Smartmi P1 air purifier review

The smart air purifier has become more popular over the past few years, as a way to more easily control air quality inside a home. That’s especially true for those with seasonal allergies or other issues that may cause them to need better air quality. Smartmi has been making smart air purifiers for some time now — and in fact, just launched the new Smartmi Air Purifier 2. But there’s another device in Smartmi’s lineup — called the Smartmi P1.

The P1 isn’t a last-generation air purifier or old product, despite what the name might suggest. Instead, it lives alongside the new Air Purifier 2 as a smaller alternative. It’s also cheaper, making it a great option for those who want something for one room, or a smaller apartment.

But is the experience of using the Smartmi P1 as easy as the Air Purifier 2? I’ve been using it to find out.

Smartmi P1 air purifier design

The Smartmi P1 air purifier definitely looks like it belongs alongside the Air Purifier 2, with a few differences in design. They’re both cylindrical in design, with a display on the top, and grilles for airflow around the sides and on the top. The air purifier comes in either dark gray or silver.

But there are some big differences between the design of the two devices. The P1, for example, is much smaller than the Air Purifier 2, measuring 14.2 inches tall. That makes it relatively easily to place in a home without drawing as much attention to itself. It also has a leather handle on it, for portability — but keep in mind it doesn’t have a battery built into it, so you’ll still have to plug it in to use it.

On the top of the air purifier is a small display with capacitive buttons to control it without using the app. The display shows the current PM2.5 level, and shows the Wi-Fi status, a mode control, and a power button. It’s pretty much everything you’ll want to see at a glance, which is nice.

Smartmi P1 air purifier setup

Setting up the Smartmi P1 is pretty easy, especially if you really only plan on using it in HomeKit. If you use HomeKit, all you’ll need to do is plug the air purifier in, then scan the HomeKit code on the back and follow the on-screen instructions. You can rename the different aspects of the purifier (the sensor, the fan, etc), but the default names work fine too. Then, you’ll be able to control the purifier in the Home app, and set automations for it.

The P1 also works with Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa, and setting it up to work with those services is pretty easy too. Using the purifier with Assistant or Alexa involves connecting the accounts, which is pretty easy. I mostly used the P1 with HomeKit during testing though.

You can also use the purifier with Smartmi’s own app, Smartmi Link. Unfortunately, this is a different app to some of Smartmi’s other home devices, meaning you’ll have to switch between apps if you plan on using a Smartmi fan, f