Once sold on the company’s crowdfunding platform for Rs. 999, the Mi LED Smart Bulb is now up for an open sale in India. Following which, the prospective buyers can purchase it now for a slightly increased price of Rs. 1,299 via Amazon, Mi.com, and Flipkart.
Well, it’s essentially a rebranded version of Yeelight LED Bulb sold in China and will be competing with the likes of Philips, Syska, Wipro and a few others here in India. That being said, we’ve been using the bulb for a while now and here’s our full Xiaomi Mi LED Smart Bulb review for you to decide if it’s worth buying.
Xiaomi Mi LED Smart Bulb Specifications
Before we start with the Mi Smart Bulb review, let’s have a quick look at the specifications of the device.
- Model- MJDP02YL
- Lamp Holder- E27
- Rated Power- 10 W
- Luminous Flux- 800 lumens
- Rated Input- 220-240V ~50/60 Hz 0.08 A
- Color Temperature- 1700 K – 6500 K
- Wireless Connectivity- Wi-Fi IEEE 802.11 b/g/n 2.4 GHz
- Life Expectancy- Approximately 25,000 hours
- Operating Temperature- From -10 to 40˚C
- Operating Humidity- 0% -85% RH
- Dimensions- ø55 x 120mm
- Warranty- 6 Months
Xiaomi Mi LED Smart Bulb Review
Design & Build
The Mi LED Smart Bulb comes with a rather simple design that not only looks premium but also feels quite durable. Note that it’s available only in a grey colour option which thankfully looks good on all colour paints. And hence, you can use it in any room without worrying about spoiling the interiors.
The bulb itself is made up of good quality materials, unlike the ones having a plastic base. It comprises of high transparency and high light scattering dome crafted out of plastic which houses the electronics and the LEDs under it. This is followed by a plastic-dressed aluminium body that aids for essential insulation and higher heat dissipation besides adding to the overall looks. And lastly, there’s an E27 base for the power connection.
As noted, the Mi LED Bulb comes with an E27 base instead of B22 sockets that are typically used in India. So, if your house doesn’t employ E27 outlets, you’ll be required to use a B22 holder to convert the bulb from E27 base. While Xiaomi hasn’t bundled it in the box, one can get it from the local market for about INR 100-200. That being said, the bulb is a tad on the heavier side, and we’d recommend using a good quality holder for the same.
Setup
Setting up the bulb is a mere piece of cake, and can be done by almost anyone, including elders. First of all, you need to attach a B22 holder in order to make the bulb compatible with the socket. Also, make sure to power it on. Now download the Mi Home app on your phone from Google Play Store/ App Store. Select the country/ region to India and log into Mi Home app via Mi account ID and password or email ID or phone number.
After that, you need to add your Mi Smart Bulb into the application. To do the same, open the Mi Home app, click on + option on the top right and select “Nearby Devices.” The app will now scan and automatically connect the bulb to your phone.
Now, reset the bulb by turning it on and off five times until the light starts blinking in multiple colours. This means that the bulb is reset to default settings. Next, follow the given on-screen prompts to connect the bulb to your WiFi network (the same connected to your phone). That’s it; the pairing process has now been completed.
Features & Performance
Once done with the pairing, you can simply go to the Mi Home App and control the bulb’s colour and flow. For starters, the Mi Smart Bulb supports multi-coloured modes besides typical white and yellow colours. The 10W bulb offers a maximum brightness of 800 Lumens and supports 16 million colours.
In reality, it gets really very bright, and you never get bored with the available colour options. By default, users can select any colour from the given bar in the app depending on the scenario. In all, there are four different preset modes, including White mode, colour mode, flow mode and favourites mode.
As the name suggests, the White Mode enables basic white light while the Colour Mode lets you select the colour of your choice. Whereas, the Flow Mode allows the selected lights to flow smoothly from one to another automatically. The Favourite Mode, on the other hand, is all about setting preferred colours to change as per situations like sunshine, sunset and others.
Interestingly, you also get an option to set a Timer for the bulb through the app. This is especially helpful for people who have a tough time sleeping in the dark. Plus, it can also be scheduled to light up in the morning exactly when the alarm clock rings.
Overall, we loved the way how well the controls were placed in the Mi Home app. A simple swipe will let you change the bulb’s brightness while another one would allow you to change its colour. The colours are fairly accurate across the 1700K to 6500K band range, and the white light is whiter than most LEDs in the segment.
What’s even more convenient is to control the bulb using Google Assistant and Alexa. Just connect the bulb with either of the two virtual assistants, and you’re good to go. We tried using commands like “Turn off the sweet bulb,” “Increase the Sweet bulb brightness by 50%,” “Change Sweet bulb colour to Red” and they worked perfectly fine, without any issues. Note that here Sweet bulb is the name we used for our bulb in the Google Home app.
Pros
- Gets really bright at 800 Lumens
- Easy to set up and use
- Multiple modes, Timer and Scheduled options
- Can be controlled using voice commands
Cons
- Uses E27 connector which isn’t the Indian standard
- B22 converter isn’t provided in the box
Mi Smart Bulb Review Verdict- Should you buy it?
The Xiaomi Mi Smart bulb is indeed one of the most feasible and hasslefree budget options, as it doesn’t require any kind of bridge or hub to control. Moreover, it gets really bright, has multiple modes and lets you choose between a wide variety of colours. Plus, there’s a lot of AI sorcery including Timer, Scheduled mode and the ability to be controlled via smart assistants. All-inclusive, considering the premium design, tons of packed in features and ease of use, we feel that the Mi Smart Bulb aptly justifies the price it retails for. And, it easily is one of the best smart bulbs to go for at a budget of under INR 1,500.