Xiaomi Smart Standing Air Circulation Fan Review

Standing in the living room or sitting on a table, the Xiaomi Smart Standing Air Circulation Fan combines two formats, twin-axis oscillation and a long list of connected settings. Airflow, noise and power consumption were all measured for this review.

The Xiaomi Smart Standing Air Circulation Fan is a pedestal fan that can be converted into a desktop model. In its full configuration, the head sits on a column fixed to the base. Remove that column and screw the head directly onto the base, and the overall height drops accordingly. Switching format therefore requires no additional accessory.

In pedestal form the fan stands 88.6 cm tall. Its 25 cm grille houses a 21 cm blade. Four speeds are accessible from the control panel, alongside a direct mode and a natural mode that varies the airflow. The head has motorised oscillation on two axes: up to 120° horizontally and 100° vertically. The movements can be enabled separately or combined.

The fan connects over wifi to the Xiaomi Home app, which also provides access to the timer, scheduling and several extra settings. It has neither a battery nor a remote control, however, and must stay plugged into the mains.

Assembly presents no particular difficulty. In pedestal mode, the column screws onto the base and the head then takes its place at the top. To switch to the tabletop format, the fan has to be unplugged, those elements unscrewed and the head fixed directly onto the base. The operation is simple, although the changeover obviously cannot be made while the fan is running.

At just 2.7 kg on the scales, this Xiaomi ranks among the lightest pedestal fans in its class. It moves easily from one room to another, but the absence of a handle means grabbing it by the column instead — a shame, because its low weight would otherwise have made it particularly pleasant to carry.

The wide base gives good stability in both configurations. Height is not adjustable, though, so it is a choice between the 88.6 cm pedestal format and the tabletop version. The overall look is white and fairly discreet. The 1.5 m cable does look a little short, and the lack of a battery limits the options for setting the fan up away from a socket.

Six touch keys sit on the support, just beneath the head. They provide access to power, the four speeds, natural mode, horizontal and vertical oscillation, the timer and switching off the indicator lights. The fan remembers the speed and mode used during the previous session.

The position of that panel does mean bending down when the Xiaomi is used in pedestal form. Its grey pictograms on a white background also lack contrast and the keys are not backlit, so in a dark room it is sometimes a matter of aiming by feel. The small indicator lights show speed, natural mode and the state of the wifi connection, but they do not entirely make up for that lack of legibility.

From the panel, the timer can be set from one to four hours. The oscillations are simply switched on or off, with no way to choose their amplitude or to aim the head precisely. Xiaomi advises against moving the head by hand, at the risk of upsetting its calibration, so finer adjustments have to go through the app.

The absence of a remote control is keenly felt here. Xiaomi Home can certainly stand in for one, but reaching for a smartphone to nudge the airflow slightly is not always the most natural gesture.

Pairing goes through the wifi network and the app guides the user through the various steps. A long press on two keys resets the connection.

The main Xiaomi Home screen shows the selected mode and speed. It allows switching between direct airflow and the natural breeze, then setting power on a scale from 1 to 100. That stepless adjustment is one of the app's main attractions, against only four levels on the fan itself.

The two oscillations can be controlled separately. Their amplitude can be set to 30, 60, 90 or 120° horizontally and up to 100° vertically. A directional control also allows the head to be aimed precisely, while circulation cycles combine the movements to sweep the room more widely.

Xiaomi Home adds a shutdown delay of up to eight hours, scheduling, and automations linking the fan to other devices in the ecosystem. The settings also allow the child lock to be enabled, the beeps or indicator lights to be silenced, the device to be shared and updates to be checked. The app is clear and well organised, and it is close to indispensable if the fan is to be enjoyed fully.

Dust inevitably builds up on the grille and the blade. Reaching them means removing a screw, rotating the front grille and then unscrewing the cap holding the blade in place. The job therefore takes a little more than a quick wipe with a cloth, but it is well within anyone's reach.

Despite its small stature, the Xiaomi Smart Standing Air Circulation Fan is not short of air. At 1 m, airflow was measured at 2.1 m/s at intermediate power and 3.3 m/s at maximum. The result is a marked sense of freshness without having to place the fan right beside you.

At 2 m, the figures still reach 1.3 m/s at intermediate power and 2.2 m/s at maximum. Those results are convincing for a head measuring just 25 cm, and they make it possible to use the fan from the other side of a bedroom or a small living room.

The flow is fairly concentrated, however. At full power and 1 m, the measurements showed 0.7 m/s some 30 cm above the axis and 0.4 m/s below it. Move 30 cm to either side and the airflow becomes imperceptible.

At intermediate power, the Xiaomi produces 39 dB at 1 m. It remains audible in a quiet room, but the airflow is discreet enough to work or watch television without too much distraction.

At maximum, the sound level meter climbs to 52 dB and the fan makes itself clearly heard. Fortunately, the 100 steps offered in the app make it possible to find a fairly precise compromise between power and discretion.

The motor's low output translates into modest consumption. At the minimum setting, the Xiaomi drew 1.8 Wh after an hour of operation. Projected over a simulation based on eight hours of daily use across four months, that represents only 1.73 kWh.

At full power, consumption reaches 17 Wh in an hour, or 16.32 kWh over the same theoretical period. The fan therefore stays notably frugal, even when running flat out.

For anyone drawn to this convertible format but looking for more power, the Dreo TurboPoly 765S is a possible alternative. Still within the same format, the Duux Whisper Flex 2 Smart has the advantage of a battery compartment, allowing it to be used well away from a socket.