Xiaomi Mi Airdots in 2020: Worth Your Purchase?

About a year ago, Xiaomi took its first stab at the truly wireless earbud market with the Xiaomi Mi Airdots, a journey that would bathe the company in controversy as well as set it on a direct path to becoming a sizeable player in this market space. Now, just a year later, I have bought myself the Xiaomi Mi Airdots at its lowest price yet, and despite having its flaws, I do not regret my purchase.

A Design that Hasn’t Aged Too Well

Upon first unboxing my earbuds, which I bought in the black colour, I found a minimal, stylish looking earbud and case. From the very first moment I saw it, I knew that this was a product that I was willing to use in public without the fear of it impacting my style, the same of which I cannot say of Xiaomi’s latest efforts, which all look too big and bulky in my opinion.

Despite looking like an expensive set of earbuds, the Xiaomi Mi Airdots unfortunately don’t feel very premium in the hand. In the age where many companies, Xiaomi included, have moved on to using more careful construction and more expensive materials, the plastic construction of this device feels very “first generation”. I knew from the very first touch, that this device would be one that would be prone to scratching in no time.

Yet another area where the design has not aged so well is in the case’s charging method. In the era where using a single USB C cable for all your products is possible, having to carry around a micro USB cable feels very outdated. What’s worse is that, at least in the “basic”edition that I purchased in Hong Kong, a charging cable was not included, and as I have tried to USB C all things, I had to purchase a new cable separately. Considering that this device is sold in many regions of the world where the micro USB charging method is still the standard, some users may not experience this same frustration, but it would certainly be nice to see a revision of this device that uses the USB C standard.

Overall, in terms of design, the Xiaomi Mi Airdots look stunning, featuring a minimal design language that would make anyone assume it is worth more than its cost. Unfortunately, it is once you touch it that the product starts to show its age, with a build quality that isn’t anything impressive, and a charging method that feels lacking when compared to modern offerings.

Functionality That Holds Up

But perhaps you don’t care for looks, and in terms of functionality, the Xiaomi Mi Airdots still hold up. In a market that is saturated with expensive earbuds full of customisation, companion apps and touch controls, the Mi Airdots keeps to the basics and just work. They are not impressive, but they are a no risk solution, and I adore that!

Take Xiaomi’s latest for example, the Mi Air 2 SE, it is a much better sounding pair of earbuds, but the price is way higher all thanks for the product’s ability to connect to a phone app, which at the time of our review did not even work. But with the Mi Airdots, that isn’t a concern - you’re buying them because they’ll connect to your phone and just work.

On the sound front, as I just stated, Xiaomi’s latest offerings will sound much better than this one, but for the casual user who just wants a cheap way to listen to music without the wires, I have no complaints. If what you’re looking for however is a great way to join voice calls, stay away from this product. The microphone quality is just terrible, and on most instances, the people who I was calling said they would rather have me use no microphone at all.

Another thing that is certainly worth mentioning is this product’s durability. When it was first released, Xiaomi received a lot of criticism because the earbuds would either physically break or stop working altogether. I am glad to say that neither of these issues have happened to me after roughly a month of very frequent usage. Perhaps I got lucky, or maybe the latest production units are built to a higher standard, but if my experience is anything to judge by, you should have a pleasurable experience using these earbuds for years to come.

Conclusion

What was originally Xiaomi’s decent but untrustworthy entry into the truly wireless earbud market has now become a cheap, accessible way to buy yourself a truly wireless set of earbuds. In a market full of extra features, the Xiaomi Mi Airdots strip down to the very basics, offering a pleasurable experience only hindered by the already outdated build quality. For its price, I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend this product to anyone simply looking to listen to some music on the go without the hassles that come with wires.

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5 Weird Xiaomi Products You May not Have Known Existed

Besides being a notable smartphone manufacturer, in many countries, Xiaomi is looked at as a valuable player in the consumer electronics market. What this results to is a variety of products that are not only interesting, but outright weird. Today we will look at 5 weird Xiaomi products you may not known existed.

Xiaomi Air Humidifiers

Coming at multiple shapes and sizes, as well as a range of price tags, Xiaomi seems really concerned with your air quality! But whereas the rest of this list will go down to some of Xiaomi’s weirdest creations, we think that its slew of air humidifiers fit well with the company’s mission to bring technology into more people’s lives.

Being often paired with a smartphone app, this is an appliance that leaves some thankful for the convenience and others confused as to how much tech is enough tech.

Xiaomi Oven

Who do you turn to when you need a nice lunch? No, not your mother, but Xiaomi! For 299 RMB, this oven is exactly like any other oven you could buy. With no distinct functionality, what does Xiaomi offer to sway us into trusting them with our culinary efforts? The answer lies in the clean, minimalist design language that Xiaomi has come to perfect over the years. I mean just look at it - now that’s an oven I can trust!

