Xiaomi Mijia air pump 1S Review: The air pump is available at MediaMarkt on Saturday, July 15, 23 for only €33 for collection at the store. A good price for the practical gadget.
BUT: The successor is currently even available for just under €30 . However, it will be shipped from China. So if you don’t want to wait, you can still get the 1S model, if you want the best offer, order the 2-series version here.
Xiaomi’s electric air pump for on the go inflates bicycle and car tires and is rightly a very popular product from the manufacturer. The successor model was released in summer 2021 and has even more power. We also tried the Mijia air pump 1S.
Xiaomi Mijia air pump 1S Review, Price & Specs
Xiaomi Mijia air pump 1S / portable electric air compressor review, price and specs below:
- Xiaomi Mijia Air Pump 1S
- at MediaMarkt for €44.99 | Amazon for €41.99 | Banggood for 43.99€ (CN warehouse)
- Bag for Xiaomi air pump
- More than just hot air
The first model appeared in 2019 and quickly became a bestseller for Xiaomi. At that time, Xiaomi brought some electronic tools onto the market, and a few months later the cordless screwdriver also appeared.
Electric air pumps for bicycles (and cars) were not new, but mostly either significantly larger than the Xiaomi model or only usable with a cable – or both. However, the Mijia air pump combined the built-in battery with a compact size, which made it easy to take with you in a backpack or glove compartment. Added to this was the low price, because the gadget was always available for well under €40 or even €30.
If you are a cyclist and only want to use the air pump for this, then the first version is sufficient, that much has already been said. As long as it is still significantly cheaper to get, there is no real reason to have to buy the new model.
How does the air pump work?
In case you don’t know the previous version or haven’t even seen such compressors, we’ll explain exactly how they work and how to use them. But you can also take a look at our test report on the first Mijia air pump.
This air pump is an electronic compressor. It regulates the air pressure – in this case in the bicycle or car tire that you connect. This saves you pumping by hand / Xiaomi Mijia air pump 1S / portable electric air compressor.
- One end of the short hose, which looks like a carrying handle in the pictures, is screwed onto the respective valve.
- The settings can then be made using the buttons on the front panel. The type of tire (car, bike, etc) can be selected and then the desired air pressure in bar or psi. Depending on the model, this is between 2.0 and 2.5 bar in cars, for example.
- The automatic process is started by pressing a button. The pump will make a few noises and, depending on the tires and the current pressure, will take a few seconds to a few minutes. When the target pressure is reached, it switches itself off.
- You can also use the device to simply measure the pressure in the tire. If you connect the hose and switch on the pump, the current pressure is shown on the display.
You can see how this works here in the video – back then with the first model. (By the way, the flickering of the display is only due to the camera.)
Operation is entirely via the buttons on the front panel. You can use the buttons at the top and bottom to regulate the desired pressure. Use the right button to switch between four preset profiles for bicycles, mopeds, cars and balls. Here, too, you can adjust all values again (however, the changes are not saved). Values between 0.2 and 10.3 bar can be set.
If you hold down the right button, the display switches between bar and psi. The large button in the middle turns the pump on and off.
With the left button you can switch on the LED on top of the device, which then serves as a flashlight so that you can find the valve even in the dark. It is not so bright that you can illuminate a room with it, but it is completely sufficient for the purpose. In a second setting, the LED does not light up continuously, but flashes SOS in Morse code (3x short, 3x long, 3x short). Might be helpful in very rare emergencies, but you probably won’t need it.
Which tire pressure is the right one?
The question of how much tire pressure is optimal cannot be answered with a number. The answer depends on various factors and both car and bicycle tires have different values. The tire pressure for the car is in the vehicle documents, it is usually around 2.5 bar, which is also the value set in the air pump.
On a bicycle, the pressure varies more and depends heavily on the tires used. Thin tires on city bikes require a higher pressure of 3-4 bar (44-58psi), racing bikes even up to 7 bar depending on the tire size. Mountain bikes with particularly wide tires can also manage with 2-3 bar. The default value of the Xiaomi air pump in the bike profile is 45 psi (3.1 bar). The correct value is usually printed on the tyre.
Differences from the first version
- More power than before
Is the Xiaomi Mijia air pump 1S / portable electric air compressor worth it in contrast to the first version? The data sheet doesn’t read that much else. Again, a battery with a capacity of 2,000 mAh is installed, again the pump creates 150 psi possible.
According to the manufacturer, the new version should get more out of the given. The performance was increased by 45.4%. It is now possible to fully inflate two almost completely deflated car tires in around 11 minutes. This was not possible before and is thanks to an improved pressure sensor. If just a little air is missing, you should be able to bring up to 8 tires back to the optimum pressure. The first model managed 5.5 tires here.
We compared both devices with each other (and will continue to do so). For example, we deflated Tim’s spare tire and filled it from 0 to 2.1 bar. The old air pump needed 4:40 minutes for this; the new 1S only 2:52 minutes. So the new model is definitely more powerful and can actually fill up tires that are almost empty. The differences are not so relevant for bicycle tires, only adjusting the pressure here takes only a few seconds with both models.
Not much new on the outside
The display has been slightly improved and is now slightly easier to read and brighter. Only in very strong direct sunlight is it not always easy to see. The case is identical and measures 124 x 71 x 45.3 mm. The new pump weighs 484 g and is a good 50 grams heavier.
The external differences are minimal, such as the color of the ring around the valve on the top. This time, however, there is a USB-C port for charging, which is a nice upgrade (but a cable is not included). The enclosed instructions are so far only in Chinese and therefore not usable. The first pump later appeared as an international version with English instructions; not unlikely that this will also happen here.
Conclusion – Small upgrade for drivers
We can also absolutely recommend the new compressor, like its predecessor, it reliably does exactly what it is supposed to. Overall, the Mijia pump 1S is more of an upgrade than a completely new model. If you only need it for the bike, you can definitely go for the first model, which costs less and has already been released as an international version.
The new pump isn’t that much more expensive either. If you can live with only getting a Chinese manual, you get more performance and small upgrades like the slightly better display and the USB-C port. In the long term, the new model is likely to replace the old one when it comes a little closer in price. Xiaomi Mijia air pump 1S / portable electric air compressor Review video below.
