Palash Volvoikar / Android Authority
The Mi Notebook 14 series was the first Xiaomi laptop to hit the market in India, and now Xiaomi has stepped up with the Mi Notebook Ultra and Mi Notebook Pro. I got my hands on the Mi Notebook Ultra, the most powerful laptop that Xiaomi has brought onto the market in India so far, with the highest level of equipment.
While Xiaomi recently released a RedmiBook Pro laptop, it was a mediocre budget-friendly Redmi brand. The Mi Notebook Ultra promises a lot more, but can it turn people away from the regular laptop brands that rule the segment? Before we do a full review of the Mi Notebook Ultra anytime soon, let’s take a quick look at it Android authority‘s first impressions.
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Design and display: tick the right boxes
Palash Volvoikar / Android Authority
Mi Notebook Ultra seems to get the basics right. The Mi Notebook Ultra looks quite appealing with its aluminum housing and subtle logo placement. However, the inspiration for the MacBook Pro goes a little too far.
The Mi Notebook Ultra feels like an older version of the MacBook Pro that is both good and bad.
The good thing here is that the laptop is great in terms of usability and feel. The bad thing is that it’s pretty boring. However, exciting design is far from a priority in a productivity-oriented laptop, and Xiaomi seems to be well aware of that.
Palash Volvoikar / Android Authority
As far as the display is concerned, the Mi Notebook Ultra has a lot to offer. The 15.6-inch “TrueLife +” display with a resolution of 3,200 x 2,000 is razor-sharp and very pleasant to look at. The display also comes with a refresh rate of 90 Hz and is quite color-accurate with 100% sRGB coverage. So far it seems to be one of the best displays you can get on a laptop at this price point.
The display has a matte surface that offers less glare and better visibility. Although a reflective display would have made the notebook more valuable, matte seems to be the more practical choice here. It’s safe to say that with the Mi Notebook Ultra, Xiaomi is continuing its tradition of offering excellent displays for the price. If only the RedmiBook Pro
Performance, connections and everything else
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The Ultra offers two CPUs to choose from – 11th generation Intel Core i5 and i7 chips. You get a 512 GB NVMe SSD as standard, whereby the i5 version can choose between 8 or 16 GB RAM, while the i7 variant is only equipped with 16 GB RAM. The laptop feels nimble and I haven’t seen any slowdowns. Intel Iris Xe graphics are also on board. This isn’t a gaming laptop, but the Iris Xe should be able to accommodate some basic gaming.
See also: AMD vs. Intel – which is better?
As for the ports, Xiaomi really knocked out the park here. You get two USB-C ports, one that supports charging and the other supports Thunderbolt 4. The latter is not a common offering, but it gives you plenty of scope for expansion.
There is also a Type A USB 3.2 Gen 1 port and another 2.0 port. A full HDMI 1.4 port and a headphone combo jack are also available. Surprisingly, the Mi Notebook skips the SD card reader that the cheaper RedmiBook Pro includes. Another notable shortcoming is the Ethernet port, but the laptop has Wi-Fi 6 to make up for that.
The keyboard and trackpad are large and feel solid, which makes the Mi Notebook Ultra a very comfortable laptop.
The keyboard also has a backlight. Xiaomi has built a fingerprint scanner into the power button this time around, which feels as fast as it does on some of its better phones. There is also a mysterious macro button that you can assign custom functions to, but I have yet to test this one out.
Speaking of things I couldn’t test, the Mi Notebook Ultra promises 12 hours of battery life for the whole day. We’re going to put it through its paces to find out how accurate this claim is.
Mi Notebook Ultra: price and availability
Palash Volvoikar / Android Authority
The Mi Notebook Ultra will be available in a total of three versions. The basic version comes with the i5 CPU and 8 GB of RAM starting at Rs. 59,999. When combined with the i5 CPU, you also get 16GB of RAM, and this version will cost you Rs. 63,999. The top version – the one we’re testing – comes with an i7 CPU and 16GB of RAM and costs Rs. 76,999.
The laptop will go on sale on August 31st from 12 noon Indian Standard Time. It will be available on Amazon India and Mi.com.
Mi Notebook Ultra specifications
| Mi Notebook Ultra | |
|---|---|
| advertisement | 39.6 cm (15.6) Mi TrueLife + display 3.2K (3200 x 2000) resolution with 242 PPI 16:10 aspect ratio 100% wide sRGB color space 90Hz refresh rate |
| processor | 11th generation Intel Core i7-11370H with a maximum clock speed of 4.8 GHz 11th generation Intel Core i5-11300H with a maximum clock rate of 4.4 GHz |
| GPU | Intel Iris Xe graphics |
| R.A.M. | 8/16 GB DDR4 3200MHz |
| storage | 512 GB PCIe NVMe SSD |
| Wireless | Dual band 802.11ax WiFi 6 Bluetooth 5.1 |
| Ports | 1 x USB-C 1 x Thunderbolt 4 1 x Type-A-USB 3.2 Gen1 1 x Type-A USB 2.0 1 x HDMI 1.4 |
| keyboard | Scissor mechanism 1.5 mm key travel |
| Touchpad | Multi-touch with support for Windows Precision drivers |
| Webcam | 720p (HD) |
| Audio | 2 x 2W stereo speakers Support for the DTS audio processing app 3.5mm combo audio jack Built-in microphone |
| Battery and power supply | 12-hour battery for the whole day, 70 Wh 65 W USB-C power adapter |
| Weight and dimensions | 350.1 mm x 242.3 mm x 17.9 mm 1.79kg |
Mi Notebook Ultra Impressions: The Verdict
Mi Notebook Ultra
Xiaomi’s most expensive laptop to date on the Indian market, the Mi Notebook Ultra, offers 11th generation Intel Core CPUs.
The Mi Notebook Ultra seems like a solid offering that aims to disrupt the market with its aggressive prices. At first glance, it might seem like any other would-be MacBook Pro laptop, but the display does seem ahead of the competition. Not to mention that the rest of the hardware is pretty solid on paper as well.
However, these are only our first impressions after a short time with the Mi Notebook Ultra. Our full review will be released shortly, and along with more detailed reviews, it also includes our recommendation on whether you should buy one. Stay tuned.
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