Summer is steadily coming, which means that the time for vacations, trips to interesting places and, of course, to the sea will soon begin. During this period, selfie sticks will again become popular, which cunning merchants will offer in all tourist places at three / five / ten times their real price.
However, the stick is not the same. If we are talking about a no-name-Chinese handicraft, then it's not a pity to buy this for one season, then to throw it away without regret. But such sticks have more disadvantages than advantages, the main of which is low reliability.
Therefore, if you often have to use such accessories, you should look at better quality options that will not bend like a spinning rod, during use and from whose mounts the phone will not fall out at the most inopportune moment.
Today I have two similar accessories from competing companies on the test, Xiaomi and Huawei.
They have both clear similarities and differences that can influence the choice.
Packaging and equipment
Both sticks are shipped in similar white boxes with a picture of the device, as well as a brief instruction manual, a description of the features and characteristics.
Inside the boxes are the devices themselves in a white soft bag, a couple of brochures and remote Bluetooth – remotes.
That is, in fact, everything that is inside the boxes of both devices.
Remote controller
As mentioned above, both sticks are equipped with remote Bluetooth – remotes that allow you to take photos remotely. This variant of the shooting process implementation seems to me more convenient. Firstly, due to the fact that you can press the button separately from the stick, and this saves the final frame from possible blurring due to the movement of the wrist and the shake of the phone while pressing the button. Secondly, it is also justified by the additional possibility of using a selfie stick as a tripod. It is for this reason that such an option with a remote control is necessary in this case.
For Huawei the remote is immediately installed in a special recess on the stick, while for Xiaomi it is in a separate box inside the box.
The first thing that catches your eye is the protective sticker at the remote control Huawei, which must be removed before use. This sticker insulates the battery inside the remote, as is usual with new watches.
This is one of the important differences – the remote control Xiaomi has a built-in 55 mAh battery and a MicroUSB connector for charging it (no cable included), while Huawei has a standard one. coin cell CR2025.
It's hard to say which option is better. On the one hand, the battery is more convenient because you do not need to have a supply of batteries – you can even charge the remote control from your phone. On the other hand, if such a remote control stops showing signs of life, it will be more difficult to understand the malfunction.
I like the version with a battery more – it's more convenient.
However, the remote control Huawei is attached to the 'stick' not only mechanically (rubber cradle), but also magnetically, which makes this option more reliable than just a mechanical one Xiaomi.
The consoles themselves have different shapes, but similar dimensions.
At the same time, the remote control Xiaomi has one very annoying drawback – it is very inconvenient to get it out of the cradle, you have to literally scratch it out. If you don't have long nails, get ready to fight with the remote control stick every time. Moreover, you have to pry the remote control by the charging connector, which can ultimately lead to pollution and premature death.
With Huawei everything is much more convenient and simpler – take the remote control with two fingers and take it out. All.
While the remote Xiaomi is harder to lose due to the tighter fit, I like the option Huawei better.
The operating range of the remote control is approximately the same for both devices – about 8-10 meters, depending on the pollution of the air around, which should be enough for almost any use case, unless, of course, you are going to photograph yourself from a high cliff or from the horizon. ☺
Both remotes have a sleep mode that goes into sleep after a few minutes of non-use. After another 30 minutes, the remotes are turned off, and after that they will have to be turned on by long pressing the button (until the LED turns on).
We put the remotes aside and move on to the 'sticks' themselves.
Appearance and design
When folded, both devices seem to be twin brothers, so everything is made similar both in terms of size and in terms of layout. Somewhere a little more hinge, somewhere a little less rubber, but if you look from the side of the bracket, the owner will not be able to distinguish them from each other.
When folded, both sticks are quite compact (190×50 mm). The hinges and hinges here and there are made of aluminum and look reliable.
Xiaomi
Huawei
Huawei
Xiaomi
The maximum swing angle of the bracket is greater than Huawei (it is on the left).
But Xiaomi the hinge of this bracket is tighter, which means that it will be able to better hold the phone, for example, in motion or with sharp turns of the hand.
The phone clips themselves are similar too. Both have a 360-degree rotating mechanism that locks in four intermediate directions.
