One-minute review
Using a smoothie maker to pulverise fruit and greens right into a contemporary and clean drink has develop into a rising development over the previous decade, partly due to the comfort of with the ability to connect a ingesting lid to the mixing cup and take it with you.
Up till now, manufacturers equivalent to NutriBullet and Ninja have dominated the marketplace for such private blenders, however now Millo is hoping to provide these rivals a run for his or her cash. Its contender for the finest blender crown is a battery-powered smoothie maker.
The Millo Smart Portable Blender is powered by a chargeable battery. The blender cup magnetically attaches to the bottom that comprises the motor, casting off the faff of getting to lock the container into place earlier than you can begin mixing.
Like different smoothie makers, the components to be blended are positioned into the 17fl oz / 500ml single-serve cup, with the blade meeting screwed on to the highest. Turn the cup the wrong way up and place it on the magnetic base; you begin the blades spinning through the use of the contact controls on both sides of the bottom. There’s guide controls for pace and length, or you'll be able to choose considered one of three presets.
The Millo Smart Portable Blender connects to your smartphone through Bluetooth, which implies you should use an app to regulate the blender.
Note, nonetheless, there’s no approach of including components to this good blender whereas the blade is spinning. As a consequence, you’re unlikely to have the ability to make completely emulsified condiments equivalent to mayonnaise.
The Millo Smart Portable Blender has a classy, white shiny end and a 500W motor. It additionally comes with one spouted lid that may be screwed onto the single-serve cup, so it may be taken with you, moderately than needing to be decanted into one other vessel.
The fashionable design and cutting-edge tech means the Millo Smart Portable Blender has an eye-watering price ticket of $479 / $415. But for many who need the comfort of a transportable blender, or are keen to pay a premium for sleek-looking home equipment, it’s value contemplating.
Millo Smart Portable Blender value and availability
The Millo Smart Portable Blender will set you again $479 / $415, making it one of the crucial costly smoothie makers we’ve examined. It’s not at the moment out there in Australia.
In comparability, Ninja’s entry-level smoothie maker, the Ninja Personal Blender and Smoothie Maker QB3001 is priced at $69.99 / £59.99. It’s top-of-the-range gadget, the Ninja Nutri-Blender Pro – often called the Ninja Blender with Auto-IQ within the UK – prices $89.99 / £89.99.
Additional blender cups and lids can be found from Millo’s web site and are priced at $22 / £16. Note that you simply’re billed in Euros, so the value will fluctuate relying on the alternate charge on the time of buy.
Design
- Battery-powered
- Comes with one single-serve cup
- Adjustable pace setting and three presets
With its shiny white end, modern strains and contact controls, the Millo Smart Portable Blender has the styling you’d count on from an Apple product moderately than a kitchen equipment. It’s a reasonably compact smoothie maker, measuring 3.94 x 3.94 x 7.48 inches / 10 x 10 x 19cm ( w x d x h). Billed as a transportable blender, the Millo is battery-powered and the blender cup attaches to the bottom magnetically. However, weighing in at 2.87lb / 1.3kg, we’re undecided how “portable” it's – we don’t see many individuals slipping it of their bag and carrying it with them every day.
Its 500W motor makes it one of many least highly effective private blenders we’ve examined. That stated, the Millo was efficient at mixing vegetables and fruit, though it struggled with ice and nuts.
The Millo comes with one 17fl oz / 500ml single-serve cup, and a blade meeting that screws onto the cup as soon as the components have been added. Handily, the blade meeting comes with its personal hand cowl that screws on to make sure you needn’t fear about by chance slicing your self on it when selecting it up.
You’ll additionally discover one spouted lid within the field that may exchange the blade meeting when you’ve completed mixing, so you'll be able to take your drink away with you with out having to decant it into one other vessel first. However, in contrast to the lids that include smoothie makers from NutriBullet and Ninja, the lid for the spout isn’t hooked up to the cup so it may probably get misplaced.
The blender cup and lid are dishwasher-safe, though the blade meeting and base have to be cleaned with a humid material moderately than positioned within the dishwasher.
The Millo Smart Portable Blender has three preset packages: Smoothie, Pulse and Silent. They’re activated by tapping the LEDs on the left-hand facet of the bottom. There’s additionally a guide mode that allows you to management how briskly and for the way lengthy the blender runs; that is engaged utilizing the swipe management on the right-hand facet of the bottom. Millo says the battery will final for round 15 cycles of the Smoothie program earlier than it requires recharging, and there’s a USB-C cable and energy adapter included within the field for when it wants topping up.
The Smart Portable Blender additionally provides help for Bluetooth. This permits you to connect with the Millo smartphone app, out there for iOS and Android, to supply an alternate technique to management the blender within the occasion you discover the LEDs too fiddly to make use of.
