Xiaomi’s Bluetooth headphone receiver looks super sleek and is super cheap

Bluetooth headphone receivers are more or less a dime a dozen these days. Just browse Amazon and you’ll see tons of chunky, plastic $15 dongles that attach to the end of a headphone or an aux jack to let you add Bluetooth audio to older hardware.

Xiaomi’s new Bluetooth receiver may cost roughly the same as the various models you can find online at 99 yuan (roughly $14.56), but its slimmed-down style is more reminiscent of the high-quality Noble BTS receiver than something like TaoTronic’s nondescript black brick.

The receiver itself weighs only 10 grams (0.02 pounds), which includes the built-in clip, and Xiaomi claims the battery can last up to five hours. It charges via Micro USB, supports Bluetooth 4.2, and should work with any 3.5mm headphone — although Xiaomi notes that the receiver doesn’t support Apple’s MFi headset features, so you won’t be able to use things like integrated volume buttons on your headphones if you’re using Xiaomi’s receiver with an iPhone.

It’s also worth noting that while Xiaomi’s receiver may look like a much more expensive model, at $15 it’s probably not going to offer the same sound quality as the Noble BTS, which offers an integrated DAC and amplifier and supports Bluetooth aptX audio.

Xiaomi’s offering will likely also only be available in China, but if you’re looking for a cheap, good-looking way to add Bluetooth to your old headphones, there are certainly worse options for the price.

Update July 10th, 2:40pm: Clarified Apple MFi volume button support.