Xiaomi Mi NoteBook 14 Horizon Edition hands-on review: It's all about that value

Xiaomi Mi NoteBook 14 Horizon Edition Source: Apoorva Bhardwaj / Windows Central

Xiaomi has finally launched its Mi Notebook series in India. The Chinese manufacturer has introduced the Mi NoteBook fourteen Horizon Edition, a new model that's making its debut in India. As the proper name suggests, the Indian variant has thin bezels around the screen, and you get an aluminum alloy chassis along with robust internal hardware, including a 512GB G.2 SSD and an NVIDIA GeForce MX350 video carte du jour.

I've been using the Mi NoteBook 14 Horizon Edition for just a day, and here are my initial thoughts on the machine. For some added context, I've used all generations of the Mi Notebook Pro and the first-gen Mi Notebook Air, and then I have a pretty decent idea of what Xiaomi has to offering in this category.

Mi NoteBook fourteen Horizon Edition Pricing in India

Before we get started, I know you're bully on learning how much the Mi NoteBook 14 Horizon Edition costs in Bharat. Xiaomi is offering two variants of the notebook in the country, and there's likewise a more affordable Mi NoteBook 14 version that has an MX250 video menu instead.

Hither's the full breakdown:

Mi NoteBook xiv Horizon Edition (Core i7-10510U/8GB RAM/512GB SSD/NVIDIA MX350): ₹59,999 ($790)
Mi NoteBook xiv Horizon Edition (Core i5-10210U/8GB RAM/512GB SSD/NVIDIA MX350): ₹54,999 ($725)
Mi NoteBook 14 (Core i5-10210U/8GB RAM/512GB SSD/NVIDIA MX250): ₹47,999 ($633)
Mi NoteBook 14 (Core i5-10210U/8GB RAM/512GB SSD): ₹44,999 ($593)
Mi NoteBook xiv (Core i5-10210U/8GB RAM/256GB SSD): ₹41,999 ($554)

Xiaomi is calling these inaugural prices, with the pricing valid until July xvi. At that place volition be a slight price hike after that, so if y'all're interested in the Mi NoteBook fourteen, you should get your order in before July 16. Customers banking with HDFC will also become an additional ₹two,000 off.

Mi NoteBook 14 Horizon Edition Aluminum design with sparse bezels

Xiaomi Mi NoteBook 14 Horizon Edition Source: Apoorva Bhardwaj / Windows Central

The Mi NoteBook xiv has a chassis fabricated out of an aluminum and magnesium blend, and Xiaomi trimmed the bezels around the screen to just 3mm to adapt a 14-inch FHD (1920 x 1080) panel in the form factor of a 13.3-inch notebook. At that place's a matte coating on the panel to prevent glare, and the screen itself is decent enough. The Mi NoteBook 14 weighs i.35 kilos (2.97lb), putting information technology in the same league as the XPS thirteen.

There'due south no branding on the forepart, and the simply Xiaomi logo you'll find is the Mi label below the brandish. Xiaomi says it wanted to deliver a clean blueprint aesthetic, but the Mi NoteBook 14 ends up looking plain. There's no visual flair hither, and while the notebook has decent enough build quality, it definitely does not experience as robust every bit the Mi Notebook Pro series. I tin can't quite put my finger on it, simply the chassis doesn't feel as durable equally my Mi Notebook Pro 2022 — there'southward even a little flex.

The keyboard has chiclet keys with a scissor machinery, and while there'south decent 1.3mm key travel, the keys don't feel specially great, and at that place'south no backlight option — a large omission. You go a large trackpad with multi-touch gestures, and Xiaomi is bundling two utilities out of the box: Mi Smart Share lets you share files between devices, and Mi Blaze Unlock allows you lot to unlock the Mi NoteBook with your Mi Ring iii or Mi Band iv.

Mi NoteBook fourteen Horizon Edition All the specs yous want

Xiaomi Mi NoteBook 14 Horizon Edition Source: Apoorva Bhardwaj / Windows Central

The Mi NoteBook 14 is powered by a 10th-gen Comet Lake Core i7-10510U CPU, and information technology is one of the showtime notebooks in India to feature NVIDIA'southward MX350. For those interested, the MX350 sits i tier below the likes of the GTX 1660 Ti and other full-fledged GTX cards, and is meant for casual gaming.

