Xiaomi had a product launch yesterday and what has been announced include the Mi Notebook Pro, Mi Mix 2 and Mi Note 3. First, we shall have a look at the Mi Notebook Pro, Xiaomi's vision of the best laptop that would face against the Apple MacBook Pro.
Mi Notebook Pro
In terms of design, we can see that the Apple's MacBook Pro is the source of inspiration for the Mi Notebook Pro. As a result, what we have here is a laptop that looks classy and minimalist. The chassis is made of magnesium alloy and weighs at 1.95kg. It comes with a 15.6-inch narrow bezel display which is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 3. The IPS panel covers 72% of the NTSC colour gamut and only comes at 1080p display resolution.
Apart from that, the Mi Notebook Pro also packs with a tonne loads of features.
Highlights:
8th generation Intel Core i7/i5 processor
NVIDIA GeForce MX150 GPU (mobile version of GT 1030)
Dual-channel RAM
PCle high-speed SSD
Full metal body with 7 integrated ports
High-depth keyboard, premium backlighting
3rd gen Corning Gorilla Glass
Xiaomi is offering the Mi Notebook Pro in 3 different configurations:
i7-8550U + 16 GB RAM: RMB 6999 (~RM 4498)
i7-8550U + 8 GB RAM: RMB 6399 (~RM 4112)
i5-8250U + 8 GB RAM: RMB 5599 (~RM 3598)
The laptop will go on sale in China-only from 15th September 2017 and ships with Microsoft Windows 10 (Chinese edition). No words on the availability in the overseas.
Days before Computex, Acer announces their latest gaming and productivity notebooks. Enter the Nitro series gaming notebook for casual gamers and Spin series convertible notebook for flexible computing.
Acer Nitro 5
Configurations includes
up to 7th Generation Intel Core i7 processors with NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti
up to 7th Generation AMD A-series processors with AMD Radeon RX550
Supporting up to 32 GB DDR4 2400 MHz RAM
Up to 512 GB PCIe SSD and optional HDD storage (up to 2 TB)
Dual fans with Acer Coolboost technology, which delivers heightened fan speeds and cooling ability.
15.6-inch FHD (1920 x 1080) IPS display, with Dolby Audio Premium and Acer TrueHarmony technology.
Gigabit Ethernet port delivers fast and reliable wired connections.
802.11ac 2×2 MIMO wireless technology provides blazing-fast wireless connectivity.
A comprehensive selection of ports
one USB 3.1 Type-C (Gen 1) port,
one USB 3.0 port with power-off charging,
two USB 2.0 ports,
and an HDMI 2.0 port, which can support up to 90 Hz refresh rates.
Pricing & Availability
The Acer Nitro 5 will be available in
North America in July starting at $799;
Europe, Middle East & Africa in August with prices starting at €1,099;
China in July starting at ¥5,499.
No news regarding the availability in SEA region or Malaysia at the moment. Stay tuned for more updates.
Acer Spin 1
Lightweight, at just 1.25 kg (2.76 lbs)
Thin, at just 14 mm (0.55-inch)
Latest Intel Pentium or Intel Celeron processors
4 GB DDR3L RAM
32 / 64 / 128 GB eMMC storage
11.6-inch Full HD (1920x1080) IPS touch-enabled screen
Fast and reliable wireless connectivity through 802.11ac 2×2 technology
Acer BluelightShield, reduce eye strain from prolonged screen viewing.
Speakers with Acer TrueHarmony technology, automatically reverse to ensure optimal sound quality in any mode and are paired with a webcam for video chats.
Additional connectivity options:
Bluetooth 4.0,
one USB 3.1 port,
one USB 2.0 port,
one HDMI port
and one microSD (SDXC) card slot.
Pricing & Availability
The Acer Spin 1 will be available in:
North America in July with prices starting at $329;
Europe, Middle East & Africa region in July with prices starting at €399.
No news regarding the availability in SEA region or Malaysia at the moment. Stay tuned for more updates.
Microsoft finally announces the new iteration for their Surface Pro lineup. Instead of naming it the Surface Pro 5, Microsoft has opted to drop the numbering and just called it "The New Surface Pro". Now onwards, I guess everyone will just call it the Surface Pro 2017. Read on to find out what Microsoft have in store for the New Surface Pro?
What's New in the New Surface Pro?
Subtle Redesign & New Kickstand
The new Surface Pro now has softer and rounded edges for cleaner handleability. While it might seem subtle, but it is a welcomed change. Microsoft also claims that the new Surface Pro is lighter than the previous generation. On top of that, the legendary kickstand also received an update where the hinge has a range of motion up to 165 degrees compared to the previous generation's 150 degrees angle.
Updated Cores
As expected, the new Surface Pro is now powered by the Intel's 7th generation Kaby Lake processors. Below are the available configurations:
Intel Core m3-7Y30 (Intel HD Graphics 615)
4 GB RAM, 128 GB SSD
Intel Core i5-7300U (Intel HD Graphics 620)
4 GB RAM, 128 GB SSD
8 GB RAM, 256 GB SSD
Intel Core i7-7660U (Intel Iris Plus Graphics 640)
8 GB RAM, 256 GB SSD
16 GB RAM, 512 GB SSD
16 GB RAM, 1 TB SSD (PCIe NVMe)
What's even impressive is that the Core i5 models are now completely fanless, joining the Core m3 in the silent computing club. Microsoft also states that the new processors other than providing the raw processing power, it also help to achieve 13.5 hours of battery life.
Updated Accessories
Surface Pen
The new Surface Pen has received a massive update where it now supports up to 4096 levels of pressure, which is double of the previous generation of Surface Pen. On top of that, it also supports tilt action where creative personnel would use it for shading as if it is the real pencil. Latency also drops from 45 ms to 21 ms for that fluid and real time inking experience.
Signature Type Cover
The Signature Type Cover also received the Alcantara treatment where Microsoft basically covered the keys in the fuzzy fabric, ala Surface Laptop style.
Availability
The new Surface Pro will launch on June 15, 2017, in 25 markets including Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, China, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Ireland, Italy, Korea, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, the United Kingdom and the United States. Preorder for the new Surface Pro and Surface Pro Signature Type Cover has already begun in select markets. The new Surface Pen will be available in the coming weeks.
The Surface Pen & Signature Type Cover will be sold separately from the new Surface Pro.
Stay tuned with us for the local Malaysia's availability.
