Update: Thanks to JunCheng, we have some photos of where the antenna is placed at least and there is talk that it’s an eSIM. No sim slot. So this model is only relevant in China. No point selling this outside of China if it cannot read SIM’s or working with other networks other than China Mobile who partnered up with Xiaomi to offer 4GB of data a month with these Xiaomi Mi Notebook Air 4G’s.
@TechTabletscom Yup. Here are the pictures of the 4G module located at the side of the notebook. Look like covered with plastic. pic.twitter.com/tG3s9f99YT
— juncheng (@chongJC) December 23, 2016
Thanks to JunCheng, we have some photos of where the antenna is placed at least and there is talk that it’s an eSIM. No sim slot. So this model is only relevant in China. No point selling this outside of China if it cannot read SIM’s or working with other networks other than China Mobile who partnered up with Xiaomi to offer 4GB of data a month with these Xiaomi Mi Notebook Air 4G’s.
Xiaomi today in a press conference announced two new models of the Mi Notebook Air 12.5″ and 13.3″ version. The design and spec of them remains the same, apart from a new 4G modem and sim slot and the 13.3″ version gets an upgrade to a Core i7 (Intel Core i7 6500U?) from the Core i5 6200U. The Nvidia 940MX remains as the dedicated GPU, a shame really, I was hope they would have changed it for a Nvidia 1060 which would run much cooler than the 940MX.
Xiaomi Mi Notebook Air 4G – A pricey update with 4G support.
The Mi Notebook 12.5″ CPU is the same. Core M3 6Y30, no update to the 7Y30 sadly. 4GB of DDR3 1866Mhz RAM, 128GB SSD. Both models have fast 2×2 Intel Wireless AC, 1080p screens, and backlit keyboards. Thin and light full metal body.
The 4G in China will come with 4GB of data free per month if I’m reading this correctly. So 48GB free data per year, but only in China. And those bands we will have to see if it supports the major ones in Europe. Safe to say 1800Mhz/2100Mhz should be supported as I always see those bands on the Chinese mobiles. But band 20 I highly doubt that will be included.
The price as you can imagine has been bumped up, around $980 for the 4G 13.3″ Core i7 model and about $670 for the Core M3 version. That’s quite an increase just for 4G support! And right now you can get the Core M3 version for $499 and the Core i5, 8GB with dedicated 940MX 1GB GPU version for $739. It’s just not worth that extra for 4G, even more so if it doesn’t support all the worldwide bands.
So be safe to say I won’t be reviewing this one, don’t see the point if it had a touchscreen added to it and the Core M3-7Y30, yes sure I would check it out. You can find my Xiaomi Mi Notebook Air 12 and Mi Notebook 13.3″ reviews below. I guess a true update will be next years 2017 Mi Notebook Air 2 when released.
Andi Domi
Such a let down, i was waiting for this model to be working working worldwide…
And to say the truth i was waiting for a besel-less version of it
omer
Hey Chris Nvidia 1060’s power is around 100-120 watts. Gtx 940mx is only 15-30 watts. There is no way a 1060 would run cooler than a 940mx in the same chasis.
Chris G
Sorry mean 1040 or 1050. It can’t even handle the heat of the 940MX unless they adding more copper transfer cooling pipes.
Blackburn
Wait what?! They are charging $200 more for 4G and that’s it! Stupid, what a rip off. At least the 13.3″ model gets a faster CPU. Bah, I’ll wait for the Mi Notebook Air 2017 model with high res touch display, 8GB DDR4 & Kaby Lake CPU.
Robert Schmidt
I could be wrong but I think it also includes one year of 4G from China Mobile at 4GB a month.
Chris G
Yes, but only good if you live in China.
Blackburn
There is even talk in the Xiaomi forums people are saying this isn’t a good deal for even the Chinese that get the data A) 4GB is not enough for a month B) It’s Super expensive. No upgraded GPU 960M or more RAM in the Core M3 version. FAIL! Will wait for the Mi Notebook Air II next year.
Chris G
Not a good deal for anyone. Such a waste of an update to the Mi notebook. Add touch support to the screens, give us 4G sure but with a SIM slot and worldwide bands.