Mi Air Purifier 2 review: An absolute game changer!

Xiaomi, in an event in New Delhi today unveiled the Mi Air Purifier 2 for an incredibly low price of Rs 9,999.

The Mi Air Purifier 2 is an intelligent product with smart features that make using it to clean the air simply effortless. It comes with a 360 degree 3 layer filter, real time monitoring and timer schedules via the Mi Home app and 4 different modes including auto and manual.

Severe pollution crisis

The Mi Air Purifier couldn't have been launched at a more appropriate time, with India, particularly Delhi suffering from a major pollution crisis.

According to the World Health Organization, 22 of the world's 50 most polluted cities are in India, contributed significantly by industrial and vehicular exhaust. In fact, Delhi has been ranked as the most polluted city in the world!

Design

The Mi Air Purifier 2 is unlike any other Air purifier on the market. It is incredibly sleek, svelte and simply gorgeous looking.

In fact, if we hide the Mi branding, once can easily mistake the Mi Air Purifier 2 for an Apple Product. Yes, its that simple and minimalist.

The device absorbs polluted air from all four sides and releases treated breathable air from the top. It has an Auto mode as well as a manual mode, though the Auto mode will suffice for most users.

Compared to the other Air purifiers on the market, including the Kent Aura Air Purifier that we reviewed recently, the Mi Air Purifier 2 is simply incomparable. Design wise, it raises the game to another level altogether.

It is almost 40% lighter and thinner than the original Mi Air Purifier 2, which in itself was much smaller than most other Air Purifiers in the market. Suffice to say, the Mi Air Purifier 2 will make a great addition to your house decor.

What are Air pollutants? What is PM 10 and 2.5?

Before we go further into the hands-on review, lets establish what exactly causes pollution and what do these PM 10 and Pm 2.5 jargons mean.

PM 10 particles are pollutants which are 10 microns in size, approximately the size of a human Air. They include things such as dust, pollen and mold.

PM2.5 particles are pollutants which are 2.5 microns in size, 1/30th the size of a human hair In fact, they are so fine that they are invisible to the human eye and can go deep into our lungs and blood stream, causing cause short term and long term health problems.

How does it work?

The Mi Air Purifier 2 uses a 360 degree, 3 layer filter in order to rid the air from various pollutants and make it breathable.

The 360° cylindrical filter on Mi Air Purifier 2 takes in air more efficiently from every direction compared to conventional air purifiers. Its triple-layer design removes particles larger than 0.3 microns with a high-density EPA filter, while an activated carbon filter removes formaldehyde, bad odour and other harmful substances.

Mi Air Purifier 2 quickly removes PM2.5 particles, dust, indoor plant pollen, pet fur and more.

The life of the filter is around 6 months depending upon usage.  Changing the filter is very easy and new filters can be bought on mi.com .

The device automatically inform you if your filter needs replacement  and also keeps a running clock of how many days the current filter will  last.

Also read: Kent Aura Air Purifier review 

Really, really quiet

What really strikes me is how quiet the Mi Air Purifier 2 is. Compared to the Mi Air Purifier 2, the Kent Aura Air Purifier sounds like a dinosaur snoring right next to your ear. Okay, that might be a bit of an exaggeration, but what matters is that this device is quiet, really really quiet.

Xiaomi claims that the Mi Air Purifier 2 produces a noise level as low as 30db in Night mode. While I did not measure the actual decibel of noise emanating from the device, I can testify that the device is very quiet.

I mean if you concentrate, you can hear the device running, but its not loud enough to be a distraction, and much quieter than most Air Purifiers out there.

Pairs with your smartphone!

Now the Xiaomi Mi Air Purifier has a neat trick up its sleeve. Using the Mi Home app, it connects to your smartphone and allows you to do neat stuff like monitor your pollution level in real time and set timer schedules.

This all happens through Wi-Fi and works on both Android and iPhone.

It's extremely simple to connect too. Theres a button on the back of the  air purifier - hold it for a few seconds, wait for the light to start  blinking, open the application on your device, pair over Wi-Fi and thats  it.

Performance

Xiaomi claims that the Mi Air Purifier 2 takes just 10 minutes to circulate purified air in a 21m2 room. While I do not know the exact size of my room, the Xiaomi Air Purifier managed to lower the PM 10 level in my room from a very dangerous 75 to a breathable 38 in about 12-14 minutes.

The real time PM level can be monitored through the same application we discussed above.

Price and availability

Mi Air Purifier 2 will be available on Mi.com starting 26 September at  12 PM, at a price of INR 9,999. It will also be available on Flipkart  (exclusive partner) from 2 October.

  New filters cost Rs 2,499 and will also be available via mi.com.  

Verdict

It is a sad indictment of where we are today that devices like Air Purifiers are having to enter the mainstay and becoming more of a need than just a luxury.

However, if Air Purifiers are set to become an integral part of our homes, they better be as well designed, easy to use and reasonably priced as the Mi Air purifier 2 is.

The last time i reviewed an Air Purifier, I wasn't too convinced as the design was lacklustre, it made too much noise and the cost was a tad too much.

The Mi Air Purifier 2 changes all that and at just Rs 9,999 is genuinely a game changer. It has an incredible sleek and sexy design, it just works, connects seamlessly to your smartphone and is incredibly quiet.

What more can I say? Xiaomi have a winner on their hands.

 Also read: Xiaomi unleashes Mi Band 2 in India for just Rs 1,999!