The rumor of Xiaomi entering the PC market was something that had accompanied us for along time.But itwas not until late July when we could meet yournew Mi Notebook Air, a laptop would come withtwo diagonal screen, different configurations and a very attractive price.
Now, after months of waiting I couldanalyze the new Mi Notebook Air, exactly the 12.5-inch model.A team with certain commitments but, as has become customary in Xiaomi offers alot for very little.
Technical specifications
There aretwo configurations Mi Notebook Air, differ not only in size but also display level specifications.The 13.3 -inch model mounted an Intel Core i5, 8GB of RAM and 256GB SSD storage.Whilethe 12.5 -inch model I discuss uses an Intel Core m3, 4GB of RAM and 128GB SSD.
As you can see the processor is one of the major differences, the other is its graph.While the largest model uses the NVIDIA GeForce 940MX with 1GB of RAM GDRR5, the small uses an integrated graphics Intel HD Graphics 515. It also implies that the memory of such a system is obtained GPU, 4GB of those few.Otherwise and except for share autonomy specifications.
SPECIFICATIONS MI NOTEBOOK AIR SURPRISE FOR THE PRICE OF EQUIPMENT
|
CHARACTERISTICS |
Mi NOTEBOOK AIR 12.5 |
Mi NOTEBOOK AIR 13.3 |
| Screen | Full HD (1920×1080) | Full HD (1920×1080) |
| Processor | Intel Core m3 | Intel Core i5 |
| RAM | 4GB | 8GB |
| Storage | 128GB SSD | 256GB SSD |
| Extension | Extra slot for SSD | Extra slot for SSD |
| Dimensions | 292x202x12,9 | 309,6×210,9×14,8 |
| Weight | 1,07 Kg | 1.28 Kg |
| Autonomy | 11.5 hours | 9.5 hours |
| Connections | USB 3.0, USB C, HDMI output and headphones | 2 x USB 3.0, USB C, HDMI output and headphones |
| Connectivity | Ac Wifi, BT 4.1 | Ac Wifi, BT 4.1 |
| Additional features | Backlit keyboard and webcam | Backlit keyboard and webcam |
Both techniques leaves are not bad.There will be users who will seem insufficient but youhave to assess the set globally, as well as the limitations imposed bythe design size issues.Still, as said earlier,few manufacturers give so much for so little.
Beware version, Chinese or international
Before going further itis important to stop along the way to talk about the versions.I do not mean the model of 12.5 or 13.3 inches but whether it is the Chinese version or the international QWERTY keyboard.Something important not only for the keyboard layout itself but by the Windows 10 license used.
The tested unit corresponds to the Chinese.That means thatthe version of Windows 10 that integrates is in Chinese and English keyboard- not has the letter well as variations in the distribution.
Licensed versionSingle Languagenot be able totake advantage ofthe number of series -including within the price- to install a version in another language, nor an additional language package.At best we’llget will be to change some parts of the system but little else.And ofcourse, live with most Chinese texts is very uncomfortable.
Therefore, the solution is todownload all the device drivers, install its own version we have of Windows 10 in the language that interests us and then reinstall the drivers.Or buy aunit not activated Windows version.That means taking an extra cost of $50 or so to activate itby purchasing a valid reason for the language you want key.
Keyboard theme, failing to launch a model in keyboard has no solution to change its distribution, adapt or use anexternal one, although thelatter would be neither practical nor the best idea.
Mi Notebook Air and taste for design
The design of the Xiaomi products has always generated some debate.For some copied or excess inspired by other manufacturers.Mi opinion is that actually most of the technology industry is influenced in one way or another for the rest.
Few brands are the ones that are doing something truly groundbreaking and unique.So let us put aside the controversy and seehow the Mi Notebook Air design level.
With a leather made entirely of metal,this Mi Notebook Air is elegant, sober and transmits high quality construction.Each of the elements and parts of it are perfectly integrated.At such alevel that nothing else hold itin yourhands you think you’re facing a much more expensive equipment.
Except for the sticker on the bottom and the logo of Mi that we can see on the glass that protects the screen,the Mi Notebook Air there are no logos or any other type of screen printingindicating, for example, what type of connector is.It is a small detail perhaps but I personally like it makes everything cleaner.
