Xiaomi Smart Alarm Clock Review 2024 | Xiaomi AI Smart Clock vs Normal Clocks
The classic bedside alarm clock has served us well for decades, but in 2024, technology is offering a smarter alternative.
Enter the Xiaomi Smart Alarm Clock, a device that blends the familiar functionality of a clock with the power of a smart speaker.
This review dives into the features and functionalities of the Xiaomi Smart Alarm Clock, comparing it to the traditional clock and exploring the benefits it brings to your bedside routine in 2024.
We'll uncover how the Xiaomi Smart Alarm Clock goes beyond just displaying the time, offering features like voice control, smart home integration, and personalized information displays.
We'll also compare it to the traditional clock, highlighting the advantages and potential drawbacks of each option to help you decide whether the Xiaomi Smart Alarm Clock is the right fit for your needs in 2024.
The Xiaomi Smart Alarm Clock remains a compelling option for budget-minded smart home enthusiasts in 2024.
Its compact design and integration with Google Assistant make it a versatile bedside companion. Setting alarms, playing music, and controlling smart home devices are all a breeze with voice commands.
However, its functionality is limited compared to pricier smart displays. The speaker quality is decent but not outstanding, and the display brightness cannot be adjusted as low as some users might like.
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Xiaomi AI Smart Clock Review
| Xiaomi Alarm Clock Specifications | |
| CPU | Quad Core Cortex-A35 1.3GHz |
| Input parameters | 5V1.5A |
| Speaker sensitivity | 95dB |
| Wireless connection | Wi-Fi IEEE 802.11b/g/n 2.4GHz, Bluetooth 4.0 BLE |
| Maximum output power | 1.2W |
| Rated Power | 1W |
| Weight | 170g |
| Size | Length 126.2mm X Width 27mm X Height 60.8mm |
Xiaomi Smart Alarm Clock Review
Inside the box
Like most Xiaomi Appliances, the Xiaomi Smart Alarm comes in a sturdy white cardboard box. On the box, you'll find an image of the smart alarm along with technical information in Chinese.
- Although the box seemingly feels a little heavy, there’s nothing complicated in the box. Just a micro USB adapter, an alarm clock, and an instruction manual. Inside the instruction manual, you'll find a QR code that you can use to download the Mi companion app.
Contents:
- One Xiaomi Smart Alarm Clock
- One Adaptor
- Chinese manual.
Design
When you hold the Xiaomi alarm clock, it feels like a smartphone, but slightly thicker. However, it is quite small with dimensions of 60mm in height and 126mm in width.
- It weighs 170 grams, which is pretty light and I particularly like it because my side table is pretty small and it’s already cluttered with my reading glasses and my lamp. So having a small alarm clock like the mi clock is ideal.
- As for the build, the Mi smart alarm clock has a polycarbonate plastic exterior. Which is reminiscent of the old school Apple Products. This Smart Alarm is one of Xiaomi's latest gadgets.
- The back of the Xiaomi clock has a provision for the micro-USB plug. This adapter comes with a standard 2-pin Chinese plug. So if you don’t have a provision for that, then you need a converter. This smart alarm clock must be plugged in at all times as there is no in-built battery.
- Also at the back is a speaker with a tiny dot next to the micro-USB port. This tiny dot is basically the microphone.
- On the bottom, there is a rubber strip that helps prevent the Xiaomi smart alarm from slipping or falling of the table.
The top of the alarm clock has a multi-functional button that is used as a snooze button and also for turning on or off the internal microphone when using the AI speaker. The button comes with a LED ring which basically indicates various features as well as helping you locate the button in the middle of the night.
Function and Use
Installation
To start using Xiaomi's clock, you can start by installing the companion app. This Mi App plays a significant role in controlling the Xiaomi Smart Alarm Clock and here are some of its features.
- Set up alarms with different ringtones. You can also choose to delete the alarm after it rings. This way, you don’t have a bunch of alarms on your phone.
- Set reminders
- Set timers
- It has a nap and meditation feature, which plays natural sounds like the sea, forest, sounds of rain, and fire that help you go to sleep. It's features like these that make this Xiaomi Smart Alarm one of the best Xiaomi Gadgets.
The app has numerous other features as well. For instance, you can choose to have a 24-hour display or a 12-hour one. There is also the night-mode feature, where the clock shuts off the display if the brightness of the alarm clock is too bright.
While you do get these amazing benefits, the Xiaomi alarm clock is a tad bit complicated to set up if you're living in the west.
