Xiaomi Mijia S500 razor test: a basic full of good ideas

No need to beat around the bush: for a shaver selling for 49 euros, the Xiaomi Mijia S500 demonstrates a very attractive build quality. The plastics seem to be of good quality and feature a very interesting matte black dress. By operating the device with the single button on the front, the handle is decorated with luminous indicators various in transparency for an aesthetic effect of the most successful.

We are thus informed about the speed of rotation of the blades, the presence of a problem or a maintenance operation to be planned (blade cleaning, more precisely), and above all on the level of residual charge. The S500 is also fairly sharp thanks to the percent sign; So you can plan your shaving session without fear of seeing the blades stop in the middle of the cheek. There are few devices that give such accurate information on this point, even if the Philips OneBlade Pro QP6650 / 61 also has this indicator of autonomy.

The only button on the body of the S500 is used to operate the shaver, but also to select one of the blade rotation speeds, an option that is also not very widespread in the small world of electric shavers. Another function of this button, which is as versatile as it is discreet, is that it activates the security to prevent the S500 from turning on unexpectedly. Inevitably, it will take time to adapt to fully control all the stress and not change the power level rather than turn off the device, but in the end we get out of it very quickly.

The technical sheet advertises an IPX7 waterproof rating: so it can be submerged under 1 meter of water for 30 minutes without suffering any damage. So it can be used with gel or foam to make it easier to glide, or even shave in the shower without fear.

Shaving is very comfortable. First of all, it weighs only 175 grams, which makes it one of the lightest devices in our comparison, regardless of the OneBlade model. In addition, Xiaomi has noticeably balanced its shaver, so it does not tilt to one side or the other due to the weight of the head, for example. Its small size also plays in its favor: it fits snugly in the palm of the hand, which is not always the case with its competitors. Finally, we were afraid that the smooth plastic used would make the handle slippery, but that’s not the case, and the shape of this handle (with its bump under the razor head) avoids accidental drops. All this contributes to the pleasant handling at all points.

Surprisingly, there are very few razors or clippers that can be held upright like an electric toothbrush. The S500 is part of this very enclosed club and therefore there is no point in allocating too much storage space for it. Stored this way, it can be recharged by connecting the USB cable to the USB-C port on the base of the shaver and protected by a handy rubber cap. Xiaomi provides the (small!) cord, but no charger is connected. However, thanks to the proliferation of smartphones, connected watches, headphone charging stations, and other game consoles that use compatible hardware, there must necessarily be a compatible adapter in the home. Thanks to this bias, Xiaomi avoids the user having a useless charger at home when the S500 disappears with the smell of holiness in the bathroom.

This S500 will have everything to please? Almost, because no one is perfect. In fact, we would have liked more generosity on the part of the manufacturer, such as a spare mower, a precision head, a carrying case … In this case, you should content yourself with a brush for cleaning the head of the shaver, a cap to protect it and the famous charging cable.

After a few uses, you have to face the facts: Xiaomi does not have (yet) the expertise of Panasonic or Philips in the field of sharpening. As a result, it often happens that the rotating nets tear the hair more than they cut them, especially if they are a little long and you are satisfied with the minimum speed of rotation of the nets. So we wouldn’t hesitate to use the top speed, while avoiding using it on full beards.

Compared with that of another model with rotating grids ( Philips 5000 Series S5587 / 10, for example), larger cutting areas are also placed closer to the edges. Therefore, the user gains some subtlety in accuracy, even if this is not the most important parameter for a razor of this type. The three cutting circles on the S500 are not independent: when one of them moves, the other two follow the same movement. Thus, the razor follows the curves of the face less well, even if we are very far from a very strict model like Braun 9 Series 9390CC.

Thanks to the IPX7 waterproof rating, you can run the S500 head under a drop of water to remove cut hairs. This will not be enough to remove the remnants of pieces stuck under the razor circles; Fortunately, the top can be removed easily.

Please note that the different elements of the rotary blades cannot be separated, as in the case of Philips shavers and others. And since this part is riddled with nooks, crannies, gaps and grooves, it is not always easy to remove all trim residues, even with the brush provided.