And at the bottom you can see two small speakers correspondents slots.It is not a correct location, if you put your team in the legs are easily clogged and the listening experience is affected.
Anyway it is not a big problem because despite having Dolby Audio technology and be signed by AKG quality is not outstanding.They offer something lacking punch and clang.
Moreover, with a very striking good thickness and weight, the work done by Xiaomi is admirable in this section.And is that despite its size keyboard and trackpad to offer a remarkable size and comfort of use.Not to mention the detail that the keyboard is backlit and has a touch and very successful tour of the keys.
In short, someinteresting design details of the Mi Notebook Air:
- The thickness of the screen
- The hinge provides fair resistance to open the screen
- When we open the screen with one hand the team does not get up from the table
- Keyboard has a very comfortable size
- Trackpad multi-touch gestures in addition to offering comfortable size
- The speaker placement is not successful
You may also like to read another article on DuckysDesktop: Mi VR: Xiaomi enters virtual reality as you know, with good design and aggressive price
Mi Notebook Air, performance commitments
The vast majority know the different processors that Intel currently offers.Among them is the Core M family, some chips designed for teams like this where mobility, lower power consumption and cooling capacity is a key thing.
Well, the CPU used mark the first commitment that we must accept when we decide to purchase this notebook.It will be able to run almost all applications but we cannot expect the same performance as the ablest micros Intel Core i5 or i7 much less.
If we add other details such as 4GB of RAM or using an integrated graphics you get from this RAM memory have the following.The Mi Notebook Air 12.5″ is a team capable of providing good performancein office tasks, issues undemanding images, some video editing and typical uses like checking runs, social networks, etc.
For some it may be insufficient but every day the truth is that is not bad.During these days of analysis I’ve been doing it everyday tasks with complete satisfaction. Except for games where GPU is true that suffers a bit more, the team has even allowed me to enjoy certain titles with which to enjoy those leisure.
Anyway, for lovers of the benchmark, here are the results of Geekbench 4 and PCMark.If you want to compare with other solutions and thus have an idea of what raw performance is able to offer.
A bright Full HD screen
The theme of the screens is not usually a major problem in some level teams.All panels feature beyond the resolution can range from Full HD to UHD offer good color rendering, viewing angles, brightness and contrast.
What happens with cheaper equipment, usually quite the opposite.In the case of Mi Notebook Air is not it despite its low price the screen is an outstanding feature see anything else.
With a diagonal of 12.5 inches, the resolution of Mi Notebook Air is 1920×1080.This results in a pixel density of 176.23 ppp, which translates into very high sharpness images.Furthermore, both represented color quality, contrast and brightness reaching 300 nits make’re facing a remarkable panel.
Therefore, I cannot say anything without being improved market display or offer more resolution for the size you have is excellent.We work very comfortably in it and there is enough space on the desktop.Compared to my MacBook Air only offers 1440×900 pixels on its 13.3-inch screen is something important when assessing the team.
Small and large details Mi Notebook Air
After all this is to review a number of small and large details that make this Mi Notebook Air a more interesting team, if possible.
The first is that itoffers rapid charging systemcapable of charging the battery 50% in just half anhour.An important detail that with his long life, in my tests I managed tobetween 7 and 8 hours of use (theoretical duration of 11.5 hours) make practically not have to worry when we leave home with him.
The second interesting detail is the possibility of using theXiaomi Mi Band 2to unlock the computer.An integration that seeks togive value to ecosystem Xiaomi products.And seeing the bracelet good price and good results offered in the field of quantification, it makes sure that more than one arises acquire if not already.
Finally, thereisMi Cloud Sync, aservice that lets yousynchronize data between devicesand webcam.Data synchronization islikely tobe at least as attractive as those options are Google, Dropbox, OneDrive offers, etc.perhaps they generate more confidence when depositing files on servers outside but there itis.If a user wants tohave the option also to get that synchronization through Xiaomi service.Respect to the camera, the resolution offered is 720p.You not bad but do not expect an amazing sharpness.It’s still better than other options inthe market.
