My Smart Speaker
Xiaomi is represented in China with its own language assistant. Xiao AI - the name of the language assistant there - so far only understands Chinese, which is why the company works closely with Google on the global market.
Design and workmanship
The Mi Smart Speaker looks very similar to the Sonos One. The design is modern, downright timeless and almost ideal for every room. Oval shaped, the dimensions of the loudspeaker are 131 x 104 x 151 mm. The speaker cover consists of a metal grille that surrounds the center of the body. The loudspeaker is finished with a high-quality plastic at the top and bottom. The contrast between the white plastic and the metal grille underlines the simple design of the Mi Smart Speaker.
In addition to voice control, the loudspeaker can also be operated using the touch control panel on the top. Arranged horizontally, there is a button for louder and quieter, a play / pause button and a button that can be used to mute the microphone. Unfortunately, the buttons are not illuminated. A ring of light surrounds the upper edge of the loudspeaker, which lights up when it is addressed. If you mute the microphone, the edge lights up permanently orange. The lighting can only be dimmed (night mode), but not switched off completely.
Power is supplied via a 12V 1.5A power supply unit with a DC plug. The power supply unit is plugged in via a connection on the back of the loudspeaker. The processing quality is right and corresponds to what you can expect from Xiaomi.
Furniture
Android smartphone users benefit from the extremely simple setup of the Mi Smart Speaker. The Google Home app required for setup is preinstalled on many Android devices. Users of an iOS device must first download the app from the App Store.
As soon as the loudspeaker is connected to the power for the first time, users of an Android device will be informed that a new device is ready to be set up. If you have already set up the Google Home app, the integration of the Mi Smart Speaker is done in just 3 steps. The loudspeaker receives the WLAN data automatically from Google Home. The connection is then established and, if available, the necessary updates are installed.
sound quality
The sound is decisive for a good loudspeaker. A Texas Instruments TAS5805M audio processor and a single 63.5 mm full-frequency driver are responsible for this. The peak power of the Mi Smart Speaker is 12 watts.
The sound can be described as predominantly center-weighted. The fundamental range is pronounced, which on the one hand gives it a warm note, but on the other hand takes away a little of its delicacy and dynamism. However, this is not uncommon for speakers of this size. Of course there are speakers of a similar size that sound a tad better. However, one should not lose sight of the price. For around 40 euros, the sound is pretty good and more than does justice to normal music listeners.
Incidentally, you can use the Google Home app to make equalizer settings for bass and treble. Playing with the controls doesn't bring more depth, but it does moderate the dominant mids.
A few words about the volume before we switch to the functions. There is hardly anything to complain about here either. When fully turned up, the Mi Smart Speaker is pretty loud and enough to provide sound in a small apartment. The sound quality is barely audible.
Features
The Mi Smart Speaker is a loudspeaker that can be conveniently controlled remotely using voice commands. For this purpose, the loudspeaker has built in two microphones that record omnidirectionally, i.e. over the entire area of the room. That works really well too. Once you say “Ok Google”, the voice assistant will be activated. The microphones are set to be extremely sensitive. The assistant could even be activated from the adjoining room without any problems.
The voice assistant is the Google Assistant, which in addition to commands for music control also answers questions ("Why is the banana crooked?") And is able to control the entire smart home, provided that other devices (TV, lamps, thermostats and more) are integrated into Google Home.
With the help of the integrated Chromecast, content can be streamed directly from the smartphone or tablet to the speaker. If you hear a song on Spotify on your smartphone, one click is enough to transfer the playback to the Mi Smart Speaker.
The ability to make Google Duo calls over the loudspeaker is practical. The free voice and video telephony service works as long as the person you are talking to also has a Duo-compatible device or has installed the Google Duo app on their mobile device.
If a Mi Smart Speaker is not enough for you, you can combine two speakers to form a stereo sound system. Unfortunately, we couldn't try this function due to the lack of a second speaker.
Mi Smart Speaker (L09G)
Stylish design
Good workmanship
Easy to set up and use
Integrated Chromecast
Good sound in itself, but ...
... heavily center-weighted.
Control buttons not illuminated
Illuminated ring cannot be switched off
The design is timeless and modern and goes with pretty much any home furnishings. The sound quality is right, even if the loudspeaker lacks something in terms of fineness and dynamics. Functionally, the Mi Smart Speaker is in no way inferior to other smart speakers thanks to the Google Assistant and the integrated Chromecast.
In view of the price of just under 40 euros, the Xiaomi Mi Smart Speaker is a real alternative to Amazon's Echo series or the smart Nest speakers from Google, which is why we can safely recommend a purchase.
