More of Xiaomi Devices to Admire: The Company Is Expanding Its List of Guitars

At the beginning of this year, Xiaomi released its first version of a ukulele-like guitar, Populele S1. The instrument fascinated Xiaomi fans. Does not it sound like a good reason to keep a few more coming? It sure does. Meet a more advanced model of Populele S1 — Populele U1.

The main attractions of the Populele S1, i.e. the fretboard with a built-in LED-panel and the companion app, traveled to a new version. You can also synch this guitar with your smartphone or tablet via Bluetooth, pick one of a thousand songs from the catalog and learn to play it with the help of LEDs that light up on the guitar neck, showing you correct finger placement for the chords. The LEDs are pretty big and bright and are lit directly under the strings.

Speaking about the app. It offers not only a huge collection of songs but also visual information on each chord, a possibility to record music as you play and share it on social media. And if you are not yet ready to make your music public, you can store all the recordings in the Mi Cloud. Imagine how exciting it will be after some time to recall your first steps in music.

Populele U1 differs from the initial version with the materials used. To make the deck and sides, Xiaomi opted for the European maple. It has excellent acoustic properties, beauty, and superior durability, just like the Rosewood used in Populele S1. What else may feel different, however, probably only to those who have been paying the instrument for a long time or who have a very acute hearing, is the sound character. Maple provides a bright tone, while rosewood sounds somewhat warmer. 

The guitar is also equipped with an 800mAh battery and a usual USB output. In the package, you also get a mediator, a capo, a set of strings, a power cord, and dust cover.