This could just be a case of better late than never. And the long wait could be ending soon. Xiaomi is all set to bring a new category of devices to India, and that could well be the laptops. While the teaser video posted by Redmi India on Twitter, seemingly shows the edges of a laptop but doesn't reveal much else, we do hope its that. This is further corroborated by Xiaomi India MD Manu Kumar Jain's tweet talking about a meeting with Intel India MD, Prakash Mallya, where Jain stated that the two spoke about laptops, among other things. Xiaomi's community of fans and users in India have long written about wanting to see the Mi Notebook and RedmiBook series of laptops in India, and by the looks of it, at least the latter will be launched in India.
Based on reports, general expectations state that the recently unveiled RedmiBook 13 will be launched in India tomorrow. The RedmiBook 13 was launched in December 2019 in China, and features 89 percent screen to body ratio. It features a 13.3-inch, full HD display, with 250nits peak brightness of the display panel. In terms of processing power, the RedmiBook 13 runs on 10th generation Intel Core processors, with multiple SKUs using Core i5 and Core i7 configurations. It is likely that Xiaomi introduces its RedmiBook laptops in India with only a Core i5 configuration to begin with. The processors are further aided by a custom cooling mechanism involving dual heat pipes and custom fan design.
Other features of the RedmiBook 13 include 8GB RAM, an impressive 512GB SSD, and a mid-range Nvidia GeForce MX250 graphics card with 2GB of graphics memory, which should be good enough to tackle casual games in mid settings, or lightweight photo and video editing. The RedmiBook 13 also features Harman-branded speakers with DTS Audio flaunted on it, and its connectivity chops include Bluetooth 5.0, NFC and dual-band Wi-Fi. While all of this is impressive, it is a bit disappointing to note that the RedmiBook 13 does not feature a single USB-C port — a standard that is becoming increasingly ubiquitous in recent times. The laptop's 40W-hr battery claims to deliver 11 hours of video playback and 8.5 hours of web browsing, which is acceptable as well.
With its Core i5 configuration, the Xiaomi RedmiBook 13 is priced at CNY 4,499 in China, which roughly translates to Rs 46,000 in India. While the actual pricing of the laptop is likely to vary slightly, the RedmiBook 13 should be priced under the Rs 50,000 price point in India.
At this price, the RedmiBook 13 will face competition from the likes of the Lenovo IdeaPad S540 and the Asus VivoBook 14 in India. Both the mentioned laptops have been fairly popular and well-received, and come with comparable features and design aspects including thin bezels, a compact footprint and good overall configurations. However, Xiaomi will hope to have the upper hand by advertising its use of 10th generation Intel processors, as well as bundled Microsoft Windows 10 operating system and limited duration subscriptions for Microsoft's Office applications. After all, they have to make a mark in the laptop ecosystem in India.
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