The 2021 Mi Notebook models called Mi Notebook Pro and Mi Notebook Ultra are not a direct replacement for last year’s ultraportable Mi Notebook 14 family. Both of these are more premium but also a bit bigger, with value-added features that you might find attractive for everyday work as well as entertainment on the go. They are positioned above the new Redmibook series, which was launched this year. More importantly, they correct many of the shortcomings of last year’s models, helping Xiaomi gain a firm foothold in the Indian laptop market.
today we have new Mi Notebook Ultra, which is a premium 15.6-inch laptop aimed at creative professionals and anyone who wants more power and performance than the entry-level segment can deliver. Price starting from Rs. 59,999It’s not the slickest or most portable laptop, but it offers style, features, and performance. Let’s start with our full review.
Mi Notebook Ultra weighs 1.7kg and measures 17.99mm thick
Mi Notebook Ultra price in India
Mi Notebook is a step up from Ultra Mi Notebook Pro which was launched at the same time. The Ultra model is physically larger, with a bigger screen and battery, but the specifications are pretty much the same across both product families. Prices start from Rs. 59,999 for the base variant of the Mi Notebook Ultra, which includes a . Is 1 1th General Intel Core i5 CPU and 8GB RAM.
Stepping in to the 16GB RAM variant will cost Rs. 64,999 – This is a little over Rs. 63,999 Price Xiaomi Advertised at launch, but still makes a lot of sense as the RAM is not upgradeable. The top-end variant, which we are reviewing today, has a Core i7 CPU and 16GB of RAM, and is priced at Rs. 76,999.
Mi Notebook Ultra Design and Features
The body of Mi Notebook Ultra is made of Series 6 aluminum. This laptop weighs in at 1.7kg which is quite out of ultraportable territory, but it’s still handy to carry every day if you need to travel. It is also quite slim at 17.9mm. In terms of build quality, I have no complaints. The hinge feels solid, and the lid doesn’t flex too much. You can open this laptop with one finger. There’s a large grille for air intakes on the bottom, and hot air is vented out through vents at the rear that are masked by hinged barrels.
The metallic body has a sandblasted texture and looks pretty cool, though the big black Xiaomi logo is a departure from last year’s completely blank look. In addition, the body is quite minimalist and does not pay much attention to itself. The Mi logo at the bottom of the screen on last year’s model has been updated according to the company Recent Rebranding Efforts, although the product name is still Mi Notebook Ultra.
The keyboard isn’t cramped, and the power button has an integrated fingerprint sensor
The most notable feature of the Mi Notebook Ultra is its 15.6-inch, 16:10 aspect ratio screen. The borders are pretty slim, but there’s still room at the top for a 720p webcam – with the previous Mi Notebook lineup leaving the webcam was a big miss for Xiaomi, especially since remote work and video calls have become far more important And this is common in the past year.
The bottom of this laptop has enough room for a large, comfortable keyboard. I was happy to see a column of paging keys on the right, and thankfully, the arrow keys aren’t cramped at all. You also get a macro key in the top right corner, so you can quickly launch a single program. Adjustable backlighting addresses one of the big shortcomings with last year’s model, but there are only two brightness levels (Xiaomi says three, but it counts “off” as one of them).
The power button has an integrated fingerprint sensor for Windows Hello authentication. It caches your fingerprint when you turn on the laptop, so you don’t have to touch it again to sign in after Windows boots up — but you should get used to touching the buttons with the pad of your finger. Will be The trackpad is large and comfortable. Windows multi-touch gestures are supported and work well. On the downside, the physical click mechanism is a bit harsh.
On the left, you’ll see a USB 3.2 Gen1 (5Gbps) Type-C port, an HDMI video output, a USB 3.2 Gen1 (5Gbps) Type-A port, and a Thunderbolt 4 Type-C port. DisplayPort video output is supported only through the latter, but the Mi Notebook Ultra can be charged using any of these ports. There’s another USB Type-A port on the right side but disappointingly, it only works at USB 2.0 speeds. Lastly, there’s the 3.5mm audio socket. Unfortunately this laptop does not have an SD card slot or a physical Ethernet port.
All ports on the left and right of the Mi Notebook Ultra
Mi Notebook Ultra Specifications
On the inside, Xiaomi Intel’s 11 . gone withth Gen H35-series CPUs, which are actually slightly more powerful versions U-series chips are used for ultraportable laptops, and not part of More Powerful H-Series Used for gaming and high-end models. The H35 refers to the 35W TDP rating, which is a measure of how much power the CPU can draw in order to run faster for longer periods of time. Xiaomi is sticking with integrated Intel Iris Xe graphics, and there are no discrete GPU options.
You can choose between 8GB or 16GB of RAM if you go with a Core i5-11300H CPU, but the Core i7-11370 is only paired with 16GB. RAM is soldered and not upgradeable. All three variants have a 512GB NVMe SSD that you can swap out if you choose to upgrade in the future.
