TECHNOLOGY
My Xiaomi Notebook Air(early 2019)
The dreadful blue screen of death (BSOD) has finally caught up with my laptop after cheating death.
My trusty Acer laptop has been acting up, often sabotaging my work with random freezes and auto-shutdowns. It has been with me since 2008. Despite the frequent data housekeeping and attempts to lengthen its lifespan, the brick is simply underpowered and is clearly due for replacement.
Justifying my needs
I am the kind of person that prefers to make a well-informed purchase. This I make sure by researching to death before I decide to shell out my hard-earned cash.
Condition
The laptop is going to serve me primarily in writing, some light entertainment and of course, decent enough to last me for the next decade.
I narrowed down to these models for the best value and something that can future-proof my needs.
The contenders
- Microsoft Surface Laptop (1st gen)
- Asus Zenbook 13 (UX331UA)
- Xiaomi Mi Notebook Air (2018)
I mulled over these 3 laptops for a very long time. Last I checked, the prices of these laptops were around SGD$1,300 (US$ 950+). The MS Surface were having a huge discount as the official Microsoft distribution (Singapore) is preparing for the 2nd gen shipment to arrive.
After much contemplation, I ended up with the 13.3-inch Xiaomi Mi Notebook Air (2018) as the best value. It is equipped with the latest 8th Gen processor, upgradeable specs which I can tinker around (and futureproofing), and a decent quality keyboard.
My thoughts about the Xiaomi Mi Notebook Air 13.3-inch (2018)
Weighing around 1.3kg and finished with a premium gunmetal body, I really loved the sleek, minimalist quality of it. Plus, there is no logo on the front.
The Chinese-made laptop sports an i5, 8th Gen processor and comes preinstalled with a Windows 10 Chinese language pack. I had to find my way around to switch to English. That took me quite a while to set up, which I learnt from this step-by-step video.
The typing experience is pretty decent, despite the keyboard having a shallow travel than my previous laptop.
Then again, my previous Acer was a brick, weighing in at almost 2kg, including the missing keys from the keyboard.
Thanks to its dedicated Nvidia MX150 graphics, moderate games like Starcraft I (it’s free to play!) and Diablo 3 runs quite smoothly without any stuttering. I tired to install Lightroom 3 and Photoshop CS3 but apparently am unable to test it as there are some compatibility issues with the font sizes.
Conclusion 4/5
Overall, I am very pleased with the purchase. For a compact ultraportable, equipped with the latest tech at a very agreeable price point, it is quite hard to look elsewhere.
My main gripe I find is the battery life. Mine lasts about at most 4 hours of web surfing and general photo editing. I am not especially particular about it since I usually have a dedicated spot with a power supply (it’s fast-charged) but still, it might be a sticking point for others who are consistently on the move.
Fortunately, the USB-C charger (2-pin plug) is quite small for me to lug around wherever I go.
Final points to consider
Naturally, many reviewers refrain from buying Chinese laptops as their warranty lacks worldwide coverage.
On top of the 3-month warranty, they offer an extended warranty plan which I have decided to opt out. The local distributor has maintained that laptop repairs are covered, however it has to be shipped out and done in China.
It simply doesn’t make any sense.
That being said, Xiaomi is still among one of the reputable Chinese brands out there and I am confident that parts are easily available for your own repairs.
[Updated: 5 Dec 2019]
