to popular Chinese social media platforms such as Weibo.
Mi Water Purifer
This one a little tougher to find out about as its not listed under and of the Mi’s websites around the world, but there has been reviews and specs. Announced in the summer of 2015, the Mi Water Purifer retails for RMB1299. Plumbing directly to your water pipes, the Mi Water Purifer contains a 4 stage reverse osmosis filtration system which can reportedly filter the equivalent of 76 barrels of water per day.
And how do you know how well the filters are working, and when you need to change them? Yes, there’s a dedicated smartphone app which you will need to purchase a Mi TDS Pen that hooks up to your water tap to determine the purity of the water.
Phew!! Thats a lot of products for a company that released their first product just 5 years ago, and I haven’t even list all the past models and accessories to go with them, such as the in-ear headphones, over-ear headphones, game controller, stylus, etc.
For a relatively young company, Xiaomi has gone from strength to strength with their aggressive range of products targeting current trends and their low pricing strategy. So what does Xiaomi in 2016 have in store for us? There’s already rumours of what the Mi 6 would be like, but I’m more curious on what new home products they will release. But one gripe I do have is that I just wish Xiaomi will make their entire range of products available outside of China, I then wouldn’t have to scour the entire Hong Kong for a product (Mi Air Purifer and Mi TV) and then having to pay a premium to the resellers.
With Xiaomi’s eye ever looking at popular trends, its already rumoured that they will release a drone priced at RMB699. So successful has Xiaomi been, attracting many consumers and innovation enthusiasts, their launch events are now streamed live across the world.
