Designed for spaces of up to 320 square feet, the Smartmi Air Purifier P1 ($179.99) is a relatively affordable air filtration system that you can easily pick up and move from room to room. It detects the presence of indoor allergens such as pollen and dust mites, as well as fine inhalable particles, and removes them quickly using a HEPA filtration process. The P1 performed well in testing and can be controlled via Amazon Alexa, Apple HomeKit, and Google Assistant. It lacks the air quality measurements and extra features that you get with high-end models such as our Editors’ Choice winner, the $549.99 Dyson Purifier Cool TP07, but it’s also far less expensive, making it a good alternative if you’re shopping for an affordable smart air purifier.
Sleek and Easy to Move
At 14 inches tall, 8.6 inches wide, and 6.6 pounds, the Smartmi P1 is the smallest air purifier we’ve tested. Its cylindrical enclosure comes in a dark gray or silver finish and has a leather handle that makes it easy to transport the device from room to room. The bottom half of the P1 contains grillwork for the air intake vents, while the top has a 360-degree fan that releases clean air back into the room. Also up top is an LCD panel that displays the current PM2.5 level and a has a pollen alert indicator, a Wi-Fi status indicator, a timer button, a filtration mode selection button, indicators for each filtration mode, and a power button.
There are four filtration modes: Auto, Medium, Sleep, and Custom. In Auto mode, the P1 will adjust the filtration level depending on the air quality. In Medium mode, it will run at an optimal filtration and noise level. In Sleep mode, it operates at a low filtration and noise level. Custom mode allows you to set the level yourself using a slider, but it should be noted that the highest filtration level produces the most fan noise.
A laser particle sensor on the back of the unit monitors the air for PM2.5 (fine, invisible particles) and PM10 (larger particles such as pollen and dust) levels, but it doesn’t monitor VOC (volatile organic compounds) levels or tell you the indoor temperature and humidity like the Dyson TP07. The P1 uses a three-layer HEPA filter to clean the air and rid it of the above-mentioned pollutants, but it lacks the additional filtration methods you get with the $499 Aura Air such as UVC light and ion technology that helps break down pollutants from smoke, mold, and virus germs.
The P1 comes with a HEPA filter that is rated to last anywhere from six to twelve months depending on usage. You can also order an carbon-activated pet filter that removes pet, smoke, and other unfavorable odors. Each replacement filter costs $39.99.
Oddly, the P1 does not use the same Mi Home mobile app as the Smartmi Standing Fan 3. Instead, it uses the Smartmi Link mobile app for Android and iOS devices. The main screen displays a picture of the device, its name, the current air quality level (Excellent, Mildly Polluted, Heavily), pollen level, and PM2.5 level. Tap the air quality status to view daily, weekly, or monthly air quality charts. Below the picture is a slider that lets you set the filtration level, and a filter reminder showing the remaining filter life percentage and usage days. Swipe up to set an on/off timer and to enable or disable the P1’s LCD and sounds.
The P1 supports Apple’s HomeKit platform as well as Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, and Siri voice commands, but it doesn’t support IFTTT applets that would allow it to integrate with other third-party devices. You can use your voice to turn the device on and off and to change the mode, but you can’t get the current air quality status or the filter status. However, you can use Alexa and Google routines and HomeKit scenes to have it work with other connected devices.
Setting Up and Using the Smartmi Air Purifier P1
Setting up the P1 is easy. Simply plug it in, download the Smartmi Link mobile app, and tap the plus icon in the center of the screen. After you’ve created an account, tap the plus icon again and select the P1 from the list of discovered devices. Press and hold the Timer and Mode buttons for three seconds until the Wi-Fi indicator begins to flash, tap Next, and select the P1 again. When prompted, enter your Wi-Fi SSID and password and give the device a name to complete the installation.
To test the P1’s filtration performance, I placed the device in a 110-square-foot room where it displayed a PM2.5 reading of 04. I lit a stick of incense and extinguished it when the P1 displayed a PM2.5 level of 200. With the mode set to Auto, the P1 immediately revved up to its highest filtration level, which was a bit loud but on par with the noise level produced by the Prosenic A9 air purifier. After three minutes, the PM2.5 level had dropped to 090, after six minutes it was at 051, and after 10 minutes it had dropped to 031. It required a total of 35 minutes to return to the original 004 reading. By way of comparison, the Prosenic A9 measured 082 after three minutes, 048 after six minutes, 025 after 10 minutes, and needed 19 minutes to return to a reading of 004.
Affordable and Portable
If you’re in the market for a relatively affordable air purification system that you can easily move from room to room, the Smartmi P1 Air Purifier is worth a look. It did a good job of cleaning the air in our tests and was mostly quiet aside from when operating at the highest filtration level. It lacks some of the features that you get with more expensive air purifiers such as the Dyson Purifier Cool TP07 including multiple filtration technologies and measurements for VOCs, CO, temperature, and humidity. That said, you can buy three P1s for the price of a single TP07, making Smartmi’s air purifier a good alternative if you’re shopping on a budget or looking to cover multiple rooms.
