A few years ago, speakers were a luxury item in the Hi-Fi enthusiast's household. Even in the early 2000s, it was still a rarity not to listen to your favourite music on a tape recorder or to try to enjoy the sound quality of your rental movies on your own TV speakers. In the DVD era, when the audio quality of movies justified it, affordable home theatre systems became commonplace. In addition to the high quality and expensive sets available per component (with serious amplifiers and large speakers), cheaper 5.1 systems proliferated like a mushroom. Many people (including myself) have chosen them because they produce a fair sound quality compared to the LCD TV's own speakers. Many also considered this unnecessary. Let's turn back to the audio part.
The main reason why people don't bother with professional audio systems is because nowadays portable speakers are smaller, lighter and easier to use. Plus, they offer a few extra features. One such extra is water resistance.
Among the smart speakers in fashion today are the Apple HomePod-, the Amazon Echo-and the Google Home-ot. They all have the same features and use AI (artificial intelligence) for better usability. However, they are all overpriced. In this case, you should look for a low-priced speaker with similar features. Xiaomi has presented the best offer. Fortunately, the manufacturer found a niche market with its own model, which was launched on 26 July alongside the Xiaomi Mi 5X. Although Xiaomi already has more than 5 Bluetooth speakers, the Xiaomi AI smart speaker the first in its range. And what sets it apart from the brands mentioned above is the affordable pricea. With the same knowledge of Apple HomePod costs around $350, while the Xiaomi AI smart speaker costs just $45. This is fantastic!
Xiaomi AI smart speaker design
The similarities between the AI speaker and the Xiaomi air purifier are not coincidental.
You could say that this is the bottle-sized version of the Xiaomi air purifier. But they have different uses. The overall design is a cylindrical slit shape. The manufacturer uses "frozen" plastic for the whole body.
The bottom of the device has a series of holes - irregularly arranged - for the sound output. This design element has been omitted from the air cleaner.
The top of the speaker contains a control panel. With a few presses of a button, you can adjust the mute, next/previous track (step), send (forward), and volume.
There are six holes for microphones outside the touch loop.
At the top edge, there is a special LED light bar that changes its bright (RGB) colour shades depending on the function. When voice activated, the colour changes to blue. When a smartphone is connected, it turns orange.
The lower part uses a non-slip rubberized design.
All AI speakers come with a manufacturer's certificate, user manual and charger. The power supply is 12V/2A. The cubic power supply comes with an anti-slip ring.
The APP
First you need to download the APP, which comes with a QR code.
GPS, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi should always be switched on.
Open the music player.
Then tap the device control panel for the voice assistant.
As you can see, the APP has three main parts - the radio, the home device control and the voice assistant.
You can personalise your music settings.
When you first use the APP, set some music preferences, such as a singer, style, and other information. This is the first step to show the APP what you want to listen to. Soon the AI will learn our musical tastes.
To use the voice assistant, go to the basic Mi Home app. AI supports the entire Mi Home network, which can then be controlled by voice command. Scroll down to the bottom, download and install the Mi app.
Use it to pair devices.
You can combine Xiaomi Mi TV and Xiaomi AI smart speaker.
Sound quality and conclusion
The Xiaomi AI Smart Speaker uses acoustic waveguide technology, which enables 360-degree surround sound and bass extension. The operating frequency is at the lower end of the 60 Hz range. An added benefit is the ability to connect additional devices with Bluetooth 4.1 support.
Xiaomi has done it again, and the AI speaker absolutely delivers. It offers the same (or better) sound experience as the competing models mentioned earlier, at a much lower price. And remember, if you already have other Mi Home products, this speaker is easy to integrate into your system. I think the speaker's buying power continues to lie in its use of AI. You can control the whole process with voice commands.
Don't expect Hungarian language support (voice control) (English at most), we will get it from the miuihu team in the form of APP in the near future.
Although its own power connector is Chinese standard, it can be used in our country with a converter. If you are interested in this product, you can buy it in the Gearbest store or through other official channels.
