Xiaomi Mi Bluetooth Headset

The Chinese company Xiaomi has been pleasing users for ten years not only with high-quality smartphones, but also with stylish accessories. The Mi Bluetooth Headset is a bright representative of the low-cost line, combining the company's traditional minimalistic design with decent performance.

Modest but tasteful

Mi Bluetooth Headset won the German IF Design Award for its exclusive design in 2015. The cylindrical case at first sight attracts with its conciseness. Regardless of the colour scheme (white or black), the matte oleophobic coating of the headset does not leave fingerprints, and it itself retains a neat appearance for a long time.

The speaker in the protruding part is protected by a mesh, while the microphone and status indicator are neatly hidden in the case, as evidenced by a small cutout. The microUSB connector is located at the bottom of the cylinder, and the only control key is at the top.

The kit comes with three types of ear cushions of different sizes (S, M, L) made of medical silicone. Thanks to special stops, the earbud is securely placed in the ear and does not fall out during sudden movements. But the headset is not equipped with a behind-the-ear mount. Apparently, due to the very light weight of 6.5 g, the manufacturer decided to abandon additional mounts.

Functional

The Mi Bluetooth Headset has a version of Bluetooth 4.1, optimized, among other things, for the LTE (4G) communication standard. The headset also supports A2DP (Advanced Audio Distribution Profile) technology — an advanced audio distribution profile that allows you to transmit a high-quality stereo signal via bluetooth. However in the case of a mono headset, this is more of a marketing ploy than a useful quality, but no one has yet canceled the placebo effect, and an extra “improver” will not hurt.

The gadget can be connected to two smartphones at the same time (Multipoint function), and noise reduction is designed to exclude the influence of external factors, but handles poorly with the task. While the speakers and silicon microphone ensure clear sound, audibility is reduced in noisy environments by the in-ear design, which is inherently unable to provide full two-way sound isolation, such as an in-ear earphone. Disappointing and voice prompts: they are only in Chinese.

Not very impressive against the background of the closest competitors and the battery life of the device — 5 hours of talk time or listening to music and 180 in standby mode. The full charge cycle time is 120 minutes, and its level is displayed in the status bar of the connected smartphone, however, the option does not work on all devices, in particular, it is not available on native Xiaomi, which is at least strange.

In general, for those who are looking for an inexpensive but functional headset, Xiaomi Mi Bluetooth Headset is the best fit.