Qubo Smart Tyre Inflator and Smart Tyre Inflator Pro Review

Qubo recently announced its partnership with Hero Electronix to enter the auto accessories market with the launch of Qubo Dash Cam Pro (review) in India. Now, the brand expands its product line-up with the launch of two new smart tyre Inflators – Qubo Smart Tyre Inflator and Qubo Smart Tyre Inflator Pro. I have been using these portable devices for a month, and here is my detailed review.

Both devices have a durable design and come with an aggressive price tag. The major differences between these devices are the design and built-in battery. The Qubo Smart Tyre Inflator has a built-in battery and doesn’t need an external power source to inflate the air. On the other hand, Qubo Smart Tyre Inflator Pro doesn’t include batteries and requires an external power source to run. Even though both devices have the same purpose, they come with their own advantages.

Qubo Smart Tyre Inflator

Qubo Smart Tyre Inflator is a compact hand-held device that can inflate the tyres of Bicycles, Cars, Bikes, Swimming rings, and Sports balls like Volleyball, Football, etc. The Qubo Smart Tyre Inflator package includes – Device (Inflator), USB Cable, Ball Needle, Swimming Ring Needle, Bicycle Nozzle, and a Carry pouch.

Note: The Qubo Smart Tyre Inflator doesn’t have a power adapter in the box, and you only get a USB-C cable. You must use the DC 5V/2V power adapter to change the Inflator. You can also use the 5V/2A power adapter, the one that you use to charge your smartphone or earphones.

Coming to the design, the device is compact and looks like a walky-talky. It can be easily held in a single hand. On the front, you’ll find a large display that helps you increase or decrease the pressure, change the preset modes, and check the battery status. You’ll get a five-button module on the front to control the Inflator.

Button	Working
Power	Turn ON/Off the Inflator
Preset (-)	Reduce the pressure
Preset (+)	Increase the pressure
M	Mode selection
U	Change Pressure Unit Turn On/Off LED Light

On the top of the Inflator, you find a LED bulb, a USB-C port, and a threaded hose connector. Multiple air vents are placed on the bottom to push out the heat generated. The device support four pressure units – PSI, BAR, KPA, and Kg/cm³. You can select as per your requirement. PSI is a widely used pressure unit, and most automobile manufacturers mention the Tyre pressure requirements in PSI on the vehicle. There are five preset modes, and each mode comes with a different tyre pressure range for a safe and quick operation.

Preset Modes	Reference Value	Maximum Pressure
Car	35 PSI	65 PSI
Bike	40 PSI	55 PSI
Cycle	38 PSI	150 PSI
Ball	8 PSI	15 PSI
Custom	100 PSI	150 PSI

Note: Ensure you set the correct pressure while inflating the tyre or other objects. Excess pressure may cause serious accidents. So always cross-check the pressure value as well as the pressure unit.

In every preset mode, you can increase or decrease the pressure by pressing the + or – buttons, respectively. A single press will increase or reduce the pressure by one count. But, if you long press the button, it will rapidly change the pressure. You need to set the pressure before inflating the tyres. You can also see the existing pressure value of the Tyre when you connect it to the Inflator. Once you connect the air hose to the tyre, the current pressure value of the tyre will display on the Inflator for two seconds and reset.

The Qubo Smart Tyre Inflator has a high-precision die-cast cylinder block made of alloy materials for better durability. It comes with a non-removable UL-certified 2000mAh battery capable of filling up to 150 PSI on a single charge. The USB-C port helps you charge the Inflator using a 5V/2V power brick, or you can also charge it in your car using a compatible car charger while on the go.

If the device’s battery gets low, the battery indicator turns red and turns green once the battery is fully charged. The device also has a small LED light on the top that helps you inflate the tires in low-lighting conditions. Long press the ‘U’ button to turn on the light and long press again to turn it off. The light is enough to find the tyre valve even in pitch dark conditions. You can even use it like a small torch.

Hose and attachments

The Qubo Smart Tyre Inflator comes with a detachable hose. One end of the hose will connect to the Inflator, while the other goes to external objects like tyres. You can also connect various attachments to the air hose. You can directly connect the air hose to any car, bike, or bicycle tyres without any attachments. You need to connect the proper attachment before inflating a particular object, such as a swimming ring, Sports balls etc. For example, if you want to inflate the swimming ring, connect the swimming ring needle to the end of the air hose.

