Remote control has quietly turned the humble bedside gadget into a must-have lifestyle upgrade. Chinese shoppers are snapping up palm-sized air purifiers, coffee warmers, and humidifiers that pair with an app in seconds. The appeal is simple: leave the office, tap a widget, and walk into a pre-misted living room.

Data from JD.com show orders for compact smart humidifiers up 220 % year-on-year, outpacing every other sub-category in the small-appliance aisle. Vendors credit the surge to two features: voice-assistant integration and ultra-low power draw that lets the device run on a 10,000-mAh power bank for an entire weekend.

The trend is rippling outward. First-time buyers often start with a smart humidifier, then expand to connected scent diffusers and portable dehumidifiers. Each addition costs less than a take-out dinner, making the upgrade cycle almost addictive.