- Since it was intended for the Chinese market, you won't be able to find this device on your Mi App.
- However, there's no need to worry. All you need to do is go to setting Tap region and change it to Mainland China.
- Once, this is done you will find the whole catalog of Mi products under devices.
- Go to the Entertainment section and you'll be able to find the Mi Ai Alarm.
- Once you click the alarm icon, you will successfully connect to the device. Which will be indicated by white light(home button).
- Finally, you can set the location of the device. For example, there's a bedroom option, a living room option, etc.
Once, this is done you will be able to set various alarms, and reminders and access the nap and meditation features. It's important to note that setting the alarms will be far easier if you do it from your phone. At least, it saved me quite a few minutes.
Xiaomi's AI Speaker
If you thought that Xiaomi's smart alarm clock is advanced, you have no idea. This Mi clock has Xiaomi's AI- Xiaoai as its speaker. This AI feature is equipped to listen to your voice commands.
- Using voice commands you can set over 30 different alarms
- The Xiaomi clock will also let you set over 80 reminders through voice commands
- The AI can deliver stock updates, news headlines, and weather alerts.
Other than using voice commands you can also set the reminder with your own instructions in English text. For example, you set an alarm at 9 AM in the morning and you input the text “Wake up right now!” The alarm would actually start ringing and say the words “Wake up right now!”
While it is unbelievably convenient to use the voice feature you can always mute the AI integration with the mute button. The power button also functions as the mute button for the microphone. Also, the translation function can only support Chinese and English.
The Display and Use
- The LED display is pretty awesome and bright at night. When you are looking around for the alarm in the morning, the glow around the button on top will give you visual clues to help you find the button easily. Also, this digital display adjusts the brightness automatically.
- It's powered by a Quad-Core Cortex-A35 1.3GHz processor, probably by Mediatek. This type of powerful chip in an alarm clock virtually converts it into a mini smartphone. It can easily withstand heavy tasks.
- The Xiaomi Smart Alarm clock does not come with an in-built battery. So, it needs to be plugged in all the time. Although this is a bummer, it's acceptable considering the various features that come with the device.
Features
Fundamentally, as alarm clocks go, this has a very good alarm clock. But with respect to the rest of the features, Xiaomi's smart clock is practically a beast.
- Using the mi clock you can control other mi products in your house light smart bulbs, Mi smart home appliances, etc.
- As mentioned earlier Xiaomi's alarm clock can deliver stock updates, news, and weather reports. But according to various sources can also recite poems, read stories and tell jokes.
- In total, the Xiaomi clock can connect to over 100 devices through the Mi Smart Home Ecosystem. However, You will need the Xiaomi Gateway Hub in order to actually put this feature into use.
- The device can also stream over 2000 internet radio stations
And of course, you can always ask your mi clock general questions
How would I use this alarm clock?
The truth of the matter is, this alarm clock is tiny and portable and I travel a lot, which makes this a perfect companion for me when I go to sleep or wake up. But, obviously for me, at least the sheer number of functions is amazing.
- For example, I listen to music on the radio stations when I'm in the shower and wake up to the news headlines so that I at least know what's going on in the world.
- I've also dabbled with the alarm clock a lot so if you have a smart home, you can literally tell your alarm clock to shut off the lights when you go to sleep. so it really convenient.
- The meditation and nap mode is not something that I would personally use to go to sleep, but I would definitely use it as ambient sound while working to keep me calm and the atmosphere soothing.
It has some pretty nifty reminder features. Sometimes you keep an alarm and have no clue why the alarm is ringing. That can be avoided with the Xiaomi Smart Alarm Clock as you can input English text and the AI speaker will say the text when it’s time.
Performance
This Xiaomi smart alarm is without a doubt one of the best bedside alarm clocks on the market. After using it for more than a year, it's seamlessly managed to blend into my morning routine. In fact, it's become quite integral. To be quiet it's not like there aren't any other amazing modern or "techy" alarm clocks out there. However, I don't think anything comes close to this smart alarm when it comes to IoT-related features. Most importantly, the performance is out of this world.
- This AI Smart Alarm Clock is powered by a MediaTek chipset. Which such a powerful chip at its core, you can expect stellar real-time performance as well as decent long-term performance.
- When we come to real-time performance, there are no issues whatsoever. There are no lags and no Bluetooth or Wi-Fi connectivity issues. Although quite obvious, these are extremely important when it comes to an alarm clock. Especially, this alarm clock as it not only wakes you up in the morning but also helps provide really important information like news. I personally depend on this fantastic alarm for traffic information and weather. Fortunately, everything is accurate.
