[dropcap size=small]C[/dropcap]hinese Smartphone manufacturer, Xiaomi best known among masses for its budget smartphones has made a grand entry in laptop segment with Mi Notebook Air which is inspired from Steve Jobs’ Macbook Air not only in terms of name but in design segment also and first impression is quite siimilar that of Apple’s Macbook Air.
Although they have a lot in common, from design to specs but Mi Notebook Air will be running on Windows 10 while Apple’s Macbook Air will be supported by their own OS, Macintosh. let’s do meticulous comparison of the two and help you make a better choice :
[button color=”red” size=”normal” alignment=”none” rel=”follow” openin=”samewindow” ] Mi Notebook Air vs Apple Macbook Air[/button]
[divider]Display [/divider]
The Mi Notebook screens sports 1080p resolution 1,920 x 1,080 pixels which is quite normal in all laptops ranging from mid range to high range whereas Macbook Air features a display of 1,440 x 900 pixels.So Mi clearly beats Apple in this sector.
Victor : Mi Notebook Air
[divider]Design[/divider]
Xiaomi has launched two variants of ultra-thin notebook in two sizes : 13.3-inch and 12.5-inch similar to Macbook Air which also comes with option of two variants : 13.3 inch ad 11.6 inch.
[divider]Dimensions[/divider]
Dimensions of apple variants :
- 13.3 inch Macbook Air – Weighs 1.35kg and 17mm thick
- 12.5 inch Macbook Air – Weighs 1.08kg and 17mm thick
Dimension of Xiaomi variants are :
- 13.3 inch Notebook Air – Weighs 1.28kg and 14.8mm thick
- 12.5 inch Notebook Air – Weighs 1.07kg and 12.9mm thick
Talking of dimensions Xiaomi has outshined Apple, Mi Notebook is both slimmer and lighter as compared to its adversary. Mi Notebook certainly seems to be inspired from Macbook series but they have managed to beat Apple in terms of dimensions.
[divider]Keyboard[/divider]
Mi Notebook Air features backlit keyboards, with HDMI port and two 3.0 USB ports in 13.3 inch variant and one in 12.5 inch variant.
Macbook Air also features backlit keyboards alongside two USB 3.0 ports in both the variants. Mi Notebook Air sports full-size HDMI out connection whereas in case of Macbook Air we need adaptor if you desire to use HDMI connector but Apple tackles this by using Thunderbolt 2 connections on their machines.
[divider]Color[/divider]
Not many color options are available for Macbook Air as it is available only in standard grey and same applies to Xiaomi, Mi Notebook Air is available in Gold and Silver.
[divider]Hardware[/divider]
Now, this is point where things start getting interesting, it may sound a bit sound a bit unreal to a few of Macbook fans but Mi Notebook Air has got somewhat same specifications as of Macbook Air. Mi Notebook Air has got two variants and here are their specs :
- Mi Notebook Air 13.3 inch – powered by 2.3GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 processor and features 256GB PCIe SSD drive, 8GB DDR4 RAM and one SATA slot if one wishes to expand.
- Mi Notebook Air 12.5 inch – powered by average Intel Core M3 processor and features 128GB PCIe SSD drive, 4GB DDR4 RAM and one free PCLe slot.
Apple’s Macbook Air has also got two variants and both of them seem to siblings as both are powered by a 1.6GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 with an extra option of upgrading it to 2.2GHz dual-core Intel Core i7. They sport 128GB or 256GB PCIe flash storage which could be upgrade to 512 GB as per convenience. The only major difference is when it comes to RAM, 13.3 inch features 8GB of RAM while 11.6 inch features 4 GB of RAM.
Now it’s kinda enigma to say which one is better, as Mi Notebook has leads in graphic department with Nvidia GeForce 940MX graphics card with 1GB DDR5 RAM and Macbook can upgraded into a better machine by spending some bucks, now it’s upto audience to decide, which one they feel is better.
Victor : Not Certain
[divider]Battery[/divider]
Mi Notebook Air is powered by 40 Wh battery and Xiaomi claims that in a single charge 13.3 inch variant can last for about 9.5 hours and 12.5 inch variant, which obviously has advantage of small size can last upto 11.5 hours. Company have introduced USB-C charging port which speeds up the charging and can charge 50% of the battery in half an hour.
Apple’s Macbook Air claims to last a whooping 12 hour in a single charge and it also supports USB type-C whereas less battery lifespan of Mi Notebook Air can be due to Nvidia Graphic Card.
Victor : Macbook Air
[divider]Price [/divider]
Xiaomi has proven it’s worth for money over the time as compared to Apple which price their gadgets absurdly high. Mi notebook air is be priced at Rs. 51,000 (13.3 inch variant) and Rs. 35,000 (12.5 inch variant).
Apple has priced their products maintaining their high standards, 13 inch variants are available for Rs. 67,000 (128 GB) and Rs. 80,000 (256 GB). Xiaomi really has an upper hand over Apple when it comes price segment.
Victor : Mi Notebook Air
Courtesy for Photos : MiUi and Apple Forum