How does Qubo Smart Tyre Inflator work?

To inflate a tyre, press the power button for three seconds, and the display shows the status as ‘ON’. Now, connect the hose to the car tyre. Once you connect the hose, the device will read the current pressure value of the car and show it on display. Next, select the mode by pressing the ‘M‘ button.

For example, if you are inflating the car tyre, go to Car mode and set the desired pressure using the + or – button. Once you set the desired value, the device remembers it in its memory. So, there is no need to set the value every time. Next time when you select the Car mode, the value is automatically set to the previously set value to save your time.

Once you set the value, Short press the power button to start inflation. You can see the real-time air pressure value on the digital display that slowly changes during inflation and automatically stops once it reaches the preset value. You can also press the power button again at any point in time to stop the inflation. To turn off the device, press the power button until the display shows ‘OFF’.

Performance

Type	Air Pressure	Time Needed
Bicycle	0 to 35 PSI	3 Minute 14 Seconds

During my testing, Qubo Smart Tyre Inflator took about 3 minutes 14 seconds to inflate a Bicycle tyre (0 to 35 PSI). You can easily fill out about 130 PSI of air in a single charge. One thing I observed was a small air leak. Once you fill the air, you’ll observe a small amount of air leak while removing the nozzle from the vehicle tyre valve. As it’s a threaded nozzle, a small amount of air will leak while removing the nozzle. You can control this in two ways.

Either remove the nozzle as quickly as possible or increase the air pressure by 1 PSI to compensate for the air leak. Also, the Qubo Smart Tyre Inflator doesn’t support Air release or Air deflation. If your tire is overfilled and you want to deflate it, you need to do it manually by pressing down on the tip of the tyre valve.

Things to remember

• You cannot use the device while it is charging.
• The battery is not user replaceable.
• Do not hold the device in your hands while inflating the tyres or any other objects.
• Do not charge the device using fast chargers like 30W, 65W, etc. Make sure you are using a 5V/2A power adapter.
• Do not block the top or bottom portion during inflation. The vents should be open to the air to push out the heat generated by the motor.

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Qubo Smart Tyre Inflator Pro

The Qubo Smart Tyre Inflator Pro is an upgraded version of the Qubo Smart Tyre Inflator, specially designed for heavy-duty purposes. Apart from the performance, the major change is the design. It’s slightly big and doesn’t include any batteries. However, as it comes with a powerful motor, you can quickly inflate almost all vehicles, including sports balls, swimming rings, etc.

Like the compact variant, the Pro variant also has a large display that helps you set the pressure, read the pressure, change the pressure unit and preset modes. The Qubo Smart Tyre Inflator Pro package includes – Device (Inflator), a Power cable, a Car power adapter, Ball Needle, Bicycle Nozzle, and a Carry pouch. The power cable length is long enough to reach all four tyres. One end of the cable goes to the DC port of the Inflator, and another end goes to the 12V port of your car.

The only key requirement of this Inflator is an external power source. You must have a Car to power up this Inflator, which requires 12V power to start working. You cannot connect this to your home power sockets. Even if you want to inflate your Bicycle tyres or sports balls, you’ll have to connect this to the 12V power port of your car.

In terms of design, you’ll find a digital display, five control buttons on the front side, and an array of small LED bulbs on the back. 12 LED bulbs placed on the back side help you inflate during the night or in low lighting conditions. You need to press the ‘U’ button for three seconds to turn on the LED lights.

The Air hose is not removable and is always fixed to the Inflator, but you can easily wrap it around the device. On the bottom, along with the DC power port, Qubo has provided two small compartments to store the presta valve and the swimming ring nozzle. On the top portion, a dedicated Deflate button helps you deflate or release the air from the tires.

Button	Working
Power	Turn ON the Inflator
Preset (-)	Reduce the pressure
Preset (+)	Increase the pressure
M	Preset mode selection
U	Change pressure unit Turn on/off light
Deflate	To release air

Hose and attachments

The Qubo Smart Tyre Inflator Pro has a fixed air hose and supports multiple attachments. The air hose has a push-type nozzle that can be directly connected to vehicle tyre valves to inflate air without any attachments. When you fix the air hose nozzle to the tyre valve, you need to lock the nozzle by pressing the push button.

