In an event in Beijing Xiaomi revealed two new pieces of tech that will be turning some heads in the near future. The new Mi Notebook Air, the first laptop from Xiaomi, and the Redmi Pro, a new high-end budget phone.
The Redmi line of phones is Xiaomi’s low-cost device series of devices. Redmi phones normally start at under $150 USD, with a slew of features packed in for that price. They are also Xiaomi’s most successful line, with over 110 million units sold in the past three years.
With the Redmi Pro, Xiaomi is looking to give budget seekers a bit more of the high-end experience. The Redmi Pro is the first Redmi phone to feature a OLED display measuring 5.5 inches, and two rear facing cameras. Xiaomi has said the two cameras (a 13-megapixel Sony IM258, and a 5-megapixel Samsung) work together to help replicate the DSLR style image taking look and feel.
The Redmi Pro will launch in three variants, with pricing matching the specs and features on offer. The Redmi Pro line starts at around $225 (1,499 CNY), for that you will get a phone with an X20 Soc, 3GB RAM and 32 GB Storage. The version with a Helio X25 chip, 3GB RAM and 64GB of storage will cost around $255 (1,699 CNY) , while the top end model with the Helio X25, 4GB RAM, and 128GB memory will set you back around $300 (1,999 CNY). The phone will come in your choice of Gold, Silver, and Dark Grey.
The phones are following in the footsteps of the Flagship Mi5 footsteps, it will offer a front facing fingerprint sensor, bottom facing speakers and USB-C charging. The phones will launch in China on August 8th, no word on if they will be sold in the west.
The phone was not all Xiaomi announced, they also unleashed a new sleek laptop, the Mi Notebook Air. This stylish new laptop will mark the companies first foray into notebook computers.
The laptop will come in a 13.3-inch and 12.5-inch, both running Windows 10 and packed with a full-HD display, metal body, USB Type-C charging and two USB slots. There will also be a full style keyboard, with Apple style keys that light up, and a trackpad for good measure.
Xiaomi has packed an Intel Core I5 with 8GB DDR4 Ram and a 256GB in the slim body of the 13.3-inch model. The 13.3-inch model will also be able to run some light gaming as they have put a dedicated NVIDIA GeForce 940MX graphics card while the overall size of 306.9 mm x 210.9 mm x 14.8 mm with it weighing just 1.28 kg.
The 12.5-inch model is much less capable, only running with an Intel Core M3 processor with integrated graphics, 4GB RAM and a 128GB SSD for storage.
The prices for the laptops will start at 3599 CNY, or around $540 USD, for the 12.5-inch model, with the larger 13.3 inch priced at around 4,999 or $750 USD. Judging by the fact most Xiaomi products never make it stateside, it may be a while before they can be purchased in the west unless you want to hit up a reseller.
Xiaomi is stepping up their game, releasing stylish products while maintaining attractive price points. It is sad that most if, not all these devices will never make it to the west, but for the people that can buy them, they do pack an good price for performance balance. We will keep you updated if Xiaomi decides to bring any of these devices to the west.
