The Chinese company Xiaomi has announced an intelligent speaker. The Mi AI Speaker can connect to the internet and control other smart home devices. The speaker can also respond to voice commands. The speaker costs 299 yuan, converted 38 euros.
The speaker allows the user to according to Use Xiaomi voice commands to look up information about, for example, the weather and traffic situations. The speaker can also connect to various smart home devices from Xiaomi. For example, the user could switch on the room lighting or the robot vacuum cleaner via the speaker with voice commands.
The Mi AI Speaker contains three drivers, two of which are directed to the sides and one downwards, as can be deduced from the product photos. Via the six microphones in the speaker, a so-called 360° audio sensing are possible. Like Apple’s HomePod, the Mi AI Speaker with beamforming can direct certain parts of the audio, such as the voice, in one particular direction.
Over the internet, users can stream music, radio stations and audiobooks with the speaker. With an app, functionalities can be added to the Mi AI Speaker by downloading add-ons and plugins.
With the speaker, Xiaomi is competing with companies such as Amazon, Google and Apple, who have already released such devices. The company releases the Mi AI Speaker for 299 yuan, converted about 38 euros. For that price, it will probably not be available to the Benelux, because middlemen and import costs drive up the price of Xiaomi products. TechCrunch reports that the Mi AI Speaker will be released in China in August. It is not yet known whether it will also be available internationally.