Xiaomi Mi Gaming Notebook
Update 03. August 2018
Not even 5 months after the release of the Xiaomi Gaming Notebook, the manufacturer presented an upgrade at this year's "ChinaJoy". The new models of the Xiaomi Mi Gaming Notebook have been switched to Intel's 8th generation of processors, which promises another significant boost in performance. At the same time, Xiaomi has improved the cooling system. Sales start in China on August 16th. Here is an overview of the models:
- Intel Core i7-8750H - 16GB DDR4 - 256GB PCIe SSD - 1TB HDD - Nvidia GTX 1060
- Intel Core i7-8750H - 8GB DDR4 - 256GB PCIe SSD - 1TB HDD - Nvidia GTX 1050 Ti
- Intel Core i5-8300H - 8GB DDR4 - 256GB PCIe SSD - 1TB HDD - Nvidia GTX 1060
- Intel Core i5-8300H - 8GB DDR4 - 256GB PCIe SSD - 1TB HDD - Nvidia GTX 1050 Ti
The Intel Core i7-8750H, which was released a few months ago, is equipped with 6 processor cores with a base rate of up to 2.2 GHz and a turbo rate of up to 4.1 GHz. The storage connection has also improved. The DDR4 RAM clocks at 2666 MHz (predecessor: 2400 MHz). Another improvement that the system-on-chip brings with it is the new dual-AC WiFi module, which enables transfer rates of up to 1733 Mbps.
Compared to the previous Core i7-8750 HQ, the new Intel Core i7-7700H promises a 31,7% increase in system performance, a 76,7% increase in office application performance and a 92,2% increase in render performance.
Update 25. May 2018
The gaming notebook is now also available from relevant China shops. GearBest, for example, has listed the Core i7 model with 16GB of RAM for just under 1300 €. Compared to local models, the Xiaomi gaming laptop is not necessarily a bargain. Nevertheless, the usual good Xiaomi processing quality could speak for the notebook. We will try to get a test copy of the device.
Update 31. March 2018
Sales of the new Xiaomi notebook have already started in China. The first middlemen from the Far East have already included the gaming laptop in their range and are offering it in advance. A possible dispatch is to be expected from the end of April or the beginning of May. The current price is between € 870 and € 1315, depending on the model. More on this at the end of the article!
Simple design and play of light
Classic gaming notebooks often stand out due to their extravagant design. Xiaomi, on the other hand, has opted for a more restrained, almost simple housing design. You won't find any noticeable decorations or even a manufacturer's logo on the matte case of the 364 mm wide, 265.2 mm deep and straight 20.9 mm high notebook. The weight is 2.7 kg. In order to pass as a gaming notebook, there are two subtle design features.
RGB keyboard
The Xiaomi Gaming Notebook does not use a conventional chiclet keyboard, but rather a keyboard with an extended 1.8 mm key travel. According to Xiaomi, this achieves an improved feeling of pressure, which plays a crucial role, especially when gaming. A 30-Key RollOver (30KRO) ensures that up to 30 simultaneous key inputs are registered precisely. On the left hand there are also 5 freely programmable buttons. Another button is used to control the cooling system. At the same time, the keyboard has a multi-colored LED backlight that is divided into 4 zones. The user can determine the colors in which the zones light up. With the lighting modes “Breath”, “Wave” and “Colorful” there are also 3 color effects to choose from. There is a trackpad below the keyboard, but without a fingerprint scanner. As with the previously released Xiaomi notebooks, the keyboard of this notebook is also available in a QERTY layout!
ambient light
Another visual effect is the multicolored, pulsating ambient light. Using LED strips, the so-called “ambient light” shines indirectly from the side edges of the housing. The color of the ambient light adapts to the respective screen content.
High resolution display
The display is of the IPS type and has a diagonal of 15.6 inches in full HD (1920 x 1080 pixels). The bezels surrounding the display are comparatively narrow with a thickness of 9.9 mm. The resulting screen-to-body ratio is 81%. Further features of the panel are a luminance of 300 cd / m², a maximum viewing angle of 178 ° and an NTSC color space coverage of 72%. The anti-reflective display glass is an advantage, as it absorbs incident light and thus enables you to work in the sunshine. Above the display there is also a camera that has a resolution of HD (1280 x 720 pixels).
Hardware for gamers
There are a total of 4 models of the Xiaomi gaming notebook, which differ in terms of processor, graphics and memory equipment.
