Xiaomi Portable Electric Air Compressor 2 Pro review: A practical helper for your car and trips, which lights up in the dark

Xiaomi has long since ceased to focus solely on how to produce a phone with an excellent price-to-performance ratio or on adding more smart functions to your wrist via smartwatches. With a range of its products, the Chinese brand strives to simplify parts of everyday life and has, for many years, provided solutions for flat tires or bicycle inner tubes in the form of portable compressors.

One of the popular models is the almost year-old Xiaomi Portable Electric Air Compressor 2 Pro. It arrived in countries outside China at the end of 2024, and since its introduction to the Czech market, it has gained the favor of thousands of users – its quality and practicality are also evidenced by customer ratings on Alza, where it earned a score of 4.8 out of 5 from 140 reviewers. We have now taken a closer look at the compressor ourselves and are sharing the findings from our testing.

A compressor you won’t want to leave in the closet

The Xiaomi Portable Electric Air Compressor 2 Pro is a compressor you don’t have to keep locked in the garage. On the contrary, the manufacturer aimed for it to accompany you on car trips, motorcycle rides, electric scooters, or bicycles. With dimensions of 15.2 × 10 × 6.3 cm, it easily fits in a trunk and even in a backpack or similar luggage. However, for a one-day cycling trip, I would probably not take it due to its size and weight, which is almost a kilogram, and would prefer a hand pump. For a multi-day trip with other cyclists, where a flat tire is more likely, I would consider its presence.

What makes the compressor portable is not so much its dimensions as its integrated battery. The Xiaomi Portable Electric Air Compressor 2 Pro features a 2,500 mAh capacity cell, which can be recharged via USB-C (taking approximately 3.5 hours). So, you won’t need to carry an extra charger for trips; your smartphone charger will suffice. There’s also no risk of the compressor depleting all its energy on a single tire – according to Xiaomi, on a single charge, it can inflate almost four completely flat tires and sixteen from 2.0 bar to 2.5 bar (considering a standard size of 205/55 R16).

Accessories for every situation

Upon unboxing the Xiaomi Portable Electric Air Compressor 2 Pro, I appreciated the rich selection of accessories. In the box, besides the device itself, you’ll find a storage bag, which features an internal pocket divided into two halves and an external Velcro pocket.

The compressor is primarily ready for Schrader valves, but Xiaomi also includes a Presta valve adapter and a needle for balls. Also included are a quick-release air valve and a 40cm extension air hose, should the integrated 23cm one not be sufficient for some tasks.

Simple controls, understandable even for a novice

I personally had no prior experience with a compressor, so I was slightly apprehensive about the controls. Although I’ve studied physics, and pressure units like bar and psi mean something to me, I was initially unsure if I would know how to handle everything. Fortunately, the Xiaomi Portable Electric Air Compressor 2 Pro is designed so that even a complete amateur can get acquainted with it after a short time.

After pressing the button with the red dot, the hose is unlocked, and the display activates. The button with arrows in a circle allows you to set the mode. The compressor offers modes for cars, motorcycles, electric scooters, bicycles, and balls, with each having a pre-set pressure value.

However, it’s always a good idea to check the recommended value on the item you want to inflate itself. For example, the volleyball I needed to inflate required 0.3–0.4 bar, but the ball mode on the compressor itself operates at 0.6 bar. So, using the minus button, I reduced the number to 0.3, and the ball was inflated in about 15 seconds. There’s also a manual mode for arbitrary bar or psi settings. The compressor operates in the range of 0.2–10.3 bar/3–150 psi. The units in which the display shows pressure can, by the way, be switched by holding down the aforementioned button with arrows in a circle.

I also inflated a bicycle inner tube with the compressor. First, I had to attach the Presta adapter, as the inner tube had a Presta valve; then I selected the bicycle mode, attached the adapter to the valve, and started inflating. It was done in approximately 30 seconds, at which point the compressor stopped automatically after reaching the desired pressure.

Need to inflate a tire in the dark? No problem

Last but not least, the Xiaomi Portable Electric Air Compressor 2 Pro is equipped with two LED lights. The smaller one is located on top of the device and can be used like a smartphone flashlight. The second one, located on the back, is much more powerful, as indicated by its size. Moreover, it can flash SOS in Morse code or turn red. These are, in my opinion, practical details that can significantly facilitate dealing with flat tires or other unpleasant situations after dark.

Verdict: a practical helper, especially for the price

The Xiaomi Portable Electric Air Compressor 2 Pro usually costs 1,499 Kč on Alza, and it can now be purchased for just 1,274 Kč in a Black Friday sale. Given the possibilities it offers, I consider it a practical companion for the car and beyond. Thanks to its integrated battery, it doesn’t require constant connection to the electrical grid, the package includes several accessories, and I can also praise the manufacturer for integrating two flashlights.

However, it is definitely worth noting that the compressor is not suitable for inflating mattresses or water toys, such as inflatable loungers, flamingos, and the like. The Xiaomi Portable Electric Air Compressor 2 Pro is primarily designed for items that require a smaller volume of air but at high pressure. In the case of such a mattress, however, it’s exactly the opposite – it requires almost no pressure, but rather hundreds of liters of air in a short time. The air from the Xiaomi piston flows strongly but in a small volume. The main issue is not that you would wait a long time, but rather the overheating of the compressor (not to mention that you won’t find a suitable nozzle in the package).

Do you have any experience with Xiaomi compressors?