Xiaomi is aiming to up its home products game and take on Google and Apple by launching a smart speaker. Yeelight, a Xiaomi subsidiary, will be launching the smart speaker. Xiaomi releases its home automation products under the Yeelight branding.
Dubbed ‘Dual AI’ speaker, it comes with both Amazon’s Alexa, for international markets, and Xiaomi’s own Artificial Intelligence assistant, for the Chinese market. The speaker, which aims to replace the Smart speaker released in July, features a round blue LED ring on its top with volume control buttons. Blue light was known to be Alexa Echo Dot’s trademark feature before Xiaomi decided to go for it.
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“Dual AI” runs on a quad-core Cortex A53 processor and has 256 MB of built-in storage. The gadget has a RAM of 256 MB, and a 2 watt speaker unit.
There are several connectivity options available as well. It has dual-band (4 and 5 GHz) Wi-Fi with support for direct connections via Bluetooth. It comes with 6-microphones to ensure 360-degree hearing within a range of 5 meters. The Yeelight speaker features Acoustic Echo Cancellation and Beamforming technology to reduce the noise and ensure accuracy.
Similar to other home-aid AIs, Xiaomi’s smart speaker can perform basic tasks like playing music and providing info on other smart home products like smart LED lamps, table lamps, bedside lamps, and ceiling lights. For the time being only Xiaomi’s own smart products are supported but the company plans to increase compatibility soon.
People are calling Yeelight smart speaker a Chinese version of Echo Dot from Amazon, and they aren’t completely wrong, as similarities between Echo Dot and Xiaomi’s smart speaker can’t be ignored. Nonetheless, Yeelight speaker does seem relevant and eye-catching.
The speaker costs around Rs 3,000 ($30) and is available on Xiaomi’s website.
