Xiaomi Notebook Pro Max: An Honest Review

Buy the portable and lightweight Xiaomi Notebook Pro Max 11th Gen Intel Tiger Lake Core i5-11320H 14-Inch Notebook Laptop (16GB/512GB SSD/Windows 11/Lustrous Gray/1.4 KG). The laptop has a 3.1 GHz 11th Gen Intel Tiger Lake Core i5-11320H processor for smooth performance and fast program loading. The laptop’s 512GB SSD storage lets you save your favorite videos, games, programs, and more without space limits.

This Xiaomi laptop has a 3-cell Li-Ion battery that helps you work, view movies, and listen to songs for longer. This laptop has a 14-inch, 3200 x 2000-pixel screen for excellent images. Pre-loaded with Windows 11, this laptop’s hardware and software work properly. Additionally, it weighs 1.4 kg, making it convenient to carry. The Lustrous Gray laptop costs Rs. 55999 and comes with a 1-year manufacturing warranty.

Xiaomi Notebook Pro Max Specs

Price in India

The Xiaomi Notebook Pro 120G costs Rs. 69,999 for students, professionals, home users, and mobile workers. The higher-priced edition costs Rs. 76,999 and contains a discrete Nvidia GeForce MX550 GPU in addition to Intel graphics. Xiaomi sometimes calls the cheaper model the Notebook Pro 120 (without the G for graphics), so you may see them listed separately. This is strange as there are no CPU, RAM, or SSD alternatives, but all other specs are the same.

Design and features

Like its predecessors, the Xiaomi Notebook Pro 120G boasts a simple design. The body has no angles or curves except for rounded edges. A small yet glossy Xiaomi logo on the lid is the only thing that detracts from the simple design. The dark gray aluminum shell has a lovely sandblasted finish up close. It picked up little smudges over a few weeks, but they were readily removed. This 1.4-kg laptop isn’t the lightest or most portable. Its 15.9mm thickness is typical. A modest 100-watt brick-style adaptor is included instead of the larger wall plugs that are becoming increasingly widespread.

The laptop’s hinge is solid, and the lid doesn’t shake when typing. Xiaomi’s Notebook Pro 120G boasts narrow screen boundaries and room for a webcam. This matte screen is non-reflective, which improves productivity. The white backlit keyboard offers two brightness levels and a good layout. Integrated fingerprint sensor on a separate power button. The upper-rightmost keyboard key can open any program or file with a macro key. The keyboard keys are too mushy for my liking, but most people can adjust. I appreciated that typing didn’t shake the display or cause the keyboard to flex. The trackpad is huge but has a poor texture for swiping and other movements.

Specifications

The Xiaomi Notebook Pro 120G’s 2560×1600-pixel 16:10 120Hz screen is its main draw. The resolution and aspect ratio boost productivity by providing more workspace than full-HD. Xiaomi guarantees 100% sRGB color gamut coverage and DC dimming to prevent eye strain from quick flickering. This is a premium laptop, so it’s odd that Xiaomi only offers the Core i5-12450H. A Core i7 version would have been intriguing given what else is included.

However, this is a 12th Gen model based on the “Alder Lake” architecture, and the H suffix suggests that this is a relatively strong 45W part that could give greater sustained performance than 28W or 15W parts used in thin-and-light laptops. Four performance cores and four smaller efficiency cores give this CPU 12 threads. Without the separate Nvidia GeForce MX550 GPU, the Xiaomi Notebook Pro 120G has weak integrated Intel UHD graphics. The lower-end variety is with me for this review.

Performance

First, usability and general usage Although not the lightest, the Xiaomi Notebook Pro 120G is a tiny 14-inch laptop. The laptop’s location makes the display unsuitable for color-sensitive photo and video editing, but it’s great for reading and handling spreadsheets. Motion is smooth, and colors are bright. Videos and games look fine; however, Xiaomi hasn’t defined brightness, and HDR isn’t available. After setting Windows’ scale to 175%, the UI was much better for working.

You may also lower the refresh rate from 120 Hz to 90 Hz or 60 Hz in Windows 11 Preferences to save battery life. It was annoying that Alt+F4 wasn’t recognized unless you held down the Fn button, as many laptops change the Fn keys’ default shortcuts for popular Windows operations. For casual leisure, the Xiaomi Notebook Pro 120G should display Full-HD streaming movies and show well on the 14-inch screen. The stereo speakers are fine for video dialogue and game effects, but not music. The webcam is OK, but nothing exceptional.

Verdict

The Xiaomi Notebook Pro 120G is better for work than play and for individuals who prefer a tiny PC at home or in the office, not a laptop. The 16:10 display, high resolution, and high refresh rate are among its most appealing bullet points. Xiaomi also chose wisely for its core hardware. The keyboard, trackpad, port choices, fan noise, and battery life were weak throughout use.

These may not seem like big issues, but if you’re unhappy with even one, long-term use can be annoying. This Xiaomi Notebook Pro 120G, for Rs. 76,999, is harder to recommend. For the same price, you could acquire a good gaming laptop, a lighter ultraportable, or a touchscreen 2-in-1. For less, the MacBook Air (M1) is offered. Buyers must decide if they desire the Notebook Pro 120G’s unique features and performance.