The best part of the bush-type nozzle is it prevents the air pressure leak when removing the nozzle from the tyre valve. If you want to inflate Sports balls, Swimming rings, etc., you need to attach the respective attachments to the air hose nozzle.

How does Qubo Smart Tyre Inflator Pro work?

To inflate a tyre, connect the power cable to the car’s 12V port and press the power button until the display shows ON status. Then, connect the Air hose to the car tyre and lock the valve. Once you connect the hose, the device will read the current pressure value of the car and show it on display. Next, select the mode by pressing the ‘M‘ button and set the required pressure using the + or – button. You can see it in the below picture. 31 PSI is the existing pressure in the tyre, and 32 PSI is the set pressure.

Once you set the value, Short press the power button to start inflation. You can also see the real-time air pressure reading on the digital display. The Inflator automatically stops once it reaches the preset value. You can also press the power button again to stop the inflation manually. It doesn’t support power off. Simply unplug the power cable from the device.

Performance

Type	Operation	Air Pressure	Time Needed
Car	Inflate	0 to 32 PSI	5 Minute 10 Seconds
Car	Deflate	32 to 0 PSI	3 Minute 40 Seconds

Things to remember

• Do not connect the Inflator to your home power sockets using any 3rd party adapters.
• The Inflator works only with a 12V car power port.
• Do not connect the Inflator to 24V car power ports.

Verdict

I have been using these devices for the past month and am pretty happy with the performance. Qubo Smart Tyre Inflator and Qubo Smart Tyre Inflator Pro have durable designs and work as intended. I have used these devices with a Car, Bike, and Bicycle and have not experienced any issues. Even though these devices vibrate with noticeable noise during inflation, the vibrations are minimal compared to the air compressors.

As I said earlier, both devices are used for the same purposes, but the performance is slightly different. You need to decide based on your usage as the price difference is hardly ₹500. The Qubo Smart Tyre Inflator is priced at ₹2,490, while the Qubo Smart Tyre Inflator Pro is priced at ₹2,990. Usually, vehicle tyres lose about 1-3 PSI of air on average per week. It also depends on your usage. So, the non-pro variant can easily fill about 10 PSI of air in four tyres at least three times on a single charge. Portability is the most significant advantage of the non-pro variant, and also, you do not need to connect it to the power source once it is charged.

Overall, Qubo Smart Tyre Inflator/Pro is a very useful device, especially when traveling. Most vehicles nowadays come with tubeless tyres, and you can make the best use of a portable tyre inflator. In case of a slow air leak or when the tyre is flat, you can easily fill the air and drive a few kilometers until you reach the tyre repair shop. So you’ll never be stranded on the road with a deflated tyre. Undoubtedly, the Qubo Smart Tyre Inflator / Pro is one of the best portable electric air compressors you can buy in India for under ₹3,000.

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How to reset the Qubo Smart Tyre Inflator / Pro

Sometimes the display will not show the measured pressure value as Zero due to the difference in altitude and sensor tolerance. In such cases, you need to calibrate the device by resetting it. To reset the device, turn it on, and press the +/= buttons simultaneously for three seconds. This will auto-clear the data and calibrate the device. The process is the same for Qubo Smart Tyre Inflator and Qubo Smart Tyre Inflator Pro devices.

Where to buy Qubo Smart Tyre Inflator / Pro

You can purchase the Qubo Smart Tyre Inflator and Qubo Smart Tyre Inflator Pro directly from Qubo eStore or through Amazon.in.

Qubo Smart Tyre Inflator / Pro warranty details

	Qubo Smart Tyre Inflator	Qubo Smart Tyre Inflator Pro
Device	6-month	12-month
Hose Pipe	3-month	3-month
Power Cable	3-month	3-month
Battery	3-month	–

Note: According to Qubo, you should not continuously use the device for more than 10 minutes. You need to allow the device to cool for at least 10 minutes before the next use. The device vibrates continuously during inflation and produces high noise. Placing the device on the floor is recommended to avoid high vibrations. The temperature of the hose also increases during the operation, and you must avoid prolonged contact with the hose and joints with bare hands.