Smart speaker is the future of technology. The Simpsons predicted the arrival of such a device in people’s houses a long time ago. These special speakers can do several smart things: from setting alarms to playing music and interacting with smart home products. As one of the most important hi-tech giants in China, Xiaomi has announced two smart speakers, one of which has been unveiled yesterday: the Xiaomi Mi AI Mini Speaker.

In this article, you can see the first hands-on photos which are showing the gadget in all its splendor. The speaker comes with a shape which is reminiscent of the Mijia Rice Cooker, and the photos are showing it in its White hue. The dimensions of Xiaomi Mi AI Mini Speaker are 90 x 90 x 50 mm (it is a lot smaller than the Rice Cooker) and its weight is 210g.

On the top of the device, there are volume controls, a “Play and Stop” key and a microphone key. Around the controls, there are four microphones, while in the middle there is a LED which will indicate the status of the gadget. You can learn everything about Xiaomi Mi AI Mini Speaker through our article about its official announcement.

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Xiaomi and Microsoft have signed a new deal. Both companies already have an existing partnership that sees the latter’s office suite of apps pre-loaded on Xiaomi’s phones. The new deal which focuses on AI will bring to market a Cortana-powered Xiaomi smart speaker.

Xiaomi already has a smart speaker called the Mi AI speaker. The speaker uses an in-house assistant and only supports Chinese. Cortana currently supports English (Australia, US, UK, Canada), Chinese, French, German, Japanese, Italian, and Spanish.

The Cortana smart speaker will actually be a “port” of Cortana to the Xiaomi Mi AI speaker. Reviews say the speaker does look good and has great audio and build quality. It is also pretty cheap as it sells for just ¥299 (~$50). So this sure looks like a win already.

The agreement between both companies is actually a Strategic Framework Memorandum of Understanding. The agreement will result in a combination of Microsoft’s experience in cloud and AI technology and Xiaomi’s expertise in smart hardware development for achieving select goals. Both companies will leverage on the other’s strength for success.

Xiaomi will also have access to Microsoft’s Azure cloud platform and also get development and marketing insights for its own laptops.

READ MORE: Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Pro AnTuTu Score vs Mi 5 vs Mi 6 vs Redmi Note 5: SD 636 on Par With SD 820!

There is no time frame for when the speaker will hit markets as details are still scarce. Nevertheless we are still excited about the news.

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Xiaomi has disclosed that the Mi AI Speaker will be going up for beta testing on August 10 via Mi Mall. The company also revealed that Beta testers who are successfully accepted into the programme will only need to pay just 1 Yuan to get the smart gadget. That is like getting it for FREE and the application is open to everyone provided you are in China. All that is needed is to apply via the Mi Mall app and then use the password “small love students” to get access to the application.

The Xiaomi Mi Ai Speaker was launched along side the Mi 5X on July 26 and comes with a design that looks very much like the Mi Air Purifier. The smart speaker has 6 omnidirectional microphones that are capable of picking up sounds up to 16 meters away. The device also comes with three speakers in all. One is a 360° speaker at the base and there is a speaker on two of the four sides. You can connect to the speaker via Bluetooth, DLNA, or WiFi. Among the functions of the Smart speaker is the ability to play music, get traffic/weather report, listen to entertaining stories and jokes, work as an alarm and also, it can be used to remotely control other smart gadgets in the home. The smart assistant is also built to be used by every member of the household, including kids.

Read More: Xiaomi Enters The Smart Speaker Race With The Mi AI Speaker

The Mi AI Speaker has a price tag of 299  Yuan (~$44) and we don’t know when the sales will start. But as stated earlier, application for the Beta testing programme will open on Thursday, August 10 and will end on August 16. So, if you’re interested, download the Mi Mall app now. Xiaomi doesn’t ship outside China presently so, that means this application is only open to those in China.

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