Top models
The most powerful model is equipped with an Intel Core i7-7700 HQ processor. This processor, specially designed for notebooks and based on the Kaby Lake architecture (14 nm), offers a total of 4 processor cores that clock at up to 3.8 GHz. In addition to the Intel HD 630 processor graphics, the notebook is also equipped with a dedicated Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 graphics card (6GB). The memory configuration amounts to a 16GB DDR4 main memory and a 256GB SSD + 1TB HDD data storage. The model below only differs from the most powerful model in terms of the memory equipment (8GB DDR4 + 128GB SSD + 1TB HDD)
Lower models
The weakest model, on the other hand, is equipped with an Intel Core i5-7300 HQ processor. This is also a quad-core processor, but its processor cores clock with a maximum of 3.5 GHz. The processor based on the Intel Skylake architecture dispenses with hyperthreading. The processor graphics is also an Intel HD Graphics 630. Instead of an Nvidia Geforce GTX 1060, a less powerful Nvidia Geforce GTX 1050 Ti graphics card (4GB) is used. For a small surcharge, the model is also available with an Nvidia Geforce GTX 1060. The memory configuration amounts to an 8GB DDR4 main memory and a 128GB SSD + 1TB HDD data memory.
cooling system
The most common cause of performance drops is inadequate cooling. The result is so-called “thermal throttling”, whereby the processor automatically slows down when it reaches a maximum temperature. A key feature of the Xiaomi gaming laptop is a sophisticated cooling system. Cool air is sucked in by two fans via the wide-mesh underside of the notebook. Hotspots are avoided by the 3+2 heat pipe system. The warm air is released at four points on the notebook casing.
Connectivity, audio and battery
connection options
The connection options are plentiful and amount to three USB 3.0 sockets, a USB-C socket, an RJ45 socket (Gigabit Ethernet connection), an HDMI 2.0 socket, a 3.5 mm audio output and a microphone input, a MicroSD memory card slot and a power connection . Both the USB-C and the HDMI socket make it possible to operate two external monitors with a maximum 4K resolution at a frame rate of 60 Hz. The laptop finds its way wirelessly in dual-band WLAN (802.11b / g / n / ac). Bluetooth is supported with version 4.1.
sound system
The gaming notebook also has a lot to offer in terms of sound. Two 3W speakers promise a powerful sound. The compatibility with Dolby enables, among other things, sound effects such as the spatial Dolby Panorama Surround Sound. Headphones are powered by an integrated headphone amplifier. Music lovers also get their money's worth, because the notebook is Hi-Res Audio certified, among other things.
Battery
Xiaomi specifies the capacity of the battery as 55 watt hours. As a guideline, 5-hour online video playback, 5.5-hour local video playback or 6.5-hour web browsing would be possible. If these values are transferred to computationally intensive areas of application, such as gaming or rendering videos, a running time of 2-3 hours would be conceivable. The battery is charged via an external power supply unit. A possibility to charge the battery via USB-C is not provided.
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With the Xiaomi Gaming Notebook, the manufacturer has now launched a fourth notebook model series. Particularly promising are the gamer-friendly, but still simple design, as well as the top-quality equipment. This makes the notebook suitable on the one hand as a gaming PC replacement, but on the other hand also for everyday use, be it as an ordinary business laptop. The notebook is priced between 5999 yuan (around 774 €) and 8999 yuan (around 1160 €) depending on the equipment. There are minor inconsistencies due to the lack of a detailed data sheet, to what extent Xiaomi has opted for the regular model of the Geforce GTX 1060 Mobile or whether a slightly weaker clocked Geforce GTX 1060 Max-Q was installed.
Product page of the manufacturer: mi.com/migaminglaptop/
Once we have a test copy, the open questions will of course be investigated. What do you think about Xiaomi's latest trick? With it in the comments!
twitcher
31. March 2018 23 to: 48
How is the display connected there? In the pictures that floats in the air?
Timo admin
1. April 2018 10 to: 39
Hi twitcher, the display is connected by two metal hinges. It “floats” in the air because the display does not reach all the way to the lower end of the housing.
Sven
2. April 2018 23 to: 42
Too bad, again only QWERTY.
completely
3. April 2018 13 to: 46
Do not really knock me off the stool now. For the same price I also get a good brand notebook with warranty and services. In my opinion, such a purchase is worthwhile only if I can buy the device locally in a Xiaomi store.