Mi Notebook Air Is Xiaomi's First Laptop: Price, Specifications, and More

Xiaomi on Wednesday announced its long rumoured entry into the PC category, with its first laptop - the Mi Notebook Air - featuring an all metal body. The company is evidently targeting the MacBook Air, showcasing comparisons to the venerable Apple ultraportable laptop. The company at the event also launched the Xiaomi Redmi Pro.

The Chinese company launched two models, a 12.5-inch display variant priced at CNY 3,499 (roughly Rs. 35,300), and a 13.3-inch variant priced at CNY 4,999 (roughly Rs. 51,400).

The Mi Notebook Air with a 13.3-inch display bears a full-HD resolution, with a 5.59mm-thick bezel. Xiaomi says despite the same display size, the Mi Notebook Air bears an 11-percent smaller body than the MacBook Air, and the laptop is 14.8mm thick compared to the MacBook Air's 17mm thickness.

The Windows 10 Home laptop also weighs less, at 1.28kg compared to the 13-inch MacBook Air's 1.35kg weight. The Mi Notebook Air's full dimensions are 309.6x210.9x14.88mm.

The 13.3-inch Mi Notebook Air is powered by a sixth generation Intel Core i5 processor, coupled with Nvidia GeForce 940MX GPU with 1GB of GDDR5 VRAM, 8GB of DDR4 RAM, and a 256GB PCIe SSD. A second slot for an SSD drive is provided. Xiaomi is claiming a 9.5 hour battery life, with the battery said to charge 50 percent in 30 mins.

As for the 12.5-inch Mi Notebook Air, it's said to be 12.9mm thin, and weigh in at 1.07kg, which is thinner than the 12-inch MacBook's 13.1mm thickness, but heavier than the Apple laptop's 0.92kg weight - albeit, the MacBook does sport a smaller 12-inch display. Bearing a full-HD display, it is powered by an Intel Core M3 processor with 4GB of RAM, and a 128GB SATA SSD alongside a second SSD slot. An 11.5-hour battery life is claimed.

Xiaomi is also touting the laminated display to reduce glare, and edge-to-edge glass protection, apart from a full-sized keyboard with backlit keys and a 1.3mm stroke depth; AKG dual speakers, and Dolby Digital surround sound. Both Mi Notebook Air models also feature Mi Cloud Sync, letting users sync their phone contacts, messages, gallery, notes, and other data. Both also sport a HDMI port, two USB 3.0 ports, a USB Type-C port, and a 3.5mm headphone jack - no Ethernet port or optical drive.

Another feature Xiaomi is boasting of is unlock support via the Mi Band 2, enabled by the laptops Bluetooth v4.1 connectivity. The laptops will be available in Silver and Gold colour variants. Users can also personalise their Mi Notebook Air laptops with official sticker accessories for the hood. Accessories include a Leather Sleeve (CNY 299 or roughly Rs. 3,000), PU Leather Sleeve (CNY 99 or roughly Rs. 1,000), Microfiber Sleeve (CNY 69 or roughly Rs. 700).