Xiaomi Laundry Machine

Let’s run through this scenario: You get home from a long day of work guided by the GPS on your K30 Pro, then you take off your jacket and turn on your air humidifier with your phone. After getting relaxed, a little hunger kicks in and you make a nice chicken on your Xiaomi oven, but when eating it, you get your favourite white shirt all dirty. What do you do now? Well, use your Xiaomi Laundry Machine of course.

Priced at 779 RMB, like many products in this list, the Xiaomi Laundry Machine doesn’t have much in its way that makes it stand out from the competition. This is of course not considering the product’s design language, which provides a clean, beautiful way to introduce an usually heavily industrial product into your home.

Xiaomi Suitcase

For a technology company, you’d never imagine Xiaomi would produce a suitcase. This isn’t one of those battery packed suitcases either, it’s just a normal suitcase! For approximately 199 RMB, you get exactly what you paid for, a stylish, small, usable suitcase. I suppose the only connection this product has to technology is its ability to carry it!

Xiaomi Fan

Now that quarantine has forced many of us to stay inside our homes, do you ever just get unbearably warm? Worry not, the same company that brought you the Redmi K30 Pro now brings you a cold breeze! At 219 RMB, slightly more than the suitcase, you’re able to sit back and enjoy life without a sweat!

But unlike the suitcase, this product packs a smartphone app, allowing you to fine tune the intensity of your fan to perfection - Thank you technology, this is just what we needed!

After taking a look at all these products, we can safely say that Xiaomi is a very impressive company. When they’re not delivering ground-breaking phones, they are bringing us beautiful home products that if not innovative, at least have enough uniqueness to be worth existing.

Enjoy this article? Read our impressions of the Xiaomi Toothbrush here

Xiaomi Mi Air 2 SE 24 Hour Review: A Sea Of Wonders, With One Big Problem

The Xiaomi Mi Air 2 SE is finally in our hands, and after 24 hours with it - we have mixed feelings about Xiaomi’s take on a more customisable pair of truly wireless earbuds. While it gets a lot right with its design and sound, one problem prevents it from truly reaching all it claims to be, and makes it hard to recommend.

Good Initial Impressions

Upon original unboxing, the Xiaomi Mi Air 2 SE doesn’t differ much from the Xiaomi Mi Air 2, and that is a good thing. The packaging is forward and straight to the point, including only the essentials: The earbuds, its case and a USB C cable. While the case itself has a plastic, almost cheap feel, the earbuds itself feel very nice to the hand.

Where its competition like the AirPods go for a short stem, cylindrical design, Xiaomi isn’t afraid to use a large stem with tons of flat surfaces. To the naked eye, this may give the Xiaomi Mi Air 2SE a more brute, industrial design, but upon using the earbud, its design suddenly starts to make sense. The flat edges in specific, allow your finger to instantly identify where to press in order to use touch controls - a wonderful feature that eliminates the awkwardness of mindlessly tapping your earbud hoping for results.

Pairing the earbuds was also a fairly straightforward process. Despite missing the feature from its brother, the Mi Air 2, which would show an AirPods like menu, the Mi Air 2 SE simply uses the good old Bluetooth pairing process. When you’re finally ready to listen, you’ll find a great sounding pair of earbuds, which deliver great performance in almost any genre we could throw at it. We think this sound signature is bound to attract and please more consumers.

For those who see themselves making many calls while wearing these earbuds, our first impressions on this regard are also strong. We did a test while giving an online English lesson, and all students reported that they could hear us very clearly. We will be testing this more outdoors in the upcoming days.

From default, the touch controls are rather limited, and that’s where our biggest issue with this device comes into play..

One Problem

Everything we have said about the Xiaomi Mi Air 2 SE to this point seems fantastic, but it goes wrong in the one area it is supposed to shine in. In Xiaomi’s product page, the Xiaomi Mi Air 2 SE is claimed to be a highly customisable pair of earbuds, using Xiaomi’s own MI AI app in order to make the most of the earbud’s touch controls. Unfortunately, a lot is wrong with this app.

Firstly, the Xiaomi Mi AI app is completely in mandarin, making it impossible for anyone who imports the Xiaomi Mi Air 2 SE and doesn’t speak mandarin to use. Another equally heartbreaking comment is that besides the ability to view your earbud’s and its case’s battery, the current version of the MI AI app doesn’t offer any other ability, even once you have gotten through the language barrier.

What this means is that by paying the full price, you’re not getting the full experience that is advertised. By saving money on a cheaper pair of earbuds, you may get similar audio quality and not be charged extra for features that as of this time, simply don’t work. It is important to keep in mind however that Xiaomi plans to realise this model of earbuds on other territories as the Poco buds, which may include an updated version of the Xiaomi Mi AI that truly delivers on the features it promises.

While the Xiaomi Mi Air 2 SE is a product full of potential, it has one problem that makes it hard to recommend. For those who don’t need the customisation features it falsely advertises however, the Xiaomi Air 2 SE features a clever design and great sound for an excellent price.

