We got hands-on with Xiaomi's first washing machine in the Czech Republic: a quality piece that also handles drying and has a great app

The Xiaomi ecosystem is growing at a rate that can no longer be tracked without some kind of auxiliary table. After phones, watches, vacuum cleaners, televisions, refrigerators, and finally an electric car arrived. Now, washing has been added: the Mijia Front Load Washer Dryer Pro 9 kg is the brand’s first washing appliance officially sold in our country. It costs 12,990 CZK, is in stock at Alza, and we had the chance to briefly get hands-on with it in the editorial office.

We got hands-on, we didn’t wash

Let’s start honestly: we haven’t washed a single towel in the washing machine. So, we have nothing to say yet about the washing quality, actual noise level, or real consumption, and we don’t want to pretend we do. What can be assessed is the hardware – and it feels really well-made. Seventy-two kilograms are noticeable to the touch, the door has significant resistance, and the drum with a diameter of 525 mm is surprisingly generous for an appliance with a body depth of 570 mm.

Xiaomi talks about an “ultra slim” design, which only applies in the context of combination washer-dryers. Alza itself classifies the product among standard depths over 50 cm and recommends leaving 20 mm at the top, 15 mm on the sides, and 30 mm at the back around the appliance.

The biggest practical plus, however, is something that won’t make it into the leaflet: Czech language directly on the panel. For Chinese brands, localization is often the first thing to be economized on, and here it’s also a touch display without a single rotary dial. In such a case, the difference between a Czech description and a pictogram you have to guess is the difference between control and a puzzle.

Twelve minutes that aren’t for a full washing machine

Two numbers shine on the posters: Smart Wash in 36 minutes and Quick Wash in 12 minutes. This sounds great until you read the footnotes. Both values apply to a load of 1 to 2 kilograms and come from Xiaomi’s internal laboratory. The washing machine, however, can wash up to nine kilograms.

It’s not a lie, it’s a scenario selection. The twelve-minute program has a fixed duration and is aimed at lightly soiled items that just need refreshing – a T-shirt after the gym, not, for example, a family load of bedding. Smart Wash calculates the time based on the load’s weight, so as the pile grows, so does the number on the display. Anyone expecting a full basket of laundry to be washed in twelve minutes will be disappointed, but otherwise, it’s definitely a nice feature.

What about consumption?

Xiaomi reiterates that the washing machine is 25% more economical than the minimum limit of class A. This is true – but only for washing itself. In washing mode, the appliance achieves class A, 37 kWh per 100 cycles, and 49 liters of water per cycle. Decent numbers, against which there is nothing to object.

But you don’t buy a combination washer-dryer just for washing. You buy it to take out dry laundry. And precisely this mode has an energy label of energy class D, consumption of 306 kWh per 100 cycles, and 77 liters of water – which is eight times the energy compared to washing alone. The duration of such a cycle is, according to the label, 630 minutes, or ten and a half hours.

Where, then, do the promised 180 minutes for washing and drying come from? From a three-kilogram load. The label values are measured at the full drying capacity of six kilograms, so both numbers are valid simultaneously and describe different situations. Let’s add that this is not a Xiaomi ailment – combination washer-dryers fare similarly (and sometimes worse) on the label across brands, because condensation drying is simply energy-expensive.

A dispenser that makes sense, and a warranty that applies elsewhere

Among the features, the dual automatic dispensing makes the most sense. The washing machine weighs the load and automatically dispenses both detergent and fabric softener; one fill of the dispenser is said by the manufacturer to last about a month with two to three washes per week. The ratio can be fine-tuned in the app. It’s a feature that competitors usually offer a few thousand higher, but in daily operation, you’ll appreciate it much more than any headline with “artificial intelligence.”

The twelve-year warranty on the Direct Drive motor also deserves attention. It sounds like a lifetime guarantee for the appliance, but it’s important to read precisely: twelve years applies to the motor, not the washing machine. The standard warranty is 24 months, and electronics, the pump, or the touch panel fall under it. Furthermore, a direct drive motor has no belt, so its failure is precisely what you fear least.

The rest of the features are a decent standard for this price category: spinning up to 1,400 revolutions per minute, spin noise level of 71 dB, illuminated drum, twenty-four-hour delayed start, the option to add laundry during the cycle, and a steam program that, according to TÜV SÜD certification, removes up to 99.99% of bacteria. The self-cleaning drying duct system is precisely the thing whose absence in combination washer-dryers you curse after a few years.

Control via app

The washing machine connects to Wi-Fi, is controlled via Xiaomi Home, listens to Google Assistant and Alexa, and receives OTA updates that can add new washing programs. Xiaomi also adds an “AI washing expert” that recommends programs based on your habits.

Good impression so far, we’ll verify with laundry

For 12,990 CZK, you get a combination washer-dryer with steam, automatic dispensing, a direct drive motor, and a Czech touch panel. On paper, this is an offer that established brands struggle to match at this price point. The build quality did not disappoint at first glance, and Xiaomi’s first attempt is far from something to be ashamed of.

At the same time, it’s true that only the laundry will judge the washing machine. How the mechanics will fare after two years, how precisely the dispenser measures the actual dose, and whether the spinning is tolerable in an apartment with neighbors below the floor, cannot be gleaned from a press release. And because Xiaomi is selling washing technology in our country for the first time, we don’t yet have any service history of the brand to rely on. In any case, I am curious about the outcome myself; perhaps in a few months, in a different type of article, we’ll discuss how it truly performs in washing and drying.

Would you buy a washing machine from a phone manufacturer?

Source: Alza.cz, Xiaomi, personal insights