Xiaomi Air Purifier 3 Review 

Our Verdict

Xiaomi is a big brand, and its products are available worldwide. Xiaomi air purifiers are really worth paying attention to in the market today because users are very satisfied when using their products.

The 3rd generation Xiaomi air purifier made us curious when this product emerged as a phenomenon in China. This product inherits technology from Xiaomi Air Purifier 2 and is much improved. Our CEO says: “A minimalist air purifier with a premium feel that’s affordable for what it offers.” He loves it, from its design to the performance, and the price of Mi Air Purifier 3 was really good;then he suggested we buy 8 of these air purifiers for the BeforeBuy office.

We have had a period of 3 months to use and test this product;some features have improved compared to Mi Air Purifier 2, such as higher CADR, better fan, and well-purified airflow. Moreover, it integrates convenient smart applications and countless other features.

This article will give our reviews based on our experience with the Xiaomi Air Purifier 3. Also, we’ll show you how to use and maintain the product effectively. We will have tests with the previous generation Xiaomi Air Purifier 2 and other air purifier models in the same segment. Let’s go!

Why can you trust our review?

We paid for this product out of our own pocket so this review is not sponsored by the brand, no advertising. We put the air purifier into a closed room of about 600 square feet for rigorous testing.

In addition, in this review we will compare with some other products in the same segment that you may be interested in. These products have all been tested and have specific measurements.

Pros

• Affordable price
• Quiet operation
• Compact design
• Effective performance
• CARB Certified
• Uses very little power (38W)
• It supports Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa.

Cons

• No built-in air quality sensor
• Some users find the app to be too complex
• Device power cord is short

Product specifications

Package list

When you buy Mi Air Purifier 3 you will receive the following, remember to check carefully and if anything is missing, notify the seller of the product so they can fully supplement it for you:

1. Mi Air Purifier 3 
2. True HEPA filter 
3. User manual 
4. Power cord 

Actually, we struggled for a while to realize that the power cord was packaged by Xiaomi in the space containing the filter.

Setup and installation

You just need to open the back of the product and take out the power cord located in the device. Then, you plug the device’s power cord (located under the product on the back) into the power source so the machine can operate. We’re a bit sorry because the power source of this device is quite short.

Design

We loved this product at first sight, Mi Air Purifier 3 really fits the minimalist design, highlighted with matte white paint. Unfortunately, if you like other colors, Mi Air Purifier 3 cannot meet your needs. Mi Air Purifier 3 is designed with 3/4 filter surfaces. Behind the device is an easily removable panel to open the filter. The top has a built-in fan to diffuse fresh air into your space.

Another small drawback is that this product does not have a handle, so moving the device will be difficult.

Display for device control

We have mentioned a lot about the minimalist design of this device and the screen is no exception, to interact with Mi Air Purifier 3 you can control it on the touch OLED screen (The physical buttons are replaced by an OLED screen, which is a technological improvement compared to Mi Air Purifier 2), we quite like this compared to other devices currently. Unfortunately, you can only change the mode on this screen. In addition, the screen will display the AQI level in the room, ambient temperature, humidity, Wi-Fi and the filter mode you have chosen.

Notably, we don’t really control this screen often but use the integrated smart application Mi Home more.

Airflow

Mi Air Purifier 4 sucks air through small holes arranged on 3/4 sides, except the back of the device. The air is then filtered and pushed up the grille to escape.

Performance/CADR

Mi 3 air purifier is equipped with a HEPA class 13 filter, this is an upgrade compared to Mi 2 when this device only uses EPA filters. We have tested a lot of HEPA filters on other devices on the market today and truly this filter has never let us down, it can 99.98% dust, pollen, mold, bacteria and any particles within 0.3 microns. Up to now, Xiaomi has designed a new filter for its air purifier devices (Xiaomi’s High Efficiency Filter) and this filter can completely replace 3H and 3C.

The 3H has a clean air delivery rate of 380 cubic meters per hour and the 3C is 320 cubic meters per hour thanks to a centrifugal fan at its core (a high CADR will help the air be purified faster)

In one minute Mi 3H can provide 6330 liters of purified air and 5330 for Mi 3C. Xiaomi has researched a rear-tilted centrifugal fan that can move air with maximum efficiency. The research team at Xiaomi also launched a new direct-current brushless motor. The newly created pressurized air duct and grille create a better air path, increasing the purifier’s performance to the most optimal level, covering 360 degrees, filtering every aspect of the home.

In our testing, these two products could not achieve the expected coverage parameters but were acceptable.

According to reviews from Beforebuy’s experts and advice on how these two devices can perform best:

• 3H is suitable for ~ 430 sq. M.ft. (~40m2)
• 3C is suitable for an area of 191m2. M.ft. (~34m2)

3H will be suitable for living rooms and large offices and 3C will be suitable for clean bedrooms and reading rooms.

