Today, Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi hosted an event in Beijing, where it took wraps off its latest tech products, including the Xiaomi Redmi Pro smartphone, and the all-new Xiaomi Mi Notebook Air lineup. Indeed, after various rumors and almost a year of waiting for Xiaomi to spill the beans, the company is now finally ready to join the notebook PC market with a couple of models bearing the Xiaomi Mi Notebook Air moniker.
The Xiaomi Mi Notebook Air is described by the company as a “thin, light and powerful” high-performance notebook, and while some tech enthusiasts might be skeptical in regards to Xiaomi’s expertise in the notebook PC market, according to the press release, the team that was responsible for developing the Mi Notebook Air series has “on average over 10 years of industry experience”. The series consists of two variants, with a 13.3-inch model representing their top of the line. The Xiaomi Mi Notebook Air 13.3 makes use of an Intel Core i5 processor coupled with an NVIDIA GeForce 940MX graphics card, it has 8 GB of DDR4 RAM, 256 GB of SSD storage, and packs a battery that should last for 9.5 hours on a single charge, according to the manufacturer. Other key features include a USB Type-C connector, two USB 3.0 ports, and one HDMI connector. It will be available in gold and silver, and overall, the 13.3-inch model weighs 1.28 kilograms, and measures 309.6 x 210.9 x 14.8 millimeters.
The second Xiaomi Mi Notebook Air in the series has a 12.5-inch display, which contributes to a lighter (1.07 kilograms) and slightly more compact package (292 x 202 x 12.9 mm). Inside beats the heart of an Intel Core M3 CPU with on-board graphics, coupled with 4 GB of RAM. It has 128 GB of SSD storage, a battery rated at up to 11.5 hours of usage on a single charge, and not unlike the 13.3-inch model, it will be available in gold and silver. Both notebooks run Windows 10 out of the box, and both have been manufactured by Inventec and Wistron. According to the press release, the Xiaomi Mi Notebook Air series will be available for purchase in China, online and through Mi Home brick & mortar stores, starting August 2nd. According to Xiaomi’s Twitter, the 12.5-inch model will have a starting price of 3,499 Yuan (~$524), whereas the 13.3-inch variant will be available for 4,999 Yuan (~$749). Very competitive prices without a doubt, which could ensure a successful entry in this new market niche for the company. However, Xiaomi has yet to reveal a launch date outside of China.