- The Xiao AI voice assistant can provide you with answers to important questions and record reminders. This honestly elevates the use and value of this device, making it outperform its competition.
- The build and the software do guarantee a certain level of long-term consistent performance. However, I've noticed that this hardware is quite fragile. If it takes a tumble of a height of 3-5 meters, it might not work. This happened to the alarm clock in my guest bedroom. It took a dive from a bedside table and started stuttering for a few days before it stopped working. So, be extremely careful with the physics and you should be able to make it last for years.
Xiaomi Smart Alarm Clock Latest Price and Review - Final Thoughts
This is an Alarm Clock that I personally love. This is an amazing device that plays its role really well and yet still goes above and beyond. As mentioned earlier with the sheer amount of amazing and convenient features Xiaomi is killing it with the Xiaomi Smart Alarm Clock.
- With this mi clock, Xiaomi has done exceedingly well to provide these subtle features which totally add value to your experience.
- For example, the LED light that maintains the brightness of the device or the night mode, where you can turn off the display if the light is too much, or even the AI speaker that reads out the text you inputted, reminding you of what the alarm is about is an awesome feature. Or you can always use voice commands to literally do almost everything.
This is a good looking device and will fit into any room. My table is a small bedside table and it takes up little room there.
Pros
- Voice commands
- Smart Ai who can tell you news, weather, stocks, stories, and general questions.
- Control the Alarm Clock with your smartphone through the Mi App which is super convenient and you don’t have to fiddle around with the alarm clock
- Sync to 100 devices and control them through the voice feature
- The Mi clock has a Loud Alarm System
- Control the sounds of your alarm
- Nap and Meditation Mode
- Night Mode
- Good LED Display
Cons
- Issues with language as it was meant for Chinese users
- Setting the time zone can be a hassle if you are not located in China
Should you buy the Xiaomi Smart Alarm Clock?
The Mi Smart Clock might be really helpful if you know what you're entering. It boasts a nice, inconspicuous design, good acoustics for its size, a responsive interface, and fluid animations. However, you should consider it more like a visual smart speaker than a smart display. Additionally, a display that dims even more at night and a backup battery would have been fantastic additions. Finally, Xiaomi needs to fix the fault with the mute button; as someone with hearing loss, I've already used it to snooze an alarm.
You could be better off with the more adaptable 2nd generation Nest Hub, which debuts this month, given the hefty price of €50 ($60). Although it costs a little more than the Mi Smart Clock, Google has included some sophisticated sleep-tracking functions. Additionally, it includes all the bells and whistles that a true smart display does, including complete support for streaming media.
Furthermore, the older Lenovo models have a few additional tricks up their sleeves, including a capacitive snooze button at the top and a USB port for charging your phone while you sleep, even if you are dead set on a simpler smart clock experience.
Buy it if:
- A smart speaker with a screen is something you must have.
- You are aware of what to expect; consider the Mi Clock more of a smart speaker with some visual cues than a smart display.
Don't buy it if:
- For the same money, you want more features.
- You require an alarm clock with an internal backup battery.
Xiaomi smart clock in English
Since the product was originally meant for Chinese users, the device mostly works in Chinese. but there is an English translation feature that you can use through the app, this should ideally sort the problem. But there is going to be an update very soon that will solve the language issue. The Xiaomi Smart Alarm Clock will be made available in various languages.
Xiaomi Smart Alarm Clock Time Zone
While you have to wait for an update for the Xiaomi smart clock in English, The Issue with the time can be sorted immediately as long as you follow Xiaomi's Original Hack:
Solved in a few simple steps:
- Disconnect from the application and reset with a clip at the back if you already connected it to Mi home
- Calculate the time difference between China and yours.
- Reduce your time with this difference.
- Connect your device to Mi home
- Return the correct time to the phone For example, in China, 23:00 I have 20:00. The difference is 3 hours. I put the time 17:00 on the phone. When connected to the alarm clock 20:00.
The new version is only China time. Wait for the next updated version. This alarm clock will synchronize your phone time.
Xiaomi Smart Clock vs Normal Clocks
Obviously, normal clocks are way cheaper. But a smart clock lets you set timers, the night mode showcases the numbers clearly. This is something even a normal clock can do.
But where the smart clock wins is the fact that it has a display and it can read the news, show the weather and also play music. If you want an upgrade on the normal alarm clock with Google Home hub sort of features, then this is good. If you just want an alarm clock, the Xiaomi clock is overkill.
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