New Xiaomi Mi Notebook Pro Starts at Only $850

Xioami is setting their sights on Apple’s MacBook Pro with their new Mi Notebook Pro. Although in typical Xiaomi fasion, they are doing so by offering it at a much lower price as well. In fact the Mi Notebook Pro starts at only $850 which is less than half of what Apple is offering. They introduced the Mi Notebook Air last year, but this time the pro version has even better specifications.

Xiaomi Mi Notebook Pro Features

It is packing a current generation Intel Core i7 quad-core CPU, up to 16GB of RAM and NVIDIA’s new GeForce MX 150 GPU. This new GPU is supposedly up to 4x better than the integrated Intel HD 520 graphics solution. For gamers, this means the Mi Notebook Pro is capable of some light gaming.

Up to 1TB of SSD storage is available and it also comes with two USB Type-C ports, two USB Type-A ports and a 3-in-1 card reader. A fingerprint sensor built into the trackpad for user authentication is present as well.

Pricing and Availability

This is where things get a bit complicated. For starters, Xiaomi products are only for sale from China so you will not find them locally outside of the region. However, Chinese online store websites such as GearBest or Banggood ship their items worldwide. Many users get Xiaomi’s products that way, often skirting import fees through longer shipping methods (or you can pay a bit more for faster shipping).

The 8GB version with i5 starts at an MSRP of ¥5599. This translates to around 650 GBP. The 8GB Intel Core i7 version costs ¥3699 which converts to around £430. The 16GB Intel Core i7 model has an MSRP of ¥6999 which is around £815. In comparison, the entry level 13-inch 8GB DDR3 dual-core i5 MacBook Pro starts at £1,249. The 15-inch model with Intel Core i7 version and 16GB of RAM starts at £2,349.00.