You lot'll however be able to play games like Rocket League, CS:GO, and Fortnite at medium settings, but it will not run PUBG — you'll have to run PUBG Lite instead. The Core i7 chipset should be adequate for most day-to-day tasks, but there'south no variant with 16GB of RAM in India. I'll put the notebook through its paces in my review, but for now what you lot need to know is that the Mi NoteBook 14 is more a productivity workhorse than a gaming automobile.

The Mi NoteBook 14 comes with Windows x Home Edition, and you get a 30-day trial to Office 365. In that location's stereo sound via 2 2W speakers, a 3.5mm jack, an HDMI i.4b port, two USB 3.1, i USB 2.0, and a USB-C port. Xiaomi says the 46Wh bombardment delivers up to x hours of usage.

You can only get the Mi NoteBook 14 with 8GB of RAM, and as the module itself is soldered to the motherboard, pregnant you won't be able to upgrade it to a 16GB module at a later date should y'all wish to do and so. Thankfully, the notebook comes with 512GB of storage via an NVMe Grand.two SSD, and the bulldoze can be switched out if you desire to add 1TB (or more than) of storage. Here'due south the hardware on offer:

Category	Spec
Display	14-inch FHD (1920x1080)
CPU	10th-gen Intel Core i7-10510U (Comet Lake)
GPU	NVIDIA GeForce MX350
RAM	8GB DDR4 (2666MHz)
Storage	512GB NVME G.2 SSD
Connectivity	2x2 Wi-Fi ac, Bluetooth five.0
Ports	HDMI ane.4b, USB three.1 (x2), USB ii.0, USB-C
Sound	2 ten 2W speakers, 3.5mm jack
Battery	46Wh, 65W charger
Dimensions	321.3 x 206.8mm
Weight	1.35kg (2.97lb)

Mi NoteBook 14 Horizon Edition There'south no webcam hither

Xiaomi Mi NoteBook 14 Horizon Edition Source: Apoorva Bhardwaj / Windows Key

For all that the Mi NoteBook fourteen gets right, in that location are a few glaring omissions hither. The start is that you lot won't discover a webcam on the notebook; Xiaomi says it got rid of the module to create a more seamless design. But with the new reality involving never-ending Zoom calls, Xiaomi is throwing in an external webcam that you lot have to plug in. It'southward definitely not an elegant solution, and the quality of the webcam is average at best. Simply the fact that you lot take to plug in an unwieldy webcam is a potential dealbreaker.

Mi NoteBook xiv Horizon Edition As for charging ...

Xiaomi Mi NoteBook 14 Horizon Edition Source: Apoorva Bhardwaj / Windows Cardinal

The Mi NoteBook 14 has a USB-C port, simply unlike global variants information technology isn't the chief charging port. For unfathomable reasons, Xiaomi is using its ain charging brick in favor of USB-C, and that means you'll accept to carry yet some other charger with the Mi NoteBook 14. You can use the USB-C port on the Mi NoteBook fourteen to charge other devices — like your phone — merely you cannot use the port to accuse the notebook itself.

Mi NoteBook xiv Horizon Edition A decent starting time

Xiaomi Mi NoteBook 14 Horizon Edition Source: Apoorva Bhardwaj / Windows Central

Ultimately, the Mi NoteBook fourteen is closer to the Mi Notebook Air than the Mi Notebook Pro. It doesn't feel as premium as Xiaomi'south high-terminate notebook series, but with prices starting off at only ₹54,999 ($725), it offers incredible value.

The Mi NoteBook fourteen volition go upwardly for sale in Republic of india starting June 17 across Amazon India, Mi.com and retail stores across the country.

What are your thoughts on the Mi NoteBook 14? Let me know in the comments below.

Starting off on the right foot

Elden Ring: Which class should you choose?

Picking a class is ane of the most of import things yous'll ever do in Elden Band. Here's a detailed breakdown of everything you need to know about each of the game's classes so you can make an informed determination.