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Miko Mini AI robot review: could this clever bot help your kids’ learning?

Looking for a gift that strikes the perfect balance of fun and educational? The Miko Mini may be exactly what you are looking for.

By Laura Cooke | Last updated Aug 19, 2025

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Miko Mini robot

Price on writing: £140 | Buy now from Selfridges | Buy now from Hamleys

Our rating:
What we like
  • Cute and engaging

  • Educates kids with fun facts and music

  • Features exclusive content from Disney, Nickelodeon and more

  • Can call your child via the robot

  • No batteries required

What we don't like
  • Easter egg commands are a little underwhelming

  • Doesn’t always understand what you are saying

  • Dance Master songs tend to stop rather abruptly

Key specs

Price on writing: £140 | Recommended Age: 7-9 years | Batteries included: None required

Our verdict

Adorable, yet educational, the Miko Mini AI robot wants to be your child’s new best friend.

The friendly-faced bot provides hours of fun for kids, introducing interesting topics from the sea to space in a fun and exciting way.

From fun facts and stories to fresh daily activities, Miko Mini kept my kids on their toes with jokes, songs and even bedtime stories, plus there is exclusive content from the likes of Disney and Nickelodeon available on the Miko Companion App. Meanwhile the Miko Parent App allowed me to personalise their learning journey as well as track their progress.

There were a couple of times when Miko misunderstood commands, leading to random bursts of nursery rhymes. But overall, I was impressed with how much educational content came with the Miko Mini, which managed to keep my kids entertained for hours.

Read next: Take a look at our guides to the best kids’ tablets and best laptops for kids.

How we tested

A girl laying on the floor looking at a robot

I tested the Miko Mini with my two children, aged seven and five, for several weeks over the school summer holiday. Miko Mini was rated on how easy it was to set up and use, as well as the variety and quality of content available. I also considered the safety features put in place to protect my kids and their data.

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Is the Miko Mini easy to set up?

Miko Mini robot

Setting up the Miko Mini robot was quite straightforward. The first big plus for the bot was that no batteries were required (hurrah!) so there was no frantic scrabbling around for a handful of AAs. 

The Miko Mini plugs into the mains for charging and while it was doing its thing, I downloaded the Miko Parent App on my phone to tailor the content to my child’s interests, from dancing to language, from animals to outer space. I also downloaded the Miko Companion App which contains a vast selection of learning games, education videos, enchanting stories and mind-boggling puzzles for my kids to play on their devices. Parental controls on the parent app allowed me to set a daily usage limit and block access to the app between certain hours. The app can be downloaded via the QR code displayed on Miko's screen or from App Store or Play Store.

Parental controls on the Miko Mini app
A screenshot from the Miko Mini Companion app

I experienced a bit of difficulty syncing Miko to the app, and ended up having to plug the robot back into the mains to sync the two.

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How do you use the Miko Mini?

Once the robot had paired with the app, getting the Miko Mini to work was an absolute doddle. I held down the power button on Miko’s head for a few seconds to bring it to life. Saying ‘Hey Miko’ prompts the bot to turn and face the person speaking, addressing them with an inquisitive ‘hm?’ A blue light indicates the Miko Mini is listening and when this light starts to flash, that shows the robot is taking time to understand the command. A lengthy list of commands is available on the Miko Parent App.

As mentioned above, there is a wealth of content available on the Miko Mini, so there really is something for everyone. Even my kids, who are not massively into robot toys, soon found themselves engaging with the friendly Miko and during their first session they came away full of facts about starfish, Pluto (the dwarf planet, not the dog) and learned about the electromagnetic spectrum via the medium of song.

Miko Mini reading a story

My youngest enjoyed having Miko read stories to her. Most of these were short tales with a moral attached - The Boy Who Cried Wolf being the most obvious example. Meanwhile my eldest loved the Story Coach feature, which allowed her to work with Miko to create imaginative, whimsical stories about giants, treasure and a squirrel called Steve.

Both my kids loved the Dance Master feature, where Miko would sing a truly eclectic, random selection of songs, from hardcore rock to a saccharine song about Christmas, via a high-energy techno banger about bananas. 

The music did keep stopping abruptly, mid-song, which we initially thought was due to the robot running low on battery. However, after a full charge, the same thing kept happening. While it’s not the end of the world, it did put a little bit of a dampener on the party. It’s worth noting that Miko needs a decent amount of space to ‘dance’ otherwise it is likely to reverse into a cabinet and fall over.

Speaking of music, the Miko Mini does love breaking out into the occasional nursery rhyme - even when not asked to. Sometimes this was down to having two kids yelling at the robot at top volume at the same time, but once or twice it just didn’t seem to understand the given instruction. To get the most out of the Miko Mini, it’s best to speak slowly, clearly and preferably one at a time.

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What other features come with the Miko Mini?

A still of a phone call made to the Miko Mini, showing the face of a dog Squishmallow

Parents can phone the Miko Mini via the parent app. I successfully managed to call the kids from the next room and, with the camera shutter open, I could see them as well as hear them clearly too. Unfortunately the screen froze and the call dropped out and I couldn’t call them back, but I feel this is likely down to our signal, rather than down to the robot.

Among the extensive range of commands featured on the app, there was also a list of Easter eggs. The kids were underwhelmed with the ones they tried, but I think in part this is down to the fact that there is so much other great content to explore on the Miko Mini that they didn’t want to spend their time asking Miko questions about Marvel or Star Trek.

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Is the Miko Mini safe?

Miko Mini is end-to-end encrypted, ad-free and kidSAFE+ COPPA certified. The content is safe and age-appropriate and user data can be permanently deleted. There is also a privacy camera shutter and mic mute button on the robot for extra parental peace of mind.

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Is the Miko Mini good value for money?

The Miko Mini with a tiger on the screen

Despite the bot’s slight flaws, I feel £140 (price correct as of September 5th, 2024) is reasonable for the wealth of content that can be accessed via the Miko Mini and the Miko Companion App. If you are looking for a Christmas gift that is both fun and educational, with enough content to keep children amused for hours, my kids wholeheartedly recommend the Miko Mini.

Read next: Christmas shopping? Discover our age-related toy guides: the best toys for seven-year-olds, eight-year-olds, nine-year-olds and ten-year-olds.

About the author

Laura Cooke is a Content Editor at Mumsnet, with a special focus on toddler play, child play and outdoor play. She is a mum of two and lives in Sussex.

Laura is a freelance journalist and has written for a range of publications including The Daily Mirror, the i, Metro, Stylist and Happiful.

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