Tool Reviews

An inexpensive and high-quality laptop is what almost every one of us is looking for. And the Chinese company Xiaomi quickly found a solution to this problem by releasing a line of Mi Notebook laptops. They were called both affordable Macbook counterparts and a stylish and bright solution for Windows fans. And we decided to see which laptops from Xiaomi are most suitable for our daily tasks, and whether it is worth looking at them if you dream of a new laptop.

Xiaomi Mi Notebook Pro 15.6″

It would seem that Xiaomi paid attention to the MacBook Pro and decided to fix all the shortcomings of this laptop in its own version. Mi Notebook Pro has a 15.6-inch display, which means it’s a big laptop that’s good for graphics work and even gaming. The Windows 10 operating system preinstalled on this laptop also speaks in favor of games.

Like the MacBook, Xiaomi is ditching the optical drive in favor of two USB 3.0 ports and two USB Type-C ports. And that’s not all, because the laptop is equipped with an HDMI connector and a slot for memory cards. This means that you can use the usual flash drives, connect an external monitor and, of course, take information directly from the cards.

Of course, in order for the device to cope with its tasks, you need a powerful processor. Therefore, the Mi Notebook Pro has an Intel Core i5 8250U. Its frequency is 1600 GHz (maximum – 3.40 GHz). The processor is quad-core, and the laptop itself has 8GB of RAM and 256GB of internal memory. Of course, it is equipped with a 2GB discrete Nvidia GeForce graphics card, which provides graphics and gaming capabilities. Plus, the laptop has a metal case, a 1.3MP webcam. The battery lasts 6-8 hours under light load.

Many also note the specifics of the keyboard, it works as softly and quietly as in the old MacBook models, as if Xiaomi is reminding again that it is ready to take all the best from Apple.

There are also moments worth noting separately: the pre-installed Windows system is not Russified, and USB 3.0 ports are located on one side. In addition, the cooler can be quite noisy at high loads, but this is due to the cooling system, thought out specifically for demanding programs. It consists of two coolers that provide 40% more airflow.

In general, Mi Notebook Pro is one of the most affordable options for a high-quality and powerful laptop, which at the same time has a light weight of 1.95kg, a durable case and high parameters.

Xiaomi Mi Notebook Air 12.5″

Air from Xiaomi is much more like a MacBook Pro than a similar Air. It is larger, but there is a worthy explanation for that. This laptop is made of solid aluminum, so the design is strong and durable, and this is the main requirement for many. With its construction and slightly more rigid design, Mi is even thinner than the MacBook Air by as much as 13%, while it weighs only 1.07kg.

Accordingly, the power of Mi Notebook Air is slightly less than that of the Pro model – the computer runs on an Intel Core m3 (7Y30) processor, but its frequency is 2.2 GHz. Of course, Air is a work laptop, especially for those who deal with texts and documents. A dual-core processor, 4GB of RAM and 128GB of built-in SSD memory – everything says exactly that. The memory for the built-in Intel HD Graphics graphics card is also allocated from the RAM, so you should not overload Mi Notebook Air with games or graphics. This doesn’t mean that he can’t handle simple photo editing, but it will be difficult for him.

Again, the most pleasant impressions leave the laptop keys, they work quietly and softly.

The glossy screen has a diagonal of 12.5 inches, just between the 13 and 11 models that Apple offers us. Its resolution is 1920×1080.

The case has 2 USB 3.0 ports on both sides, an HDMI port for connecting an external screen and a 3.5mm headphone jack. This is what pleases many laptop fans, because you can connect almost everything to it. The camera has a resolution of 1MP, but the battery promises up to 11 hours of battery life. With a minimum load, this is true, with an increased load, you will get 6-7 hours.

The laptop is incredibly light and comfortable, it comes preinstalled with the Windows 10 Home operating system and stereo speakers, the quality of which was taken care of by audio manufacturer AKG. The touchpad supports 4-finger gestures and of course, the device charges quickly.

