Xiaomi Portable Electric Air Compressor 1S Review: Feature-Packed, Compact Tyre Inflator

Last Updated on June 1, 2022 by Rupesh Patil

Xiaomi entered the tyre inflator market in India last year with the launch of the Xiaomi Portable Electric Air Compressor. It was well-received, thanks to its compact design and the ability to run on a built-in battery. Now, the company has launched its successor, the Xiaomi Portable Electric Air Compressor 1S.

According to the company, the newer model has a more powerful motor for faster performance. Priced at ₹2,499, the Xiaomi Portable Electric Air Compressor 1S is the only affordable portable tyre inflator in India from a reputed brand that has an inbuilt battery. This saves you from the hassle of winding and unwinding cables.

It is much smaller than most other portable tyre inflators, making it more convenient for storing in compact places inside vehicles.

On paper, the Xiaomi Portable Electric Air Compressors 1S looks like the ultimate tyre inflator. But how does it perform in real life? Will it be enough to save you in difficult and emergency situations? Well, that’s what we are gonna find out in this Xiaomi Portable Electric Air Compressor 1S review.

Design

Even though the Xiaomi Portable Electric Air Compressor 1S has a built-in battery, it is significantly smaller than most other tyre inflators in India that rely on an external power source. Isn’t that impressive? Hats off to Xiaomi for managing to fit an air compressor as well as a battery in a package so small. Compared to the Michelin 12266 tyre inflator that I own, the Xiaomi Portable Electric Air Compressor 1S is only one-third the size.

Its small size means that you can store it anywhere in your car, including the glove box, seatback pocket, and under the floor mat of the boot (tucked somewhere around the spare wheel). It doesn’t eat up the interior space, which is already at a premium in most compact cars in India. You can’t say the same about other tyre inflators. You have to keep them in the boot, which eats up the luggage space.

Since it is so small, you can even keep it under the seat of your moped (or motorcycle if there is enough space under the seat) for emergencies. If you are a cyclist, you can keep one in your backpack as well. Since it has an inbuilt battery, it is perfect for two-wheelers. More on that in the performance section, though. In my opinion, the small size of the Xiaomi Portable Air Compressor is one of its strongest selling points.

The device has a display at the front, and it shows current and desired tyre pressure and also the mode information. Below the screen, there is a directional pad for controlling the device. At the top, there is an air hose. The other end of the hose neatly tucks into the body, giving the tyre inflator a sophisticated and premium look. The top portion also houses an LED flash, which comes in handy when you are filling the air at night.

The air hose is very short compared to the ones in other tyre inflators. So, when you attach the air hose to the nozzle on the tyre, the tyre inflator sometimes doesn’t reach the ground. It just keeps hanging from the nozzle. However, it’s not an issue. It is made to function like that. You can check it out in the product’s TV commercial. Interestingly, the air hose also acts as the on/off switch. The unit turns on when you release the nozzle and turns off when you put it back.

The Xiaomi Portable Electric Air Compressor 1S is much smaller than most other tyre inflators on the market, which makes it very convenient to store in vehicles.

At the bottom, there is a USB Type-C port for charging. People wouldn’t have complained even if Xiaomi put a microUSB port there, considering that this is an affordable product, but it didn’t. I love that Xiaomi pays attention to these little things.

Speaking of charging, there’s a battery indicator on the bottom bezel. I think Xiaomi should’ve shown the battery and charging information on the main display. However, this is a tiny issue that can be ignored.

Build Quality

The Xiaomi Portable Electric Air Compressor 1S has excellent build quality. The body is made out of high-quality, soft-touch plastic. Everything in the tyre inflator, including the screen, D-pad, air hose, LED flash, and the USB Type-C port, is well put together.

The Xiaomi Portable Electric Air Compressor 1S has an exceptional build quality

When you hold it in hand, you can feel that it is premium, solidly built, and very strong. It has no flex. When you store a tyre inflator in a car’s glovebox or bike’s under-seat storage, it can get thrown around quite a lot, especially, given the road conditions in India. The Xiaomi Portable Electric Air Compressor 1S can take abuse without any breaking apart, especially because it has no loose parts hanging around.

Overall, the Xiaomi Portable Electric Air Compressor 1S has excellent design, ergonomics, and build quality.

Performance

While the small size of the Xiaomi Portable Electric Air Compressor 1S is one of its strongest points, it is also its weakest. In order to make the Portable Electric Air Compressor 1S compact, Xiaomi had to use a smaller motor compared to the ones in most other portable tyre inflators. Due to the small motor, the Xiaomi Portable Air Compressor 1S takes a significantly longer time than other tyre inflators to fill up the air.