Performance
- Blends and combines fruit and leafy greens with ease
- Evenly chops nuts
- Ingredients can’t be added whereas blades are spinning
The Millo Smart Portable blender is easy to make use of. We began through the use of the Smoothie preset, which lasted 57 seconds, combining banana, pineapple and spinach with greek yogurt and apple juice right into a drink.
While the private blender was in a position to blitz the fibrous pineapple and mix it into the opposite components to create a well-aerated drink, we discovered it didn’t fully break down the leafy spinach. Even after blitzing for an additional 20 seconds on full energy utilizing the guide setting, the drink nonetheless had a barely gritty texture.
On the Smoothie setting, our decibel meter registered 79.9db – which is equal to the noise of a truck touring down the highway at 40mph – however contemplating it lasts for under round a minute, we expect that is acceptable. On the Silent mode, which lasted one minute, the decibel meter registered simply 66db, which is similar noise degree as a dishwasher mid-cycle.
We discovered it tough to determine the related preset required on the blender itself, because the LEDs aren’t labeled. Instead, we most well-liked to make use of the app.
When it got here to crushing nuts, we had been impressed at how finely and evenly the Millo chopped the entire hazelnuts. However, the identical can’t be stated for crushing ice – the blender struggled right here, with a number of the ice cubes showing untouched by the blade.
This was the loudest of all of the assessments run, with the decibel meter registering 92.6db; much like the sound of a working garden mower. Even so, the Smart Portable Blender stays one of many quietest private blenders we’ve examined.
Note that it isn’t doable so as to add components to the blender cup whereas the blades are spinning, so we had been unable to make mayonnaise within the Millo. It can’t be used to grind espresso beans both, though Millo does have a devoted espresso grinder attachment for the bottom within the works, which shall be launching later this yr.
Finally, we examined for leakage. We crammed the Millo Smart Portable Blender to most capability with water and commenced to mix. We had been happy to seek out that there was no leakage in any respect.
App
- Simple to make use of
- Activate presets or guide mode
- Access to how-to-use video
The Millo app proved easy to make use of. In reality, we really most well-liked it for activating presets on the blender over utilizing the LEDs on the bottom.
However, earlier than you'll be able to entry any of the presets from the app, you’ll have to have the components within the mixing cup, with the blade meeting hooked up and the entire unit positioned appropriately on the magnetic base.
Select any of three presets and press the ‘Play’ button to start mixing for a predefined size of time. You can use the slider on the backside of the display to manually override the ability, or cease the preset early. Alternatively, choose the guide settings and use the slider to regulate the ability, stopping it as and while you need.
The app additionally shows the battery degree as a share, and provides entry to a video tutorial that explains the right way to use the blender.
Battery life
- The battery lasts for round 15 cycles of the Smoothie preset
- Remaining battery degree viewable within the app
- Battery takes round two hours to totally recharge
Millo claims the Smart Portable Blender’s battery will final for round 15 cycles of the Smoothie preset earlier than it requires recharging; nonetheless, how lengthy it lasts will even rely upon how powerful the components its mixing are. In our assessments, making the pineapple, banana and spinach smoothie took the battery degree from 87% to 80%, which tallies with Millo’s estimate.
The battery takes round two hours to totally recharge and we had been glad to see the battery degree as a share within the app, which means it was straightforward to determine when the Millo wanted recharging.
Should I purchase the Millo Smart Portable Blender?
Buy it if…
You need a blender to make use of on-the-go
If you’re searching for a blender that you should use while you’re out and about, the battery-powered Millo is the perfect alternative.
You favor sleek-looking home equipment
There’s no denying the Millo Smart Portable Blender is a stylish-looking gadget, paying homage to an Apple gadget with its shiny white end and minimalist design. It’s set to be a winner for many who prioritize model of their kitchen home equipment.
You need a quiet blender
Blenders by their nature aren’t quiet; nonetheless, registering simply 66db on the Silent preset, the Millo Smart Portable Blender is among the quietest individual blenders we’ve examined.
Don’t purchase it if…
You’re on a finances
With an eye-watering value of $479 / £415, the Millo Smart Portable Blender is presumably the costliest smoothie maker we’ve examined. If you’re on a finances, it’s finest prevented.
You wish to mix giant portions
The Millo Smart Portable Blender’s cup can solely maintain 17fl oz / 500ml at a time, which means it isn’t appropriate for many who wish to make giant batches of smoothies at anybody time.
You wish to make objects that require including components whereas mixing
If you need a blender to make condiments equivalent to mayonnaise, then this isn’t the blender for you – there’s no approach so as to add components whereas the blades are spinning.
First reviewed: August 2021
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