Review: Feature-rich Xiaomi Mi LED smart bulb

A few weeks ago, Xiaomi, in bid to gauge the demand for Mi LED smart bulb, it hosted a sale of the device with limited stocks on its crowd-sourcing platform. The company received an overwhelming response from the customers in India. Finally, it made the official debut on June 13 for Rs 1,299 and is available on multiple channels including Mi.com, Amazon India and Flipkart.

Prior to the launch, I had the opportunity to test the Mi LED smart bulb (E27) and here's what I think about the new Xiaomi IoT (Internet-of-Things) gadget.

Design and build quality:
The new Mi LED smart bulb is compact, but a tad heavy when held in the hand. However, it does exude premium build quality and also visually appealing.

With rounded design and 800-lumen brightness, it lights up an average-sized room. It houses 22 LEDs, consisting of red (x 4), green (x 4), blue (x 2) and white (x 12) colours. The Mi LED bulb's colour temperature can be adjusted anywhere between 1700K (candlelight) and 6,500K (fluorescent lamp) brightness, with 16 million colour options. And yet, it consumes 10W of power, making it a good option for consumers to invest on, to cut down on electricity bills of the house in the long term. If the house has good wiring, Mi LED smart light can last up to 11 years.

Xiaomi Mi LED smart bulb controlled via Mi Home app; Picture credit: DH Photo/KVN Rohit

User-interface
Xiaomi's new LED smart bulb is easy to set up and it barely took 10 minutes for me to set it up in my room. Just have to install Mi Home app on your mobile (iOS or Android). Then open the application and switch on the bulb; it will automatically detect the latter to connect. Then, the app will request you to type in the password to connect the bulb to the home's Wi-Fi network and you are good to go.

Xiaomi Mi LED smart bulb offers numerous light themes; Picture credit: DH Photo/KVN Rohit

Even connecting the Mi Home to the Google Assistant (on Android phone or Home speakers) or the Amazon Alexa for Echo smart speakers are just as easy.

For instance, just trigger Google Assistant on the Android Phone and go to the settings >> Assistants>> Tap Mi Home and that's it. I found it really easy to control the Mi LED using voice commands.

Another interesting thing about the Mi LED smart bulb is that the user can set the timer to switch off in the late night or switch on with bright sunshine-like light in the morning at any time slot. Also, there several light themes in the app including candlelight, movie, sunset, sunrise and more.

Xiaomi Mi LED smart bulb can be controlled using voice commands via Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa; Picture credit: DH Photo/KVN Rohit

Another use-case of the Mi LED smart bulb is that you can switch on the room's light, while you are still in the office or enjoying a vacation in an exotic overseas location (provided the home Wi-Fi network is live). Also, the user can install multiple Mi LED smart bulbs in the home and control them individually using Mi Home app to set colour temperature and brightness differently. This will definitely come handy to thwart thieves from breaking into the home.

Some intelligent criminals are known to observe the victim's house to make sure the people are away. With remote activation option available for Mi LED smart bulb, the house owner will have one less thing to worry. If need be, there is Mi Home Security Camera 360 available for just Rs 2,699. And yes, it too can be controlled via Mi Home app. It boasts 360-degree full HD video recording, night vision, AI motion sensor, and 2-way audio connectivity option.

Xiaomi Mi LED smart bulb buyers are required to purchase an extra holder; Picture credit: DH Photo/KVN Rohit

Final thoughts:
Besides the visually appealing design, I am impressed with three aspects of the Mi LED smart bulb-- easy setup, remote control capabilities and long life.

Also, as it requires just 10W of power to offer 800 lumens of brightness, Mi LED smart bulbs will help the owner to save big bucks on electricity bills and also considering the fact, most states in India are dependent on coal-based power plants, it will help reducing carbon footprint in terms of controlling air pollution, less dependent on fossil fuel and conserve nature.

Pros:
Easy to set-up and use
Supports voice commands via Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa
Premium build quality
Long life provided the house has got good wiring

Cons:

Most consumer need to buy separate B22 holder to use Mi LED smart bulb in India, but its not a deal breaker, as the converter costs anywhere between Rs 30 and Rs 50 bucks.

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