Xiaomi may be best known for its smartphones but it is now foraying into new territory and has launched its first-ever laptop line – the Mi Notebook Air.
With this launch, Xiaomi wants to take on Apple’s 13.3-inch MacBook Air, and claims that its Mi Notebook Air is 13% thinner at 14.8mm and 11% smaller despite a similar sized screen (Apple’s MacBook Air is 17mm and 1.35kg )
It comes in two sizes – a 13.3-inch and 12.5-inch version – and both feature a slim body, a 1080p display with slim under-glass bezels.
The 13.3-inch version comes with an Intel Core i5 processor, a 256GB SSD and includes Xiomi’s Mi Cloud Sync, a feature that allows users to sync their contacts, text messages, photos and notes to the Mi Cloud.
It has a Nvidia GeForce 940MX mobile graphics card that Xiaomi says allows users to play video games like Dota 2 at high frame rates.
The 12.5-inch Mi Notebook Air is lighter, is 12.9mm thin (Apple’s 12-inch Macbook is 13.1mm thick) and has an Intel Core M3 processor, integrated graphics, and a 128GB SSD. It lasts 11-and-a-half hours on a single charge.
The bigger Mi Notebook Air is priced at 4,999 Chinese yuan (roughly around Rs 50,392), while the 12.5-inch version will be sold at 3,499 yuan (around Rs 35,200).
The laptops will be available in China from August 2 and will be available in silver and gold colour variants. As of now, there is no word regarding when they will be available outside China. Apple may be hoping it won’t be too soon.