Let’s Compare 7 Xiaomi Smart Speakers: Which One Should You Buy?

Today, I’m diving into the world of Xiaomi smart speakers, specifically focusing on seven different models. I originally planned to just pick up one or two for controlling my smart home devices, but after seeing how many options there were, I thought, “Why not just buy them all?” So here we are. I hope this helps anyone else out there who’s feeling as indecisive as I was.

I’ve arranged these by price, from lowest to highest. Let’s kick things off with the budget-friendly options, priced around $15:

• Xiaomi Mi Smart Speaker Play: $12
• Xiaomi Mi Smart Speaker Play Enhanced Edition: $18. The “Enhanced” version adds a display and an infrared sensor, but otherwise, it’s basically the same device.

Now, these two are super cheap, but honestly, the experience isn’t great. They only have two microphones, so if there’s any background noise, good luck getting them to hear you. I even turned off the mics on the other Xiaomi speakers to give the Enhanced Play version a fighting chance, but it’s still hit or miss even when I’m standing right next to it.

Next up, we’ve got the mid-range speakers, around $30:

• Xiaomi Mi AI Speaker (2nd Gen): $25
• Xiaomi Mi Smart Speaker: $32
• Xiaomi Mi Smart Speaker Pro: $40

These are a bit bulkier, and except for the black one having an infrared function, they’re pretty much identical. The so-called “AI” in the 2nd Gen speaker’s name doesn’t mean it’s smarter than the others; it’s just the successor to Xiaomi’s first smart speaker, which was also called the AI Speaker. The 2nd Gen is way cheaper now, though. Back in the day, the original launched at $45, and even at that price, it sold like hotcakes. I had to pay a premium ($60!) and wait forever to get mine.

Anyway, all three of these mid-range speakers have six microphones, so they’re the most responsive of the bunch. Now, onto the high-end models:

• The small one is called Xiaomi Sound: $70
• The big guy next to it is Xiaomi Sound Pro: $140

These are pricey, but they only have three microphones, so their wake-up sensitivity is better than the Play series but falls short of the mid-range models. These two are more about sound quality. The smaller one is a bit misleading, though—it has the same audio hardware as the mid-range speakers: a 12-watt, 2.25-inch full-range speaker, with some fancy Harman Kardon tuning. But honestly, it doesn’t sound as good as the mid-range models. The Sound Pro, on the other hand, is a beast with its independent 4-inch, 40-watt woofer, delivering a noticeable upgrade in sound quality.

So, after trying them all out, here’s my take: aside from the Sound Pro, which actually delivers on sound quality, the rest are kind of like mediocre players in a mediocre league. Among them, I found the AI Speaker 2nd Gen to be the most pleasant to listen to. The Play series is the worst when it comes to sound quality—barely better than nothing. They’ve got heavy bass, but vocals are muffled; the AI Speaker, on the other hand, brings the vocals to the forefront, but still, none of these sound great.

Let’s talk about the built-in music services on these speakers. Even though they support NetEase Cloud Music and QQ Music, you’ll find that, even with a VIP account, a lot of songs just aren’t available. And if they are, it’s probably not the version you actually want to hear.

The Play series only supports Bluetooth, but the other five models also support Wi-Fi. Here’s something to note: if you’re not using a Xiaomi phone or tablet, you can only connect to the speakers via NetEase or QQ Music over Wi-Fi. Also, if you try to connect to multiple Xiaomi speakers at once, the first one you connected might lose control, and there could be some lag. But if you’re using a Xiaomi phone or tablet, you’ve got more options. No matter what app you’re using to play music, you can choose which speaker to play it on and even sync the playback across multiple speakers.

The Xiaomi Mi Smart Speaker and Mi Smart Speaker Pro can be paired for stereo sound, and you can throw the Sound Pro in the middle as a subwoofer for a sort of “Harman Kardon Lite” experience.

So, how do you choose which one to buy? If you just need one, it depends on your setup. If your smart home is all Xiaomi and you don’t need infrared control, I’d recommend the AI Speaker 2nd Gen or the Mi Smart Speaker. They’ve got continuous dialogue support and better bass, so pick based on what matters more to you. If you have non-smart devices, you’ll need infrared, so go with the Mi Smart Speaker Pro. To see what the infrared can control, you can check out Xiaomi’s universal remote app.

As for the other four speakers: if you’re really on a tight budget, go with the Play series. If sound quality is your top priority, with interaction being a close second, go for the Sound Pro. If you don’t care about any of that, you can opt for the little guy.