The pre-installed Windows system is not Russified, and the keyboard requires additional engraving for the Russian layout.

Xiaomi Mi Notebook Air 13.3″ 2017 Fingerprint

Another laptop with the prefix Air in the name is equipped with a unique addition – a fingerprint scanner. First of all, we will talk about it. In the upper right corner of the touchpad on this laptop is a fingerprint scanner, which allows user identification and access to the desktop. This speeds up the work and greatly simplifies the process of data protection. It even becomes surprising that no one has used this technology before.

As for the rest of the characteristics, this is a 13.3-inch IPS display with a resolution of 1920×1080. This is a powerful and modern processor Intel Core i5 7200U, dual-core but with a clock frequency of 2.5 – 3.1 GHz. The laptop has 8GB of RAM. For a working device, this is more than enough, and even for many games it will be enough. A separate plus over other models of the Air series is a discrete Nvidia GeForce 2GB video card. It’s nice that such a compact laptop weighing 1.3kg gives the user the opportunity to work with graphics and even play.

Still, of course, it is worth noting 9.5 hours of battery life at medium loads.

If we talk about internal memory, this laptop has 256GB of it and it is SSD memory, which allows you to quickly access files, run programs, etc.

The keyboard also enjoys positive reviews, but the problems are the same as other Xiaomi laptops – cooler noise at high loads and lack of Windows Russification out of the box. Problems, of course, are solvable, so in this case, the advantages outweigh the disadvantages, because in general the laptop works confidently and copes with its tasks perfectly. When playing games, of course, you should pay attention to the temperature, because the device heats up under loads.

Xiaomi Mi Gaming Laptop 15.6”

Xiaomi also has a special gaming laptop. Of course, it would be surprising if the company ignored such a wide device market. And perhaps it should be noted right away that the classic MacBook model is completely inapplicable here, because this laptop is very different from all the others.

The device has a black metal case with a keypad illuminated in various colors. By pressing the keyboard is also much closer to gaming than to the usual Apple keys, clearly separated by aluminum.

At the same time, for a gaming laptop Xiaomi Mi Gaming Laptop is quite thin and light. Its thickness is 20.9mm, and its weight is 2.7kg.

Of course, it is worth noting the power, because we are dealing with a device where technical characteristics are most important. This is a 15.6-inch IPS screen with a Full HD resolution of 1920×1080.

The processor of this laptop is an Intel Core i7-7700HQ, and if its name does not tell you anything, then keep in mind that the base frequency is 2.80 GHz, and with Turbo Boost it will be 3.80 GHz. That is, the processor is really sharpened for games. The RAM in the laptop is 16GB, because it is fundamentally important that there is enough power for the newest games. Discrete Nvidia GeForce 6GB graphics card.

That’s not all, because the laptop really follows the principles of gaming, so in addition to 1TB of internal memory for storing information, you have 256GB of SSD memory for high-speed performance.

A gaming laptop cannot lack ports, this is not a problem with Xiaomi Mi Gaming Laptop – 1 USB Type-C port is used for charging, 4 USB 3.0 ports allow you to connect external devices, an HDMI port allows you to display an image on the screen. Not only that, there is an RJ-45 port on the case, which you will no longer find on many modern laptops, plus a headphone and microphone jack.

Again, as with all Xiaomi laptops, the user will be faced with non-Russian Windows 10 out of the box and the need to engrave the keyboard. However, in this case, we can say with confidence that everything is solved by reinstalling the system or serious settings. But what can not be taken away from this laptop is the powerful parameters and incredible convenience for games.

Thus, Xiaomi is building a serious and impressive lineup of laptops, in which everyone can choose a device in accordance with their requirements. Unlike Apple, with which they are constantly compared, Xiaomi is able to offer its fans even a device for gamers, not to mention powerful computers for work. They are also distinguished by a more affordable price and a really long battery life. At the same time, everyone notes how comfortable the keyboard of these laptops is. If you decide to buy a new laptop, you should definitely pay attention to Xiaomi.