Huawei
Xiaomi
The maximum opening width of the clamp for both Huawei and Xiaomi is 86 mm.
Xiaomi
Huawei
Sparsely, fixing the tablet will not work. On the other hand, this is not required from the device – it was created for a smartphone or action cameras.
The minimum size is 55 mm. The same GoPro 5 has a width of 62 mm, which means that it will hold in the clamp of both 'sticks' without any problems.
However, given the specifics of using action cameras and the absence of both Xiaomi and Huawei standard mounts in the form of rigid clamps for such cameras, it is better to use sticks for smartphones and not such extreme activities, for which action cameras are usually bought.
The booms also rotate on their own axis and are fixed when rotated 180 degrees.
The area around the remote control is wrapped in dense rubber, so that the stick does not slip even in wet hands. The only drawback of this rubber is that it gets dirty very quickly and collects dust instantly.
But the lower parts of the handle are plastic. And this is done due to the fact that the handle is at the same time three legs of the tripod, on which it unfolds.
Both feet have rubberized bases to prevent slipping.
Huawei
And the following can be distinguished from the differences:
- The opening angle of the stick legs Huawei is larger, due to which it is more stable.
- The legs Xiaomi are fixed in the extreme position, which makes its movement more convenient – you do not have to open them again every time.
- But Huawei it is more convenient to fold – lift, and the legs themselves collapse into the handle and have stronger magnets at the base that keep the handle folded.
- The legs of Huawei unfold better – at the end point they are fixed firmly, but in Xiaomi they turn out to be spring-loaded, which is why all the time you want to kind of press the whole structure below – no a sense of stability. For this reason, the tripod Huawei always stands exactly relative to the horizon, but Xiaomi can walk a couple of degrees.
- To set Huawei as a tripod, you need not only to open the legs, but also to push the main segment upward, since it is below the line of the legs. Xiaomi in this regard, it is easier – open and put.
Sticks at work
Well, about the main thing, about the selfie stick mode.
The most important difference becomes clear after opening the telescopic rod – Huawei is 22 cm longer than its counterpart.
In the case of a selfie stick, this is a killer argument that significantly narrows the scope of the accessory from Xiaomi. This would not be a problem if the length Xiaomi was sufficient and the length Huawei was excessive. But this is not the case.
The length of the stick Xiaomi is not enough for its intended use: all other dimensions being equal, the length of the telescopic part is only 23cm.
With such a length, the meaning of using the accessory in the selfie stick mode is lost, and only the option of a tripod remains, since with such a length it will either be visible in the photo that your arm is outstretched, or much less will enter the frame.
-
Xiaomi
-
Huawei
Huawei with its 45 cm telescopic part is beyond competition here.
It may seem that the length of the 'stick' Xiaomi has a higher bending stiffness. This is both true and not true. In terms of amplitude when pressing with force Xiaomi it wins slightly – the deflection angle is slightly smaller, however, this is only due to the length. In fact, the stick Huawei has the same stiffness as Xiaomi and flexes the same way.
Conclusion
At the moment, in Russian retail, the price of both gadgets is the same and amounts to 1,890 rubles.
If we argue without regard, then both gadgets are made of high quality and do not bend either in the wind or under the weight of smartphones fixed in them. The design of the hinges does not cause fears for the safety of smartphones fixed in the clips, and the compact size and weight (165 g Huawei and 152 g Xiaomi) allow you to fit gadgets in small bags, backpacks and even pockets .
Therefore, the indicated price does not seem excessive to me.
Considering that, by other parameters, there is almost complete parity, I cannot recommend the device from Xiaomi, alas, since it does not perform one of the important tasks – work in the selfie stick mode.
As for the accessory itself, until the moment you buy a quality item, you will think that this is nonsense that no one except Instagram divas needs, and you will be content with disposable crafts from anonymous Chinese basements.
May I recommend such an accessory for purchase? If you need not only the ability to shoot handheld, but also a tripod, then definitely yes. If you don't need a tripod mode, then you can find no less quality selfie sticks at a lower cost from the same manufacturers.
The author thanks the Ulyanovsk branch of the X | STORE store for the devices provided for the review.