The Xiaomi Smart Humidifier 2 is a simple, well-built humidifier with a few smart features that make it more useful than something more average. It's packing a 4.5L water tank, and app controls make it well-suited to overnight use, while the R1,150 price keeps it relatively accessible.
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Without the moisture that the rains bring to South Africa by the bucket, getting that particular fix can be difficult. Or it used to be, anyway. Humidifiers aren’t exactly new, but they’ve been gaining in popularity as they become more common and, importantly, cheaper. Xiaomi’s Smart Humidifier 2 is the perfect example, at R1,150.
Firing on all cylinders
This isn’t the cheapest humidifier we’ve ever seen, but it is one of the more affordable ‘smart’ options available. It’s also got the Xiaomi name going for it, offering a baseline of quality that the other no-name brands lack. It does exactly what it says on the tin, while wrapped up in a plain but effective white plastic that’ll fit in anywhere.
Setting the bugger up was as easy as plugging in the two-prong cord, filling up the 4.5L tank, and hitting the power button. It’s not that tricky to find — there are only two to choose from. The other button handles the device’s flow speeds. You’ll cycle through four levels of mist, with the fourth offering constant humidity.
The lid — which you’ll lift off to top it up with water — features a dual mist outlet, which can be manually twisted to adjust the flow to your liking. The only break in the white plastic body runs vertically down the cylinder’s front and allows for a glance at the water level inside, and whether it’s ready for a top-up or not. ‘Round the back, you’ll find a little drawer-like compartment where a couple of drops of aroma oil can be added to spruce up the room.
There’s no denying the Humidifer 2 is well-built. The plastic body looks suited for most vibes, and it’s lightweight enough to move from room to room without much hassle. We’d empty that tank first, though.
Slept like a moist log
While the Humidifier 2 performed well in a big lounge, it did its best work as a nighttime companion. There’s no dedicated ‘night mode’ that you might find on more expensive models, but it doesn’t need it. It’s quiet enough in its operation (Xiaomi claims 38dB) that we slept right next to it without issue. The LED indicator is also dim enough that it can be ignored (almost) entirely. If it’s still bothering you, it can be disabled on the smart app.
Nobody could call this humidifier lazy. It’ll blast out 350mL/h of mist, which, coupled with the 4.5L tank, enables the device to run all night and well into the following day. We eked out around 28-ish hours before it began crying for a refill, though it’ll go a bit longer if you’re not interested in moistening up the house too much.
Xiaomi isn’t just spreading your tap water ’round the place. At least, not directly. The Humidifier 2 is equipped with UV-C ultraviolet sterilisation technology that the company claims can eradicate “up to” 99.9% of bacteria before it shoots it out. We can’t say that the result is a particularly noticeable one, but we also can’t fault it.
Read More: Solenco Ultrasonic Humidifier review – The Highveld’s secret weapon against the dry?
Where ‘smart’ enters into the Smart Humidifier 2 equation has everything to do with the Xiaomi Home app. In addition to enabling its users’ laziness by switching it on from the other side of the room, it’ll offer an easy way to keep an eye on the humidity of the room it’s in. You can take it a step further by hooking it up to your Google or Amazon assistant, and use your voice to perform some basic functions, like turning it off.
It can’t do everything, or we just haven’t figured out the right code words. Use the app to turn off the quiet beeps for good, if needed. Switch it over to ‘constant humidity ‘, and you’ll get the option to set it to the desired humidity (in %), capping it at 70%. Opt for speed mode two or three, and it’ll offer ‘over-humidity protection’ that knocks it back down to level one when it reaches that 70% threshold. Or leave it off. It’s your house.
Xiaomi Smart Humidifier 2 verdict
The Xiaomi Smart Humidifier 2 is a solid option and a pretty easy recommendation at the R1,150 asking price. Especially if you want a little more from your humidifier than ‘turn it on and wait’. It does exactly what you’d expect it to — and possibly a little more. That’s down to the smart app control on top of the 4.5L tank that’ll keep it running for hours on end. It won’t turn your lounge into a tropical rainforest, and thank goodness for that. But for a relatively affordable smart humidifier, Xiaomi gets all the important bits right without complicating matters.
