Mi Notebook Air 12": Powerful yet so Sexy!
by mitch002 (follow me on Twitter for all my Xiaomi Reviews and Tutorials)
While Xiaomi is best known for its low priced high specs smartphones, the company has recently branched out into all sorts of other tech gadgets. From air purifier to electric bike to smart home kit, its aim is to make our lives easier and everything can be within reach with our smartphones.
But this latest unveiling together with the Redmi Pro sure does one thing that most ultraportables lack, a dedicated powerful graphics card, to be specific its the Nvidia GeForce 940MX, this is available for the 13.3" sibling of our review unit today.
Introduction Video of the Mi Notebook Air Series:
Mi Notebook Air 12.5" Specs Sheet:
- Intel Core M3-6Y30 2.2 Ghz
- 4GB RAM LPDDR3 1866Mhz
- 128GB SSD, 535 Mb per Second Max Read Speed
- Intel HD Graphics 515 Integrated Graphics
- 12.5-inch, full-HD (1,920x1,080-pixels)
- 292mm x 202mm x 12.9mm; 1.07 kg (2.35 pounds)
- All Metal Body, 135 Degree Swivel Open and Close
- Dobly Digital Sound, Realtek ALC233. AKG Customized Speakers
- Fast Charge Support, Charges up to 50% in 30 Minutes
- Type-C USB for charging, 1x USB 3.0, 1x HDMI, 3.5mm audio port
- 40Wh battery, 11.5 hours
- 3499 RMB
- Xiaomi.com
History of the Intel Core M Series
Intel Core M is a huge leap in laptop processor technology. Not only does it allow manufacturers to create laptops with super-thin fanless designs, but it finally unlocks the sort of performance laptop buyers expect. Gone are the days of piddly processors that can barely handle a spreadsheet: with Core M you can absolutely fire up lots of tabs in your web browser and work on email at the same time.
It all means manufacturers can design even thinner, lighter and silent laptops without compromising on performance or battery life.
Read more about Intel Core M at Trusted Reviews
Intel Core i5 6200U (13.3") vs Intel Core M3-6Y30 (12.5")
Now everybody wants to have a piece of the Intel Core i5 simply because we all know that its the better processor, but wait, lets take a look at the benchmarks of the 2 processors go head to head from cpuboss.com and see the real score.
At the end of the testing, cpuboss gave Core M3 the upperhand since the benchmarks scores are almost the same but Core M3 simply left Core i5 in the dust in terms of battery usage. Now, a change of heart?
For all the geeky people, you can check the hardware specs and everything you want to know as inspected by SiSoftware Sandra, for non-geeks, you can skip this part
Έχει γίνει απόκρυψη περιεχομένου. Unboxing Video:
Whats in the Box:
Beautifully made box, make everyone of us tempted to buy this amazing product by Xiaomi
Design:
Xiaomi has spent much effort in designing the Mi Notebook Air, but we all know that it looks somewhat similar to the Macbook Air since there is no denying this. Xiaomi battle for supremacy against Apple will continue, whats next? Maybe a Mipod? The revival of the popular Ipod? We shall see in the future, since Xiaomi never fails to amaze us with their latest unveilings.
Now we can see in the illustration that Mi Notebook Air is thinner, as always compared to its heated rival, Apple Inc. Lets focus on the Mi Notebook Air alone this time shall we?
Simplicity is the key, taking on the top view, we can mistakenly thought this was the aluminum mouse pad Xiaomi released earlier, its too simple that we wished there is a MI Logo present on the middle with orange light to complete the icing on the cake.
On front we can see the very thin design of the Mi Notebook Air, with a slight opening for us to easily open using our thumb or the index finger.
On the Right Side we can see the USB 3.0 Slot, USB-C Fast charging port and the Power LED light. Now the USB C port does not function only as a charging port, it can be used to expand it, all you need is a USB C OTG Hub. We tested a card reader hub on it and it works perfectly.
The back is also a beauty, so simple and clean in design.
On the left side we have the HDMI Port and the 3.5mm Audio Jack on the far end.
Deep down under, its simply nothing, we cant open and add memory modules or replace SSD Drive just like any other conventional laptops. We can see the authentic Windows 10 sticker below.
As we opened the laptop, there is a protective cover to prevent the keyboard from scratching the screen.
The keyboard is very ergonomic, we loved typing on this Mi Notebook Air, very responsive but not as sturdy as the Macbook Air.
The Intel Core M3 emblem sticker.
Of course the MI Logo.
The power button can be found on top of the backspace, in case you are not aware of it.
Did you know that the 12.5" model sports a camera?
1-megapixel camera,
1280 x 720 video calls
digital array microphone
These are what we found from the official specs sheet of Mi Notebook Air 12.5", it simply means that it supports video calls and chat like Skype (does anyone still uses that old video app till now?)
Trivia: Did you know that the Mi Notebook Air can be unlocked using the popular fitness wear Mi Band 2?
Operating System:
This unit came equipped with Windows 10, but dont be so happy about it, this is where you headache will start, since this is targeted at chinese consumers, they installed Windows 10 Home Basic Single Language Simplified Chinese. In shorter explanation, you cannot add another language pack into it except the default Simplified Chinese, unless you purchase the upgrade package.
Stay tunned for my threads as I take you for a spin on my next review on how to make it English.
Conclusion:
The Mi Notebook Air was simply a hit, there were reported many Mi Fans camped outside the Mi Store in China just to get first crack on this beauty. The speed of the Core M3 is pretty impressive as it was able to handle multitasking without a hitch, and after we installed a fresh version of Windows 10, it gets even faster without those pre-installed bloatwares.
We love the feel of this unit and for 3499 RMB roughly 550 USD, you get something as good as a Macbook Air, of course without shelling out twice the amount for a premium item. Our verdict is that this is a good buy if you are someone on the go always, without the need to play games, just giving you enought juice to do all your work for the day. One thing lacking is that we werent able to charge the Mi Notebook Air using the Mi Powerbank (this feature is available to the Macbook Air). Stay tunned as we get our hands on the 13.3" pretty soon.
This is your favorite Xiaomi Gadget reviewer, mitch002, signing off!
Disclaimer: Please don't send me any PM regarding any type of sales related inquiries. I'm a Xiaomi enthusiast but not a seller of Mi Products. I'm just a hardcore Xiaomi Fan, one notch higher than many of you here. Also I'm a Tech Blogger in the Philippines and all my review devices are either bought by myself from Xiaomi or borrowed from someone for a short period of time.
