New Delhi, January 4 (IANS): Xiaomi is aiming big to create market space in the laptop segment in India. Keeping this in mind, the company earlier brought Mi Notebook 14 and Mi Notebook 14 Horizon Edition in India and now, it has launched a cheaper variant of the Mi Notebook 14 titled 'Mi Notebook 14 e-Learning Edition.
The name itself suggests that the device is meant for schools and millions of children who are taking classes online owing to the Covid-19 pandemic in the country.
Priced at Rs 34,999, the laptop is offered in a single 8GB+256GB storage configuration in silver colour option. In comparison, pricing for the regular Mi Notebook 14 starts at Rs 41,999.
This device is at least Rs 10,000-Rs 15,000 cheaper than the other popular models in the market, with the same set of specifications in the fragmented laptop market in the country.
Let us see what the notebook has to offer.
In terms of design, the laptop scores decent marks thanks to an all-metal body with an anodised sandblasted coating. The laptop does not carry any branding on its face; the only Mi branding one would see is below the display.
Weighing just 1.5 kg, the notebook looks appealing in a thin and light body while delivering top-notch performance. It is much lighter and more compact than most laptops in this price range.
As for ports, the notebook has two USB 3.1 ports, one USB 2.0 port, an HDMI port, and a 3.5mm audio port.
It also supports an in-built 720p HD webcam which is perfect for virtual classrooms, video conferences and meetings and more.e
The new Mi Notebook 14 e-learning edition comes with a 14-inch immersive display with an 81.2 per cent screen-to-body ratio.
Sporting a 16:9 Full HD (1920 x1080) display, the new Mi Notebook offers an anti-glare coating to avoid reflections and reduce eye strain while working in a bright environment or under a direct light source.
The Full HD resolution made everything look sharp and the brightness levels were good for use in bright outdoors as well as indoors.
The display was ideal for browsing the web, watching movies or office work.
Mi Notebook 14 e-learning edition comes with a dual-core 10th Gen Intel Core i3 processor and integrated Intel UHD Graphics 620 making it a perfect device for multi-tasking.
It is equipped with 8GB DDR4 RAM clocked at 2666MHz and 256GB of fast SSD storage, ensuring an overall smooth performance.
The laptop was good enough to do daily basic stuff such as typing long documents, watching YouTube videos, browsing the internet, writing an email, or editing a story on Google Docs.
During the review, we watched several high-resolution movies on OTT platforms and it neither showed any lag nor did it get heat up.
The Mi Notebook 14 e-Learning Edition gets what is called the scissor-switch keyboard mechanism. The keyboard was comfortable to use as the keys are larger and key travel is decent.
The multi-touch trackpad allows for easy swipe, scroll, selection, zoom-in or zoom-out. It comes with palm-rejection which works well and doesn't lead you to unintentionally select or click something.
In addition to this, the device comes with DTS Audio Processing to fine-tune audio levels for the best content consumption experience.
Xiaomi claims the laptop should get up to 10 hours of battery backup with 65W fast charging that can charge the battery up to 50 per cent in under 35 minutes.
In our tests, it lasted close to seven hours, which includes a bit of writing as well as watching videos on YouTube.
Conclusion: The laptop is specifically meant for those who are looking for the best possible entry-level laptop, and do not want to spend a lot of money.
Designed as the perfect e-learning device, the notebook delivers uncompromised multitasking and productivity in these tough times.
