Currently, on the market, several brands manufacture this type of printer. However, only two fit the price you were looking for. At first, I was looking and comparing another called Huawei Pocket Photo Printer. From what I have seen and investigated, there were not so many differences concerning this one I bought. Throughout the review, I will tell you why I have opted for Xiaomi.
It comes in a white box with a picture of the product. On the back are the specifications in Chinese and the compatibility of Apple devices in English.
Inside the box, the printer is protected by a translucent bag. Below are the 5 Zink photo papers for the printer and a brief usage guide in Chinese. Next is a small 40-centimetre USB to micro USB cable in white.
Design and Screen
This Xiaomi Mijia Photo Printer has a good finish, rounded edges, and a nice touch. It is made of rigid white ABS plastic. At first glance, it seems resistant, but it will be necessary to see with the passage of time and the possible blows as it ages. I want to add that even though the fingerprints are not very noticeable, the lint and threads of the fabrics do remain; I suppose it is due to static electricity.
It has 12.3 cm long x 8.5 cm high x 2.4 cm thick and weighs 184 grams.
On the front is the slot where you will print the photos with a small white LED. Below the place is written the phrase “MY PHOTO PRINTER.”
At the rear of the printer is the centred micro USB charging connector. Next to it on the right side is the on/off button, and on the left, two small LEDs. One is the charging and power LED, and the other is the Bluetooth connection status. It lights up blue when the connection with the smartphone is established.
At the top is the Xiaomi logo. The base is identical, except for its four small dots to prevent it from sliding and slipping when placed on any surface and the Xiaomi logo.
APP AND CONNECTIVITY
The Xiaomi manufacturer wanted practically all current devices on the market to be compatible with this portable printer. For this reason, they have decided that all smartphones or tablets with a system version equal to or greater than Android 4.1 or iOS 9.0 are compatible.
The Xiaomi printer has Bluetooth 5.0 BLE connectivity (compatible with lower versions). Thanks to this version, the transfer and speed of photos are improved, as well as the battery consumption of both the smartphone and the printer.
In addition, it allows you to connect up to 3 devices simultaneously to send images to the print queue. This will be done by sending a friend request to the device once we have configured the printer in an account.
I would have liked to find compatibility with WiFi networks or even NFC to link it with the application quickly and easily. However, I think you cannot ask for more for the price of this printer.
Xiaomi Mijia Photo Printer Review
My HomeApp
The application that we must install is “Mi Home.” This is in charge of configuring the Xiaomi ecosystem. It can be downloaded from the Google Play app store for Android devices or the App Store for Apple devices.
Tip: Just as it happened to me with the “Mi Home” App, and it could happen to some of you, I have configured an ecosystem in the China region. If I change the region to Spain, as I have indicated, I lose access to the configuration of some devices that I have already configured on that server. So I have duplicated the APP. Almost all smartphones have an application cloner to duplicate the accounts that we want. I have cloned the “Mi Home” App and logged in one in the China region and the other in Spain. If your smartphone does not have this function, you can download an application from Google Play, such as Parallel or Multiple Accounts.
Once this is done and to access the application, you will have to register or log in. You can use a Xiaomi account or register with your phone or email.
Photography
The printing time for a single photo is about 40 seconds. However, this time increases to 55 seconds if we count the transmission time of the image to the printer and becomes 1 minute and 30 seconds if we have to calibrate the thermal printer with the orange cardboard with the code of bars.
Xiaomi Mijia Photo Printer Review
When I’ve printed a few photos, it’s obvious and given the heat technology used to print them, you could notice that the part resting on the table was getting hot.
As for the quality of the photographs, they are not like the ones we take to print at a specialized store, but they have enough sharpness and resolution for the size of the photo. As I mentioned, the photograph is 2 x 3 inches (5 x 7.6 cm).
As for the colours of the prints, they are not the same as those of the photograph on the smartphone, and in this aspect, there is room for improvement.
battery
It mounts a battery made of lithium-ion polymer with a capacity of 500 mAh, which provides approximately 20 photographs with a single charge. It is an accessory that does not stand out for its significant autonomy; however, we will have to print many pictures occasionally. If this is an impediment, you can charge it with an external battery while you print the photos.
If you don’t have enough battery to print the photo, the image you want to print stays in the queue pending transmission to the printer. In addition, a notification will appear for you to load the Xiaomi Mi Photo Printer.
Charging time for this printer using a 9V 2A 18W charger and USB to micro USB cable has been a scant 1 hour. As I mentioned in the article, when the charging LED turns off, the battery is 100% charged.