To see how the Xiaomi Portable Electric Air Compressor 1S performs, I used it to fill up a completely deflated car tyre. I own a Kia Sonet 1.5 CRDi VGT 6AT GTX Plus and it comes with 215/60/R16 tyres. I completely deflated the rear right tyre of the car, and then used the Xiaomi Portable Electric Air Compressor 1S to fill it up to the factory recommended pressure (34 PSI).

Tyre Inflator	Time
Xiaomi Portable Electric Air Compressor 1S	13 Minutes 20 Seconds
Michelin 12266 Tyre Inflator	6 Minutes 16 Seconds

It took the Xiaomi Electric Air Compressor 1S 13 minutes and 20 seconds to fill up a completely deflated 215/60/R16 tyre to 34 PSI. In comparison, my Michelin 12266 tyre inflator took 6 minutes and 16 seconds for the same task. That’s half of what the one from Xiaomi took. The Xiaomi Portable Electric Air Compressor 1S is clearly much slower than other tyre inflators on the market.

The Xiaomi Portable Electric Air Compressor 1S fills the air at a much slower speed than most of its competitors.

However, you have to keep in mind that Xiaomi Portable Electric Air Compressor 1S is compact and runs on its own power. It doesn’t take up much storage space, and with this tyre inflator, you don’t have to go through the hassle of winding and unwinding the power cable. So, even though it is slow, it also has its advantages.

Since most two-wheelers don’t have a 12V DC output, tyre inflators requiring an external power source are not compatible with them. The Xiaomi Portable Electric Air Compressor 1S is perfect for two-wheelers. This gives the Xiaomi Portable Electric Air Compressor 1S an upper hand compared to other tyre inflators in the market.

The Xiaomi Portable Electric Air Compressor 1S is not suitable for people who have to fill the air in a completely deflated tyre frequently. For example, someone who stays in an area with bad roads and faces punctures regularly. The one from Xiaomi is also not suitable for off-road enthusiasts, as they have to inflate and deflate the tyres quite often. In such cases, a tyre inflator with 12V DC input makes more sense as it will not only fill air faster but also give you peace of mind that it won’t run out of battery.

The pressure accuracy is great as well. After inflating the tyre to 34 PSI, I checked the air pressure with Michelin 4203 Digital Tyre Pressure Gauge. It measured 33 PSI. The inbuilt tyre pressure monitoring system (TPMS) in my Kia Sonet also recorded 33 PSI. A tyre pressure accuracy of +/- 1 PSI is generally considered to be good enough for most cases.

Battery Life

The Xiaomi Portable Electric Air Compressor 1S has a 2,000mAh (14.8Wh) battery. With a full charge, it managed to run for about 18 minutes. In that period of time, I was able to fill one completely deflated 215/60/R16 tyre of my Kia Sonet to its factory recommended pressure of 34 PSI and another one till 15 PSI, after which, the tyre inflator ran out of battery and switched off.

In my experience, tyres usually lose about 3-5 PSI of air on an average in a month. Most people will be using the Xiaomi Portable Electric Air Compressor 1S to top off the lost air. The Xiaomi Portable Electric Air Compressor 1S can fill up 3-5 PSI of air in four tyres at least two or three times on a single charge, which, in my opinion, is not bad at all.

The worst-case scenario would be that in case of an emergency, you will have to inflate a completely flat tyre to factory-recommended air pressure. The Xiaomi Portable Air Compressor 1S can comfortably do that on a single charge, at least for tyres up to 215/60/R16 size. So, in my opinion, the Xiaomi Portable Air Compressor 1S has enough battery life for most use cases.

The Xiaomi Portable Electric Air Compressor 1S has enough battery life for most use cases.

That being said, I really wish that Xiaomi provided an option to use a 12V DC power source, just in case its battery runs out. That would’ve made the 1S best of both worlds. People could’ve enjoyed using a tyre inflator without having to go through the hassle of winding and unwinding cables while also knowing that they have a fall-back option.

Like I said earlier, the tyre inflator comes with a USB Type-C port for charing. So, if you use a modern Android smartphone, you can use your phone’s charger to charge the tyre inflator. According to Xiaomi, the Portable Electric Air Compressor 1S can charge at a speed of 10W and should be fully charged within three hours.