We tested the Xiaomi Air Purifier 3H and the Xiaomi Air Purifier 3C in a reading books room of about 30 square meters in our office. About an hour earlier, we lit a stick of incense and put these two products to the test. After one hour with MI 3H, air quality dropped from 286 to 50-40 PM 2.5. For the Mi 3C, we performed a similar test and reduced the air quality from 254 to 60-70 PM2.5 (Both devices were set to auto mode).

In addition to the available HEPA filter, you can also refer to Xiaomi’s High Performance Filter, Anti-formaldehyde S1 and Antibacterial Filter.

Check out the CADR ranking chart below of the Xiaomi 3H and 3C compared to the same models on the market:

3 filtration stages of Xiaomi Air Purifier 3H and Xiaomi Air Purifier 3C

First the pre-filter will remove hair, dust, cotton fibers and other large particles.

Next, the true HEPA filter will remove cigarette smoke, PM 2.5 particles, pollen, dust, veterinary spray and other allergens as small as 0.3 microm in the air.

Finally, the active filter will absorb formaldehyde, volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and other harmful gases. The carbon filter is coated with fibrous carbon fiber built into the filter.

Noise Level

The two products Mi 3H and Mi 3C have 3 fan speeds, sleep mode, and manual mode.

We brought the Mi 3H home and used it for about a week, in sleep mode we could barely hear any sound. On our meter, it shows a reading of about 39.8 dBA. During the weekend while our kids were running around the house, we turned it on to maximum mode and the sound meter measured about 67 dBA.

Our team of experts also measured Mi 3C, in sleep mode they measured about 29.8 dBA, in maximum mode the index fluctuated from 52-58 dBA.

You won’t need to worry about noise, trust us.

Below is a table showing detailed information:

Check out the Noise level ranking chart below of the Xiaomi 3H and 3C compared to the same models on the market:

Smart app (Mi Home)

Xiaomi Air Purifier 3H and 3C can both connect to the Mi Home app, which is available on the App Store and Android. This is a great app with many customizable features, but it can be a bit difficult to use for the elderly and young children.

Connecting to the Mi Home app is very important. You can view additional air quality metrics as well as control filter functions and schedules. No need to worry every time you return from somewhere, the air in your home is always fresh waiting for you to return.

Air quality sensor and indicator

The air quality sensor is integrated by Xiaomi behind the device, this is a type of laser particle sensor capable of detecting the amount of dust in the air in real time, it can also detect smoke and some VOCs.

The display screen on Xiaomi and the Mihome application will notify information about PM2.5 particles and provide color indicator lights according to the index measured by this sensor.

• PM2.5 (0-75): good air quality, green indicator light
• PM2.5 (76-150): moderate air quality, orange indicator light
• PM2.5 (>155): bad air quality, red indicator light

The light will be notified in real time on the application connected to the device.

Temperature and humidity meter

Behind the machine there are temperature and humidity sensors. This is a plus point that we highly appreciate, it will give you a panoramic view of where you are. On the Mi Home app you can also view real-time temperature and humidity.

Multiple modes

• Auto mode: This mode will automatically measure air quality with the information sensor built into the machine. Based on the data of the computer device, it will automatically change the fan speed so that the air is always maintained at the best level. We often leave this mode on when we’re away from home.
• Manual mode: During testing, we found this feature quite interesting, when connecting to the Mi Home application (On the device screen displays a heart shape), we can manually set the filtering speed as desired using the slider when selecting manual mode on the application. This device was used by Stalin in 2021 in his reading apartment and he said he often used this feature for customization because that room was quite small.
• Parental controls: If your family has young children, this feature is very suitable for you, it can prevent your child from accidentally pressing the physical button and changing the mode on the device. To enable this mode you must connect to Mi Home App.
• Sleep Mode: If you are keeping the device in the bedroom, pay attention to this mode. When you turn on the sleep mode, the device will almost no longer make noise to help you have the best sleep. What we find most unfortunate is that when this mode is turned on, the screen does not turn off. If you want to turn off the screen, you must go through the application or press the screen off button on the back of the device.

Operating Costs

Mi 3H and 3C both have very low power consumption. However, these two devices will be weaker than directly competing devices.

Xiaomi Air Purifier 3H works 24 hours: ~3.5 USD

Xiaomi Air Purifier 3H works 24 hours: ~2.8 USD

Operating costs are reasonable, right? We really like this and appreciate it.

Below is a table of the electricity consumption we measured in our testing

Check out the Operating Costs ranking chart below of the Xiaomi 3H and 3C compared to the same models on the market:

Product buying advice from experts

BeforeBuy experts find that these two products will be suitable for the majority of people because of their features and accessible price. If you are the first to reach out and want to use an air purifier at home, don’t hesitate, you will be satisfied with Xiaomi’s air purifier.