Xiaomi finds its new Sound with its latest smart speaker

Xiaomi may have drawn eyes today by finally launching updates for its Mi Mix and Mi Pad lines; however, it had something to flesh its range of audio accessories out too. Simply called the Sound, it has a short cylindrical form-factor topped with a flat disc for minimalist volume and other controls. Then again, its maker asserts it has more going on in the inside.

These internals largely consist of a large central driver, flanked by dual passive radiators for what the OEM claims is a sound level of up to 90 decibels (dB). This audio is tuned with "Harman AudioEFX", which may impart deeper, richer bass and clarity in playback.

The Xiaomi Sound also has the same Hi-Res Audio certification as the Mi Pad 5 series, as well as a rating for "360-degree audio". This may also come in handy during the stereo pairing also supported here; in fact, Xiaomi claims that up to 8 Sounds can remain connected at the same time, so as to keep the same track playing all around the average-sized home.

The voice assistant (which may vary across markets)-enabled speaker also boasts the same new 500MHz ultra-wide band (UWB) system as the Mi Mix 4, and may thus be capable of improved connections with this new phablet. For older devices, however, there is also NFC in any case. The Xiaomi Sound speaker will cost 499 yuan (~US$77) on its release to the Chinese market.