During my testing, the Xiaomi Portable Electric Air Compressor 1S took exactly 2 hours and 10 minutes to charge from 0% to 100% using a 120W USB Power Delivery (PD) charger and 60W USB Type-C PD cable. That’s 50 minutes faster than what Xiaomi claims. Brands usually claim a lesser charging time than required but here Xiaomi has done the opposite. Strange, in a good way.

Verdict

The Xiaomi Portable Electric Air Compressor 1S has a compact body, a great design, and an excellent build quality. While it takes a longer time to inflate a tyre compared to tyre inflators that work using an external power source, I think it is worth it despite its slow performance since you don’t have to go through the hassle of winding and unwinding the power cable.

The battery life is adequate to fill up a fully deflated tyre to its factory recommended pressure in case of emergency. If you just use it to top up the lost air in the tyres, it will last you a couple of months on a single charge, which, I think is great. I just wish there was an option to run it using a 12V DC power source. However, it isn’t a big deal for most people.

In my opinion, the Xiaomi Portable Electric Air Compressor 1S is excellent for people who want to keep a tyre inflator in their vehicles for emergencies and also to use it every now and then to keep the air pressure in the tyres maintained. It is especially a great choice for two-wheeler owners as the Xiaomi Portable Electric Air Compressor 1S has an inbuilt battery.

Xiaomi Portable Electric Air Compressor 1S Frequently Asked Questions

Q. What is the price of the Xiaomi Portable Electric Air Compressor 1S in India?

A. The Xiaomi Portable Electric Air Compressor 1S price in India is ₹2,999.

Q. Where can I buy the Xiaomi Portable Electric Air Compressor 1S in India?

A. The Xiaomi Portable Electric Air Compressor 1S is available to purchase in India through the Mi Online Store. Its price is ₹2,999 during the time of the launch.

Q. What is the difference between the Xiaomi Portable Electric Air Compressor and Xiaomi Portable Electric Air Compressor 1S?

A. The Xiaomi Portable Electric Air Compressor 1S has a more powerful motor than the Xiaomi Portable Electric Air Compressor, allowing it to fill the air in the tyre at a faster rate. The newer model also features a USB Type-C charging port compared to the microUSB port on the older model.

Q. What is the size of the Xiaomi Portable Electric Air Compressor 1S with the hose?

A. The dimensions of the Xiaomi Portable Electric Air Compressor 1S are 181mm (H) x 71mm (W) x 45.3mm (D).

Q. How much time does the Xiaomi Portable Electric Air Compressor 1S take to fill the air in the tyre?

A. The Xiaomi Portable Electric Air Compressor 1S takes 13 minutes and 20 seconds to fill up a completely deflated 215/60/R16 tyre to 34 PSI. Most entry-level and mid-range cars and SUVs have similar or smaller tyres.

Q. Can you use the Xiaomi Portable Electric Air Compressor 1S to fill the air in two-wheeler tyres (mopeds, motorcycles, and bicycles)?

A. Yes. Since the Xiaomi Portable Electric Air Compressor 1S has an inbuilt battery, you can use it to fill the air in the two-wheeler tyres, such as mopeds, motorcycles, and bicycles. You don’t have to plug the tyre inflator into a 12V DC socket for it to work. It runs on its own battery.

Q. Can you use the Xiaomi Portable Electric Air Compressor 1S to fill the air in footballs?

A. Yes, you can inflate footballs and volleyballs using the Xiaomi Portable Electric Air Compressor 1S. It comes with a special nozzle that allows you to fill the air in footballs.

Q. What is the battery life of the Xiaomi Portable Electric Air Compressor 1S?

A. The Xiaomi Portable Electric Air Compressor 1S lasts about 18 minutes on a single charge. It is adequate for you to fill a completely deflated 215/60/R16 tyre to 34 PSI one and a half times.

Q. How much time does the Xiaomi Portable Electric Air Compressor 1S take to charge?

A. The Xiaomi Portable Electric Air Compressor 1S takes 2 hours and 10 minutes to charge fully using a USB Type-C cable and a USB PD charging adapter.

Q. Can you run the Xiaomi Portable Electric Air Compressor 1S using 12V DC output from a car?

A. No. The Xiaomi Portable Electric Air Compressor 1S runs only using its built-in battery. You can’t use it through a 12V DC cigarette lighter adapter. You can only use it through its built-in battery and charge it through a USB Type-C port.

Q. Does the Xiaomi Portable Electric Air Compressor 1S come with a charger and a cable?

A. The Xiaomi Portable Electric Air Compressor 1S doesn’t come with a charger and a cable. You will have to use your smartphone’s USB Type-C cable and charging adapter to charge the device.