Call it whatever you like, but you can take away the fact that Xiaomi products have got good designs. This came to the fore once again with the launch of the Mi AI Touchscreen Speaker Pro 8. The smart speaker may soon get support for other voice assistants like Google Assistant but we’ll have to wait for more information in that regard. for now, the use of the speaker may be restricted to Chinese speakers but no harm in checking out the amazing design and software features that found their way into the touchscreen speaker.

The new Xiaomi’s Mi AI Touchscreen Speaker Pro 8 design bears some semblance with that of the Amazon Echo Show and may have been inspired by the Echo Show but can be regarded as a cheaper version manufactured with quality in mind.

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The smart speaker features an 8-inch touchscreen display panel having a resolution of 1280 x 800 pixels and an oleophobic coating. The display is surrounded by large bezels and at the top, there is a front camera. The back houses the speaker and it also extends to form the base.  The power and volume buttons are located at the back panel on the left side just after the speaker. The charging port is located on the bottom right corner of the speaker. The device dorns the Mi logo on the speaker which is said to be tuned to deliver quality sound output.

For functionality, the  Mi AI Touchscreen Pro 8 can be used to control a number of smart home products including those from IoT platforms such as Philips, Viomi, Yeelight, Smartmi, Konke, and Roborock. The speaker also comes with an advanced Bluetooth Mesh Gateway which enables connecting several devices at a go and that can be done via voice prompt. But as stated earlier on, we are not sure this is applicable outside the Chinese language. We expect Xiaomi to release a WiFi version later on.

You can equally deploy the Smart speaker for other uses, though, such as an alarm clock, a digital photo frame, and a Bluetooth speaker. For a 599 yuan ($86) gadget, it is worth having while we wait for XiaoAI to get an English version or Google Assistant to hop onboard.

Check out more unboxing/hands-on pictures of the Mi AI Smart Speaker Pro 8 from the gallery below.

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A few days ago, Xiaomi launched a new product in its home country China — Mi AI Touchscreen Speaker Pro 8. The device will now go on sale from today for a price of 499 yuan (approximately $71) although the regular price of the product is 599 yuan (~$86).

This new Xiaomi’s Mi AI Touchscreen Speaker Pro 8 seems to be inspired from the Google Nest Hub/Nest Hub Max and Amazon‘s Echo Show. However, Xiaomi’s own smart display is not a total copy of Google’s product.

It comes with an 8-inch display, sitting between the Nest Hub’s 7-inch screen and the Max’s 10-inch screen. Its base houses the speaker while the power and volume control buttons are behind the right side of the display while a camera sits above the screen.

According to the company, the 8-inch screen offers 36 percent more screen estate compared to a 7-inch display. The resolution is 1280 x 800 pixels the screen is said to have a high-image quality and has an oleophobic coating, so you won’t see fingerprints on it.

The device packs three subwoofers – each of them measuring 50.8 millimeters in size and featuring Neodymium Iron Boron magnets. The company says that the speakers are professionally tuned by DTS.

The Mi AI Touchscreen Pro 8 works with a plethora of smart home products covering 28 different categories and from up to 54 different IoT platforms including Philips, Viomi, Yellight, Smartmi, Konke, and Roborock.

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Connecting a device is easy thanks to the Advanced Bluetooth Mesh Gateway. Xiaomi says it will roll out a feature by March 31, that allows you to connect new smart home devices to the smart display just by voice.

Xiaomi has also partnered with QQ Music for music streaming while iQIYI, Youku, Bilibili, and TikTok handle video streaming. There are also other audio streaming platforms they have partnered with for podcasts, storytelling, and audiobooks. Kids also get custom content and there are security protections in place to keep your child safe.

The Mi AI Touchscreen Speaker Pro 8 also doubles as an alarm clock, a digital photo frame, and a Bluetooth speaker. It is only available in one color variant and that is Chalk and carries a price tag of 599 yuan, roughly $86.

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A few days ago, we reported that Xiaomi has a smart display coming soon. Today, the Mi AI Touchscreen Speaker Pro 8 (yeah, that’s a mouthful) has been announced in China.

Design

It is obvious where the inspiration for the Mi AI Touchscreen Speaker Pro 8′ design comes from. For those who do not know, it is the Google Nest Hub/Nest Hub Max. However, Xiaomi’s own smart display is not a total copy of Google’s product.

First, the Mi AI Touchscreen Pro 8 has an 8-inch display, so it sits between the Nest Hub’s 7-inch screen and the Max’s 10-inch screen. Its base which is where the speakers are is curved, and in my own opinion, better-looking than Google’s own. The power and volume control buttons are behind the right side of the display while a camera sits above the screen.

Xiaomi’s smart display is only available in one color variant and that is Chalk, unlike the Nest Hub which comes in four colors (two colorways for the Nest Hub Max).

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Mi AI Touchscreen Speaker Pro 8 Specifications and Features

Xiaomi says the 8-inch screen offers 36% more screen estate compared to a 7-inch display. The resolution is unknown but the screen is said to have a high-image quality and has an oleophobic coating, so you won’t see fingerprints on it. Xaiomi also says the display is fully-laminated to reduce reflections.

The Mi AI Touchscreen Speaker Pro 8 has three subwoofers – each of them measuring 50.8 millimeters in size and featuring Neodymium Iron Boron magnets. Xaiomi says the speakers are professionally tuned by DTS.

The smart display has a camera at the top for video calls. Xiaomi says it can be used to make video calls with supported models of its smart TVs such as the Mi TV Pro 55”, Mi TV Pro 65”, Mi TV 5 Pro 55” and Mi TV 5 Pro 65”. However, this feature will be rolled out as an OTA before February 28, 2020.

The Mi AI Touchscreen Pro 8 works with a plethora of smart home products covering 28 different categories and from up to 54 different IoT platforms including Philips, Viomi, Yellight, Smartmi, Konke, and Roborock. Connecting a device is easy thanks to its advanced Bluetooth Mesh Gateway. Xiaomi says it will roll out a feature by March 31, that allows you to connect new smart home devices to the smart display just by voice. All you have to do is ask it to find the device and it will do so and connect to it. However, the feature will be limited to Mijia devices and exclude smart security cameras, door locks, and doorbells.

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Xiaomi has partnered with QQ Music for music streaming while iQIYI, Youku, Bilibili, and TikTok handle video streaming. There are also other audio streaming platforms they have partnered with for podcasts, storytelling, and audiobooks.  Kids also get custom content and there are security protections in place to keep your child safe.

The Mi AI Touchscreen Speaker Pro 8 also doubles as an alarm clock, a digital photo frame, and a Bluetooth speaker in case you want to play something from your phone or other devices.

Mi AI Touchscreen Speaker Pro 8 Price

The smart display has a price tag of ¥599 (~$86). If you register now, you can pick it up for ¥499 (~$71). It will go on sale on December 18 at 10 AM.

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