Mi Notebook PRO Review and English Tutorial!
by mitch002
by mitch002
Tripple Threat release by Xiaomi got underway as they announced The Mi MIX 2, MI Note 3 and of course the Mi Notebook PRO. This unit is an upgrade to the Mi Notebook Air that was released last year and the looks of this pretty much resembles a Macbook Pro. The steel grey color is very attractive as opposed to the conventional silver and gold that was released during the Mi Notebook Air and it pretty captures my interest to immediately unbox this baby for review.
Official Video Trailer:
Specs Sheet:
Unboxing Video:
Whats in the Box:
Design:
Xiaomi has spent much effort on designing the Mi Notebook Pro, but we all know that it looks somewhat similar to the Macbook Pro since there is no denying this. Xiaomi battle for supremacy against Apple will continue for sure, so whats next? Maybe a Mi Watch? Probably this is the only item that Xiaomi havent touched (Please the Amazfit Pace and Amazfit BIP is not of the same segment will ya?) We shall see in the future, since Xiaomi never fails to amaze us with their new unveilings.
Now we can see in the specs sheet that Mi Notebook Pro (15.9mm thick x 360mm width x 243mm depth x 1.95kg) is a little bigger compared to the Macbook Pro (15.5mm thick x 349mm width x 240mm depth x 1.83kg)
Simplicity is the key for this laptop, taking on the top view, we can mistakenly thought this was a aluminum mouse pad Xiaomi released earlier on in color grey, 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 SD Card Reader Slot, 2x 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.
On the left side, we have the HDMI Port then 2x USB 3.0 Port and the 3.5mm Audio Jack to fill your music needs.
At the back there is simply nothing there
Deep down under, its simply nothing, we can't 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 well as the Windows Office 2016 Student Edition. This is packed with Dolby ATMOS and Harman Kardon Infinity logo as well.
The keyboard is very ergonomic, we loved typing on this Mi Notebook Pro, the response rate is pretty good and its pretty much a stepup from Mi Notebook Air.
The mouse trackpad is big enough and there is an embedded finger print scanner for added security. You just need to swipe thru it. We love the response, we had a hard time making the right click on the trackpad of the Mi Notebook Air, but not on this one.
The Intel Core i5 8th Gen Emblem is present on the lower right portion of the laptop.
Of course the Mi Logo.
The power button can be found on top of the Home button, in case you are not aware of it.
LED is Red when charging and Green when full, now you need to plug in the charger for the first bootup of the laptop, otherwise it wont turn on. This is to prevent accidental turning on while on shipping.
More Photos to Enjoy:
Operating System:
This unit came equipped with Windows 10 Single Language Simplified Chinese, but don't worry, the great mitch002 will teach you how to turn it to Windows 10 English Edition in no time. This is where you headache will start, since this is targeted at chinese consumers.
Specs of the Laptop via the Device Manager:
How to Convert to English Edition:
First of all you need to boot it up and set it up accordingly, you need to select which country you are as well as the keyboard, just click next and next since you can change that later. Then you will be asked to enter your Microsoft Account, you will need to have this one ready as you will enter your name and password to claim the unit is yours. Then after the setup, just next next next thru the screen and the noisy Chinese Cortana, your setup is then complete.
Then hit the Windows icon and locate Office 2016 setup, normally you will need to enter your Microsoft Account username and password on this one so that it will sync to your account, meaning the activated license will be yours forever. Virtually.
After this process, you will need to make your own Bootable Microsoft Windows 10 on USB, make sure you have a blank 4GB USB disk and then follow the guide here: How to Convert Your Mi Notebook Air's Windows 10 Chinese to English!
You will then enter the bios via pressing F2 while turning on the PC, then go the the boot menu and then highlight the flashdrive then click F5 to put it on top of the boot priority. Press F10 to save then exit.
Your Mi Notebook Pro will now boot on the USB Drive and you need to select X64 Bit. After that just click Install and Custom Installation. Select Windows 10 Home Single Language, then you will select the drive that is the largest and click Format, then click next to proceed.
After finishing the installation, you will now enter your Microsoft Account again and let it work on its own. Upon finishing the installation, go to settings, click accounts, then click the Activate Windows, then it will say that its not the same version and blah blah, click Troubleshoot
Click the Upgrade your edition of Windows then Click Start. It took me around 25 Minutes so stay tunned as this will activate your Windows 10 Home Single Language Simplified Chinese Edition into Windows 10 Home Edition. Which is a good upgrade, thanks to Microsoft.
Now your Windows 10 Home Edition is already upgraded. Now go to device manager and check if all your drivers are installed, only one was not installed for me which is the NVIDIA dedivated video driver, I just right click and then search the web, it will automatically install the driver.
Download: Microsoft Office 2016 Home Student Edition
Then open the file and go inside the Office Folder, double click the Setup X64 then let it finish.
You will be prompted to enter your license key, just click the Sign in with an Active Account instead, since your office is linked to your Windows 10, it will automatically activate itself and there you go! You are all done!
Now to put icing to the cake, I have placed the OEM configurator here with the MI Logo which will place the Mi Logo back to your Computer Properties.
xiaomi-miui.gr/community/index…abe0409bae29983f2054f4f0b
Conclusion:
The Mi Notebook Pro was simply a great item to pass on, it took us just one day to purchase it, lucky enought I was able to snag one on opening day. The speed of the Core i5 8th Gen is pretty impressive (I could only imagine the i7) as it was able to handle multitasking without a hitch, and after we installed a fresh version of Windows 10.
We love the feel of this unit and for 5599 RMB, you get something as good as a Macbook Pro, 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 who craves good graphics and speed, Playing games is an added feature as it can be handled by the dedicated video card by NVIDIA, Based on my experience, it lasted me around 6 to 7 hours while doing my workload (typing this review) and playing music.
One thing lacking is that we we are not 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.
Mi Notebook PRO