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Macro Photography With The Poco F2 Pro + GCam

WOW…

From the factory the camera results from the macro camera of the poco f2 pro are not that great. Although the Poco F2 Pro has a better macro camera than other Xiaomi Devices, The Poco F2 Pro macro camera are not that great. But the Poco F2 Pro has Gcam. Gcam on the poco f2 pro completely transforms the poco f2 pro macro camera.

Poco F2 Pro + GCam Destroys Sony Mirrorless

A One Trick Poney

Normally I enjoy using my Sony A6500 for photography but photographing lightning was always frustrating. You end up with long exposures and blown out parts, or you spend hours in photoshop blending images. But I have found the solution to this specific issue in photographing lightning.

Often times trying to balance lightning with ambient light can be difficult

Poco F2 Pro + GCam + Night Mode + Astro Mode

After Google announced of astro mode for the google pixel, GCam fans news that they were going to have something special. At the forefront of the Gcam development has been Xiaomi community devs who have flawlessly ported astro mode to the Poco F2 Pro. GCcam on the Poco F2 Pro allows us to capture lightning using the mode meant to capture stars.

Download Gcam For The Poco F2Pro Here

What We Learned After Using Microsoft Apps For One Week

When thinking about phone software, users usually take their Google apps for granted. From Google Play, Google Translate to Google Chrome, many of us may never bother to see what other technology companies may have to offer. With curiosity in mind, we replaced all our Google apps with Microsoft Apps for one week, hoping to find useful apps we may have never come across otherwise.

Bing

Did we keep it: No

Microsoft’s infamous take on the Google search engine, Bing offers an aesthetically pleasing application. With the ability to quickly snap a photo of something and search for it, as well as a detailed privacy search setting, our initial impressions of the application were very positive. Very quickly however, we found that the speech detection feature was extremely flawed, rarely correctly detecting our voice.

Furthermore, unlike Google Chrome or Safari, which quickly separate incognito and normal tabs, Bing’s “tabs” feature was a bit too confusing for our likings. What this amounted to is an app that is good for basic text searches, but for the quick speech-based search, which we find ourselves doing a lot of, it simply didn’t make the cut.

Edge Browser

Did we keep it: Yes

Perhaps the biggest surprise of our experiment, we found Microsoft’s Edge Browser to be more functional than Google Chrome. Packing a very minimalistic interface, as well as a quick to understand layout, we have never browsed as fast as we did during this experience.

Where Edge really shines however, is with its slew of extra features, with the most notable one being a continuity feature that allows you to quickly continue your Android search on your Windows computer.

Here Maps

Did we keep it: No

Here Maps is an app that we wish we could love. It has a very nice design language, something we noticed across most of Microsoft’s apps, and is extremely responsive. Here Maps also offers a very intuitive offline feature that works better than the competition, a feature that could save users some data as well as direction in situations where connection may simply not be available.

Where Here Maps really fails is in its attention to detail. In Vietnam, where we are located, motorcycle and car specific roads exist, and with Here Maps not being as developed as Google maps, it simply wasn’t able to tell the difference. We imagine that it might have better integration in other countries, but for users in our case scenario, the lack of attention to detail could potentially lead users to legal trouble as they enter a road they were not supposed to.

Microsoft Launcher

Did we keep it: No

A very clean, smooth, and functional launcher - The Microsoft Launcher is lovely. The daily tasks section as well as the calendar featured in the app create an experience that just feels more productive. While we would love to keep this launcher, it simply does not function well with the gestures featured in Xiaomi’s latest software update, making using it rather frustrating.

For those not on Xiaomi phones, this won’t be a setback, letting you access an experience that feels very appropriate.

One Drive

Did we keep it: No

There isn’t much that sets One Drive apart from other solutions such as Google Drive or Dropbox. This is fine, as it means that One Drive works fine, but in our case, where we already used something before, there simply isn’t a need for this app on our phone.

OneNote

Did we keep it: Yes

Being the direct competitor to Google Keep, OneNote offers a clean, simplistic and productive way to keeping field notes. We’ve been long looking for a more productivity varient to Google’s app, so this was a major win - with no noticeable setbacks either.

The inclusion of different notebooks creates a more convenient and organised way of taking notes, and makes us feel like the inclusion of this app in our daily lives will lead us to become more productive.

Outlook

Did we keep it: No

Outlook is significantly more organised than Gmail, but it has one main flaw: The reminders feature that it likes to boast about simply doesn’t work. In our experience, with a massive need for a reliable way to keep upcoming events due to our tight work schedules, we were looking to this feature, but it simply did not work.

In conclusion, using Microsoft apps instead of Google apps for one week was definitely a welcome change. It taught us about what Google excelled at that we simply took for granted, and showed us a little bit of what other companies can do better than what we were previously used to.

Would you like to know about our experience with these apps as well as a few others? Watch our video!