Xiaomi has become one of the influencers in the Chinese and Indian markets. The company still doesn’t gamble to enter the US market, but I guess it’s a matter of time. Thanks to an aggressive promo campaigns the company is currently listed among the best Chinese brands. But as you understand, only promo campaigns are not sufficient to win customers’ hearts. Xiaomi always comes in with incredible products, and what’s more interesting it makes devices for all cases and for all niches. If I start talking about all of them, it will take long, because we’ll find any kinds of products starting from Xiaomi bags and finishing with smart vacuum cleaners. Moreover, this company has a list of sub-brands that come in with great products as well. One of the keys to success is the ‘smart’ pricing policy. You can always rely on this company when looking for affordable devices. But today I am offering you to take a look at a top-notch product ready to compete with the best models from its niche. I am talking about the Xiaomi Notebook Air 4G that is considered as the most dangerous rival to the original Apple MacBook Air.
The Xiaomi Notebook Air 4G was announced on December 23, 2016. This date had been reserved for a while, and we knew the company should unleash its next laptop for the Air line. It was initially called as the Xiaomi Mi Notebook Pro, but the spokesman called it differently. The main reason why the manufacturer didn’t give another name to its fresh laptop is related with its selling point. The Xiaomi Notebook Air 4G, as the name suggests, support 4G network. So the company had to emphasize this feature in all possible ways. Anyway, this laptop sports a list of great features but the 4G network support. So I insist that you keep reading to find out more about this attractive ultrabook.
As you know, Xiaomi has launched Air series laptops earlier. After six months since they have been released the company offered the most powerful laptop with this brand. However, it will be incorrect to say the manufacturer has changed the appearance of this product much. Of course, there are some changes in order to put a 4G modem into the body. But those who are familiar with the original Xiaomi Mi Air notebooks, can identify this one instantly.
Like its predecessors the Xiaomi Notebook Air 4G uses all-aluminum alloy as the body material. There are two color options – silver and gold. The Mi logo absence from the shell – it’s blank. Usually, products with minimalistic design are called products with MUJI style. In this sense, the Xiaomi Notebook Air 4G completely corresponds to this description.
This ultrabook sports a 12.5-inch 1080p display. There is also a 13.3-inch model, by the way. The border is only 5.59mm. It also comes with a full lamination technology providing a great viewing experience. At last, this screen is covered with a tempered glass of 7H hardness. Thus no scratches are dangerous for it.
Being a high-end notebook the Xiaomi Notebook Air 4G should sport a good keyboard. Fortunately, it does. Compared to many other Chinese laptops this one actually has one of the most convenient keyboard I have ever used. The keys are at the right distance from each other and they have the best height. So no fatigue after a few hours of typing. It is also very comfortable for those who like or have to work at night, as the keyboard has a light blue backlight.
The back panel carries some signs showing the standard information about the device as well as AKG, Dolby Audio Premium, and Windows. Thus only a quick look at these signs will make customers to understand they are dealing with a great laptop.
As for connectivity and interfaces, the Xiaomi Notebook Air 4G comes with a USB 3.0, USB Type-C, microphone, 3.5mm audio jack, HDMI port, and DC port for charging. Thus you can find any port required for daily tasks.
The 12.5-inch version weighs 0.7kg, while the 13.3-inch model comes at 1.28kg.
Must Read: Xiaomi Notebook Air 4G Hands-On Photos.
Seems there is nothing surprising we are dealing with a 4G-enabled device, as almost everyone owns a smartphone or tablet supporting 4G network nowadays. But the trick is that the way how laptops and smartphones use the 4G network is quite different. For example, this notebook is connected to China Mobile’s 4G network. The download speed is up to 80Mbps, which is identical to common 100Mbps home connections. This is 11 times faster than what we get from traditional WiFI hotspot on the card. It is also 2 times faster than the 4G Pro connectivity option.
The 4G module can’t be removed from the laptop, as it is integrated in the motherboard. Plus, it’s built-in SIM card slot differs from the regular phone SIM card slot.
The Xiaomi Notebook Air 4G was tested via SpeedTest in order to find out how it behaves indoor and outdoor. As for an indoor test, it showed 19.16Mbps of download speed, 1.48Mbps of upload speed, and network delay of 72ms.
To test the download speed in practice, we downloaded a QQ app. the later was downloaded at 622.12kb/s, which is quite good.
Thereafter, the Xiaomi Notebook Air 4G connectivity feature was tested outdoor. It showed 27.04Mbps of download speed, 1.18Mbps of upload speed, and 88ms of network delay.
The same test was held one more time. The QQ was downloaded at 1.41Mb/s. thus it is 2 times faster than indoor download speed.
This ultrabook is powered with an Intel Core M3-6Y30 SoC. We are already familiar with this chipset from the Cube i7 Book. But if the latter is designed for customers at low income, the Xiaomi Notebook Air 4G has been made for professionals. Anyway, the CPU is paired with a 4GB of RAM and 128GB SATA hard drive that can be expanded via a card slot.
You may think this is not the fastest processor. But the M series chips are equivalent to i series processors. So be sure this laptop is capable of providing a great performance. To prove my words I have tested it via a benchmark and it scored 46.673 that is a sufficient result.
The only thing we can complain the manufacturer is the poor gaming performance provided by this notebook. It is packed with an Intel HD Graphics 515, thus do not expect much from it. We have tested it via 3DMark 11, and it scored 954 points. This result is identical to entry-level laptops.
Note: The 13.3-inch model is equipped with an Intel Core i7 processor clocked at 3.0GHz.
Usually when looking at ultra-slim notebooks, we think the battery life should be terrible. Fortunately, this statement is not true for the Xiaomi Notebook Air 4G. It uses two strings of lithium-ion polymer batteries up to 600Wh/L of energy density. Thanks to a 1C fast charging technology and USB Type-C interface it charges within 1 hour. It supports up to 45W charging power. So starting at 20% you can fully charge it in 50 minutes.
As for the usage, the Xiaomi Notebook Air 4G can provide up to 5 hours and 40 minutes at open power-saving mode.
- Remarkable design
- Good keyboard
- Full HD display
- Intel Core M3-6Y30 CPU
- 128GB SATA hard drive
- Long-lasting battery
- 4G connectivity
- Poor gaming performance
- Price
The Xiaomi Notebook Air 4G is not flawless, but it is a head higher than many products from this niche. This laptop has been designed for people who travel much and for those who are obsessed with ultrabooks. I mean it is ideal for all the cases when people have to carry their laptops with them.
However, the Xiaomi Notebook Air 4G doesn’t differ much from previous versions. The only improvement / change refers to the 4G support, while the rest of hardware remains the same. On the other hand, the presence of a 4G module helps you not to rely on WiFi.
Though many people complain of the 4GB RAM, I think the main shortcoming is the poor gaming performance.