The 15.6-inch screen stands out in this segment for a number of reasons. Its resolution is 3200×2000 pixels, which works very comfortably on 16:10 aspect ratio. It also has a 90Hz refresh rate which is unusual for laptops in general, and Xiaomi says it covers 100 percent of the sRGB color gamut. Although the brightness is rated at 300nits only. This panel is really great for working and multitasking. It is very crisp and shiny. Colors aren’t the most vibrant when watching videos, but the anti-reflective finish is good for productivity.
The Mi Notebook 14 has a stereo speaker system and a built-in mic. Xiaomi doesn’t specify a battery capacity rating, but says that the battery life is good enough for 12 hours of local video playback. You get a 65W Type-C charger in the box, and should be able to charge up to 50 percent in 45 minutes. This laptop also supports Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.1.
You get Windows 10, which is Upgradable to Windows 11. Xiaomi also includes a full license for Microsoft Office Home & Student 2019 and a utility called MIUI+, which is said to allow easy sharing of files with smartphones running MIUI, just like Like Apple’s AirDrop feature works.
The 16:10 display aspect ratio is great for work, and the 90Hz refresh rate is unusual
Mi Notebook Ultra Performance
I did not face any problem with Mi Notebook Ultra in everyday use. I was able to get things done, which involved multitasking with 20 or more web apps in a browser tab. The top-end variant I’m reviewing has more than enough power for everyday productivity and even lightweight material manufacturing work. Typing was comfortable due to good key travel, though I would have liked the slightly springier action.
If you’re used to more compact laptops, working on a larger, higher-resolution screen is a pleasure. It is also good for watching TV shows and movies. However, the music doesn’t sound great at all, as the lower-end speakers are just fine in terms of volume and fullness.
Benchmarks show how well a device performs in situations that simulate intense real-world use. Starting with PCMark 10, the Mi Notebook Ultra managed 4,680 and 4,195 points in the standard and extended runs respectively. These figures are only 10.10 compared to last year’s Mi Notebook 14 Horizon Edition. are marginally more withth Gen Intel Core i7 Managed CPU. SSD performance for sequential reads and writes was measured at 2378.7MBps and 1508.2MBps, while random reads and writes came in at 1171.2MBps and 458.5MBps, respectively, which is pretty decent speeds.
The Cinebench R20 managed 548 and 2,014 in its single-threaded and multi-threaded tests. POVRay’s render benchmark took 2 minutes 45 seconds to complete. It took 2 minutes, 29 seconds to compress a 3.24GB folder of mixed files using 7zip, and 1 minute to transcode a 1.3GB AVI file to H.265 in Handbrake. Both these are big improvements over the last year’s model.
The Unigine Superposition graphics benchmark averaged 15.96fps on its 1080p Medium preset. 3DMark’s Time Spy and Time Spy Extreme tests returned scores of 1,363 and 576, respectively, while the Night Raid scene managed 14,209 and the Fire Strike Extreme test score was 1,555. Interestingly, last year’s model fared better in some respects, possibly thanks to its entry-level discrete Nvidia GeForce MX350 GPU.
You should be able to play casual games just fine, but 3D titles struggled to run smoothly. Many games recognize the 16:10 screen, so scaling down means you won’t have to deal with stretching or letterboxing. At 1280×800 and using the Medium quality setting, Shadow of the Tomb Raider’s built-in benchmarks only managed an average of 23fps. Far Cry 5 was able to average 30fps. None of the games sounded great at these settings, so you’ll have to settle for older or simpler titles if you want to play games on the Mi Notebook Ultra.
As for battery life, if your usage mainly consists of web browsing and productivity, you should be able to get through a workday on a full charge. The Heavy Battery Eater Pro 3D test lasted 2 hours and 8 minutes, which is pretty good. Due to heavy tasks like games and benchmarks, the entire left side of the body, including the wrist rest, got quite hot. The cooling fan is not audible at all, except when this laptop is under extreme stress.
Mi Notebook Ultra’s looks are understated, and build quality is good
Decision
Mi Notebook Ultra has a lot going for it in terms of features and performance. You get great value for money even compared to the entry-level redmibook series whatever it was recently launched. The display and keyboard are the highlights of this device. Battery life is good enough, even for a work machine, and the hardware should be more than enough to last a few years. On the downside, things like speakers, trackpad, and port selection could still be better.
Xiaomi has struck a fine balance between cost, features and performance. It’s not the most portable laptop and it certainly isn’t aimed at gamers either, but you should still be able to carry it around every day and do a lot of things comfortably. It can be a good option for students, self-employed or remote workers and home users. The Core i7 version tested here is worth a look if you have the budget that can stretch up to Rs. 80,000.
Even the mid-tier version with its less powerful CPU should be enough for most people. It could be an even better value as you still get the same high-resolution 90Hz 16:10 screen, comfortable keyboard, and Thunderbolt port for a much lower price and CPU specs. not so different. However, I wouldn’t suggest considering the base version, as it only has 8GB of RAM which isn’t upgradeable. The price difference won’t save much over the entire life of the laptop.
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