An interesting gadget was delivered to our editorial office, under which, as usual, the Xiaomi brand was signed. Perhaps our readers will find fans of unusual devices, which occasionally appear among a number of conventional technological products.
We decided to test the unconventional Xiaomi VH thermo mug, which at first glance looks normal, but hides interesting features. Comes with a special wireless pad and adapter.
Wait, mug adapter ?! You can read everything in our review.
Proper packaging
The packaging used suggests that this is not a cheap dummy from a Chinese "flea". The gray cardboard box in the shape of a cube is lined in the inner lower part with dark foam with cutouts for individual components.
We feel like we are unpacking a big piece of jewelry. The individual components placed in the package are separated by foam. As a result, there are no concerns about damage to fragile parts during transport. The charging pad is located at the top in a separate box.
The package contains a charging pad with a cable with a USB connector, a charging adapter with a USB port and an adapter for the use of the European electrical network. And in the lower part we find the mug itself with a blanket or pad.
Japanese pottery
The mug with a blanket is made of Japanese ceramics and we have the color "Coffee" available. The material is matte and the surface is rough - shaggy. This version has the advantage over polished black that it is literally anti-slip.
When gripped, it sits firmly in the palm of your hand, but the disadvantage is that the sponge slides harder when washed by hand. The walls of the mug are 4 mm thick. The included blanket can also be used as a base for a mug that is no longer on the heating pad. Thanks to the integrated protrusions on the blanket and the cup, the two components fit together nicely.
The thick walls and the used blanket insulate the hot drink well, thanks to which it stays warm even without the use of heating. When pouring a hot drink, the outer walls of the mug are warm almost immediately, later even hot. The material appears to have good heat-conducting properties.
However, the handle remains safely cool and therefore it is possible to handle the hot mug comfortably and safely. Due to the dimensions and shape of the ear, we do not touch the walls of the mug at all, so there is no burns.
The world's first mug with a wireless charger
Finally, we come to the aforementioned wireless charger. It is used to heat the liquid in the mug. Heating works reliably and very similarly to wireless charging in a smartphone. At the bottom of the cup there is a coil, which takes care of heat distribution.
Immediately after placing the cup on the mat, the white LED lights up, which informs about the active process.
When removing the cup from the mat, we do not have to disconnect it from the mains. The pad automatically deactivates. The diode on the mat indicates that each time the cup is lifted or placed on the mat, the heating process is started or stopped. It's the same as charging a mobile phone wirelessly.
Although the manufacturer explicitly warns that the device should not be used for heating, only for heating, we could not fail to try it. We soaked the mug with cold water and placed it on a mat. By lay testing - soaking our finger in the fluid - we tested the temperature. After about 10 minutes, the temperature difference was observed.
It is probably not possible to make tea in a cup, but cold milk or cocoa could reach a pleasant consumption temperature after about half an hour.
If you pour the just prepared hot tea or coffee into it, the heating will ensure that even after an hour and practically even for a longer time, when the cup is on the mat, the temperature will not fall below 55 ° C. If you decide to remove the cup from the mat, we recommend placing it on the enclosed base, or on another heat-resistant mat, because the outer part of the bottom of the cup is hot.
The metal spoon left in the cup during heating is not hot and absorbs only the thermal properties minimally.
The heating pad has a very pleasant, thin shape with dark shades of gray that resemble stone. It is in the shape of a circle with a diameter of 110 mm and a thickness of only 6 mm. It is not distracting or obstructing on your work or any desk.
The flat shape of the charging cable used also does not protrude from the flat contour of the table. Its length of 95 cm is enough to reach without tension from the edge of the table to the floor and the placed electrical plug. Even if it is terminated with a USB connector, it will not work with any USB adapter. To achieve the effect, a certain output parameter of the power supply is required.
It also charges the smartphone
The manufacturer states the dual-purpose use of the pad. It is primarily to keep the temperature of the drinks in the mug and secondarily as a wireless charger for mobile phones. The test Samsung Galaxy S7 charged from 20% to 86% in 97 minutes. The wireless charging pad has output parameters of 5V / 2A and a nominal power of 24 W.
When we wrote about the required power to start the heating, this should be at the level of 12V with a current of 2A. This is the output parameter of the included charging adapter. It has the shape of a square with a side length of 55 mm.
It is 30 mm thick and is not one of the smallest compared to a classic charger for mobile phones. At the bottom there are tilting forks for plugging into the Chinese power grid. For use in our conditions, you must use a reduction for European sockets.
It's worth our attention
Xiaomi VH mug with wireless heating is definitely an interesting gadget. The slim design of the flat cable charging pad will not interfere with any table. The practical use of the pad to charge a mobile phone is a big plus.
The materials used, whether it is a ceramic mug or an accessory, do not look cheap at all. On the contrary, they create the feeling that you have a really high-quality product. Given the multifunctional use, appearance and overall impression, we can say that the selling price is reasonable.
At the time of writing, the Xiaomi VH mug was available for 29 € / 775 CZK at Banggood. He will deliver the mug to you via EU Priority Line transport without duty and VAT, postage is even completely free.
