Xiaomi has a very dominating presence in the smartphone and smart TV segments, and it is steadily expanding its product portfolio among them, Smart Air Purifier category has the potential to further the company's footprint in homes across India.
Recently, it unveiled the fourth generation Xiaomi Smart Air Purifier 4 series in India. It is available in two variants-- standard Smart Air Purifier 4 and low-end Smart Air Purifier 4 Lite-- for Rs 13,999 and Rs 9,999, respectively.
I have been using the Smart Air Purifier 4 for close to a month and here are my thoughts the Xiaomi's latest home appliance.
Design and internal hardware
As noted in my first impression, the Smart Air Purifier 4 flaunts a familiar vertical rectangular cuboid with smooth curved corners we have seen in previous versions.
It has a grille-protected fan at the top to efficiently deliver fresh air without any obstruction. Given the height of the purifier is a little over knee-high length, the grille is tightly lined as a safety precaution, to prevent children from slipping their fingers into it and getting hurt.
Also, there is a child lock at the back, which ensures no components don't come off easily.
On the front, it has an LED display with touch-sensitive controls and also features colour-code indicators showing the quality of the air. With the child lock on, the touch sensors can be disabled.
The air purifier module is made from weather-resistant ABS polymer material. It features an efficiently designed matrix of holes around the block, that not only adds value to the visual appeal of the air purifier but also ensures efficient absorption of air from all sides.
Inside, the filter module houses a new True HEPA filter (ant-bacterial and anti-viral coating), an activated carbon filter, and a negative air ioniser, which helps in reducing odours and making the air in the house smell fresh.
The standard Xiaomi Smart Air Purifier model can cover a large area of 516 sq.ft, which is more than enough for any average room of a house in India. It has a lightweight body and can be moved to any room of the house with ease. During the day, you can keep it in the living room, and at night, you can move it to the bedroom.
User interface
Setting up the Xiaomi Smart Air Purifier 4 is as simple as it gets.
Customers just have to open the air purifier from the package and ensure the cover of the filter is opened and placed back in its position, and then connect it to the powerpoint.
Then open the smartphone and install the Xiaomi Home app. After that, tap the add device option in the app and follow the on-screen instructions. It took barely 10 minutes for me to complete the set-up process.
Besides the touch control on the LED display, users can use the Xiaomi Home app to control the smart air purifier. They can also check the health of the filter and get notifications for replacing the filter.
Also, owners can also control the smart air purifier with Amazon Alexa-supported smart speakers and Google Assistant-compatible devices too.
Performance
Unlike phones, there is no app to gauge the performance metric of an Air Purifier. It has to be used and notice small and big changes in the respiratory health of the members living in a home. Over a period of more than three weeks of usage, I was able to note definite positive changes in me and the house.
I stay in a suburban area on the city outskirts with a lot of construction going around. Five months ago, I moved into a new rented home. There, the roads have been dug up and partially closed with no asphalt on top, since I moved into the new home. There is a lot of dust and even pollens too. Every day, when I wake up in the morning, my nose is always blocked and sneeze a lot to clear the nostrils.
But, since the arrival of the Smart Air Purifier 4 review unit, I haven't faced any such issue of nasal congestion.
Also, I am allergic to pollens and often sneeze a bit more in the office and at the house too. Even my 16-month child has noticed it and has become quite a mimicry artist. Whenever anybody asks what her father does most at home, she mockingly sneezes (AakShee sound in Kannada) with cute laughter. That's the only impression she can make of me.
But, over the last couple of weeks, it has almost stopped at least at home. I believe the credit goes to the Smart Air Purifier 4 and it truly lives up to the hype.
Even with the cooking fumes in the kitchen, particularly when frying fish or Kebabs, there is more smoke than usual. The smart air purifier is really lightweight and can be carried around the house easily. It takes barely 10 minutes clear the air in the kitchen.
Research studies have pointed out that cooking stoves powered by natural gas release carbon monoxide, formaldehyde, and other harmful pollutants, which can over time of breathing them, will have long-term effects on the respiratory system of the body. And, not everybody can afford smart chimneys in the kitchen, and here's where Xiaomi Smart Air Purifier 4 comes into play.
It is the best affordable alternative to such kinds of fume exhaust systems. All you need is a plug point and allow it to do its work. You can either power it to the max by smartphone or let it be on Auto mode and depending on the situation, it can intuitively act when need more power and can come back to normal speed, thereby saving electricity.
Only in the full max mode, does the sound go a notch up. The rest of the time, it just works in the background without any noticeable noise. In sleep mode, it is almost pin-drop silent and nobody would notice, it is working. I had to put my hand on the grille-protected fan at the top to really know it is working. You can feel the cool fresh air coming out of the appliance.
In the night mode, the sound level goes as low as 32.1dB (decibels).
It should be noted that the filter can last up to a year. This is such a value proposition to buy the device, in a price-conscious market like India. At the end of its life cycle, customers can buy it for Rs 2,299. It is very easy to remove and replace it with a new filter in less than a minute.
Final thoughts
Xiaomi Smart Air Purifier 4 is definitely a worthy home appliance to have in any urban setting. Over the last three weeks, it has worked impressively to bring a noticeable change in my health and also, it does a fantastic job of clearing the fumes in the kitchen too.
The only qualm is that the power cord should have been a bit longer than it offers with the retail package.
With Rs 13,999 price tag, and considering overall aspects, it is a compelling option for the middle-class salaried population in the city.
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