Xiaomi finally brings its Mi Ecosystem to India with Mi Air Purifier 2

Xiaomi is ready to expand its product offering in India beyond smartphones, tablets and wearables. The company today launched the Mi Air Purifier 2, its first "smart home" product for the Indian market.

The Mi Air Purifier 2 connects to smartphones and allows remote control access to the device as well as offer the ability to check the air quality of a room in real-time. It works with non-Xiaomi Android phones and tablets, as well as with iPhones, company's Global VP, Hugo Barra, said.

It utilizes a 360-degree triple layer filter to filter out dust, pollen, dust mites, pet dander, and even mold. The air purifier offers air cleaning at 310 cubic metre per hour. Barra added that the air purifier takes only about seven minutes to circulate purified air in a typical one-bedroom-apartment.

As with other Xiaomi products, the web-enabled Mi Air Purifier 2 is aggressively priced at Rs 9,999 ($150). It will be sold through company's own website Mi.com from Sept. 26. Its replaceable filter, which lasts for roughly six months, will be sold at Rs 2,499 ($37).

The launch of the Mi Purifier 2 comes at a time when Indian cities are increasingly topping the chart for the world's most polluted places. Earlier this year, the World Health Organization reported 10 Indian cities among the world's top 20 most polluted cities. The city of Gwalior, which is 350 kilometers away from New Delhi, was flagged as the second most polluted city in the world, only short of Iran’s Zabol.

Though air purifier products have existed in India for more than 20 years, they are yet to become a commodity, Jayati Singh, head of Air business at Philips, told Mashable India. "But the demand is increasing," she adds. Part of the reason why people hesitate to purchase an air purifier is its price. Air purifiers retail in the country between the range starting Rs 12,000 to Rs 80,000.

Mi Band 2

The company also launched the Mi Band 2 in India today. Unlike the Mi Band, the Mi Band 2 sports an OLED display and shows time. It also has heart rate sensors, and it offers up to 20 days of battery life on a single charge.

The first generation Mi Band raked in positive response from users, and its affordable price point made it an instant hot selling product in many markets. The Mi Band 2 is a bit costlier, though. It is priced at Rs 1,999 ($30), and will go on sale via Mi.com starting Sept. 27, and through Amazon India from Sept. 30.