Initially I shortlisted the Philips AC0820/30 but dropped it after knowing that the filter is currently out of stock. I asked Philips when the filter will be available and the sales guy could not provide an answer.

Hence, this Xiaomi Mi 3C was chosen instead after receiving a recommendation.

BACKGROUND
I was looking for an air purifier to be used in a condominium mainly to reduce or eliminate smoke of burning joss sticks from other units which got into my unit through the sliding door and windows. Sometimes there is cigarette smoke which came from the unit above. The smoke of burning joss sticks proved to be a nuisance especially when the smoke stayed along the corridor for a long time as the burning was carried out in the late evenings until night.

I intend to get 3 air purifiers for the whole unit but bought 1 first for evaluation in the living room. If the performance is good, I will get another 2 units from the rooms.

DESIGN
Upon unpacking the packaging, I was quite impressed with the elegant clean looks of the unit. It actually looks larger in real life than pictures shown on the internet. The unit actually adds a classy look to the room due to the nice clean design.

SETTING-UP
Setting up was quite straight forward. The air purifier can be controlled via buttons at the top of the unit. The unit can be switched on and off, with an Auto mode, Night mode and Manual mode.

The Manual mode can only be adjusted by using the Xiaomi Home app on the smartphone. It cannot be adjusted with the air purifier. Wifi is required to connect the unit to the Xiaomi app on the phone. With the Manual mode, the speed can be controlled (on the Xiaomi Home app, the speed is represented by the size of the room). The larger the room, the higher the speed of the fan/suction.

PERFORMANCE
Long story short. This air purifier really works! I usually don't use the air-cond and have the sliding door and windows open. Even with the sliding door at the balcony open, the effects can be felt when the air purifier is working. The air is cleaner with the air purifier in operation as my nose feels good and comfortable. I knew the air purifier is good once I opened the main door of the unit. When I opened the main door, I immediately got the poor smoky smelly air caused by burning joss sticks. Bad air outside, clean air inside the unit with the air purifier.

When I initially switched on the air purifier, the air quality shows 001 to 003 but it eventually went up to 10 but the numbers always stay below 20 at the moment which essentially means the air quality inside my unit is not too bad.

One complaint that I have is the Auto mode is actually rather useless. I'm not sure if it's really working in Automatic but the fan speed stays very low all the time when in Auto mode. The speed does not change at all, as if the sensor is not detecting the air quality in the room and adjust the fan speed accordingly. I usually leave the air purifier in Manual mode in low to moderate fan speed.

CONSIDERATIONS
I have read on the internet that to prolong the filter of the unit, a cotton pre-filter may be used to wrap around the main filter. I have just bought some on Shopee, shipped from China.

In the user manual of the air purifier, it was mentioned that the filter can be washed with water. I'm not so sure about that and don't know if I should wash it with water when the time comes. I'll use a vacuum cleaner to clean the filter first if required and use water in the very last stage of the filter's life span to see if cleaning it with water works.

The price of the replacement filter is not so expensive as the last time I checked it's around RM100+ if I'm not mistaken. There are 3 types, the Grey, Green and Blue. I think the Grey filter is the best option as it is HEPA whilst the rest are lower rated filters but with other features.

Pictures to follow.

This post has been edited by ryder_78: Sep 17 2021, 05:19 PM

i recently purchased one also ... i agree on the auto mode ... it rarely goes up to even 7 ... usually 1-3 only ... wonder if it really works haha

looks great

looks great is it cost a lot ? need one at my house haha

Xiaomi products are not only best value for the price but it is also high quality. Every product from this company from laptop to TV and many more is considered cheap when compared to other competitors. This mi 3c air purifier costs below RM400. For the price I don't think you can find something that is better.

An update. I just received the cotton pre-filter add on shipped from China. It's avaliable on Shopee. Installation is very easy.

10 pieces of cotton filter;


1 piece of cotton filter;


Mi 3C filter before installation of cotton pre-filter;


Mi 3C filter after installation of cotton pre-filter;

this is where Philips AC0820/30 trumps xiaomi 3c air purifier. philips automode really changes based on the environment.

Better to get Xiaomi 3C or 3H with rm130 difference?

I think 3C and 3H coverage area differs but filter is the same if not mistaken.

As for the auto mode, I use automation to increase the speed. Its more practical and useful this way; can also set it to off for few hours of the day (since I use it in bedroom, I keep it off between 8 - 3pm and my automation setup is such that once it the Air Quality is above 40; I set the speed to medium / high and then drop to low below 35.

My brother smokes in his bedroom next door, and secondary smoke comes into my room; around AQI 40; I can get the cigarette smell; hence, I set my automation this way.

Yes same filter.
I'm planning to use in living room of a small apartment.

https://www.thelifeoverseas.com/xiaomi-3c-vs-3h-vs-pro/

My suggestion usually is to keep the selection within a span of 75% of the maximum range of the air purifier.

As such, Xiaomi 3C is 22 - 38m2 and Xiaomi 3H is 26 - 45m2

So at 75%, if your room area is smaller than 28.5m2, then the 3C would be suitable and if its bigger than the 3H is a better option.

Anyhow, for living area usually two small air purifier is better than one depending on layout.

The reason for 75% is so that, in event that there is abnormal pollution in the room, you know that your air purifier is still able to cater for it.

My opinion

I've been interested in this purifier too since the previous generation. Recently with the launch of RealMe Techlife air purifier, and moving house...really thinking of getting one of these two.

How long can a filter last? I read somewhere its between 6-12 months? Would appreciate an update on the % reading on your filter now. I was using a Sharp air filter before this with over 24 months old filter

This post has been edited by Aeon_Clock: Jan 5 2022, 11:19 AM

The filter is still the original, not changed yet. The cotton pre-filter was used to wrap the main filter to extend the life of it. Just today the cotton pre-filter is changed. Looks dirty.

I would say the filter can last a very long time if cotton pre-filter is used as an outer layer. The main filter is not very expensive at about RM100-120 the last time I checked. The cotton pre-filter is very cheap. Few ringgit for many pieces, shipped from China.

Before Replacement (Old filter) ;


After Replacement (New Filter) ;


Difference between New and Old ;


This post has been edited by ryder_78: May 14 2022, 11:07 PM